Pistol Whip is without a doubt one of my personal favorite games for a good workout. Not only is it fun and engaging like John Wick or, in my case, John Thick. I wanted to get the most out of my workout with VR, so I came up with a few ways to improve the overall experience without compromising the fun.
If you’re like me you’ll enjoy a good challenge. Playing in the virtual world already brings a number of challenges with it. Since you control your “avatar” with your own movements, you can do more in the game than you would on average on a flat screen.
Typically an hour of spinning my arms around in the living room and shooting tons of enemies while they appear to the music gets me around 500 calories. I felt like I could make more of it and not only take on the challenge for myself, but also improve an already enjoyable experience. I’ve looked at a few ways and wanted to pass them on to you!
Increase the difficulty!
This seems like a pretty obvious starting point. I played it on Easy and enjoyed myself. I beat the levels and finished the songs. I first decided that maybe the first logical step for me was to increase the difficulty. What I found, however, was the leap from easy to difficult, a huge virtual leap for humanity. It is really tough! I couldn’t get through most of the songs for long and the frustrations of starting over led me to the next phase in my Pistol Whip evolution.
No-fail, you are an action hero!
Until you are at Baba Yaga level with your skills, it is a good idea to activate “No-Fail”. This allows you to play and finish on any difficulty. This only really occurred to me after paying for the same song four times in a row and having to start over. The time it took me to reboot took not only my experience but also my training. Working out was my primary purpose. With “No-Fail” I was able to play the songs through completely while crouching, evading and moving at a more intense pace. Over time, this helped me by improving my play style!
Hands up!
There’s a modifier that lets you use both controllers as if you were carrying two pistols. However, I propose not to allow this at all. Instead, grasp your primary controller (left or right-handed) like you are grabbing a real pistol. If you keep that “realistic” grip on your controller, you won’t just feel like a pro. For this grip you will also need to move BOTH arms quickly to keep up with goals. It engages your core as you crouch and move through the level as you shoot the bad guys. Playing with the 2 pistol modifier makes the level much easier and you will find that you don’t move your arms as much as you would grab a single controller with both hands. Try it once! (Pun intended)
Keep that realistic grip!
Pretend! Nobody is watching!
Come into play. You are an agent fighting endless enemies to a sweet soundtrack in your own private action film. Nobody is watching, even if they put them on a show! Move like your life depends on it, shoot the baddies and save the world! The more you get into the game, the more you will move. I find myself dancing to the beat while smoking the bad guys with hot lead. The whole idea is to have fun, the training is the by-product. The more you treat this as fun, the less you’ll remember what you’re actually doing. I assure you, if you suspend your disbelief for a moment and immerse yourself in it, you won’t know how much time has passed before you take off your sweaty clothes and hop in the shower. Your mind and body will thank you.
Gain some weight and squat!
Adding some weights to the party is a great way to increase the challenge and exercise. I often put on a weight vest and sometimes a backpack. Now you want to make sure that you are careful about your shape and that you don’t destroy your knees. Instead of crouching to avoid bullets and barriers, crouch. Squatting is a great way to strengthen many areas of the body, but it also gets the old ticker up and running a little faster. This increased heart rate means an increase in calorie consumption. I found out with the YUR fitness trainer that after an hour of Pistol Whip I often did more than 200 squats. That’s a lot of “ducking and covering”. If you do decide to add some weight, start slowly and only increase the weight when you are comfortable.
You can also pair the suggestion to use both hands earlier by adding some bracelet weights. Not only does this give you a more realistic feeling of moving a weapon around attacking targets, but it also gives your arms an improved workout. Build muscle while playing a game, the future is now!
Start small and add weight when you are ready!
The calories are falling as fast as your enemies!
I improved my training playing Pistol Whip by following these simple tips. I was surprised by the results. Depending on the levels I played and how much I got into the game, I sometimes burned twice as much as I usually had before. All it takes is a little more effort and a lot more fun. Remember, this will be the only time in your life that you will become John Wick. Make the Baba Yaga proud and run it like a pro while killing calories in the process. With these tips, I was able to burn about 750 calories in an hour of play!
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