Shut Up and Run by Robin Arzon

I am not a runner. I’ve “jogged” my way through a few half marathons, but lacing up and hitting the pavement has never been my strength. In fact, nothing about exercise was in my wheelhouse. Growing up, my parents considered velveeta a food group, and we weren’t encouraged to work up a sweat.

Insert twenty years, yo-yo diets, frustrating gym memberships, and a total lack of routine into the mix and I was a billboard for diabetes and poor body image. Then I got a peloton, built an exercise routine, lost 60 or so pounds, halved my pants size, and discovered that I do, in fact, have collarbones. Of the 700 classes I’ve taken on the bike to-date, nearly all have been with Robin Arzon.

Based on her social media persona and intense in-class attitude, I wasn’t sure what to expect with her debut book. I thought it would be filled with catch-phrases and perhaps a few good how-tos for riders thinking about becoming runners.

The work itself is very visual, and that is why it isn’t available in all digital formats. The combination of bright colors, images of Robin, and deliberate text make the whole book more of an art piece than motivational book. There was less writing than I was expecting, but what is there are nuggets of truth and wisdom - take one look at her and you know she has a perspective and has put in the time.

Robin has branded herself in a way that presents her as a fitness authority, and she uses that voice in interesting ways - in studio, in print, and online. For fans of her in Peloton, this is a great coffee table piece.