Virtual Workout, Real Sweat: Exercising in the Metaverse with MetaSearch

My first VR exercise was a boxing class that’s like “Dance Dance Revolution” for your hands. I punched color-coded targets while zooming in on my face and bent to avoid the swirling bars. After the session, I peeled the moist Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus) from my face—which is as disgusting as it sounds. But there’s an upside: I couldn’t believe how hard my heart was beating and how fast those 20 minutes flew by.

VR fitness isn’t just a gimmick. The headset turns the dreaded aspect of exercise (actually doing it) into an interactive game that makes you forget it’s a workout. That is, when it does not give you motion sickness.

Fitness experts say virtual workouts, which mainly consist of squats and air punches, can be an effective way to burn calories. Most can be done in your living room, as long as there is a clear area for hopping and arm flinging. Some require cardio equipment, such as an elliptical machine. However, you won’t find virtual workouts with a lot of yoga, weight training, or other dynamic movements that can pose a safety hazard. Wearing a headset is like putting an electronic blindfold on your face.

we are. Punch-dance = great cardio

Supernatural was the most impressive of the VR workout apps I’ve tried. It offers four types of classes: boxing, meditation, stretching and a high-intensity, rhythmic workout called Flow. Sensors on the Quest’s handheld controller tell the app how fast and accurately you’re punching orbs while flying. The views are astonishing. Workouts are set in detailed real-life landscapes captured by 360-degree cameras. I never thought that I would work out at Sahara. (The app’s maker, Within, recently entered into an agreement to be acquired by Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc.)

FitXR takes a different approach. The environment is completely digitally created, and the instructors are Sims-esque avatars voiced by trainers. In the app’s cardio workout, you do a side step or crouch down to punch airborne glass balls. Dance classes include body rolls and arm air pumps. I’m glad there are no mirrors in VR: I guarantee you my moves didn’t look as good as I thought.

Like digital fitness platforms running on phones and tablets, both VR apps require a subscription; The Meta Quest 2 headset starts at $299. Apps are pricey: A Supernatural subscription costs $19 per month, or $180 per year for up to four people (sharing one device). FitXR costs $10 per month for five profiles. Unlike smartphone apps, workouts on the Quest 2 can’t be downloaded for offline use. Naturally, the headset requires a Facebook account.

The app’s up-down and side-to-side movements and arm-raise are valid exercises, according to Jimmy Bagley, associate professor of exercise and muscle physiology at San Francisco State University. “You use up a lot of muscle mass lunges and squats,” he said.

“If you are a non-exerciser or a beginner exerciser and want to lose some fat or gain some muscle, you can do most of your workouts in Ab VR,” Dr. Bagley said. More serious athletes should stick with a real trainer at a real gym, he said.

Virtual Cycling: Dangerous Turns Ahead

A 2018 study by Dr. Bagley and other researchers found that VR exercise can be as effective at increasing your calorie burn rate as running or cycling on a treadmill, depending on the intensity of the sport. In a 2020 study by researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth, subjects said they felt less tired or exhausted in VR than in traditional bike exercise.

I’m already a big fan of Zwift, an indoor biking app that runs on my iPad and controls the resistance of my smart bike trainer based on the height of a virtual route. Can a VR app get even better?

I tried Holofit by Holodia ($10.75 per month), which works with Bluetooth-enabled ellipticals, rowers, and stationary bikes. You can also use a conventional machine that has cadence sensors attached to your shoes. Holofit’s virtual world is programmed with absurd set pieces to keep you busy. I crossed an inverted bus over the Golden Gate Bridge, rode through a rock concert in the middle of Paris and flew over the rings of Saturn from a rocket ship.

This kind of cardio in VR was a different beast. The headset got steamy fast, and biking on a straight road didn’t bother me, with sharp turns and going up or down my stomach turned. After 30 minutes, I was too nauseous to continue. It may be a unique issue: I have amblyopia, which means one eye doesn’t work as well as the other. Wearing glasses inside the headset helps, but I still get headaches after long walks. (My colleague Joanna, who spent 24 hours in the Metaverse, experienced similar symptoms after prolonged headset use.)

A Holofit spokesperson said this feeling is normal for new users and eventually fades away. He added that the company is continuing to refine Avatar’s in-game movements. The Holofit was fine otherwise, but it doesn’t have the automatic resistance-adjustment features or detailed graphics of the Zwift.

I asked Zwift CEO Eric Min why the app isn’t in the metaverse yet. “Zwift actually has a build for VR, but it’s not something that’s publicly available,” he said. For now, a VR headset is too heavy for bikers, he said. “It’s heavy, hot, hazy and the thought of sweating is worthwhile.” He said that the company is also concerned about the safety of the users.

He’s right about the sweat. The Quest 2 encases half your face like a snorkel mask, trapping heat inside, and keeping it comfortable enough to stay on while you move around. After each workout, the face pad on my headset was soaked.

Meta acknowledges that the headset needs improvement for fitness: The company plans to sell new accessories, including an exercise-optimized facial interface that can be wiped down and grips that hold the controllers in place while you sweat. Makes it easy.

To become a mainstream fitness device, headsets need to be lighter, with an even faster processor and more accurate head-tracking to reduce motion sickness. They should also be able to track foot movements, which they do not currently do.

New equipment is imminent. Meta says it plans to expand its Quest offerings with more advanced hardware later this year. And Apple’s anticipated smart glasses are expected to feature augmented-reality technology. Perhaps a virtual fitness instructor could appear in the real world.

For now, the experience is great for early adopters who are bored with their exercise routines—and willing to navigate a novel, complex interface. Before embarking on the VR fitness journey, though, you’ll definitely need two things: a silicone face-cushion cover for your Quest 2 headset, plus an old-fashioned sweatband. trust me.