Beyond Traditional Workouts: How VR Fitness Is Revolutionizing Exercise

New Year, New Workout Possibilities

Hello everyone, I'm Jessica. First, let me wish you all a Happy New Year! If you had good luck in 2021, I hope it continues into 2022. And if 2021 was challenging, perhaps 2022 will bring the good fortune you deserve. I hope you join me in starting a decade of good fortune beginning in 2022!

I wonder what resolutions everyone has for the new year. One of mine is to exercise more regularly, and my second wish is to reach 1,000 subscribers by mid-year (is that realistic? If you're watching, please consider subscribing to help make this dream come true!).

Yesterday I tried a VR fitness app called "Supernatural" and had a great experience. Since I played their New Year's special on the first day of the year, it felt like starting 2022 on the right foot with a commitment to more exercise.

The Supernatural Experience

Supernatural immerses you in a virtual dance party led by a coach who guides you through an energetic workout set to music. The app combines choreographed movements with gamified elements, creating an engaging experience that feels more like playing than exercising.

The coach brings unmistakable energy, encouraging you to move your body, engage your core, and "throw it back" with dance moves while experiencing VR environments from around the world. Throughout the session, you follow rhythm-based movements, hitting targets with your controllers while the music keeps you motivated.

Here is a video of the coaching (00:00) and rhythm game exercise part (01:00).

What Makes VR Fitness Stand Out

Let me share what I particularly love about this app:

First, the interaction method is truly innovative, which is why I wanted to recommend it. The app uses genuinely three-dimensional, spatial interaction:

1. The controllers simulate trajectories for your hands to follow, creating movements impossible in 2D interfaces

2. It fully utilizes 360-degree space, making you turn and move in all directions rather than facing one fixed viewpoint

3. It seamlessly integrates exercise movements with immersive environments and gamification elements

Second, the app has a data dashboard and can connect with health monitoring devices like fitbit, allowing you to track your exercise data more effectively – something any proper fitness app should enable.

Third, the course variety is extensive with thoughtful categorization. Music lovers can filter by era, while those focused on exercise can sort by intensity level, targeted body parts, or workout type. There are even meditation courses and various specialized routines targeting specific areas.

Fourth, the presence of real human coaches creates a personable, immersive experience with vocal guidance throughout your workout, making it similar to an in-person gym session.

Fifth, the exercises really worked! Looking at data from my Fitbit health tracker, this app delivered genuine exercise benefits. My heart rate spiked significantly, comparable to dedicated aerobic exercise. I ended up working out for an entire hour, whereas I usually only last a few minutes with traditional exercise. During the session, I repeatedly felt like I was reaching my limits, indicating the workout's substantial intensity.

Of course, you can adjust the intensity to your preference if you want something less demanding. The flexibility makes this app a significant solution to a common fitness pain point.

As someone who's incredibly lazy about exercise, outdoor workouts seem too cold, dirty, or inconvenient, while indoor routines feel boring and difficult to maintain. VR provides a solution that's effective, fun, and easy to stick with – truly a lazy person's miracle workout tool.

The only downside? You might look ridiculous to anyone watching you in real life. But who cares? As long as you're enjoying yourself!

Room for Improvement

There are a few areas where the app could improve:

1. I wish users could define their own direction and position, reducing the likelihood of hitting guardian boundaries

2. More customized guidance based on my personal data would enhance the experience

3. The app could better tailor recommendations by asking about specific goals and interests by designing an onboarding process

The Future of Fitness

Looking at trends, I believe remote VR fitness classes will grow significantly with the rise of 5G connectivity. Beyond pre-recorded sessions, live personal trainers guiding you through VR workouts seems inevitable and potentially a huge market opportunity. Just as one VR DJ app allows real DJs to perform beside you, fitness instructors could provide personalized guidance in virtual spaces.

This app offers two important insights about the future:

First, gamifying traditionally painful or difficult activities is incredibly effective. Gaming combined with education or fitness represents one of the few applications of games with almost no negative side effects. Making challenging activities more engaging through gamification helps people learn and improve more consistently.

Second, traditional offline businesses will gradually be disrupted if they don't adapt. Physical gyms will lose casual customers who find VR fitness more convenient, accessible, and enjoyable. While serious fitness enthusiasts who need specialized equipment may still visit gyms, casual users looking for basic exercise might shift more towards virtual options.

Even 2D fitness apps like Keep might disappear without adaptation. Personally, I've always wondered why people use Keep – the instructors often sound too commanding, and following exercises on a screen is awkward. Where do you position your device while moving around? How do you watch the screen while doing yoga poses?

With VR, you simply put on a headset, and instructors appear beside you, demonstrating movements that you can observe naturally from any angle. This immersive quality gives VR a significant advantage over web and mobile fitness applications.

Conclusion

Supernatural is probably the best fitness apps I've seen in VR. If you know of other exceptional VR fitness or sports applications, I'd love to hear your recommendations.

I hope everyone achieves their New Year's resolutions, and I hope to reach my goal of 1,000 subscribers by mid-year (please help make this happen!).

See you next week!