Are you ready to transform your workouts into an epic battle where your strength and endurance determine the outcome?
At Black Box VR, Exercise Attacks are your most powerful weapons, allowing you to unleash devastating attacks on your opponent while sculpting your body in real life.
DON’T WORRY! You don’t need to memorize any of this. The game will teach you during your fun onboarding battles. It’s super simple and you will master it very quickly!
What Are Exercise Attacks?
Exercise Attacks are resistance-based exercises that fire powerful weapons at your enemies in the virtual arena. The stronger you are, the more damage you deal, making it essential to push your limits.
Every rep you complete translates into a direct or area-of-effect (AoE) attack, with each attack belonging to an element type (Fire, Air, or Water) that affects its strengths and weaknesses.
These attacks are the foundation of your battle strategy, and knowing how to use them effectively can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
The Exercise Machine
We developed the world’s most advanced exercise machine to power your workouts at Black Box VR. This is real resistance to give you real results! Learn more about the exercise machine.
How Exercise Attacks Work in Battle
During a 30-minute workout battle, you’ll use your Exercise Attacks to:
- Destroy enemy Champions (AI-controlled characters that defend the battlefield)
- Take down enemy Gates and Crystals to Earn Points (the primary objectives of the match)
- Generate Energy Elixir, which allows you to deploy Champions to fight alongside you
Use your real life strength, power, grit, and endurance to destroy the enemy Crystal and earn glory!
The more reps you perform, the stronger your attacks become!
List of Exercise Attacks & Their Effects
Let’s explore each Exercise Attack in detail, so you can master your arsenal and choose the right weapon for every battle situation:
-
Chest Press (Fire Beam)
Build a powerful chest and arms while scorching your foes!
- Element: Fire 🔥
- Effect: Unleashes focused Fire Beams that shoot directly at enemies.
- Targeting: Single Target Damage – hits one enemy Champion or structure at a time with a concentrated blast of fire.
- Body Parts Worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms.
-
Overhead Press (Meteor Strike)
Forge powerful shoulders and a rock-solid core with this explosive attack!
- Element: Fire 🔥
- Effect: Launches explosive Meteor Strikes from above.
- Targeting: Area of Effect Damage – Red-hot meteors rain down and explode upon impact, damaging multiple enemies and structures in a targeted area.
- Body Parts Worked: Shoulders, triceps, forearms, abs, core.
-
Squat (Ice Shard)
Sculpt powerful legs and a round butt while unleashing icy destruction!
- Element: Water 💧
- Effect: Sends out piercing Ice Shards of freezing cold water.
- Targeting: Single Target Damage – Launches a single, massive ice shard that pierces through enemies, dealing devastating damage to one unit at a time.
- Body Parts Worked: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, core.
-
Deadlift (Cold Fusion)
Build an unshakeable lower body and core strength with this powerful, area-denial attack!
- Element: Water 💧
- Effect: Unleashes blasts of Cold Fusion energy.
- Targeting: Area of Effect Damage – Shoots blasts of super-cooled nuclear energy that explode upon impact, damaging all enemies and structures within a targeted radius
- Body Parts Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back, calves, core.
-
Standing Row (Lightning Bolt)
Forge a powerful back and arms while channeling the power of lightning!
- Element: Air 💨
- Effect: Shoots bolts of crackling Lightning at your enemies.
- Targeting: Single Target Damage – Fires a focused bolt of lightning that strikes a single enemy unit or structure with electrifying force.
- Body Parts Worked: Middle back, rear shoulders, biceps, forearms.
-
Lat Pulldown (Wind Blast)
Develop a powerful back and biceps while mastering the element of air!
- Element: Air 💨
- Effect: Sends out devastating Wind Blasts of hurricane-force winds.
- Targeting: Area of Effect Damage – Creates a wide cone of hurricane-force winds that blast across the battlefield, damaging all enemies and structures caught in its path.
- Body Parts Worked: Lats, middle back, biceps, forearms.
Exercise Attack Comparisons
| Exercise | Attack Name | Element | Attack Type | Effect |
| Chest Press | Fire Beam | Fire | Direct | Fires a powerful single-target beam of fire |
| Overhead Press | Meteor Strike | Fire | Area | Summons a meteor that deals area damage |
| Cable Squat | Ice Shard | Water | Direct | Launches an ice shard at a single enemy |
| Cable Deadlifts | Cold Fusion | Water | Area | Damages multiple enemies at a time |
| Standing Row | Lightning Bolt | Air | Direct | Strikes enemies with fast electric damage |
| Lat Pulldown | Wind Blast | Air | Area | Blows enemies away with a strong gust |
Each element type also plays a role in battle:
- Fire beats Air (2x damage)
- Air beats Water (2x damage)
- Water beats Fire (2x damage)
Understanding this elemental advantage can give you a strategic edge in battles!
