A day in the life of a Peloton instructor who wakes up at 4:30 a.m., takes his mini poodle to dog parks, and loves cookies
Peloton
Peloton, a popular fitness company, offers spinning and other classes both in its studios and streamed into people's homes.
Their trainers are celebrities of sorts, with robust social media followings.
One New York City Peloton instructor, Oliver Lee, walked a through a day in his life, from what he has for breakfast to how he prepares for, and recovers from, classes.
Meet 28-year-old Oliver Lee, a Peloton instructor who moved to New York from London about four years ago.
Oliver Lee
Lee's been a fitness professional since he was 22. He started as a personal trainer at a commercial gym in London and moved to New York to seek more opportunities in the fitness world.
Currently, he lives in NoMad, which is short for North of Madison Square Park.
Lee now works as a Tread instructor for Peloton's non-spin classes, like running, strength training, and bootcamps at their New York City studio.
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Lee started working with Peloton after becoming friends with other instructors, who encouraged him to apply. "It was a very organic process," he said.
The fitness company has two New York City studios, one cycling and one for other workouts like the ones Lee teaches. It also streams those classes to people who own its $2,245 bikes across the country.
Lee has a rescue dog named Charlee, a mini poodle mix.
Oliver Lee
Charlee is about a year old. She's very energetic and loves to go for walks, which means Lee has to keep a consistent routine of getting out and about during the day.
"Charlee has non-negotiables and keeps me on schedule," Lee told Insider.
A few days a week, Lee wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to teach 6 a.m. classes.
Oliver Lee
On those days, he'll usually let Charlee sleep and save the walk for after his first class of the day.
But on this day, a Thursday, his classes are only in the evenings, so he sleeps until 8 a.m.
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"Charlee is happy to wake up late, and we'll typically go for a longer walk," Lee said.
A favorite spot is along the High Line, an elevated park built along a former railroad track on the west side of Manhattan.
He has the same breakfast every day — eggs on a gluten-free everything bagel, with matcha tea.
Oliver Lee
After his walk, Lee fuels up for the rest of his day with a classic New York egg-and-bagel breakfast and matcha tea with a splash of oat milk. His preferred bagel is the gluten-free everything bagel from Trader Joe's.
Lee isn't gluten-free, but said these bagels are just really good, and the perfect size for his morning meal.
He also adds a side of his favorite hot sauce, Cholula, which he said he "puts on everything."
Around noon, Lee heads to the dog park and picks a matcha latte.
Oliver Lee
Matcha, a type of green tea, is packed with antioxidants in addition to a boost of caffeine, believed to boost energy and focus as well as supporting overall health.
Lee is a huge fan of sweets, and will often grab something on the way home from the dog park.
"I definitely try to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Don't be afraid to have a treat or something that tastes good," Lee said. "When you're working out hard, you have to reward yourself."
Lee's an especially big fan of cookies.
Oliver Lee
So big, in fact, that he hosts a regular live video series on his Facebook page called "Ollie's Cookie Club" where he and Charlee try out cookie recipes and answer questions from fans.
Around 2 or 3 p.m., after Charlee settles in for his nap, Lee takes a Citibike to the Peloton headquarters.
NYC DOT
Lee uses the city's bike share system to commute from his apartment to Peloton Tread's studio in the West Village.
Once at the headquarters, Lee does some work before his evening classes.
Oliver Lee
This includes structuring the content of his classes and making playlists, which Lee crafts 24 hours before each class.
He also manages his social media accounts — Peloton trainers are celebrities of sorts with robust followings they try to keep engaged and motivated.
"Every one of the instructors is so unique, has their own skill set and personality as a fitness professional. You have to really love what you do, and that has to come across" in your posts, said Lee, who has more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.
Once prep is done, Lee takes a few hours of downtime and a late lunch before his evening work begins.
If he heads back home, he might catch up on a recent favorite Netflix show like Ozark and Narcos.
Then, it's showtime.
Oliver Lee
In the evening, Lee hits the studio to lead his 7 p.m. class in front of his live audience, both in-studio and at home.
When he enters the room, there's a countdown to the start of the class, so producers can sync the audio and video to the right time. Once the music starts, Lee is ready to sweat on camera.
While the classes can be challenging, he added that they're designed to be accessible for all skill and fitness levels.
The content of the classes varies from week to week, Lee said, including strength training, bootcamp-style workouts, and running.
Lee does every workout with the class from start to finish.
Peloton
A crucial part of Peloton's programming is that its instructors do the workouts along with the class, and Lee said that's all part of the fun and intensity of the job.
"It's a really fun experience, you feel the emotions, the tough parts, the recovery, the bits where you have to dig deep," Lee said.
"Although we're fitness authorities, we're also normal people, and we're there with you," he added. "I think that really makes it a more bonding experience because you're all going through it together."
Because he stresses his muscles so much, Lee does a lot of recovery work. Here, he tests out hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Lee told Insider he also stretches regularly, goes to physical therapy twice a week, and occasionally uses cryotherapy, an extreme-cold treatment used by star athletes like LeBron James to ease sore, overworked muscles.
He also, of course, sleeps. After classes, he heads home to rest for another busy day.
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