Why virtual reality fitness is the ideal escapism for Londoners

I’m suspended on a spaceship in a star-clustered galaxy with Earth to my left and a satellite to my right. In a flash, the pumping sound of the PowerBeats app cranks into gear – and so does the action. A blitz of glowing planets is propelled towards me that I will have to punch, smash, or uppercut out of the way.

Next comes the dangerous space-junk, to be avoided with dodges, or squats that I must hold inside the agonisingly long tunnels. I can certainly feel the burn but, by the end of the track, I’ve only shaken off 15 calories. The good news is, it’s so much fun, this barely feels like exercise and I’m ready to go again.

As a 47-year-old mum with four kids aged 10 or under, my time is precious – and yet so is my health. I’m still trying to lose baby weight from the last birth two years ago while battling a sedentary writing job and attempting to train for my first triathlon. As you can imagine, this involves a whole heap of juggling.

I bought a Meta Quest 2 for the kids at Christmas and am astonished to report it’s become my go-to way of fitting-in bursts of exercise, especially given my ideal session is a day of trail running in the mountains.

Why tramp across town to, say, a dirty gym in the bowels of Archway when you can go sky-high boxing in the clouds or row across Antarctica, all without the hassle of leaving your own home? It is so much fun that I often feel motivated to work out several times a day.

Even more surprising is that you need not exercise alone, even if you are the only person in the house.

You can connect an indoor bike, rower, or elliptical exercise machine with a simple cadence-sensor to unlock the door to a whole new category of VR fitness apps and relieve the monotony of the ‘dreadmill’.

For instance, the new Octonic VR running app works in tandem with modern treadmills to enable you to run with whole groups of friends who meet up in virtual environments, such as the fantastical Sky Island, a serene trail-runner’s dream.

I reached out to a Facebook VR group to find out more and met Richard Bowen, 58, a recycling collector from Plymouth, who uses Octonic for VR running twice a week, in addition to his own real-life park runs.

“I don’t go super fast, as I need to hold on, but with practice it gets easier,” Richard explains, adding that the different worlds where you can run with friends – which include an arena or landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower – are a good laugh. “It’s fun and does help to take away the dreadmill problem,” he added.

You control the speed via the treadmill – or you can easily adjust this in the app as you run. Better still, you get visual cues which remain visible, even while wearing the headset, to avoid falling off the sides.

The sheer variety of VR fitness experiences is one of its biggest draws. Today, you could be scaling a rockface (Climb 2), take part in an immersive full-body ‘sculpt’ workout (FitXR), getting to grips with Les Mills’s combat classes  – with real coaches for extra motivation – or take up virtual boxing (Creed).

As a runner, though, I was intrigued to discover new ways to discover our lovely planet on foot, such as VZfit (based on 10 million miles of Google Street View) or Holofit’s visually stunning worlds. This is a result for anyone who doesn’t get to leave the big smoke as often as they’d like to but no matter what you do, the most vital thing is to keep your body moving.

Linsey Pluckrose, 46, is a business analyst from London and a single mum of twins who says that Beat Saber – a popular VR fitness game where you hit moving targets – motivates her to work out regularly.

“It doesn’t feel like exercise, it feels like a game – and I can do it at home, which is great because I don’t have the time or childcare available to go to the gym,” she said.

“I find jumping around in front of a YouTube video with normal life around me quite depressing. This games makes me feel as though I am out of the house and in a different place. It feels like I’m in a space-age nightclub or the Matrix.”

The fitness communities or leaderboards inside VR groups can also provide a social element, which is a boon for those who are in need of social contact. And for people with mobility issues, illnesses, or disabilities, it’s a pathway to exercise or finding new friends – which can both be tricky at a gym or class.

There are many VR games that don’t sit neatly under the fitness banner but still provide glorious fun with added health benefits. My favourite of these so far is Pistol Whip, which is hands-down the most entertaining way to get those quads and glutes going. This is pure sci-fi: cinematic, graphically delicious, and completely immersive. I don’t think I have ever squatted so low with a smile on my face.

My favourite VR games

PowerBeats (£16.99)

Smash and dodge your way through space junk to the sound of throbbing techno. The settings enable you to ramp-up the whole experience, which I heartily recommend. In Space, nobody can see you sweat.

Pistol Whip (£22.99) Cloudhead Games, Ltd.

Move through 28 virtual worlds with a revolver in each hand to work both arms. Choose the ‘vengeance’ mode so that, each time you shoot, a bullet is fired back at you to ensure that you dip or squat with urgency.

Innerworld (Free)

Stepping into a beautiful, tranquil world is incredibly calming. That’s why VR apps such as Innerworld, which focus on mental health or meditation, are so valuable. This title helps take me to a special place.