Many people cannot stick to a solo workout routine. These people benefit a lot from classes. Fitness classes provide many positive things:
- relationships with instructors & other students
- peer pressure to show up and work hard
- regular schedules
- prevention of injury from bad technique
- variety of music and routine which reduces boredom
- incentive to work hard to maximize benefit from financial expenditure
Together, these things improve the quality of life for participants. Fitness classes benefit society. Someday, human society will progress to the point where personal fitness is an expected part of personal hygiene, like brushing teeth and showering. At that point, fitness classes will be universally available, affordable, diverse, and extremely engaging.
Now, I’ve got a home gym, and I bought a subscription to Les Mills. It’s been great and I look forward to getting sweaty for an hour. It’s not perfect and I’m certainly not getting into perfect physique but I’m definitely getting great cardio, becoming more flexible, and gaining strength. Don’t think I am being taken advantage of or being denied “ownership of my fitness” when in fact it’s the absolute opposite.
Nothing, if that's what you want. What I'm referring to is this idea that subscribing to one of these services and getting whatever results you get from it is "it". I would be much better impressed by any service that educates the subscriber about even the basics of nutrition and physiology instead of just pushing their LCD programs like they are the silver bullet.
FWIW I don't look down on Peloton, I think it's actually a great service. Lots of people working out in a class-like virtual environment is great as I am confident a lot of those who partake wouldn't go to the gym to do the same otherwise, for whatever reason(s).
Otherwise I wholly agree with you (am also an [amateur] powerlifter) - the one thing these apps undeniably cheat their users of is owning their own fitness. They prey on the type of person who does not know how, or even doesn't want, to take ownership of their fitness and instead signing them up for a generic routine that might get some results, but ultimately the gratification that they are doing _something_ at least.
Though I am quite biased and a snob about them, I will happily admit.