For Peloton users running on a treadmill through virtual surroundings may be nothing new… but did you know that the future of almost every exercise you can think of will soon be entering the realm of virtual reality (VR)? You got it; running, boxing, cycling – they’re going sci-fi! A teen blogger for TalksforTeens, the digital platform for everything teens care about today, touches on what exactly VR is and how it may transform the way we work out in the future.

Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. Basically, instead of seeing a normal screen, you are brought into an interactive 3D world full of beautiful sceneries, activities and even animals and people. To achieve this companies produce a specific headset that covers ears and eyes, and can simulate as many senses as possible like vision, hearing, touch and even smell. The result is a totally immersive experience straight out of a sci-fi movie. But how can it help with exercising?

With VR you are transported to a virtual outside world where everything is possible, most of all sports! Hundreds of games are available designed to simulate real sports and activities such as boxing, running, cycling, dancing and more. All you have to do is get on your treadmill, put the headset on, and suddenly you are running through the beautiful hills of Tuscany or even zooming through space! Louise Green, an award-winning trainer, writes about her favourite VR working out games that offer boxing and dance programmes – ranging from beginner to advanced workouts.

‘As a personal trainer, I was really surprised by not only how much I’ve been loving these workouts, but also how effective they are for me. I’ve realized they have the potential to be a fitness game changer for lots of people, especially those who want to start working out, who may be bored and burned out with the kinds of workouts they’ve been doing, or who want to rebuild their damaged relationships with fitness, to focus more on fun.’

She emphasises how fun the experience has been as many games are made to entertain as well as train. For instance, Beat Saber is a highly popular game in which you get equipped with light sabers that slice through moving targets following the beat of your favourite song: fun and exhausting!

If you are a competitive soul, like Louise, you don’t need to worry since in VR you can compete with yourself and others! Virtual reality being an online platform can accommodate hundreds of participants at the same time, playing the same game – something which isn’t available in traditional workouts.

While now it might be rare to see someone working out every day with a VR set, and we wouldn’t expect to see one in the gym, it’s likely to be part of our everyday life soon. The pandemic changed the way we approach studying, work and our personal lives and we have seen how almost anything can be done from home, including sports.

Spatial, for instance, which creates a tool that is a VR version of Zoom, reported a 1,000% increase in the use of its platform since March 2020. In total, the value of the market for VR business equipment is estimated to grow from $829 million in 2018 to $4.26 billion by 2023, according to research by ARtillery Intelligence. 

It’s safe to say VR technology, with its many uses, is bound to become more commonplace in our everyday lives – and perhaps transform the way we keep fit.

About TalksforTeens

TalksforTeens is a digital news and information platform for busy, forward-thinking teens, bridging the information gap between what teens learn at school and what is happening in the real world. It is a one stop-shop for to-the-point, on-trend and unbiased information about everything that matters to teens today. TalksforTeens is the only such platform of its kind. Head over to TalksforTeens.com for more on this topic or follow on @talksforteensuk.