Robin Arzón is a fitness instructor, but that label undersells her star power. She works at Peloton, a New York start-up that sells $2,245 bikes and $4,295 treadmills and streams live exercise classes to their internet-connected screens. Peloton prefers to call instructors like Ms. Arzón “talent” — because they are. From personal experience struggling through her classes, I can attest that Ms. Arzón is more like a cult leader than a coach; having weighed the options, I would rather die from cycling too fast than disappoint her. The company, which has sold 450,000 pieces of exercise equipment and may go public this year, last raised capital at a valuation of $4 billion. Some inestimable chunk of that is tied to Ms. Arzón.
Part of her draw is a slate of catchphrases. “What’s six intervals” — of horrifically fast pedaling up the equivalent of a mountain — “to a queen?” she yells during class. “That little bit of panic that sets in,” she chirps, “that just means you care!” Her Instagram following tops 200,000, and the company says each of her workout sessions is taken 15,000 times.
When Ms. Arzón, 37, whose official title is vice president of fitness programming, is not teaching or vigorously hydrating, she is also an Adidas brand ambassador and an author. Her book, a New York Times best seller, is “Shut Up and Run.” This month, I spent a week trying to keep up with her via text message.
Monday
6:05 a.m. Make and guzzle H2O cocktail: room-temperature filtered water, dash of sea salt, quarter lemon, splash of apple cider vinegar. I don’t drink coffee, ever. I immediately feel replenished and energized.
6:30 a.m. Twenty-minute Vedic meditation. The second bedroom in my apartment is a Zen den with a plant wall, a small desk, books and cushions for meditation.
7 a.m. Cup of Onnit King Tea (Kenyan purple blend). I drink three or four cups of tea a day, ranging from matcha to herbal varieties. I spend the next 90 minutes on emails, reviewing my schedule, and get the most important messages out of the way. I really try to “eat the frog” with my most difficult task during this time so I can feel freer later in the day.
I’m also multitasking by researching new music to play in class. I have over 1,000 Spotify playlists saved, organized by themes such as beat, mood, genre, running, spinning, lifting.
8 a.m. My husband and I have a 17-ingredient smoothie for breakfast. He created this monster smoothie, which is a staple of my day. Ingredients: vegan protein powder, magnesium, Athletic Greens, aloe vera, chlorophyll, glutamine, B.C.A.A.s, fresh kale/spinach, matcha powder, baobab, maca, nut butter, cacao nibs, chia seeds, moringa, water, ice. I have no idea how many calories are in this, and I don’t care.
8:50 a.m. Pick my looks. Between multiple workouts and being in front of the camera a few times during the day, I often have to style and pack two to five looks a day. Today I pack three outfits, including body wipes and on-the-go products to efficiently change in between meetings and workouts.
9 a.m. Pack all the snacks and all the food. I’m vegan, and I consume a lot of food to get me through the day. Today I’m bringing almonds, a Vega bar, an Athletic Greens packet (which I throw into a water bottle), Nuun tablets and a banana. I’ll probably eat all of that before lunch.
9:30 a.m. Do my own workout at a private training facility. I dedicate five to seven hours a week to strength, conditioning and running on my own. Nothing keeps you raw like picking up heavy things.
10:27 a.m. Lungs are burning so badly from my workout, it feels like I ingested fire. Quick shower and outfit change: I’m the master of being ready in under seven minutes. My hair is currently in braids, which marries style and efficiency.
10:42 a.m. Uber to Tread studio listening to “Nice for What,” by Drake.
11 a.m. Weekly senior staff meeting with Peloton’s chief content officer. I am snacking and hydrating. I drink more than a gallon of water a day.
1:40 p.m. Uber home while listening to music and making my playlist for my ’90s Pop Run tonight.
2 p.m. Continue researching music, making playlist for tonight, writing detailed class notes and creating the class plan. Each class playlist and class plan takes up to two hours of preparation. Peloton instructors are part D.J., part coach, part training partner. The class notes detail the workout, the songs, the exact timing of every part of the workout from warm-up to cool-down. There’s an art to it, just like a composer at an orchestra.
5 p.m. Check my blood sugar. I’m a Type 1 diabetic, so I’ve been checking it once an hour all day. I also adjust my insulin depending on how I’m moving and what I’m consuming throughout the day.
5:30 p.m. Showtime: 45 minutes of ’90s jams fuel the run on the Peloton Tread. After class, take photos with Peloton members and answer some of the 300 comments on my Facebook and Instagram posts today.
7 p.m. Quick second shower, and then eat all the food. I’m hangry by this point. I cook most of my meals, but tonight it’s a veggie tofu curry with brown rice that’s left over from Sunday dinner.
