VR Fitness and Weight Loss Primer
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LepperMessiah1
Posts: 102 Member
The VR Setup
VR fitness requires enough space to be able to move around freely, so consider this carefully before buying anything to start your routine. For my challenge, I designated about a 9 foot by 8 foot (2.7 meter by 2.4 meter) space to be my play area. The specific space requirements vary from game to game, but to have the greatest range of movement for the widest variety of games, this definitely gave me a comfortable area to work with, which is why my coffee table has been permanently relocated on its side and up against the wall for the last several months.
It used to be that the HTC Vive VR headset was the only system that could deliver a full room-scale experience complete with hand tracked controllers, while the Oculus Rift was relegated to standing or seated-only gaming, but as of December 6th, that has changed with the release of Oculus Touch and the ability to add additional cameras. To my knowledge, all of the games that I recommend using for VR fitness are also working with the Oculus Rift and Touch controllers, though they may not be optimized for it.
So how does Oculus room-scale compare to Vive room-scale? The recommended maximum size for Oculus Rift 3-camera room-scale is 8 feet (2.4 meters) squared, which falls a little short of my setup. However, some testers have reported being able to stretch those boundaries as far as 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 meters) squared. There are some other constraints to setting up the Oculus Rift for that level of room-scale compared to the Vive, but in the end the two options should be more-or-less comparable.
Which brings us to cost. The HTC Vive is a self contained system that will run you $799, while the Oculus Rift is more segmented. The Oculus headset is $599, the Touch controllers are $199, and the third camera sensor is $79, bringing the total cost to $877.
If it’s starting to look like the HTC Vive is the cheaper option, stay with me, because that isn’t absolutely true. The HTC Vive requires a slightly more robust computer than the Oculus Rift, so, depending on the computing power you have behind your VR headset - and whether you build your own or find a pre-built model - you could still potentially save a few dollars by choosing the Oculus Rift. My personal recommendation for a PC that can support either headset comes under $799, if you build it yourself.
The VR Games
Now, for the fun part. The 8 games that featured in my 50 Day Challenge:
Longbow, a “pocket universe” in Valve’s “The Lab,” is an archery game where you defend your castle against encroaching barbarian hordes. To get the most out of the game, pull the bowstring all the way to your shoulder with your bow hand fully extended and fire rapidly. Keep your arms raised. Minimal space needed.
Fruit Ninja VR is a familiar title for many, but the ‘VR’ adds an extra dimension. Literally. Slice the fruit and avoid the bombs to make the world’s most entertaining fruit salad. Try to swing your swords in as wide an arc as possible to extend your range of motion. I recommend sticking to the Arcade mode. Minimal space needed.
Bitslap is basically a speed punching game. Punch the cubes in the order that they appear as swiftly as possible. To maximize your speed, don’t just punch fast, also pull your elbows back quickly between strikes. I recommend doing it on Normal difficulty mode. Minimal space needed.
The Thrill of the Fight is a boxing sim. Use the entirety of your play space to dance around your opponents, duck, bob, weave, defend, and knock them out. Keep your fists raised. I recommend cycling through each contender as fast as possible until your time is up. Maximal space needed.
Some highlights from a recent workout of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NviZ2h7tMjk
Sword Master VR is a sword fighting game where you battle hellish medieval knights who come at you from all sides in an escalating fight for survival. Advance and retreat, squat and block to avoid damage, lunge to strike, and dish out everything you can muster. I recommend cycling through novice levels 1-5, then 5-10, before advancing to higher difficulties. Maximal space needed.
The final 5 minutes of an intense 20 minute bout I finished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grUc75ELfvE
Holopoint is a combative archery wave shooter where you shoot your arrows at the targets as they spawn all around you. Every successful hit can launch an attack against you. Take too long and an attack is launched against you. To get the greatest benefit to your lower body, squat to dodge the enemy attacks. I recommend cycling through waves 1-15 before starting over at 1. Moderate space needed.
