The Xdream bike takes fitness to a new level of entertainment
The difficulty people have with fitness is that they know they need to do it. Much like homework, vegetables and maths, something that you know is good for you often feels like a real chore. So how do you make something so necessary entertaining?
You could talk about how you’re working both your upper and lower body, mention the calories burned are 55% more than with a standard cycle bike, but that’s not going to sell it to you is it? Having a digitalized character partake in multiplayer modes against compatriots is going to though.
So how does it work? Well you hoist yourself onto the saddle, adjust it for optimum comfort and then decide if you’d like to attempt a race in disguise, or sign yourself into your profile.
I had a go at this the other day and found it really easy to use. Setting up your profile takes around five minutes and you can enter age, name, height and weight. This means the calories consumed reading will be more accurate and you can also customize you character, from outfit and sex right down to skin tone. It’s a little tricky to navigate as you only have up and down buttons to set it with, but once you’ve figured this out it ‘s plain sailing
Every time you use the Xdream bike you can sign on as your character and then you get graphs to show how your stamina and ability has progressed. But what really makes this different from similar computer generated games is just how responsive the software is to your movements. Not only does the incline and the levels adjust realistically depending on what course you’re doing (from woods, to gravel tracks) but so does the landscape.
When you stop pedalling your character stops, and when you start again, their calf muscles begin to twitch. The interactive aspects are amazing, from responsive gear sand brakes attached to your handlebars as well as laterally-moving handlebars so you literally have to pull yourself right or left to adjust your direction.
It’s tough going, as you’re not in for an easy ride, but playing the multiplayer mode forces competitive urges to the surface which help spur you on.
The Xdream has over 400 workouts which means it should take you a looong time to get bored of it, and there all sorts of features you can play with such as racing a virtual guide, or changing you fitness level to pro for an extra challenge. I tried this at beginner level and was sweating like a Sunday afternoon roast, but then I’m not exactly the doyenne of fitness.
The Xdream, a great way to burn some calories accidentally- and that’s my kind of exercise.
£5,999 from X-Biking of free to use in gyms. Check out X Dream Fitness for locations
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