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COVID-19 saw increased demand for home exercise equipment as athletes in the United States found ways to continue their fitness programs from the comfort of their own home.
The NPD Group reported that sales of fitness equipment in March 2020 increased by 130% compared to the previous year. Exercise bike sales increased 170% and bench sales increased 259%.
According to eBay sales data, sales of scales increased 1,355% in March and April 2020 compared to the same period last year. Americans have bought treadmills, dumbbells, turbo trainers, trampolines, and cross-trainers to keep them active during their stay safely.
But as anyone who has worked out in their kitchen on a regular basis will tell you, the novelty of a home workout will soon wear off. It’s narrow, lonely, uninspiring and absolutely repetitive.
The virtual reality (VR) exercise that is growing in popularity promises to solve some of these problems. If you’re tired of staring blankly at your wall while exercising, there are a number of VR exercise options out there.
First, you’ll need to invest in a VR headset, which can range from $ 30 (Google Cardboard) to $ 800 (HTC Vive).
1. Boxing
If you want to get fit at home without investing in bulky and expensive fitness equipment, VR boxing is the ideal solution. These fun and fast-paced workouts are mostly quite affordable, and there are a wide variety of games to choose from including:
- Box: Boxing – In this budget boxing training you fight against opponents of artificial intelligence (AI) or your friends. The game is available for just $ 0.99 through Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift.
- BoxVR – BoxVR is one of the most popular VR boxing games and features a range of quick workouts including multiplayer classes. The game is available for $ 29.99 through Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, and PlayStation VR.
- The thrill of the fight – The thrill of fighting is your best bet if you really want to tweak your boxing technique. The game is available for $ 9.99 through Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, and Oculus Quest.
2. Cycling
VR cycling can instantly get you and your bike to the French Alps, your children’s village, or the busy streets of New York.
VZfit, an accessory developed by the VR fitness company VirZoom, connects your stationary bike to an Oculus Quest or Oculus Go headset. Once connected, you will have the option of participating in popular cycling competitions such as the Tour de France or downloading a map from Google and creating a route that you have created yourself. Cyclists can also choose to ride with other users, which adds a more social element to your workout. A subscription to VZfit costs $ 9.95 per month or $ 99.95 per year.
Other VR bike tools are HOLOFIT and BigRingVR.
3. Rowing
Bruce Smith, a former American rowing coach, founded Hydrow, a VR rower who promises to bring the flow into your living room.
Users can train with fellow athletes, enjoy unguided rows through scenic waterways around the world, or choose from a range of classes – from heartbreaking rows to meditative and relaxing sessions.
The Hydrow Rower starts at $ 2,000. However, a Digital Basic membership is available for those who would like to use the app without purchasing the machine.
4. Dancing
Dance Central has become a hugely popular VR game, available through Oculus Quest for $ 29.99. Users find themselves in an invigorating dance club environment where they learn the choreography of varying degrees of difficulty for a number of top charts and compete against other players.
Holodance and Dance Collider offer similar experiences.
5. Supernatural full body workout
Launched in September 2020, Supernatural is the world’s first VR fitness membership designed for the Oculus Quest headset. Users can choose from a range of personal one-on-one workouts and guided meditations, then immerse themselves in beautiful VR locations around the world. Subscription to the app starts at $ 19 per month.
Is VR Training a Good Workout?
VR games can be fun and exciting, but can they be classified as real workout? It all depends on what game you are playing.
The Virtual Reality Institute for Health and Exercise works with the Kinesiology Department at San Francisco State University to assign exercise ratings for games by checking players’ oxygen consumption. VR apps and games are rated based on the number of calories a gamer burns for every minute of activity and compared to real-world exercises like boxing or cycling. The institute even developed the VR Health Exercise Tracker, the only app that can accurately track the calories burned through VR exercises.
Editor’s Note: Prices are correct as of the date of publication but are subject to change.
Photo credit: Jirus Malawong / Shutterstock.com
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