Our trustworthy overview of the Supernatural VR train app on Oculus

If you had told me a few weeks ago that I looked forward to my work every day, I would have thought you were crazy. I’ve never craved a good cardio session and haven’t been to the gym in years. That said, I recently got really excited about my supernatural workouts on Oculus Quest 2.

But let me step back a little to tell you my story so you can compare it to your own fitness style.

I am a working mother of four. I teach my children at home. My youngest has special needs and takes part in therapy sessions every day. I don’t have a lot of free time. Also, I’ve only eaten once in a restaurant since the quarantine began, which means that on evenings when I’m too tired to cook, we usually order pizza or fast food. I shouldn’t have been surprised when my doctor sat down by my last doctor and said, “So let’s talk about your weight.”

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I was ready to eat healthier, but didn’t expect to find a realistic exercise option for myself until the weather got nicer. Gyms are over for me (COVID + costs + logistics with child with special needs). Whenever I work out at home, I get totally distracted from what needs to be done around the house. Practical exercises – like my youngest child going to school or mowing the grass – are great for me, but not in winter.

Then I saw an Instagram ad for Supernatural, a new VR practice app. (It must have overheard this convoy of doctors). We had a lot of fun as a family with the Oculus Quest 2 my daughter got for Christmas, and I asked if she would mind if I tried the app. It actually looked … kind of funny.

After a week of practice, I told the CMT team that I had to write about it. Here’s why I’m obsessed with what I think could be better and who I think it’s perfect for.

What is the Oculus Quest 2?

For those of you unfamiliar with VR, an Oculus Quest 2 is an all-in-one virtual reality headset with two controllers. By all-in-one, I mean you just put it on and hit start. All apps and games are loaded onto the headset itself and you don’t need any other hardware to make it work.

I’ve tried other VR devices – the kind of slipping your phone into a headset – and the Oculus blows those out of the water. This is quite a remarkable technology. Our family played a lot, from the exciting mountaineering game where you dangle from the cliff to the fun cart racing game where you actually feel like you’re in Mario Kart. It was a great success.

Related: Our Barre3 review. Why it’s perfect for busy mothers.

How is supernatural training?

When you open Supernatural, you first choose a workout for the day. They range from low to high intensity, with some stretching and meditation sessions. They range from around 5 minutes in length to 25 minutes with a variety of trainers. You will learn what personalities and styles you like (and dislike) as you go.

Playlist options range from classical music to country, 90s prom hits to rap, Fleetwood Mac to Ariana Grande. Honestly, I’ve loved every music set I’ve chosen so far, and it helps that you can preview the song list before the workout begins.

Once the workout begins, you will stand on a floating mat in various beautiful, scenic, remote locations. The coast of the Galapagos Islands. A mountain slope in Switzerland. The great pyramids. A dense forest in Romania. They change with every song, so you can be transported around the world with just one training session.

The only criticism I have is that I wish I had to stand longer and look around before the action starts. While I know I am not in this place, it is an excellent way for me to disconnect from the household chores that usually distract me from my workouts. And I feel like I’ve traveled a bit, which is especially nice right now.

You start with a warm up where a virtual coach gives you some motivational thoughts while you relax. Then you will be taken to a new place where a ring will appear on the horizon and black and white balls will float towards you from there. Your task is to cut the black and white balls with the appropriate magic wands (lightsaber bats controlled by the controller in your hand). There is also a translucent cone on each ball that indicates which direction your hand should move to cut them.

It’s like the real Fruit Ninja.

You will also see triangles coming towards you, and you will have to crouch or plunge through them … as the balls keep coming. All of this is perfectly tuned to the music, so you cut the balls off and crouch through the tunnels to the beat of the song … with beautiful waterfalls or towering forests or an incredible 360 ​​° view of the sea.

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How do I feel after training?

