You might be entering another virtual world, but the potential for maximizing gains is most certainly real. Technology and gaming have advanced leaps and bounds, and the era of virtual reality fitness or VR is here. Even if you’re not a big gamer, you might still enjoy putting on a headset and traveling to another realm to improve your fitness and try a more interesting way of working out at home. Of course, you’ll need a VR headset, but you won’t need to use dumbbells, a treadmill, or other gym equipment. The industry is growing rapidly, and more VR headsets are hitting the market. Let’s look at the benefits of VR fitness.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality or VR is a technology that uses 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to provide you with a simulated experience. Unlike playing a game on the television, you place the headset over your eyes and use the hand controllers to perform different tasks and movements within this virtual world. You’ll see what’s on the headset screen in front of you for an immersive experience. The headset has built-in speakers or comes with earbuds for audio.
What are the benefits of VR fitness?
If you’re involved in another fun and interesting reality, you might be more likely to continue with your workout and keep those muscles moving for longer. VR fitness offers a higher level of engagement and could improve more than just your fitness level. For example, one study showed that VR exercise could positively impact an individual’s psychological, physiological, and rehabilitative outcomes.
Here are several of the benefits of VR at-home fitness:
- Enhance your muscle strength and endurance.
- Work on your balance and stability.
- Get your body moving.
- Forget about the day-to-day as you transport to another universe.
- Work your whole body from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
- It’s portable, and you can take it with you.
Some fitness games and apps allow you to track your progress, which motivates you to continue towards your goals.
The versatility of VR
VR fitness is versatile; you can sit down and get moving or stand up. Make sure you have plenty of space to move around. Many of the apps and games require you to be active and involve moving your arms and legs to swing a sword or a bat or hinging at your hips to bend forward and pick an object up off the ground. New games are constantly coming out with various themes, stories, and levels of interactivity.
Five fun VR fitness games and apps to try
To get you started, here are five fun VR fitness-based games and apps to try:
- Supernatural
- X-Fighter
- Beat Saber
- Creed: Rise to Glory
- Pistol Whip
For example, Supernatural is one of the most popular that has captivating locations from around the world, including places like Iceland. You’ll listen to popular music as enthusiastic trainers guide you through either of the two primary workout types: boxing and flow. With the boxing portion, you have to duck and move around, and you’ll get an intense workout. With some workouts like boxing, you can burn over 200 calories in just 20 minutes.
