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What’s the best fitness based video game you ever play?

AndrewRyan

Member
I do VR fitness 2x per week. Here are my regular rotation games:

1. Thrill of the Fight
2. Audica
3. Until You Fall
4. Beat Saber
5. Dance Central VR
----- less frequent -----
6. Pistol Whip
7. Racket: Nx
8. Creed: Rise to Glory
 

Rykan

Member
Sure, in comparison to real world activities like biking and mountain climbing.

If you are comparing taking 100 full swings in a golf simulator with some dude sitting on his couch flicking his wrist and playing Wii Bowling, a golf simulator blows this away.
You're comparing golf to sitting on a couch. From a fitness perspective, golf offers little to no value. It's not great for muscle training and it's not great as cardio either. I'm sure it's fun, but that doesn't make it suitable as a fitness Activity.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Wii Fit was excellent with its variety of activities and the way it motivated you to keep going with its unlocks and messages and tracking of your progress and all that, I stuck with it for like a year with great results back then. Some of the VR games may make you work more of a sweat faster but it depends on how much you enjoy the given gameplay itself if you'll keep going back and most won't care to keep playing them so long term, especially as they're lean in content like unlocks/campaign/progression stuff, you'll have to motivate yourself if you want to use them for fitness beyond their gameplay fun and plan x amount of play in each on your own because you want to do a fitness activity rather than have the games give you workout plans etc. and otherwise make it easy for you (and I don't agree with some games listed here like Beat Saber unless you're manually dancing around or exaggerating movements or comparing them to sitting on your ass or something, otherwise the gameplay doesn't require that much body activity, where Thrill of the Fight and Pistol Whip do). Wii Fit VR would shit on all of them in this way but I guess it's not happening any time soon.
 
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Bluecondor

Member
You're comparing golf to sitting on a couch. From a fitness perspective, golf offers little to no value. It's not great for muscle training and it's not great as cardio either. I'm sure it's fun, but that doesn't make it suitable as a fitness Activity.
I just played 18 holes walking yesterday, which just in terms of calories burned is 1,200-3,000 calories for a 4.5 hour round.

Also, a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that "Golf can provide moderate intensity physical activity and is associated with physical health benefits that include improved cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic profiles, and improved wellness."

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/1/12.short

Finally, there is an often-cited study of golfers in Sweden which showed that from a fairly large population sample, avid golfers have 5 years greater life expectancy than non-golfers (the mortality reduction was observed in men and women, in all age groups, and in all socioeconomic categories.):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18510595/

So, bottom line, the medical research does not agree with your opinion that golf offers little to no fitness value.
 

Beer Baelly

Al Pachinko, Konami President
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Rykan

Member
I just played 18 holes walking yesterday, which just in terms of calories burned is 1,200-3,000 calories for a 4.5 hour round.

Also, a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that "Golf can provide moderate intensity physical activity and is associated with physical health benefits that include improved cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic profiles, and improved wellness."

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/1/12.short

Finally, there is an often-cited study of golfers in Sweden which showed that from a fairly large population sample, avid golfers have 5 years greater life expectancy than non-golfers (the mortality reduction was observed in men and women, in all age groups, and in all socioeconomic categories.):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18510595/

So, bottom line, the medical research does not agree with your opinion that golf offers little to no fitness value.
While I appreciate your attempt at trying to back up your argument with data and facts, you miss the mark for one important reason: The reason why golf is a good work out isn't because of the act of golfing: it's due to the walking inbetween while carrying a heavy bag. Precisely that aspect of the sport is missing when you turn it into a fitness game.

The actual act of golfing, as in just the golf swing, pales in comparison to other cardio fitness games such as ringfit or rhythm boxing.
 

Bluecondor

Member
While I appreciate your attempt at trying to back up your argument with data and facts, you miss the mark for one important reason: The reason why golf is a good work out isn't because of the act of golfing: it's due to the walking inbetween while carrying a heavy bag. Precisely that aspect of the sport is missing when you turn it into a fitness game.

The actual act of golfing, as in just the golf swing, pales in comparison to other cardio fitness games such as ringfit or rhythm boxing.
You are ignoring swing speed when you simply describe it as "the golf swing." Swinging a 0.75 pound golf club 90+ MPH pushes you to use your feet, legs, core, lower back, upper back, shoulders, arms and wrists. Beyond this, to hit a golf ball at any serious distance, these movements have to be tightly-coordinated within a fraction of a second. It's very similar to the exercise you get from throwing a baseball above 60 MPH or a throwing football 30+ yards, which are also challenging and tiring exercises if you have a long throwing session.

Sure, if I just stood there and chipped 100 balls 10 feet over and over again, that would not be much of a workout. A 90+ MPH swing speed is essential though when you try and hit a driver 200+ yards accurately and your hybrids and irons 100-200 yards accurately, it's not just simply "swinging a club." When I generate a swing of 90+ MPH on 100 balls at a driving range or at a golf simulator, it is 100 practice swings + 100 full swings in which I have to generate 90+ MPH of club speed from my feet through my wrists and hands over and over again. This is a solid 45-60 minutes of exercise.

I have nothing against Ring Fit or boxing sims, as I played Ring Fit throughout the pandemic in 2020 and I have Creed: Rise to Glory on PSVR. They are/were fine for fitness, but hitting 100 golf balls at 90+ MPH at the driving range or on a simulator really pushes my entire body.
 

Danknugz

Member
You're comparing golf to sitting on a couch. From a fitness perspective, golf offers little to no value. It's not great for muscle training and it's not great as cardio either. I'm sure it's fun, but that doesn't make it suitable as a fitness Activity.
have you ever walked 18 holes?
 

Beechos

Member
Ring fit easily is the best. Alot of people will say beat saber but i prefer the boxing knockoff they have instead, much better cardio workout for me on the quest 2, its apart of one of those subscription based fitness apps forget the name.
 

Ferdimage

Member
I do VR fitness 2x per week. Here are my regular rotation games:

1. Thrill of the Fight *Upper body workout*

----- less frequent -----
6. Pistol Whip *Squats!*
These were my go to for fitness, then I started playing Synth Riders for my custom songs.
 
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SScorpio

Member
Everyone already brought up my choices in DDR and VR stuff.

But the best workout, even if it's not a fitness game will always be Rock Band drumming.
 
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