It’s the New Year and many have taken on the ambitious goal of getting fitter. Viral squats challenges are motivating many to hit the ground running, working up to 100+ squats! We here at VRFI are all about meeting goals, and we’re here to help you figure out how VR can work for you. Get those squats in while you play with these tips, and a list of games you should try.
Fitness Hacks
First, let’s hack any game with some additional squats. Here are a few opportunities I’ve found:
Load Screens
I have learned not to mind load screens with some extra squats between matches. To make things fun, my spotter will keep score so we can compete between ourselves.
Dodging
Space Pirate Trainer is a favorite here at VRFI for a reason: it requires you to stay light on your feet ready to dodge anything. Practice squatting to dodge, so you always maintain a powerful and balanced stance and you’re ready to juke and move as you need.
Cover-Based Shooters
Add squats to any game with dodging. If you can hide behind something, opt for waist high cover and squat. On-rails shooters and archery games are excellent for this
Tips and Tricks
Your first tip is very practical: practice proper form. You’re going to be doing a lot of squats, and hopefully, you maintain the regiment. Your back will thank you for practicing excellent for now.
Good squat form is easy to describe: feet at hip width, bend the knees, chest up, shoulders back. Hold out your hands for balance
While you’re practicing proper form, be sure you don’t rush things and sacrifice form for speed. It’s a marathon, not a race. To help you hit your numbers, and take your time, use my tips above to convert downtime into exercise time.
Practice steady progression. I think the squats challenge is a great tool to keep people motivated. Where I see my friends fail is in setting goals that are too ambitious. Don’t try and do 300 squats tomorrow. It’s not going to happen until you work up to those numbers.
Make sure you keep a spotter handy to tally score on yourself. Focus on enjoying the experience in VR and you might find yourself surprised.
Games to Squat to
Here are a few games that utilize squats well within the core gameplay
Hot Squat
The core gameplay in Hot Squat is squats. Set in Flynn Fitness, you’ll need to squat lower and adjust your profile to fit through rapidly progressing obstacles. You will need to do some fast squatting, so keep good form and expect to fail a lot in the early stages. Especially as a beginner. Overall, the game is very rewarding but we wish it had a better soundtrack. Still excellent for a free to play title.
Bonus tip: use the hands to do funky dance stuff
Holopoint
One of my favorite titles, Holopoint is all about fast target acquisition and accuracy. I adopted a squat-to-dodge strategy to avoid incoming fire. When I squat, I can pivot faster and maintain balance with my bow arm out. Try to make this one fluid motion for the best results.
Beat Saber
The most gains will be found modding your game, but you need to be godlike at Beat Saber’s basic levels before you can move onto harder songs. My advice is to spend time on harder difficulty songs like Escape or Angel Voices on hard or extreme. Those both have good squat sections, as well as some sections that require good agility.
Another pro tip to fit some more squats into your routine is to squat when you strike two targets downward. The extra force feels more satisfying as a player, and it helps you reach your goals.
BoxVR
I’m not sure what about BoxVR triggers dodging projectiles, but my library of songs seemed to trigger these instances frequently. I advise players to investigate songs from their own libraries.
You can also squat during uppercuts to give yourself more power.
Shoryuken!
Sprint Vector
Adopt what Shane Hoalst calls the “Power Stance” for Sprint Vector, knees bent and back straight. Better for stability and puts constant natural resistance on your legs and core.
Coupled with Sprint Vector’s cardio, you’ll be feeling it!
