Virtual reality can improve performance during exercise

Research, Directed by a PhD Candidate Maria Matsangidou of EDA sought to determine how the use of VR during exercise could influence performance by measuring a series of criteria: heart rate, intensity pain, perceived exhaustion, private body awareness.

To do this, they monitored 80 individuals performing an isometric bicep loop set at 20% of the maximum weight they could lift, which they were asked to stay as long as possible. Half of the group acted as a control group who did the lifting and held in a room that had a chair, a table and a yoga mat on the floor.

The VR group was placed in the same room with the same elements. They then put on a VR headset and saw the same environment, including a visual representation of an arm and weight (see image below). They then performed the same lifting operation as the non-VR group.

The results showed a clear reduction in pain perception and effort when using VR technology. The data showed that after one minute, the VR group reported a pain intensity 10% lower than the group without VR.

In addition, the burnout time for the VR group was about two minutes longer than the conventional exercises. The VR group also had a heart rate less than three beats per minute compared to the group without VR.

The study results also showed no significant effect of private body awareness on the positive impact of VR. Private body consciousness is the subjective awareness of each of the bodily sensations.

Previous research has shown that people who have a high body awareness tend to better understand their body and, therefore, perceive higher pain during exercise. However, the results of the study revealed that VR was effective in reducing the pain felt and that the private body consciousness did not diminish this effect.

Thus, the improvements presented by the VR group suggest that this could be a way to encourage less active people to exercise by reducing the perceived pain that exercise can cause and by improving their ability to exercise. performance, regardless of private body consciousness.

Maria Matsangidou, Senior Researcher, said, "The data collected clearly shows that the use of VR technology can improve performance over a number of criteria. "

The document was published in the journal Sports and Exercise Psychology, entitled "Is Your Virtual Self as Sensational as Your Real Virtual Reality: The Effect of Body Consciousness on the Experience of Exercise Sensations."

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More information:
Maria Matsangidou et al. Is your virtual self as sensational as your real? Virtual Reality: the effect of body awareness on the experience of exercise sensations, Psychology of sport and exercise (2018). DO I: 10.1016 / j.psychsport.2018.07.004