If working out was as easy as they made it look in movie montages, everyone would be doing it. Unfortunately, we all can’t get ripped in thirty second cuts of minor workouts backed by a rocking power ballad or two—but we can still have fun doing it. Traditionally, geeks have been portrayed as out of shape, acne-ridden hermits, but that is no longer the case. Game developers and gym owners alike have combined fitness and gaming into one rewarding combo. Here’s a few of our favorites to help you get fit for your next cosplay.
Dance Games
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
Normally dance games are known for being something you bust out when friends are over or at a party, but you can actually get quite the workout from it, too! Many dance games are even starting to feature workout modes that let you play continuously until you burn a certain amount of calories. If you’re having a hard time staying motivated, get competitive and invite a friend over. You can see who gets the highest score and the loser has to make the protein shake.
Aerobic dancing burns 400+ calories per hour—while also adding a confidence boost to your dance floor game—so dig in and start getting those achievements. Games like Just Dance and Dance Central are cool because they actually have you doing choreographed dance moves, which means you can learn a few things to make you look like a dancing queen. If doing actual dance moves isn’t your bag, you can always head down to the arcade and hit up some Dance Dance Revolution, which will have you worrying about foot-eye coordination more than looking like you’re in the new Shakira music video. There are so many different dance games out right now! Pick the one that fits your dance style best.
Training Games
Photo Credit: THQ
Game developers are way ahead of us: they know that if we just had to turn on our consoles to workout, life would be so much easier. That’s why there’s now a ton of different trainer games that allow you to work through a fitness plan and gain points for doing so. Pop in the trainer game of your choice and start gaming. Trainer games are great because you can get a digital personal trainer at half the price of an actual trainer. Another cool thing about fitness games is that it still triggers your inner gamer: you have to beat your previous score and do better than you did before—something that’s uh, right up our (and most other gamer’s) alley. It also greatly increases your effort and quality of your workout.
On top of that, you’re doing workouts curated by some of the best personal trainers in the business. You’re not just following random commands either, you’re learning actual fitness exercises you can do on your own without the game after you beat it. All you need to do is find the trainer that meets your fitness goals. Want to look like you’re getting ready to step in the octogon? Go with UFC Trainer. Want to get some Biggest Loser-style gut-busting in? Jillian Michaels has a game for you. No matter what your goal is, there’s probably a game waiting for you to try it out.
Gamify Your Workout
Photo Credit: GTA Wiki
Gamification is the act of adding gaming-style objective and reward systems to non-gaming tasks. If you’re a gamer it makes working out so much easier. Setting up fitness milestone goals and looking at progress as “leveling up” makes your fitness journey way more fun and bearable. Not interested in building you own workout plan? Gyms like Nerdstrong Gym are opening up specifically focused on creating geek-themed workouts to help push you to the limit and inspire you to be more like you favorite comic book heroes. Nerdy gyms create a safe, judment-free environment that encourages all levels of fitness to workout. Another bonus of joining a gym like Nerdstrong is that you get to join a community of likeminded individuals that you can workout with, or invite to your Dungeons and Dragons campaign!
Have you played any of the fitness games in this article? What inspires you to get fit? Tell us about it in the comments bellow.
Feature Image Credit: Adult Swim