VR Review: Supernatural Fitness VR
Are we ready to move our workouts to a virtual world?
I tried Supernatural VR workouts and here's what I thought:
Pros:
Immersion and entertainment. I was so into improving my accuracy that I lost track of time and forgot it was a workout. I also loved the music and added my own dance moves in between. It was an excellent trigger for present-moment awareness.
Relaxing scenes. The virtual spaces where the workouts happen are just stunning. I spent a couple of minutes just relaxing and enjoying them. They also have meditative sessions.
Great onboarding and training. Different trainers take you through gestures and provide you with tips for your posture and accuracy. You get a chance to practice these gestures in demo environments. They also do a calibration of your height and positioning of hands during squats and lunges.
Requires great motor coordination (which I struggled with at first). I definitely improved over time. Have been doing it for two weeks now and it has always been fun. Learn more about their orb slicing mechanics here (very similar to Beat Saber).
Increased my motivation. The gamification was terrific, lots of multi-sensory feedback and having a coach's directions was engaging. I am already looking forward to my next workout.
Surprisingly, I didn't feel any motion sickness at all! Even during my longest workouts, though, I capped them at 30 mins just in case.
At first, I was hesitant about describing this as a workout, as it felt more like a light exercise akin to a walk. However, as I got into the higher levels, it became a great cardio workout (Check one of my Fitbit stats). My arms were sore the next day as well.
I can truly see how this workout can improve my brain functioning. Reminds me of the complexity of dancing, wherein one develops motor coordination and creative skillsets simultaneously.
Cons and things I would have liked:
Too much information at once. I was so focused on getting the slicing and coordination right that I lost awareness of my body, posture and form. I had to consciously remind myself to check this. Wished it had some immediate feedback to help me with form. It might be dangerous for people who aren't used to working out.
Warm ups were really short. Wished they were longer and more comprehensive. Shoulder rolling for 2 mins it’s not enough, in my opinion.
The easier workouts were still somewhat difficult. I wish there was better scaffolding wherein earlier workouts only required hand gestures until the user becomes comfortable with the patterns, the speed of the interaction, and maintaining appropriate form. Then I could move on to add squats and stepping.
I would have liked an option to personalize the speed of my workout as well.
Can't wait till we get some Zumba instructors there :).
The price might be a barrier. You get a free trial for 30 days and it's $179/year. I am trying to do a light second workout after work every day and I think this will help with motivation. If that was not the case, not sure I can justify the subscription. However, when Omni one becomes easily accessible and integrated with these workouts, I would certainly pay that and more!
Didn't feel comfortable getting sweaty with the headset. Felt gross, so I would stop as soon as I noticed any sweat. They do have a complimentary sports liner. Getting mine soon, I hope.
Though immersion was great, I kept worrying about hitting my dogs if they stepped into my play area. Not being aware of my surroundings was a challenge and made me lose presence here and there.
Slicing gestures and related movements might get boring. These are the same across workouts, even though music and scenery change. Hope they are working on other options.
Gamification stats can add a lot of value to experiences. However, they were not accurate reflections of my performance. Their effect was missed on me, and I hope they improve their accuracy.
I would have liked a Spotify integration to listen to my fav workout playlists (aka. mostly reggaeton).
Social workouts. I usually meet with my sisters to workout over Zoom. It would be awesome to be in the same virtual world, have challenges together, and support each other in our fitness goals.
Overall, this app is incredible for someone who loves dancing, music, nature, and VR, and I highly recommend it. As a psychologist, I saw many benefits from this app, including increased motivation, an opportunity to be mindful, enjoy a workout, and engage in transcendental practices like dancing and singing. So fun!