8 p.m. Watch “The Bachelor,” unapologetically. The physical energy expenditure from coaching while working out is obvious, but the psychic drain is very real. I need something at this point that demands absolutely nothing.
10 p.m. Bed. I’m in bed by this time every night, even on the weekend. Maybe 10 minutes of reading before I pass out. I just started “Brave, Not Perfect,” by Reshma Saujani. We are both former lawyers, and I love a good reinvention story.
Tuesday
7 a.m. Wake up. I aim for nine hours a night religiously, and it’s the reason I have no social life.
8 a.m. Do my own workout. Don’t bother showering because I’m running again in an hour and a half. I just use a baby wipe and keep it moving.
10:30 a.m. Record Pop Fun Run and a marathon race prep class for 90 minutes.
Noon My hair stylist, Tiffanie, is meeting me now to do my braids. I get my hair done once or twice a week.
12:20 p.m. Review offers for branded sponsorships that came in to my agent, William Morris Entertainment. “Robinnyc” (my Instagram and Twitter name) is a brand within itself, so I’m always aware of that.
3 p.m. Physical therapy session. I get P.T. or acupuncture every week. I really train, fuel and recover like a high-level athlete.
5:30 p.m. Peloton cycling class for 45 minutes. My ride tonight was bought out by PwC.
6:55 p.m. Stuck in traffic with a chatty Uber driver. I need to eat right now before I jump out of this vehicle. There’s no desire for small talk after performing in front of people all day. I’m an introvert by nature, actually. I once heard Amy Schumer describe her “outgoing persona” vs. an “introverted energy system” on “Oprah” and thought, “Aah, that’s me.”
It’s an interesting job, to work out in front of a camera. There’s no room for an off day when you’re the source of energy, instruction and entertainment.
Wednesday
6:47 a.m. Pack for a Denver speaking engagement with the Integer Group, a marketing agency.
8 a.m. Work out. Pro athletes don’t only work out during a game. I train like a pro to be able to teach. It requires being able to host a show, coach and work out.
12:30 p.m. Two-hour meeting with all treadmill instructors. We are workshopping ways to keep content fresh. We discuss everything from social media activations, music themes, combo movements, loading variations, tempo and proprioception.
4:30 p.m. Teach two cycling classes for a total of 40 minutes. Powerful energy in those riders.
7:16 p.m. Board a plane to Denver. I love flying. I almost never do work on flights and consider it a mini-vacation to read and listen to podcasts. I listen to Joe Rogan, Tim Ferris, “Modern Love,” “Stuff You Should Know,” Oprah and “GaryVee.”
Thursday
6 a.m. Gym for an hour. My days “off” are Thursday and Sunday, but I always have shoots and speaking engagements on Thursdays because they won’t disrupt my teaching schedule.
7:50 a.m. Avocado toast for breakfast. Half my carry-on is food (salad, noodles, trail mix, bars). If I’m in a pinch and there’s nothing healthy, I eat oatmeal, which most hotels have. I also travel with Greens powder, a great nutrient boost. I refuse to eat like crap or I will have no energy.
10 a.m. Give my speech.
11:08 a.m. Off to the airport while working on social media for Adidas’s “She Breaks Barriers” campaign.
12:30 p.m. In the airport, I am stopped by five different Peloton members. I love those interactions. People are so excited, and it’s palpable to feel the impact we have being in their homes. One time, someone took a photo of my shopping cart at Whole Foods, and that was odd, but it’s been mostly positive encounters. Even dogs and babies know and respond to our voices.
4:25 p.m. On the plane, reviewing the weekly report that distills all of our workout data. Similar to a TV network, we look at the numbers and see what’s trending: What do our members want more or less of, exhibited by workouts taken daily/monthly/yearly.
5:31 p.m. Just found out Shonda Rimes is following me on Instagram. I very much love her work (ethic), so that’s a nice surprise.
8:47 p.m. Back home in Manhattan. Soup, salad and bed. I’m totally drained!
Friday
7 a.m. Make a full breakfast of tofu scramble and avocado toast while I look over instructor audition videos. It’s a small bull’s-eye that we are looking for. Peloton instructors need to be fitness experts but also be able to essentially host a live TV show while working out. It’s definitely not an open casting call, and never will be.
1:30 p.m. Teach a women’s history cycling ride. People flew in from Kansas, Hawaii and Alaska to take it in person. One woman told me the bike saved her marriage because she and her partner now have a common hobby.
4:30 p.m. Meet with my producer. Every instructor has a producer to watch, review and plan his or her content, marketing and social media for Peloton.
7:30 p.m. Make jackfruit taco bowls for dinner. Friday night ritual is a movie with husband. Tonight it’s “Free Solo.” I’m a sucker for athletic feats — shocker.
Interviews are condensed and edited.
