Hitting the treadmill today for your usual 3 mile run? Pounding your feet and staring at the treadmill joggers in front of you for the 100th time? Or how about running that same loop outside your neighborhood and passing that same fire hydrant every morning? Whether we like to admit it or not, after some time, our runs can get a little boring. We might change from running a treadmill to running outside to enjoy nature. Yet, even after the change, eventually we will seek another location or style to give us that added boost of exhilaration from trying something new. Yet, what would it be like if we could choose where we wanted to run on a daily basis? Neither distance nor price is an option, and your destination? Completely your choice. How about running the Haleakala Volcano in Maui Hawaii? Or what about sprinting through the enormous trees known as the Redwood Runs of California? The best news is, now you can, virtually. Virtual Active by Matrix, is a new and revolutionary treadmill that allows you broaden your horizons by giving you the chance to run, walk, or hike at a virtual location of your choice. Goodbye to the old running routine and hello to a new destination.
What is Virtual Active by Matrix?
Virtual Active by Matrix allows you to deliver just this – a revolutionary workout experience. Not only will you see your destination in the dynamic video content displayed on the console, but you will feel gradual terrain changes under your feet and hear the ambient sounds through your headphones, for a near total immersion. The workout will take you miles away from your gym.
My personal gym, was one of the first to test this machine on their clients. I must admit that I have never been much of a treadmill runner. I prefer the great outdoors, the sunshine, and taking in God’s creation. I also find it restrictive to manage to stay running on a belt, especially when I am at a maximum sprint. However, there are many times when running outside is not an option due to weather, and a treadmill is my only choice. Like in most larger gyms, our treadmills each have a personal tv that has up to 100 channels to watch while you walk or run. Most of my time on the treadmill is spent running until the end when I cool down. Therefore, getting into a tv show is something that does not happen if I am really pushing my pace. Alas, the tv gets turned off and I have my personal music to listen to instead. But this virtual destination treadmill caught my eye. How awesome would it be to pick a place of my choosing, and virtually travel through the trail until the end of my run. I decided to give this new treadmill a test drive.
I decided to get to the gym very early that morning to ensure that I could have all the time I needed trying this new machine. I hopped on the treadmill to see a screen that was bigger than the size of your average computer screen. The screen was touch screen, so I pressed the option of a virtual workout. I then had the option to enter in my age, weight, preferred distance, and level of difficulty. Next the screen showed me 5 destinations to choose from.
I ended up choosing to run the Bright Angel Trail. Grand Canyon here I come! Upon making my choice, the belt began to slowly move as it showed beautiful clips of the Grand Canyon on a sky level.
It then went down to ground level, and my run began.
It was very interesting because the trail did not stay in the same direction for long periods of time. It twisted and turned and went around curves. I also passed people while I was running-literally! I passed 3 different men who were hiking, then I went past a group of people who were sitting on the side of the trail enjoying the scenery. They did well at making this as realistic as possible!
Overall Review of Virtual Active:
I was overall very impressed with this machine. It was very innovative by allowing the runner to choose a location to run, and made it seem as if you were really there by the realistic trail and people that you passed by. However, one thing I did notice is that I did not watch the trail that I was running the entire time. I caught myself many times looking around at other things in the gym and then remembering that I was “running” the Grand Canyon. This has caused me to realize that people who are runners may not feel the need to use this treadmill because when you are in the zone of getting a good pace, there is no need to focus on anything else but your performance. Ultimately, while this is a very impressive treadmill, I recommend that walkers will get more out of this virtual workout than runners.
Questions For You:
Have you ever tried a treadmill like this?
Would this virtual workout make you enjoy your walk or run more?
Do you run more on a treadmill or outside?
What is Virtual Active by Matrix?
Virtual Active by Matrix allows you to deliver just this – a revolutionary workout experience. Not only will you see your destination in the dynamic video content displayed on the console, but you will feel gradual terrain changes under your feet and hear the ambient sounds through your headphones, for a near total immersion. The workout will take you miles away from your gym.
My personal gym, was one of the first to test this machine on their clients. I must admit that I have never been much of a treadmill runner. I prefer the great outdoors, the sunshine, and taking in God’s creation. I also find it restrictive to manage to stay running on a belt, especially when I am at a maximum sprint. However, there are many times when running outside is not an option due to weather, and a treadmill is my only choice. Like in most larger gyms, our treadmills each have a personal tv that has up to 100 channels to watch while you walk or run. Most of my time on the treadmill is spent running until the end when I cool down. Therefore, getting into a tv show is something that does not happen if I am really pushing my pace. Alas, the tv gets turned off and I have my personal music to listen to instead. But this virtual destination treadmill caught my eye. How awesome would it be to pick a place of my choosing, and virtually travel through the trail until the end of my run. I decided to give this new treadmill a test drive.
I decided to get to the gym very early that morning to ensure that I could have all the time I needed trying this new machine. I hopped on the treadmill to see a screen that was bigger than the size of your average computer screen. The screen was touch screen, so I pressed the option of a virtual workout. I then had the option to enter in my age, weight, preferred distance, and level of difficulty. Next the screen showed me 5 destinations to choose from.
I ended up choosing to run the Bright Angel Trail. Grand Canyon here I come! Upon making my choice, the belt began to slowly move as it showed beautiful clips of the Grand Canyon on a sky level.
It was very interesting because the trail did not stay in the same direction for long periods of time. It twisted and turned and went around curves. I also passed people while I was running-literally! I passed 3 different men who were hiking, then I went past a group of people who were sitting on the side of the trail enjoying the scenery. They did well at making this as realistic as possible!
Overall Review of Virtual Active:
I was overall very impressed with this machine. It was very innovative by allowing the runner to choose a location to run, and made it seem as if you were really there by the realistic trail and people that you passed by. However, one thing I did notice is that I did not watch the trail that I was running the entire time. I caught myself many times looking around at other things in the gym and then remembering that I was “running” the Grand Canyon. This has caused me to realize that people who are runners may not feel the need to use this treadmill because when you are in the zone of getting a good pace, there is no need to focus on anything else but your performance. Ultimately, while this is a very impressive treadmill, I recommend that walkers will get more out of this virtual workout than runners.
Questions For You:
Have you ever tried a treadmill like this?
Would this virtual workout make you enjoy your walk or run more?
Do you run more on a treadmill or outside?