How Peloton's New 'Club Peloton' Ranking System Works

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Earlier this week, Peloton unveiled a whole host of new app features and updates to its equipment, from AI coaching to enhanced bikes and treadmills.

I've spent the last few days playing around with all of the new stuff (Peloton devotee that I am) and was especially curious about the little rank that suddenly appeared on my profile. It's a signifier of my progression through Club Peloton, a new member recognition program that comes with some solid rewards.

What is Club Peloton?

Club Peloton is a new ranking system that's meant to reflect a person's efforts and participation with Peloton workouts. Progress is applied retroactively (good news for my 201-day streak) which means I've achieved the rank of Silver III. The ranks are as follows:

• Bronze (I, II, and III)

• Silver (I, II, and III)

• Gold (I, II, and III)

• Champion

• Legend

Within each of the first three ranks, there are three tiers, and Champion and Legend each stand alone, so there are 11 levels to work through overall.

Importantly, you can never be demoted on Club Peloton; you can only move up. If you miss a week's worth of workouts while you're in Bronze III, you won't log in to find that you've been bumped down to Bronze II. It's meant to encourage you, not shame you.

How do you earn points?

The purpose of this new ranking system is to encourage members, make people try new things, and give recognition and rewards to participants. The methods of earning points demonstrate that. Here's what you can do to rise the ranks:

• Earn two points for each day you work out with Peloton, whether using the company's equipment, its app, or Strength+.

• Earn points corresponding to your weekly streaks, so three points for a three-week streak, etc. If you work out two weeks in a row, you'll get two points. If you work out 40 weeks in a row, that week is going to end with a 40-point boost.

• Earn points for yearly streaks, too. If you work out 52 weeks in a row, you end up with a year-long streak, which earns you double points. Instead of 52 points at the end of that year, you get 104.

• Earn points for milestones. Milestones can be found on your Peloton profile and include things like taking 10 or 25 of a certain kind of class. When you achieve a milestone in a second activity beyond one you've already got one in, you get a 10% boost. Milestones in three or more give you a 20% boost.

• Earn points for participating in programs. Every week you are actively involved in one, like Peloton's FTP program, you get two points. You get one point for every class you complete in your new, AI-generated personal plan and 10 points any time you undertake a Peloton challenge.

• Earn points for being a team player. Every week, you can earn up to one point each for giving someone a virtual high five during class, taking a live class, or participating in a Team.

How are the ranks calculated?

Want to know how many points are required to raise your rank? Here's the breakdown:

• Bronze is your level if you have zero to 99 points.

• Silver is for 100 to 1,999 points.

• Gold covers 2,000 points to 14,999 points.

• Champion is 15,000 to 29,999 points.

• Legend is for anyone with over 30,000 points.

Like I said, I'm on a daily streak that stretches almost two-thirds of a year and I'm only in Silver III with just 1,205 points and 795 to go until I hit Gold I. You can tap into your point history to see a breakdown of how you got to where you are.

What is the point of all this?

To me, this is awesome, but I am a well-known lover of all manner of streak-based app gimmicks. I will do anything for the pleasure of a digital badge, like go to Dunkin' Donuts every day or keep track of my to-do list on an app that forces me to report my progress to a little cartoon bird. Simply put, I find it motivating to compete for something, even if I'm just competing with myself to earn what amounts to little more than pixels.

Club Peloton, however, amounts to more than that: The company promises that as you work through ranks, you'll unlock "surprises." Future surprises notwithstanding, some of the rewards are already known. You can get early access to new classes or challenges, discounts on apparel or other retail goods, instructor shoutouts during class, and invitations to exclusive in-person events.