I tried the NexGym 15 Day Workout Program and it was more intense than I expected.

A few months ago, I got the Nex Playground, my favorite computer, for my 6-year-old daughter. Its cute, family-friendly features encourage movement. But, three applications are dedicated to exercise, including NexGym. It’s great for a quick workout and doubles as an alternative to workouts and classes. I tried the NexGym app and its 15 Day Workout course. Here is how it went.

Using the NexGym app: Customize your workouts

NexGym is not part of the console’s free-to-play package, so a Play Pass subscription is required. Most Nex Playground equipment is designed for people of all ages, but this one is for ages 12 and up. NexGym doesn’t have colorful graphics and nice animations like other console apps. This app is for practice only.

After the app is launched, you can create a profile and update stats like height and weight so it can accurately calculate calorie burn. However, the calories it said I burned after each session didn’t match what my Fitbit Versa 4 was tracking. I recommend using a A great fitness tracker while exercising for better accuracy and comprehensive statistics such as steps, heart rate, active minutes, and calories burned.

Aside from a few easy-to-use tiles to browse the workout list and a web interface to show weekly progress, NexGym’s interface is stripped back compared to other Nex Playground apps. During the course, the camera shows the active area in your home so you can complete guided exercises and maintain form. The only content on the screen is a countdown clock and progress bar below, on-screen trackers to record your movements through the exercise, and targeted animations to guide you through each set of reps.

All Nex Playground apps are preloaded on your computer from the cloud. You’ll need a quarterly ($49) or annual Play Pass ($89) to access any other app in the Starter Pack, including NexGym.

15 Day Program Training

NexGym’s training program is comprehensive and designed to target different fitness goals at different running times. One of the first options is the 15 Day Workout Program, which you can complete with or without weights. To begin, I completed a survey that asked:

• Purpose of exercise: Lose weight, increase energy, improve heart health, or all 3
• Weight gain: Yes or no
• Pay attention: Core/abs, legs/glutes, or both
• Exercise time: 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes

I chose to lose weight and build strength, I skipped a weight, I chose two options for my focus, and a time of 15 minutes. A real trainer appeared. , introduced himself, and demonstrated the necessary moves for the first exercise before disappearing. Because I chose weight loss as a goal, my workouts consisted of a combination of cardio (down-downs, side pulls, side highs, and side lows). sides) and standing crunches. There is a 20 second break after each set before moving on to the next set.

The 15 Day Program introduces new daily exercise routines with different types of cardio above. In addition to up-downs, other cardio exercises consist of five sets. Up-downs can appear as groups of 10 or groups of five. Obliques are not produced until the third day and are always in groups of 20. However, you can speed up the course by completing two days in days. After the current day’s exercise is completed, an eight-hour countdown clock starts before the next day is available. I didn’t double because I always ran before I started my daily workout.

I’ve used other exercise devices that track your movement, like the Xbox Kinect, and I can get through a workout without straining or breaking a sweat. NexGym is not that kind of app. You can’t “phone it in.” There is no trick like moving closer to the screen to reduce the movement required to track the exercise accurately.

Targets are divided to force large sweeping movements, such as quick side grabs, where I jump around the room, and power ups to simulate crunches that work the entire core. Similarly, standing in a twisting position required me to raise my legs until my knees almost touched my elbows. In a way, this is nice because I don’t like sit-ups. So, standing oblique crunches are easy on my back.

Because NexGym requires so much movement, I felt like the first few days were deceptively intense because I was getting used to the app. Also, I can’t lift weights, do cardio, or push my body to complete another workout. But the first day took about 20 minutes to finish.

The next day, my thighs were burning from going for low reps. However, on the seventh day, I finished my workout in less than 15 minutes. On the third day, I realized that the workout was so intense that I changed my Fitbit to to aerobics rather than strength training for recovery.

What works with the NexGym 15 Day Program

After using the NexGym 15 Day Program for two weeks, I thought it was a solid product that could benefit many people.

Simple home exercises

Convenience is the main advantage of NexGym, especially the 15 Day Program. Home workouts are perfect because I have no excuse not to do them. I usually train five days a week, mixing cardio and weights. On cold days, or if time is tight, a 15-minute total body workout in my living room is perfect. Also, I can sneak in a workout at any time. At the same time, the option to change the time to 30 minutes or read other lessons from three to 30 minutes and up is a nice feature.

Full body workout

This is a full body workout. Combined with my daily 30-minute runs, I easily got enough minutes of exercise with NexGym to hit my weekly goal of 150 minutes on my Fitbit. . As I progressed through the 15-day course, completing each session was easy.

Ideal for beginners

Exercising at home reduces anxiety for concerned gym-goers. Also, the exercises are easy, even for someone who doesn’t like to exercise. Since I am still a member of the gym and run every day, I did not see any measurable changes in my body in two weeks. However, my burning thighs in those first few days proved that the app did something. I will try this method again with irons to see if I notice a big difference.

Where NexGym struggles

There’s a lot to like about Nex Playground’s NexGym app and 15-Day Program. But I noticed a few things, mostly app-specific. None of these were sellers, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Space gap

Unlike other Nex apps, which don’t require running back and forth, NexGym requires a significant, discrete, usable space. Side touch practice requires more space to move and touch the target. My living room is a good size, but I’ve come across things because it’s also my daughter’s play area. It worked somewhat if I moved closer to the television, but this can be a problem in small rooms.

Tracking problems

Light that is too bright in the visible field causes poor tracking. My Nex is installed in my sun-drenched living room, where natural light floods the space, and my daughter’s toys sometimes fill the background. Bright natural light or background toys interfere with Nex’s tracking ability. As I got used to the exercises, I found a way to adapt by using the opposite hand to tap targets or getting closer to the console for oblique crunches. But the best solution would be to reset the Nex, which is not an option for me.

It requires cooperation

A fitness instructor (seen in the videos shared above) sometimes appears at the beginning of a class to demonstrate proper form when introducing a new exercise. This is useful, but I think it would be better to always have a coach, especially since they are always there with voiceovers that count the reps, breaks and upcoming sets of exercises. I compare this to the exercise equipment I used in the Meta Quest headsets. Often, the trainer is always present, making the processes feel interactive.

Finally, because Nex Playground does not support direct interaction between users, you cannot share scores or compete with other players in this app. The only option is a two-person mode designed for one-person use at a time. If you exercise well when you have challenges or prefer physical training and VR-based solutions, you may feel that NexGym is lacking or you may limit it to use with a training partner.

This extension does not support remote user interactions because its users are elementary school children who should not be talking to strangers online.

Making exercise accessible to all

The NexGym app and its 15-Day Program create an engaging way to exercise at different levels of activity. A large list of exercises provides longevity if you are bored by the 15-day program and many games that are more fun than exercise. I’m not ready to give up my gym membership or run every day, but NexGym is a great option when I don’t want to run in the park or drive to the gym.