Just how many squats can be done in 20 minutes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OiasdbIlCw
HoloBall plays like a cross between racquetball and Pong in the world of Tron. I recommend simply working your way up from beginner or try the endurance mode. Moderate to maximal space needed.
AudioShield is a rhythm punching game. You can select any music through YouTube and the game will process it into a series of colored orbs that you will punch with equipped shields as they careen towards you through space to the timing of the song. The higher the tempo, the more intense the gameplay. Try using the Spartan shields and work your way from Normal mode on up. Minimal space needed.
These games will only push you as hard as you push yourself, so you get to set the pace of your VR workouts. Take breaks when necessary, but try to limit them to just what you need to recover your stamina.
Suggested VR Workout Template:
10 Min: Longbow or Fruit Ninja VR (Warmup)
20 Min: Sword Master VR or Holopoint (Lower Body)
20 Min: Bitslap or The Thrill of the Fight (Upper Body)
10 Min: HoloBall or AudioShield (Cooldown)
This template is entirely flexible, but gives you some idea of how you can structure your time. A fast paced game of AudioShield on Elite difficulty or Holoball on Expert mode would work just as well as part of the main workout. Bitslap, played at a slower pace, could be your warmup.
Managing Sweat
The other suggestions I would make in order to have a comfortable experience exercising in VR are:
Doing this will keep you from sweating rivers under the headset and keep the headset well maintained.
Adding Weights
I am constantly pushing myself to take things to the next level, so, once I started losing weight and getting accustomed to the workload of the VR workouts, I started adding in weighted resistance between week 2 and 3 with the help of a weighted vest. I added one 2.5 pound bar to the vest every second workout, which was like adding back on the weight I had lost, then every third workout, once that got to be challenging, and so on. By the end of my challenge I had graduated to 17.5 pounds on my vest, which was only 3 additional pounds when combined with my 14.4 pound weight loss.
I do not advocate for wearing ankle or wrist weights. Given the unpredictable movements of VR, wrist weights run the risk of applying force on the shoulders and elbows at compromising angles. I think ankle weights are safer to use than wrist weights, but I can still imagine if you step out the wrong way, it could leverage your hip or knee to a hazardous degree.
I chose to use a weighted vest because, instead of the extremities, the mass is kept close to the center of the body which is more stable and maintains alignment. There is still going to be increased impact on the hips, knees, and ankles, but the force is being applied in a direction that those joints are accustomed to optimally absorb.
Adding a weighted vest is unnecessary and entirely optional. The games will still be plenty intense without it.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a controversial topic with a lot of competing theories and philosophies about what works and what doesn’t. So let’s just disregard all of them for the moment because for 90% of people out there, the diet that is simplest to follow is also going to be the most effective.
Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy, but by following these 5 suggestions you will have very little guesswork and you will always know where you stand:
Simple.
When it comes to deciding what to eat, I suggest keeping that simple as well. If you have difficulty finding time to prepare meals with mostly whole ingredients, try an online food delivery service. As a bonus, many of the meals offered by these sites, such as Blue Apron, are already cataloged into MyFitnessPal’s food database. If you crave something sweet, an entire pint of Halo Top Ice Cream should come as a revelation to you. It’s low-calorie, delicious, and mega nutritious. I eat a whole pint almost every day. No kidding.
That’s basically the whole primer for duplicating your own VR Fitness Challenge!
VR fitness requires enough space to be able to move around freely, so consider this carefully before buying anything to start your routine. For my challenge, I designated about a 9 foot by 8 foot (2.7 meter by 2.4 meter) space to be my play area. The specific space requirements vary from game to game, but to have the greatest range of movement for the widest variety of games, this definitely gave me a comfortable area to work with, which is why my coffee table has been permanently relocated on its side and up against the wall for the last several months.
