Growing up playing sports can make you a competitive person. As we get older, the day-to-day routines of life set in. Many of us don’t continue with our favorite sporting activities because we don’t have the time. We have families, jobs, and other commitments that can leave us hungry for the chance to perform again.
Luckily Barrett Law found Black Box VR Fitness. The 30-minute workout battles give him a chance to compete again and push himself like he did playing his favorites sports.
Barrett shares his fitness experience with us in this one-on-one member interview.
BBVR: Thank you, Barrett, for talking with us today. We are so happy you are loving your Black Box VR workouts. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Barrett: Thanks, I love doing Black Box VR!
I’m a mechanical engineer, but I mainly work in corporate operations for an HVAC manufacturing company called CaptiveAire Systems. I’m married and have 4 awesome kids. I grew up playing sports fairly competitively, like football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, and I still play soccer about once a week. Despite the sports, I’m definitely a nerd and love things involving tech.
BBVR: Barrett, you’ve been a member with us a long time. How did you find out about Black Box VR?
Barrett: My brother Andrew was one of the earliest beta testers. He kept telling me all about it, and I kept telling him to see if they’d let me do some beta testing too. Eventually, they said yes, and I became a beta tester as well. I’ve loved it ever since!
BBVR: So you’ve seen the progression of the Black Box VR fitness game? Had you ever used Virtual Reality before becoming a beta tester for Black Box VR?
Barrett: Oh yes. I used to love playing around with the Google Cardboard, where you’d literally put your phone in a headset made of cardboard. It was amazing how lifelike it felt even in such a basic implementation of the technology. I then got the Samsung Gear VR which was slightly better but pretty similar. A few years ago, I finally got the original HTC Vive, and that’s still the headset I have at home. I would love to update to a Valve Index, though, if I could squeeze it into the budget.
BBVR: How long has it been since you joined the Black Box VR Boise gym location?
Barrett: A year and a half, I think? I only started regularly going 3 times a week a little over a year ago. I thought I was too busy to go regularly, but now I can’t help myself. I make time because I enjoy the workouts so much that I can’t imagine going less than 3 times a week now.
BBVR: What are your favorite features of the Black Box VR fitness experience?
Barrett: My favorite part is how it feels like a sport. When you’re playing a sport, your adrenaline gets pumping, and you don’t think about the exercise you’re getting. You only think about scoring a goal, stealing the ball, or making a tackle. With Black Box, you’re thinking about eliminating your opponent’s champion or destroying their crystal. It makes you push past your limits while having a great time doing it.
BBVR: You were a part of the first Black Box VR ESports 2020 Winter Invitational Tournament. How did you do in the tournament, and did you enjoy it?
Barrett: That was a lot of fun! For a few different reasons, some of my early battles didn’t make it into the Twitch stream, so I think I kind of crept up on people. I think my first battle that aired was the semifinal, so that was the first time viewers would’ve gotten to see me compete. I was able to win every battle, though, and made it into the finals. I faced off against Preston (Black Box cofounder) at the finals, and I knew that would be an epic battle. We both pushed hard and had some great strategies, but in the end, I was able to maintain my plan a bit better, and I became the tournament champion! I love competition, so that tournament was an excellent opportunity to compete again.
BBVR: How does Black Box VR compare with other workout programs you have done in the past?
Barrett: To be honest, I hated working out and would only do it on rare occasions unless I had a coach or teammates pushing me to do it. I had done some HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) classes for several years with a personal trainer to motivate and push me. It was ok but always a grind to feel motivated to go consistently. I did have some fitness results but nothing like the results I am getting with Black Box VR. It comes down to consistency. Black Box VR makes you want to come back over and over again for your workouts.
BBVR: Do you do any outside activities to boost your Black Box results?
Barrett: I love to go backpacking. It’s such a great accomplishment to hike into a remote lake that’s rarely visited and camp and explore for a few days. Having minimal gear and being somewhere not very many people visit adds a significant element of adventure and peace to it.
BBVR: A healthy diet is key to reaching your fitness goals, no matter if you are trying to lose weight or bulk up to build muscle. Do you have any specific eating habits, and how do you incorporate food into your daily routine.
