Pistol Whip is without a doubt one of my personal favorite go-to games for a good workout. Not only is it fun and engaging it makes you feel like John Wick, or in my case John Thick. I wanted to get the most out of my workouts using VR so I came up with a few ways to enhance the overall experience, without taking away from the fun.
If you are like me you enjoy a good challenge. Playing games in the Virtual World already comes with its own brand of challenges. Since you control your “avatar” with your own movements you can do more in-game than you could on average, flat-screen experience.
Normally an hour of me flailing my arms around in the living room shooting countless enemies as they appear to the music nets me about 500 or so calories. I felt like I could get more out of this and up the challenge not only for myself but to make an already enjoyable experience better. I looked at a few ways and wanted to pass them onto you!
Up the Difficulty!
Now, this seems like a pretty obvious place to start. I was playing them on Easy and enjoying myself. I beat the levels and finished the songs. I first decided that maybe upping the difficulty was the first logical step for me, however, what I found was the leap from easy to hard is one giant virtual leap for mankind. IT REALLY IS HARD! I was unable to make it very long through most of the songs and the frustrations of having to start over led me to the next phase in my Pistol Whip Evolution.
No-Fail, You Are an Action Hero!
Until you are at Baba Yaga levels with your abilities it is a good idea to turn on “No-Fail”. This enables you to play at any difficulty level and allows you to finish. This did not really occur to me until after paying the same song 4 times in a row and having to start over. The time it took for me to restart was not only taking away from my experience it was taking away from my workout. Working out is what my intention was in the first place. With “No-Fail” engaged I was able to play through the songs completely while ducking, dodging, and moving at a more intense pace. Over time this helped me by improving how I played the game!
Put Your HANDS UP!
There is a modifier that allows you to use both controllers as if you are carrying two pistols. However, what I am suggesting is to not enable that at all. Instead, grip your primary controller (left or right-handed) as if you are gripping an actual pistol. Maintaining this “realistic” grip on your controller not only makes you feel like you are shooting like a pro. This grip also requires you to move BOTH arms at a rapid pace to keep up with the targets. It engages your core as you duck and move through the level while shooting the baddies. Playing with the 2 pistol modifier makes the level a lot easier and you will find that you do not move your arms as much as you would gripping a single controller with both hands. Give it a shot! (Pun intended)
Pretend! No One is Watching!
Get into the game. You are an agent fighting endless enemies to a sweet soundtrack in your own private action movie. No one is watching, and even if they are GIVE THEM A SHOW! Move like your life depends on it, shoot the bad guys, and save the world! The more you get into the game the more you will move. I catch myself dancing to the beat as I smoke the baddies with hot lead. The entire idea of this is to have fun, the workout is the byproduct. So the more you treat this as fun, the less you will remember what you are ACTUALLY doing. I assure you that if you suspend your disbelief for a moment and allow yourself to get immersed you won’t know how much time has passed until you are peeling off your sweat-soaked clothes and hopping in the shower. Your mind and body will thank you.
Put on Some Weight and Squat!
Adding some weights to the party is a great way to increase the challenge and exercise. I often will throw on a weighted vest and sometimes a rucksack as well. Now you will want to ensure that you pay attention to your form and not destroy your knees. Instead of ducking to avoid bullets and barriers, do a squat. Squatting is a great way to strengthen a lot of areas of the body but it also gets the ole ticker going a little faster. That increased heart rate means an increase in calories burned. I have found using the YUR Fitness trainer that after an hour of playing Pistol Whip I will have completed, often more than 200 squats. That is a lot of “ducking and cover”. When you do decide to add some weight, start slow, and only increase the weight when you are comfortable.
You can also couple the suggestion earlier about using both hands by adding some wristband weights. Not only will it give you a more realistic feel of moving a weapon around engaging targets, but it will also give your arms an increased workout. Building muscle while you play a game, the future is now!
The Calories Will Fall as Fast as Your Enemies!
I increased the workout while playing Pistol Whip by going with these simple tips. I was surprised by the results. Depending on the levels played and how much I got into the game, I sometimes would burn double what I normally would have before. All it takes is a little more effort and a lot more fun. Remember this is the only time in your life where you get to be John Wick, so do the Baba Yaga proud and sling lead like a pro, while slaying calories in the process. Using these tips I was able to burn about 750 calories in an hour of play!