I don’t typically knock out 48 Arnold presses in three minutes, but who am I to argue with the ebullient Adrian Williams? During a recent 30-minute strength session, the 42-year-old routinely hollered motivation like: “I don’t want you to cheat yourself by not challenging yourself!” And “You’re going to earn everything that you get here!” That’s just the sort of tough-love coachspeak I’ve been susceptible to since the age of eight.
The class was particularly refreshing considering that I mostly train alone these days. I’ve dabbled in squad training and track clubs over the last few years, and I frequent a yoga studio on Sundays, but the majority of my intense efforts are private to me and a Spotify playlist called “Stand on Business.”
As it turns out, I didn’t even have to leave the Spotify universe to complete this particular session. Williams’s strength class was my first sampling of the streamer’s new fitness library. I decided to give it a try after a few days of spotting giant billboards heralding the launch and being fed fun adverts in which Adonises perform burpees on rooftops. But what is “Fitness on Spotify,” exactly? And quotable moments aside, is it any good?
Introducing Spotify Fitness
Spotify heads like Roman Wasenmüller, the global head of podcasts, appear buoyed by internal data that 70% of Premium subscribers work out monthly. “For nearly two decades, Spotify has been the soundtrack to the world’s workouts,” Wasenmüller said in a release. In adding visual expertise to the audio experience, Spotify sees an opportunity to become a one-stop shop for exercise motivation.
There’s infrastructure (and precedent) for this. Over the last 18 months, the platform has been introducing video companions for your favorite podcasts. I first realized this while walking through Central Park at lunch. Two guys I listen to all the time, and previously had zero clue what they looked like, were there wearing baseball hats, talking to each other in my pocket. No wonder my phone was so hot.
To get their fitness hub off the ground in a hurry, Spotify didn’t hire a bunch of trainers and build out studios — they just leveraged an existing relationship with Peloton. (When exercise bikes were selling like hotcakes during quarantine, Peloton’s early stars curated bespoke playlists with Spotify’s blessing.) The new deal is expansive: Spotify bought the rights to 1,400 of Peloton’s on-demand workout classes and compiled them in one place, ad free.
That constitutes only a small fraction of the Peloton library (which likely has tens of thousands of videos). The embattled equipment company has become more of a promising streaming platform in recent years, as it’s shifted its operational focus to “in-ear coaching.” (Other apps in this space include Nike Run Club, Ladder, Aaptiv and Trainwell). It’s a prudent move: Peloton has the talent and the content, everyone else has a phone and AirPods. The Spotify agreement broadcasts their workouts to a massive audience, and a young one at that. The majority of Spotify’s users are under the age of 35, myself included.
How to Take It for a Spin
First, you gotta find it. That’s easier said than done, considering Spotify now has audiobooks, music videos and AI tools clogging up its homepage. At least the streamer seems aware of the issue; it included instructions in a recent Instagram comment: “To find Fitness with Spotify, tap Search 🔍. Then under “browse all” tap Fitness to explore.”
Handle all that, and you’ll be greeted with a brief interactive survey:
What movement are you in the mood for? (You can choose from Burn & Sweat, Strengthen & Tone and Calm & Restore.)
How do you want to work? (With Weights, With Bodyweight or Weightless Flow.)
How experienced are you with this type of workout? (Drag the toggle between I’m Just Getting Into It, I’ve Done Some and I’m Comfortable.)
From there the algorithm spits out a recommended workout. If you’re not into it, no fear, Spotify will also dispense a list of similar workouts. Categories include Strength, Pilates & Barre, Yoga, Stretching, Meditation and Cardio. At the bottom, as an afterthought for now, there’s a section called Creator Workouts, which features classes from YouTube titans like Sophie Reid, Caitlin K’eil Yoga and Jordan Yeoh Fitness.
For now, it’s unclear what sort of deal (or future monetization) these trainers have arranged with Spotify. I’m sure more creators will follow, for the prestige aspect if nothing else, but considering ad-free costs are similar between Spotify and YouTube — $12.99 and $15.99, respectively — I’m not sure this section makes a huge difference for the audience. (As a point of comparison, an individual all-access Peloton membership is $28.99 a month.)
Are Spotify Workouts for You?
If you’re a beginner, this library is an absolute treasure trove of ideas and expertise. If you’re short on time, it’s robust proof that it doesn’t take much to add exercise to your day.
While I enjoyed spending a half hour with Williams, I know my training self: I prefer slower, longer lifts. Knocking out bent-over rows at light speed is how I injured my back a couple years ago. (Also, I don’t really love squinting down at my phone when I’m at the gym.) That said, I consider Spotify Fitness a Swiss Army knife for mobility. I cycle between running eight miles and sitting for eight hours behind a desk, a deathly combo that stands to benefit from the attention of Mariana Fernandez’s hips flow, or Rebecca Kennedy’s core stretch.
During one rest period, Williams revealed how he looks 25 at the age of 42. “People always say, what’s the secret?” he said. “I’ve never stopped moving. That’s one. Number two, respect the body. Recovery is just as important as what we’re doing here right now. And three, life is sometimes not as balanced as we’d like it to be. Meet yourself with where you are.”
I think his third rule best sums up the purpose of Spotify Fitness. The new hub meets you where you are — and considering you’re about to exercise, odds are you’re already inside the Spotify app.
Meet your guide
Tanner Garrity
Tanner Garrity is a senior editor at InsideHook, where he’s covered wellness, travel, sports and pop culture since 2017. He also authors The Charge, InsideHook’s weekly wellness newsletter. Beyond the newsroom, he can usually be found running, skating, reading, writing fiction or playing tennis. He lives in Brooklyn.
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