Some days it is hard to make time for a workout. Those of us that have taken health and fitness into our own hands know the struggle. Work, family, and the stresses of life can really get in the way of finding time to sweat. However, since we have taken on the task of being fit and healthy we have to find the time. It would be nice to dedicate several hours a day to a great fitness routine but for most of us, that is a luxury we do not have. So I have a great solution for this universal problem, FitXR.
What is FitXR?
If you are like me and started your VR Fitness Journey using PCVR, then you probably are aware of a fitness game called BoxVR. BoxVR went through a series of evolutions and have found their way to the standalone Quest and Quest 2 Headsets, under the name of FitXR. There are some key differences between FitXR and BoxVR, so it would not be fair to say that it is a Quest port, as much as it is a reinvention.
FitXR is primarily a boxing type workout, but they have added some dance workouts as well to really get the cardio going. The Boxing workouts I find result in the best quality of calorie burn, but the dancing is great for a low impact workout. You can also workout with others in group classes and this makes for a fun experience. Nothing motivates you more in a VR workout than seeing someone else having a higher score than you do!
Getting Started
Since this is all about time management, I sacrifice 45 Minutes of sleep in order to get a 30 minute sweat session. With any workout, it is important that you prepare yourself. Before I get going I like to drink at least a half-a-gallon of water and I generally will have a light breakfast. You need to be hydrated and have some fuel to work with but you also don’t want to have any discomfort from a big breakfast.
I will then do some stretches. FitXR can work the entire body out so be sure to give more than just your arms a good stretch. You will need to bend and flex your back, arms, legs, and knees. So be sure to nimble up or you will regret it later for sure. I tend to drink water as I am doing my stretches.
Normally I workout in my bare feet, but with FitXR I typically will throw on some running shoes. The first few times I did this routine I noticed some pain in my feet and I am sure it was due to me not having proper support.
This workout is going to make you sweat, a lot. So take precautions and protect your Head-Mounted Display. VR Cover offers a lot of solutions to help protect your HMD, and help keep you going without stinging sweat in your eyes. Plus if you are anything at all like me you will want to play games later in VR. Using VR Covers and swapping them out prevents you from putting on a cold and wet headset.
Ready, Exercise!
For the sake of time and to maximize the calorie burn I have broken the workout into 3 phases. The Warmup, PUSH HARD, and the Cooldown. Each is broken into 10-Minute sessions. I keep a water bottle handy so that I can take time to take on some water between each session. So really the entire exercise takes about 33 minutes. So let us dive into each one of these sessions that will make up our complete workout.
The Warmup
To get the ball rolling and the heart started, I have chosen the workout titled “Metal137” in the FitXR application. This workout is labeled as Moderate in intensity and I find that it starts off a little light and becomes a lot more intense over time. In order to get the most out of the workout I will swing my punches rather hard, but taking care not to over-extend my arms. For the “Jabs” I will step into them bringing the power from my back foot and transferring it forward into my arms. For the “Hooks” I will rotate my hips and shoulders and bring the power from my body as opposed to just my arms. When it comes to the dodges I will do a proper squat and try and focus as best as I can on my form. I will wait for the bar to nearly hit me so that I move quickly. For the “Side Dodges” I will do a lunge to my left or my right depending on the direction of the dodge. This gets the core, and legs engaged. I told you, this was more than just arms!
PUSH HARD!
This is where we kick things into high gear, with the “Paranormal” exercise. This will be an intense 10 minutes. I personally had an average heart rate of around 130-150 during this workout. Granted I am not in peak physical condition, however, If I keep working out like this I will be there sooner rather than later. As with the previous exercise, I punch, move, and duck much the same. I do like to move my feet a little more with the beat and the punches just to get some extra movement. The music makes it a lot easier to get lost in the game and a byproduct of this is getting the feet moving a lot more. Remember no one is watching so get into it and swing those hips. If you are worried about someone watching, then give them a show! After this, catch your breath and drink some water. We are nearly done!
The Cooldown
Remember when I said this was only a 30-minute workout, well it’s as close as I can get it so don’t hang me for fibbing a little. The Cooldown is broken into two different exercises, “Aceller8” and “On the Clock”. We have taken the time and put in the effort to build up to a great workout and we need to make sure that we have a proper cool down. Aceller8 lasts about 9 minutes and is labeled as moderately intense. It will still keep the heart rate up and calories will continue to burn but it is a far cry from the previous workout. By the time the clock runs out on Aceller8, I will move directly into On The Clock. On the Clock is labeled as a light workout and it serves the cooldown purposes very well. This one allows you to catch your breath, keep moving, and slow that heart rate down to more “regular” levels. So you are still working out and burning calories!
The proof is in the Puddle of Sweat
The results speak for themselves. For me, I burned a little over 500 calories during this workout. I was a soaking wet, sweaty mess and I was out of breath. I tracked my progress using the Yur Fitness app and I highly recommend this program for you as well. This was a great workout, it was a lot of fun, It kept me engaged and before I knew it I was done.
So if you are pressed for time, hit up FitXR on the Oculus Quest or Quest 2, and try this routine out for yourself. Feel free to customize the routine and find workouts that work for you if these are not what you are looking for. Please let us know in the comments below what changes you have made so I can give them a shot myself!