The more intense your workout, the more complicated your cutting movements are. I throw my hands across the room to the beat of the music and it’s pretty exciting. Let’s just say I was considering searching the classifieds for “Drummers Wanted” ads or auditioning for the next big piece from the Middle Ages that would require a lot of sword fights. I’ve never taken a pound training class, but I imagine it’s similar … just nicer and funnier.

After the first two training sessions (both with low intensity, about 23 minutes each), I really felt pain – especially in my legs. I’m definitely sweaty and I appreciate that Supernatural is sending free sweat protectors for the device. I’ve tried medium intensity workouts and my heart rate stays faster and my arms are more painful (due to more complicated wiping patterns). I tried high intensity workouts and the movements were too complex to tell. for now.

I have had surgery on both knees in the past so I appreciate that VR technology calculates how far my body is from the floor and adjusts the exercises to the correct squat depth to be safe for my body. It’s kind of madness.

Sometimes the device feels a little heavy on my head, or I feel the need to readjust it over time. If my face is itchy or sweaty, it can be a bit distracting. And I always make sure I have the wristbands on because I hit the controllers against my legs or the nearby chair and dropped them more than once.

That said, I also noticed that I was smiling while I was exercising. Sing along sometimes. Even hop around and dance to the music. I think it’s really fun and my family loves to giggle at me from the other room. I did the workout after putting my youngest child to bed and it has become something I look forward to all day.

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Do supernatural workouts get boring?

Supernatural did a really good job keeping their workouts exciting and interesting. They add a new workout every day and there are a variety of teachers and styles of music to choose from that will keep it interesting.

A strong feature of the game is the Dynamic Difficulty feature. The better you are at training, the more difficult they become. You can go to lower levels to perfect your form and strength, but as you increase your intensity it will continue to challenge you.

I thought I might get tired of seeing the same five or six places in every song, but I loved how many different places there really are in the world. Iceland, Ethiopia, Macchu Picchu, Scotland, Oregon … it always surprises me.

That said, if you’re a fitness lover who loves variety, you may get tired of the fact that the routines are all based on the same idea – slicing bullets.

How much does it cost?

Supernatural is only available for Oculus Quest 2. The entry-level device costs $ 299 – a little more than what I would spend on a month’s gym membership. Plus, your kids will love you when you get a device that they can play games on. (Side note: One thing I generally liked about the Oculus is that the games my kids picked are in the $ 30 range, rather than the $ 60 range on their other gaming systems.)

The Supernatural app is a free download with a 30-day free trial. After that, it costs $ 19 a month and you can add four profiles per headset. So that’s roughly $ 5 per person per month to use it.

Related: 7 Fitness Apps For Busy Parents Or Anyone Who Doesn’t Have Much Time

Who is Supernatural for?

Supernatural works for me because it keeps me away from the monotony of everyday life in quarantine. I stand in beautiful places all over the world and training is fun.

If you enjoy playing or are competitive, the “Game” leaderboards and rating features will keep you motivated – you get an accuracy rating, performance rating, and overall rating at the end of each song.

If the social connection does this for you, you will be motivated by the community aspect that you can add to Supernatural. You can connect with other users, share results and training strips, rate the workouts and songs, hold each other accountable and so on.

If you love to travel and have dreamed of attending a yoga retreat on the beaches of Hawaii or getting an intense cardio workout first thing in the morning while you explore Petra, that itch can be allayed. Then get in the car to pick up the carpooling children.

I’ve used the phone app to set an alert to remind me of the workout and it pairs with my Apple Watch to track my movement throughout the day and give me a full picture of my physical activity. For a data-driven list holder like me, this is a huge motivation to keep going.

And finally, if you’re learning visually, it’s a great way to push yourself harder as you exercise. After taking Zumba classes at a gym, I find it easy to see half of the movement. But when I have to reach across my body to hit those bullets and crouch lower to get through the tunnels, it urges me to do anything in my workout. The visual immersion in the world of the game takes the fun and motivation to a completely different level.

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