Barrett: I could undoubtedly be eating better at the moment, but I try to eat food that’s as unprocessed as much as possible. I do avoid sugary drinks and artificial sweeteners. When I’m on plan, I eat many fruits and vegetables with unprocessed meats and minimally processed grains. I food prep and get my meals prepared in advance, so I don’t need to think about it every day. It takes a lot of work, but I haven’t been doing it consistently lately. I plan to focus on it more this summer, and I think with the muscle I’ve put on from Black Box VR workouts, I should be able to do a cutting diet and get shredded.
BBVR: Have you had any positive fitness or mental results since you started going to Black Box VR?
Barrett: I definitely have gained more muscle mass! Also, my cardiovascular system has gotten a lot stronger from the HIIT workouts. I play soccer, and before Black Box, I struggled a bit running up and down the field during soccer games, but now I tend to do just fine.
BBVR: Do you have any Black Box VR Achievements that you are most proud of?
Barrett: Well, the Black Box VR tournament is one of my proudest moments. Going up against so many strong members was a challenge, but I am so proud of the levels I reached to win. I recently reset my account, but I had one of the highest overall levels of anyone at one point.
BBVR: What are your favorite Champions in the game, and how do you like to use them?
Barrett: My favorite champions change based on how effective they are in the strategies I’m using. I used to not like Minion Crew, but now there are some excellent strategies to leverage them. They only cost 150 in elixir, and if you use them at the right time when the opponent is using a direct attack, they can soak up 5 of their hits! That’ll help protect the other champions without spending much elixir. Watch out when your opponent uses an AOE (area of effect) attack, though, or they’re gone sometimes in one shot. It works well to pair them with other champions that would be good at soaking up the AOE attack. Regardless you’ll have something to protect your ranged units behind them. Skadi is an excellent ranged unit still, but lately, Chill Bill has been hitting hard. You have to get to more advanced arenas to unlock him, though. Also, one of my favorite melee champions right now is Windja since he does an AOE attack as he spins. That is great for taking out minions and water champions all at the same time! His DPS to a single unit or gate may not be very high, but when you add up all the damage he’s doing to everything around him, it’s usually a lot better than other melee champions.
BBVR: What are your favorite exercises?
Barrett: Currently, I’d say Chest Press is my favorite. The main reason is that I can get the most damage out of Chest Press. During Gonzo Mode (double damage time), I can take down a crystal from 100% all the way to zero in one set of heavy Chest Presses. When the new version of the Black Box dynamic resistance machine comes out, I think the weight increases, so I’ll probably be doing more leg exercises.
BBVR: Black Box has a mobile companion app that shows your fitness progress and more. What are some of your favorite features in the app?
Barrett: I love analyzing Battle Logs to see which champions and strategies are working best for me. The fitness app shows the total damage done by each champion. I can tell which ones are doing the most damage and when. That helps me know if I am using them correctly and if they were effective. I tend to look at other members’ battle logs too, so if you’ve gotten a friend request from me before, it may have been because I wanted to see what you were doing and see if I could steal your strategy and make mine better. Haha!
BBVR: We are constantly asking our members about their Black Box VR experience and how we can make it better. What types of features would you like to see in the future?
Barrett: I would love to see other fitness modes in the future. Maybe an adventure mode where you complete small tasks, and instead of it being a 30-minute workout, your workout is to achieve a certain number of missions or quests. Maybe you could do as many as you feel like doing on that day. I think there are tons of possibilities for other modes.
BBVR: Do you have any advice for people that are on the fence about trying Black Box?
Barrett: It’s the easiest decision to make. You’ll get healthy and have fun while doing it. People want to be healthier but don’t want to put in the work (myself included), so why not do something fun that leads to a happier, healthier you? You’ll love it!
BBVR: Thank you, Barrett, for taking the time to share your fitness journey with us. We appreciate you.
Barrett: I appreciate you guys and everything you do. It really is something special that you all are building, and I love the fact that I get be a part of this great new type of fitness experience!
If you’re interested in trying Black Box VR for FREE, find a location near you, and unlock fast fitness results!
We’ll see you in the arena soon!