It used to be that the HTC Vive VR headset was the only system that could deliver a full room-scale experience complete with hand tracked controllers, while the Oculus Rift was relegated to standing or seated-only gaming, but as of December 6th, that has changed with the release of Oculus Touch and the ability to add additional cameras. To my knowledge, all of the games that I recommend using for VR fitness are also working with the Oculus Rift and Touch controllers, though they may not be optimized for it.
So how does Oculus room-scale compare to Vive room-scale? The recommended maximum size for Oculus Rift 3-camera room-scale is 8 feet (2.4 meters) squared, which falls a little short of my setup. However, some testers have reported being able to stretch those boundaries as far as 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 meters) squared. There are some other constraints to setting up the Oculus Rift for that level of room-scale compared to the Vive, but in the end the two options should be more-or-less comparable.
Which brings us to cost. The HTC Vive is a self contained system that will run you $799, while the Oculus Rift is more segmented. The Oculus headset is $599, the Touch controllers are $199, and the third camera sensor is $79, bringing the total cost to $877.
If it’s starting to look like the HTC Vive is the cheaper option, stay with me, because that isn’t absolutely true. The HTC Vive requires a slightly more robust computer than the Oculus Rift, so, depending on the computing power you have behind your VR headset - and whether you build your own or find a pre-built model - you could still potentially save a few dollars by choosing the Oculus Rift. My personal recommendation for a PC that can support either headset comes under $799, if you build it yourself.
The VR Games
Now, for the fun part. The 8 games that featured in my 50 Day Challenge:
Longbow, a “pocket universe” in Valve’s “The Lab,” is an archery game where you defend your castle against encroaching barbarian hordes. To get the most out of the game, pull the bowstring all the way to your shoulder with your bow hand fully extended and fire rapidly. Keep your arms raised. Minimal space needed.
Fruit Ninja VR is a familiar title for many, but the ‘VR’ adds an extra dimension. Literally. Slice the fruit and avoid the bombs to make the world’s most entertaining fruit salad. Try to swing your swords in as wide an arc as possible to extend your range of motion. I recommend sticking to the Arcade mode. Minimal space needed.
Bitslap is basically a speed punching game. Punch the cubes in the order that they appear as swiftly as possible. To maximize your speed, don’t just punch fast, also pull your elbows back quickly between strikes. I recommend doing it on Normal difficulty mode. Minimal space needed.
The Thrill of the Fight is a boxing sim. Use the entirety of your play space to dance around your opponents, duck, bob, weave, defend, and knock them out. Keep your fists raised. I recommend cycling through each contender as fast as possible until your time is up. Maximal space needed.
Some highlights from a recent workout of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NviZ2h7tMjk
Sword Master VR is a sword fighting game where you battle hellish medieval knights who come at you from all sides in an escalating fight for survival. Advance and retreat, squat and block to avoid damage, lunge to strike, and dish out everything you can muster. I recommend cycling through novice levels 1-5, then 5-10, before advancing to higher difficulties. Maximal space needed.
The final 5 minutes of an intense 20 minute bout I finished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grUc75ELfvE
Holopoint is a combative archery wave shooter where you shoot your arrows at the targets as they spawn all around you. Every successful hit can launch an attack against you. Take too long and an attack is launched against you. To get the greatest benefit to your lower body, squat to dodge the enemy attacks. I recommend cycling through waves 1-15 before starting over at 1. Moderate space needed.
Just how many squats can be done in 20 minutes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OiasdbIlCw
HoloBall plays like a cross between racquetball and Pong in the world of Tron. I recommend simply working your way up from beginner or try the endurance mode. Moderate to maximal space needed.
AudioShield is a rhythm punching game. You can select any music through YouTube and the game will process it into a series of colored orbs that you will punch with equipped shields as they careen towards you through space to the timing of the song. The higher the tempo, the more intense the gameplay. Try using the Spartan shields and work your way from Normal mode on up. Minimal space needed.
