You know her, you love her, and now Jess King is your newest Peloton Tread instructor! Get ready to experience Jess’ limitless, trademark energy off the Bike with her all-new running and walking classes. A class with Jess is a rite of passage of sorts, bringing you out of your head and into your body. It’s a place where the Leaderboard becomes family, the earth beneath you becomes your dance floor and your body syncopates with the rhythm of the music. But don’t worry—Jess isn’t leaving the Bike! Below, we’re sharing a candid conversation with Jess about the transformational power of running on her own life, and how she’s sharing it with you on the Tread.
It all started with a dream. “Almost two years ago, I had a dream where I was teaching a Tread class, and it felt real. It felt right,” says Jess. “The next day, I told Robin Arzon about this dream, and I said, ‘I want to be on the Tread.’ She replied, ‘I could totally see you doing that.’” The themes that catalyzed Jess’ journey to the Tread—imagination, unwavering self-belief, a strong team to lean on—define the type of instructor she is and what you can expect to discover within yourself in her classes.
Above all, Jess was willing to be a beginner again, and become a student of the discipline of running. “As a dancer, even cycling was new for me when I started teaching on the Bike,” she says. “Out of respect for running and especially before teaching someone else how to do it, I knew that I needed to get strong, and get my own physical education around this modality.” When you join Jess on the Tread, whether for your first run or your 500th, she encourages you to channel the “beginner’s mindset” that carried her through her own training. “Come into it with a sense of curiosity. Understand that it’s going to be uncomfortable, and that discomfort is the place from which you're going to grow...we’re going to grow together!”
Over the past two years of her own training, Jess has leaned into her own teammates to build a rock-solid foundation. Before lacing up to hit the Tread, Jess had some corrective work of her own to do. “I’ve been seeking strength education to bring balance to dysfunctional movement patterns caused by past injuries. I went to the smartest person I know when it comes to being able to solve for these imbalances: Andy Speer.” With Andy’s guidance, Jess consistently spent three days per week strength training in the gym, learning how to move in the most optimal way for her own body. “It has been transformative,” she says, “not just in my transition from the Bike to the Tread, but in my own connection to and relationship with my own body.”
The creative structure of Jess’ classes allow you the space to let go and be free, all while getting a heart-thumping workout. To bring that same spirit to the Tread, Jess connected with Peloton Director of Strength, Rebecca Kennedy. Working with Rebecca, who she relates to as both an artist and an athlete, Jess became intimately familiar with the creative process as it relates to fitness instruction. “What we’re trying to create is a workout, for sure, but also this element of transcendence, where we’re not quite sure where we are right now, but it feels magical. That’s what I seek to bring to the Tread.”
Drawing from her extensive fitness experience and most recently her two-year training journey to the Tread, Jess recommends ramping up the intensity slowly and steadily if you’re just getting into running. “Your body has its own physical intelligence, so honor that,” she says. To progress, Jess suggests, “Join me for beginner classes, 20 minutes at a time, then get your power walk on, then start to layer in walk-runs, longer fun runs, longer intervals and just keep increasing!” Jess wants you to know that she’s on your team and by your side every step of the way.
If you’re joining her on the Tread because you can’t get enough of her on the Bike, Jess also wants you to know that her mission is the same, and it’s one that we can all get behind: “I want to create that feeling that takes you out of your life and into potentiality, and how big and profound that life can be and feel. We’re all running in alignment, seeking that higher vibration to be better for ourselves, our families and our communities.”
Check out Jess’ first Tread classes from the Peloton App or your touchscreen now.