From a dedicated VirZOOM stationary bike to any stationary bike or elliptical with a cadence meter to now when you don’t even need anything but your headset, the versatility of VZFit has constantly evolved.
I found VZFit like many during the Coronavirus pandemic. Trapped at home in self-isolation, I desperately needed some way to not only exercise but a way to escape. I searched and searched and found VZFit and VZFit Play. I decided to start my adventure with VZFit.
Soon I was on my elliptical, with a $20 Magene cadence sensor, exercising my way through Paris, Vegas, New York, Tokyo, and even Yellowstone all without leaving my house just by slipping on my Quest and then later my Quest 2. You see, the VizFit app uses Google Street View to take you around the world. Also, there is an option for listening to music while you exercise which I really thought added nicely to the experience. So many people find it hard to exercise as they feel like it bores them or it’s too difficult, however, nowadays there are so many ways people can do it, just look at this! Luckily there are fitness articles available to read so that people can see what else they should do to heighten their fitness regime. If you are looking for specific exercises for your legs or gluteus medius (near your hips) then you can comment on this article to see what you think and try it for yourself in between these techy workouts.
VZFit Play gamifies your exercise routines. Six different games with each game offering something different. Pegasus 3 levels of intense gameplay. This will get you sweating off calories quickly.
The Tank game offers either Comfortable play or Moderate play choices, while the Panda only lets you play a “Comfortable” level of gameplay.
The Biker game has le Tour which is comfortable or Cale Rally at a Moderate pace. However, I found this to be slightly understated.
Jailbreak has you keeping up with a Wild West adventure at what they call a Comfortable level.
Next up is the F1 racer with the option of 2 Moderate play levels, Race Oval or Race Curvy. I liked the Race Curvy myself.
The Helicopter race called River Run is rated as Intense and rightfully so. Get your blood pumping with this one.
VirZOOM has been around since 2015 when Eric Malafeew, chief games chief games architect and programmer at Harmonix (they were behind some of the coolest games ever, including Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central), teamed up with Eric Janszen, ex-venture capitalist, and fanatic cyclist, to create a virtual cycling experience. Originally you had to buy the VirZOOM Stationary bike. The high cost and somewhat limited reach forced them to try to sell their systems to fitness centers and gyms.
Then everything changed with the introduction of the Oculus Go. The lightweight standalone headset opened the world to the gamification of fitness. You could now ride a Pegasus or drive a tank, all while getting your fitness fix.
With my Magene cadence meter attached to the wheel of my Bladex EK80 Elliptical, I set off to explore new places and revisit some old memories. I found myself revisiting the Moulin Rouge in Paris and the streets of Tokyo. But also traveling through the Dolomites in Italy and just about anywhere Google Maps has been.
But the folks at VirZOOM have not stopped there. The newest addition gives you the ability to do away with your machines. Slip-on your headset and pick your ride, or create a new one for yourself, and just start running on the exerboard, a virtual Segway that magically appears below you in the app. And according to the exercise program that you have chosen, they have 55 unique standing exercises that a virtual pro trainer will do with you. The power and speed of your head and hand movements push the exerboard forward at various velocities, and you can either follow along with the trainer or make up your own moves, adjusting the in-game difficulty to match your current fitness ability.
You can even do group activities with the “Ride with Others” feature. The feature displays a list of people that you can ride with. Once in the ride, you can even chat with them with full real-time voice chat. There are also stats and an app leaderboard to keep up with competitions. Get on messenger chat and set up group rides with your friends anywhere in the world.
Eric Malafeew stated, “We hope to soon add more options for multiplayer, and enable you to further customize your workouts based on preferred movements-for example, focusing on your glutes one day, your abs the next. We also want to give ride authors more tools for self-expression, such as signs and narration, to make routes more interesting and personal for riders.”
There’s a seven-day free trial if you want to give VZfit a test ride, after which you can subscribe for $9.99 USD a month.
I have tested several fitness apps and this one stands apart. I’m not a big gamer or a gym rat so this combination of fitness fun and game really suits me. It keeps me interested and with the huge variety of places and games, you will find it difficult to run out of things to keep you motivated. This is the right app for gamers or non-gamers and it will appeal to the diehard exercise junky or the more casual fan of exercise routines. Definitely, this should be on your Quest or Quest 2.