Peloton's Ally Love Shares the "Secret Sauce" That Goes Into Making Her Bike Workouts

The view from my bike paints Peloton senior instructor Ally Love as an unwaveringly strong and put-together teacher that's always honest and encouraging. She floats onto the Peloton stage with this effortless energy.

Even better, the persona she gives off is sincere — but after hearing Love explain all that goes into creating a Peloton class, calling her energy effortless seems a bit unfair. We don't get to see all the hard work and thoughtfulness she puts into filming four to eight workouts a week.

"As Peloton instructors, we wear a lot of hats and there are so many layers to what we do. So, I think members are curious specifically about us planning our classes because they want to know if those things are a reflection of us," Love said.

From making playlists to creating the class "road maps" to styling looks, Love confirmed that the Peloton instructors really do it all. Her process begins by zoning in on the vibe she wants to create for each class. Then, she executes her vision with her "secret sauce" — a mix of motivational music and words.

"I usually create my roadmap and playlist based on what I want the end result [of a class] to be. So, if it's an advanced class, I want to end on a high note, either that's an output on the bike or a peak pose in Barre — so I try to work up to that in music and class plan."

Love loves working out to hip-hop, EDM, pop, and country — but she feels it's important to include a wider variety of genres and decades throughout her work, so there is a welcoming point for everyone.

"I love so many types of music because my family is so diverse, so growing up with a family that is native and Black and having family that's German and Irish, I was introduced to so many genres of music," she explained.

And although motivational words are a key ingredient to her Peloton sauce, Love admitted to never following a script. Instead, she finds it beautiful to be in the moment and relatable.

"If I'm in a pose and I know it's challenging, nine times out of ten, those taking the class with me are experiencing the same thing I am. So, I speak to the level of humanity and what's going on in real time. I'm honest, transparent, and there's camaraderie and community during the class."

This level of consideration even flows into Love's wardrobe choices. She strategically picks black, red, and other bolder outfit colors for more advanced sessions, while "more inviting colors" like light blue and purple are reserved for less-intense lessons. No matter the vibe, though, Love never compromises style for functionality.

"I love dressing up for class because it's all part of my brand and presentation, which is so important. I want anyone taking a Peloton class with me, especially young minority girls to say 'I can see myself in that person,' and I want to represent our company well, so I do take pride in what I wear for class," she said.

With her teaching plan in place, all that's left for Love to do is get in the right headspace, which she does with the help of some sermon podcasts before giving her class playlist one last listen. And more recently, painting her nails before class helps her feel good, too.

Clearly, there is no lack of passion brought into every class Love teaches — which is especially apparent through her Sundays With Love class series. If you're feeling inspired to explore Love's work, I'd start there.

"I am very proud of a lot of my classes, but I think Sundays With Love is probably at the top of the list because of the time and energy that goes into producing it. Sunday's With Love is a class series that represents me completely in the sense that it's motivational, spiritually grounded, thought-provoking, and celebrates life."

With just one of Love's sessions under your belt, I have no doubt her classes will begin to consume your favorites page — proving that her secret sauce is, in fact, the real deal.

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