BLACK BOX VR IS THE ONLY VIDEO GAME THAT GIVES YOU A COMPLETE BODY TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM
The Black Box VR workout program is based on the latest exercise science to give you the best possible results in the shortest amount of time. The team that created Bodybuilding.com, which was at one point the most visited fitness web site in the world, built Black Box VR. Our goal is not to just make working out addictive, our goal is to completely transform your body, fitness levels, and overall health.
Here are three newly released exercise science studies and our thoughts on how they apply to the Black Box VR program:
STUDY ONE: Does Varying Resistance Exercises Promote Superior Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains? A Systematic Review
This is yet another study showing that changing up exercises and using a lot of different ones doesn’t make much of a difference for gaining muscle and strength. In fact, some studies shows that switching up exercises too much can have a negative effect.
Once again, this shows that for the vast majority of people, sticking to the basics (squat, deadlift, row, bench press, lat pulldown, overhead press) is more effective than something more complicated. If you have some type of special need, like training for a specific sport or overcoming a physical limitation, or if you just want to switch things up for the psychological benefit, then do it in a limited and targeted way. Otherwise, stick to the basics and apply progressive overload.
WHAT BLACK BOX VR GIVES YOU:
The Black Box VR workout is based around the core, compound exercises that, together, work every major body part. These are the tried and true basics that give you the best bang for your buck, are proven to work, and will turn you into a beast in the game and out in real life.
These exercises are:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Chest Press
- Lat Pulldown
- Standing Row
- Overhead Press
For fun and variety in the game and to give a little extra boost to secondary muscles, we add in:
- Bicep Curl
- Tricep Pushdown
We limit the use of these exercises in the game to make sure people don’t do them too much. You have to get your compound exercises in first! Why?
Chest Press works these muscles, in this order:
- Chest
- Triceps
- Shoulders
- Forearms
- Core
Tricep Pushdown works these muscles:
- Triceps
- Forearms
By doing Chest Press, you are getting volume for a lot of muscles including your triceps. By doing Tricep Pushdowns, you are getting volume for your triceps only. What is more time efficient? Work one muscle at a time or many?
BTW… it doesn’t matter what exercises you choose if you don’t do them consistently every week for years!
[ VIEW STUDY ]
STUDY TWO: Low-Load Resistance Training to Volitional Failure Induces Muscle Hypertrophy Similar to Volume-Matched, Velocity Fatigue
This study had people do 8 weeks of bench press workouts, twice per week, and looked at the difference between:
- “3 sets to failure at 40% one repetition maximum (1RM)”
- Used low weight and went to failure (can’t do another rep if you tried)
- Approximately 20 reps per set
- “3 sets to velocity fatigue at 40% 1RM”
- Used low weight but didn’t go to failure, but close. When your lifting speed slowed down by 20%, showing that you were getting tired, top the set.
- Approximately 20 reps per set
- “3 sets of 8 repetitions at 80% 1RM (heavier weight, more traditional training)”
- High weight to failure
- Approximately 8 reps per set
THE RESULTS:
All groups gained muscle size, strength, muscular endurance, and power. The amount of muscle gained was similar between all groups. The amount of strength was higher in the higher weight group (80% 1RM).
This is what most studies are showing. You can gain with lower or higher resistance, but if you want higher strength gains, use higher weight.
WHAT BLACK BOX VR GIVES YOU:
Our goal is for you to go to failure at around 12 reps (70% 1RM). That’s a good middle ground between low weight (20 reps) and high weight (8 reps), and has a reduced chance of injury and overtraining compared to super high weight.
Right now many people are doing 20 reps per set on some exercises since the 1.0 machine weight doesn’t go high enough for them. The 2.0 machine will help this a lot!
And, of course, it doesn’t matter what program you are doing if you don’t DO IT CONSISTENTLY every week for years.
[ VIEW STUDY ]
STUDY THREE: Volume Load Rather Than Resting Interval Influences Muscle Hypertrophy During High-Intensity Resistance Training
This study looked at long or short rest intervals between exercises sets. Should you rest three minutes or more? Should you rest for only one minute?
What’s the main difference?
- Resting for longer between sets allows you to use more weight per set, so you can get more volume in less sets.
- Resting for a short amount of time between sets means you will use less weight on each set since you are not fully recovered, but you can get more volume in less time.
In this study, people did one-leg leg press and did one type of workout protocol with one leg and another type of workout protocol with their other leg.
THE RESULTS:
All groups gained muscle and strength in both legs. There were no statistically significant differences in how much strength they gained. If both legs did the same amount of volume, then there were no differences in muscle size increases. That means that if you use a shorter rest interval, you need to do more sets so you get the same amount of volume per leg.
WHAT BLACK BOX VR GIVES YOU:
Our main goal is for you get your weekly “dose” of exercise volume, spread out over three to four workouts per week. We want you go use 60 – 70% of your one rep max on average and go to failure or get close to it. Our rest intervals are short between sets, but long between muscle groups on average.
For example, you might do this:
- Squats – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Chest Press – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Lat Pulldowns – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Squats – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Deadlifts – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Row – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Row – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Chest Press- 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
- Deadlifts – 15 reps, 1-0-1 tempo, 30 seconds total time
- Rest 30 – 60 seconds
In this example, you can see how you’d be resting each body part around 2 – 5 minutes… on average. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, depending on what you are doing, but the average stays where we want it to be.
To keep the workout fun and allow autonomous, strategic decision-making, which is required for game psychology, we don’t prescribe an exact order for exercises. We tweak the game balance and AI to make it so that, on average over a month of workouts, people will make the decisions that we want which give the optimal workout program.
Of course… it doesn’t matter what type of rest interval you use if you don’t consistently get your weekly workouts in and do that for years!
Seeing a pattern here? 🙂
[ VIEW STUDY ]
Black Box VR is scientifically designed to give you the best results in an efficient amount of time and make it easy for you to stick to it FOR YEARS.
Now it’s your turn to experience the magic of Black Box VR. Start your free trial today:
