Immersive VR fitness is changing the way we approach and enjoy physical activity. With it, you can turn any space into a new workout space, access a range of new workouts regularly, and get in shape with your friends—even if they’re not physically there.
Regular workouts can get repetitive and even boring at times, which can make it hard for you to stay motivated and avoid exercise burnout. VR fitness can potentially change how exercise and the experiences that come with it are perceived.
It’s been suggested that VR technology can improve a person’s exercise experiences and that it can potentially alter the experiences that occur within the session. In a study by Bird et al., it was found that using VR during exercise can have a positive influence on a person’s enjoyment, adherence to the exercise, and our emotion.
The advent of extended reality technologies has paved the way for more immersive technologies, not only in fields like gaming, education, and marketing, but also in fitness. While they may seem like games, VR fitness apps and programs pack a punch and give users an entirely new way to work up a sweat.
In VR fitness, players use VR headsets and apps or programs, which can take on the form of games or classes taught by top trainers. Users control their avatars using handheld controllers and by moving their body. Depending on the game or program you’re using, you can have the same energy expenditure or experience as you would in more traditional workouts. These can be customized if you want something that’s more challenging or intense.
Additionally, VR fitness programs offer great convenience. They let you exercise at home alone or exercise remotely with friends. VR equipment also doesn’t take up that much space, compared to conventional fitness equipment.
Much like traditional workouts, VR fitness can help users get fit. It can raise your heart rate, while engaging your different senses with beautiful landscapes, fresh music, and vibrating controllers. In some cases, the built-in trackers in VR headsets can log anywhere between 200 and 400 calories burned with every workout.
FitXR recently introduced new features and experiences for its members, taking immersive VR fitness to a whole new level. This virtual fitness class offers a range of workout classes categorized into three studios: Box, Dance, and HIIT. Addressing the problem of monotony in workouts, FitXR offers fresh content, along with new environments, classes, and coaches, as well as music to exercise to.
These additions are designed to make VR fitness experiences more tailored to members’ specific needs and include the following:
The introduction of Meta Avatars further personalizes your VR fitness experience. You can create and customize your very own avatar using your Meta Quest headset. According to FitXR co-founder and CEO Sam Cole, giving members access to more personal avatars makes for better experiences. This customizability also allows them to create an appearance using “elements that are unique to them.”
Get more friends to work out with you without needing to share a room code to join a class. Create a Multiplayer class and invite all your Meta Friends to join. This new feature launched on July 21.
New trainer avatars will feature world-renowned athletes Zion Clark and Nicola Adams. Zion’s avatar underwent technical developments and first-of-its-kind design advancements to capture optimal functionality for his seated HIIT classes.
Zion Clark’s first beginner class, “Upper Body Burnout,” debuted on July 19. This program features seated HIIT classes taught by celebrated athlete Zion Clark.
“Up until this point, avatar creation was based on full body mechanics. We had the challenge of making Zion’s avatar function properly since Zion is without legs,” Cole said in an interview. “This involved changing the way we approached our motion capture sessions to eliminate lower body movement. Other VR fitness platforms don’t offer this kind of inclusion or customization.”
British Olympian, former professional boxer, and LGBTQ+ advocate Nicola Adams will have her debut in August. She will be teaching classes in the Warm Up Cool Down Studio.
The goal of these programs and new additions is to create a more inclusive, unique, and fun fitness experience that encompasses both the real and virtual worlds.
“FitXR approaches VR fitness in the most innovative way by offering users an experience unlike any other,” said Cole. “We merge together virtual reality, fitness, and gaming to create an immersive experience that gets all our users moving, especially through inclusive classes like Zion’s new seated HIIT workouts.”
Ultimately, the goal of these new features and classes, according to Cole, is to take VR fitness to the next level and allow users to fully transport themselves into its immersive landscapes. “We want our users to feel a deeper connection to FitXR and the new personalized avatars and addition of the Meta Friends Multiplayer feature helps to further this mission,” he explained.
Furthermore, FitXR is on a mission to continue integrating inclusiveness and accessibility not only in VR fitness, but also in the fitness world as a whole.
“As we continue to release new features, we’ll continue to prioritize diversity and inclusion. This will enable us to introduce VR fitness to new users and help us continue to grow towards a space where everyone is welcome and motivated to work out,” said Cole.
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