These games will only push you as hard as you push yourself, so you get to set the pace of your VR workouts. Take breaks when necessary, but try to limit them to just what you need to recover your stamina.
Suggested VR Workout Template:
10 Min: Longbow or Fruit Ninja VR (Warmup)
20 Min: Sword Master VR or Holopoint (Lower Body)
20 Min: Bitslap or The Thrill of the Fight (Upper Body)
10 Min: HoloBall or AudioShield (Cooldown)
This template is entirely flexible, but gives you some idea of how you can structure your time. A fast paced game of AudioShield on Elite difficulty or Holoball on Expert mode would work just as well as part of the main workout. Bitslap, played at a slower pace, could be your warmup.
Managing Sweat
The other suggestions I would make in order to have a comfortable experience exercising in VR are:
- Crank up the AC.
- Direct fans into your play space.
- Wear breathable clothing.
- Use earbuds instead of over-ear headphones. Ears exhaust heat.
- Wear a bandana and a sweatband.
- When you’re finished, either rinse off your sweaty foam insert or soak in water with a gentle cleanser for an hour, rinse, and then hang dry.
Doing this will keep you from sweating rivers under the headset and keep the headset well maintained.
Adding Weights
I am constantly pushing myself to take things to the next level, so, once I started losing weight and getting accustomed to the workload of the VR workouts, I started adding in weighted resistance between week 2 and 3 with the help of a weighted vest. I added one 2.5 pound bar to the vest every second workout, which was like adding back on the weight I had lost, then every third workout, once that got to be challenging, and so on. By the end of my challenge I had graduated to 17.5 pounds on my vest, which was only 3 additional pounds when combined with my 14.4 pound weight loss.
I do not advocate for wearing ankle or wrist weights. Given the unpredictable movements of VR, wrist weights run the risk of applying force on the shoulders and elbows at compromising angles. I think ankle weights are safer to use than wrist weights, but I can still imagine if you step out the wrong way, it could leverage your hip or knee to a hazardous degree.
I chose to use a weighted vest because, instead of the extremities, the mass is kept close to the center of the body which is more stable and maintains alignment. There is still going to be increased impact on the hips, knees, and ankles, but the force is being applied in a direction that those joints are accustomed to optimally absorb.
Adding a weighted vest is unnecessary and entirely optional. The games will still be plenty intense without it.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a controversial topic with a lot of competing theories and philosophies about what works and what doesn’t. So let’s just disregard all of them for the moment because for 90% of people out there, the diet that is simplest to follow is also going to be the most effective.
Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy, but by following these 5 suggestions you will have very little guesswork and you will always know where you stand:
- Install MyFitness Pal or Lose It on your phone and tell it your weight loss goals.
- The app will tell you the number of calories you need to eat daily to accomplish that goal. Stick close to that number.
- Log all of your meals, snacks, and drinks either by scanning the barcode, using their extensive databases, which includes many restaurants, or directing it to the link for the recipe.
- Log all of your workouts, either by reporting the number given to you by a fitness tracker or heart rate monitor, or by using a general estimate (eg. 60 minutes of circuit training), so you can eat back all the calories that you burned.
- Weigh yourself once a week, preferably at the same time. Do this for two weeks. After two weeks, if you’re hitting all your calorie intake goals, but the weight loss reported by the scale seems off, you can scale your daily calorie intake up or down 100-200 calories. Do this for another week or two before reassessing and making further modifications.
Simple.
When it comes to deciding what to eat, I suggest keeping that simple as well. If you have difficulty finding time to prepare meals with mostly whole ingredients, try an online food delivery service. As a bonus, many of the meals offered by these sites, such as Blue Apron, are already cataloged into MyFitnessPal’s food database. If you crave something sweet, an entire pint of Halo Top Ice Cream should come as a revelation to you. It’s low-calorie, delicious, and mega nutritious. I eat a whole pint almost every day. No kidding.
That’s basically the whole primer for duplicating your own VR Fitness Challenge!
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