One of the things they don’t teach about working out in the Metaverse is that exercise can be done in virtual reality, but sweat is real.
My first VR exercise was a boxing class like “Dance Dance Revolution” for your hands. I punched a color-coded target to zoom in on my face and tilted it to prevent the bar from swirling. After the session, I peeled off the damp Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus) from my face. This is audibly disgusting. But there are advantages. I couldn’t believe how hard my heart was pumped and how fast those 20 minutes flew.
VR fitness is more than just a gimmick. Headsets turn the horrifying aspect of exercise (actually doing it) into an interactive game that makes you forget that it’s training. In other words, if you don’t get motion sickness.
Fitness experts say that virtual training, primarily including squats and air punches, can be an effective way to burn calories. Most can be done in the living room, as long as there is a clear area for hopping and swinging the arm. Some require cardio equipment, such as elliptical machines. However, we do not find any yoga, weight training, or other virtual training with dynamic movements that can cause safety issues. Wearing a headset is like fixing an electronic blindfold to your face.
Most VR training, such as the Supernatural boxing class, can be done in a small space as long as there is enough space to throw the arm.
Photo:
Nicole Nguyen / The Wall Street Journal
VR punch dance = aerobic exercise
Supernatural was the most impressive VR workout app I’ve tried. We offer four classes: boxing, meditation, stretching, and high-intensity rhythmic training called flow. Quest’s handheld controller sensor tells the app how fast and accurately you’re punching the Flying Orb. The visuals are amazing. Your workout is set to a vast, real-life landscape taken with a 360-degree camera. I never thought I would exercise in Sahara. (The creator of the app, Within, recently signed a deal to be acquired by Facebook FB. 2.40%
Parent meta platform Ltd
).
Supernatural workouts are set in distant landscapes taken with a 360-degree camera, such as the Sahara Desert depicted here.
Photo:
Nicole Nguyen / The Wall Street Journal
FitXR takes a different approach. The environment is all digitally recalled, and the instructor is a Sims-style avatar spoken by the trainer. In the app’s aerobic exercise, side step or crouch down to punch a glass ball in the air. Dance classes include body rolls and arm air pumps. I’m happy that VR doesn’t have a mirror. I guarantee my movements didn’t look as cool as I expected.
As with digital fitness platforms running on mobile phones and tablets, both VR apps require a subscription. Meta Quest 2 headsets start at $ 299. The app is expensive. A supernatural membership of up to four people (sharing one device) is $ 19 per month or $ 180 per year. FitXR costs $ 10 per month for 5 profiles. Unlike the smartphone app, you can’t download Quest 2 workouts and use them offline. Of course, the headset requires a Facebook account.
FitXR’s goal is to punch out impact-shattered glass orbs as quickly and accurately as possible.
Photo:
Nicole Nguyen / The Wall Street Journal
According to Jimmy Bagley, an associate professor of exercise and muscle physiology at San Francisco State University, up and down and left and right movements and arm raising of the app are legal exercises. “You use a lot of muscle mass rush and crouching,” he said.
“If you’re not exercising or just starting exercising and want to lose fat or gain muscle, you can do most of your training in VR right now,” says Dr. Bagley. He added that more serious athletes need to stick to real trainers in real gyms.
Virtual Cycling: Dangerous Curves First
A 2018 study by Dr. Bagley and other researchers found that, depending on the intensity of the game, VR exercise can be as effective in increasing calorie burn rates as running or cycling on a treadmill. rice field. Subjects in a 2020 study by researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth said they felt less tired and tired of cycling in VR compared to traditional bicycle exercise.
I’m already a big fan of Zwift. This is an indoor bike app that runs on your iPad and controls the resistance of your smart bike trainer based on the altitude of your virtual route. Are VR apps even better?
I tried Holodia’s Holofit ($ 10.75 / month), which runs on Bluetooth-enabled ellipticals, rowers, and exercise bikes. You can also use a traditional machine with a cadence sensor attached to the shoe. Holofit’s virtual world is programmed with absurd set pieces and keeps your interest. I passed the overturned bus at the Golden Gate Bridge, through a rock concert in the middle of Paris, and flew from a rocket ship to the Rings of Saturn.
Holofit works with Bluetooth-enabled elliptical machines, exercise bikes and rowing. You can ride the virtual route of the app alone or compete with other users.
Photo:
Nicole Nguyen / The Wall Street Journal
This kind of aerobic exercise was another beast in VR. The headset got hot and humid fast and I didn’t mind biking on a straight road, but sudden turns, uphills and downhills made me hungry. After 30 minutes, I was nauseated and couldn’t continue. This may be a peculiar problem: I have amblyopia. This means that one eye does not work the same as the other. Wearing glasses inside the headset can help, but it can cause headaches even after long stints. (My colleague Joanna, who spent 24 hours in the Metaverse, experienced similar symptoms after using the headset for a long time.)
A Holofit spokesman said this sensation is common to new users and will eventually disappear. He added that the company continues to improve Avatar’s in-game movement. Holofit was fine otherwise, but it doesn’t have Zwift’s auto-resistance adjustments or detailed graphics.
We asked Zwift CEO Eric Min why the app isn’t included in the Metaverse yet. “Zwift does have a build for VR, but it’s not publicly available,” he said. For now, he said VR headsets are too big for bikers. “It’s heavy, hot, foggy, and sweat-conscious,” he said, and the company is also concerned about user safety.
He is right about sweat. Quest 2 wraps half of your face like a snorkel mask, trapping heat inside. You need to fit snugly while moving around. After each workout, the headset’s face pad got soaked.
Meta acknowledges the need to improve headset fitness. The company plans to sell new accessories such as a wipe-down exercise-optimized facial interface and grips that make it easier to hold the controller while sweating.
To become a mainstream fitness device, you need to make your headset lighter. It features a faster processor and more accurate head tracking to reduce motion sickness. You also need to be able to track leg movements that you aren’t currently doing.
Share your thoughts
What are the benefits of virtual training for you? Join the conversation below.
A new device is imminent. Meta says it plans to expand Quest’s offering later this year using more advanced hardware. And Appleof
Expected smart glasses are expected to be equipped with augmented reality technology. Perhaps a virtual fitness instructor could be superimposed on the real world.
So far, this experience is great for early adopters who are tired of exercise routines and are willing to navigate novel and complex interfaces. However, there are two things you will definitely need before you start your VR fitness journey. A silicone face cushion cover for the Quest2 headset and a good old sweatband. trust me.
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