What About Bicep Curls and Tricep Pushdowns?
Those exercises are not weapons in the game. Instead, they are used to build powerful Towers that you can put out on the field to attack then enemy in a completely different way. You will unlock these exercises after you have more experience in the game.
Just like a good personal trainer, we’ll start with the basics, help you master them, and then add new skills when you are ready!
Exercise Attack Strength Levels: Light, Medium, Heavy
Each attack can be performed at different resistance levels, affecting the damage output and rep goals.
Light Mode (50% resistance)
-
- Best for warm-ups or endurance training
- You can easily hit 25+ reps per set
- Each rep does 50% of normal damage
Medium Mode (75% resistance)
-
- Balanced for strength and endurance
- Expect 15-20 reps per set
- Each rep deals 75% of normal damage
Heavy Mode (100% resistance)
-
- Maximize muscle growth and attack power
- Aim for 12-15 reps per set
- Each rep does 100% of normal damage (highest impact)
🔥 Pro Tip: Stick to Heavy Mode as much as possible to increase your strength in both the game and real life!
Supercharged & Hysterical Mode Reps
To push you to your limits, Black Box VR rewards you for completing high-rep sets with Supercharged and Hysterical Strength modes.
Supercharged Mode (Reps 11-15)
- Activates 2x attack damage per rep
- Available in Medium and Heavy modes
Hysterical Mode (Reps 16+)
- Activates 4x attack damage per rep
- Only available in Heavy Mode
- Inspired by real-world “hysterical strength” (think adrenaline-fueled superhuman feats)
Why It Matters: Pushing through to Hysterical Mode gives you insane attack power and maximizes muscle growth.
Leveling Up Your Exercise Attacks
Each Exercise Attack has its own level, ranging from 1 to 30. As you train and improve your strength, your exercise attacks become stronger.
How to Level Up Faster:
- Stick to Heavy Mode to ensure you’re progressing optimally
- Perform high-rep sets (aim for 12-15 reps)
- Train consistently (3-4x per week) to trigger automatic AI strength adjustments
How to Strategically Use Exercise Attacks
Match Your Attacks to Enemy Weaknesses
- Use Fire Attacks against Air Champions for 2x damage
- Use Air Attacks against Water Champions for 2x damage
- Use Water Attacks against Fire Champions for 2x damage
Focus on Gates & Crystals When Possible
- Gates block direct access to the Crystal, so break them down first
- Once a Crystal is exposed, prioritize Exercise Attacks to win the round faster
Use Area Attacks for Swarms
- If multiple enemies are in a lane, Deadlift (Cold Fusion), Overhead Press (Meteor Strike) or Lat Pulldown (Wind Blast) can hit multiple targets at once
Push Yourself for Supercharged & Hysterical Mode
- More reps = more damage, so push past your limits!
- Train your muscular endurance to reach Hysterical Strength Mode regularly
Form Matters – Avoid Injuries With MAIA, Your AI Coach
Form Over Everything (Almost): Always prioritize good exercise form and full reps over just cranking out reps. Poor form can reduce the effectiveness of your workout and increase the risk of injury. Your AI coach, MAIA will give you feedback in the game to help you maintain proper form. However…
MAIA is your AI coach and will guide you through battle!
Push Yourself to Your Limits: Don’t be afraid to push yourself close to muscular failure on most sets! That’s where the biggest gains come from. Black Box VR is designed to motivate you to push harder than you ever thought possible, and those extra reps, especially in Heavy Mode, will unlock massive damage bonuses and faster progress.
Advanced Features
Gear Items for Exercise Attacks
- Equip Gear Items that boost Exercise Attack effects (e.g., increased crit damage, a chance for a missile to launch with a rep targeting random enemies, etc).
Conclusion: Become an Exercise Attack Master
Master Your Arsenal, Conquer the Arena, Transform Your Life
Exercise Attacks are more than just a game mechanic; they are the embodiment of the Black Box VR philosophy – merging intense, effective workouts with engaging, strategic gameplay. By mastering each Exercise Attack, understanding their strengths, and pushing yourself to unleash their full potential, you’ll not only dominate the Black Box VR Arena, but you’ll also forge a stronger, fitter, and more powerful you in the real world.
Are you ready to become a Black Box VR champion? The battle for a better life begins NOW!
See you in the Arena!
Ryan DeLuca, CEO of Black Box VR
Ready to dive in? Let’s make fitness your new favorite game. Welcome to the future – welcome to Black Box VR!
About Black Box VR
Black Box VR is the world’s first virtual reality esport that combines resistance training, HIIT cardio, and intense gaming to deliver a science-backed workout experience. In our luxurious gym locations, members are able to build muscle, lose fat, and get fit while playing an addictive game.
Have questions? Ask MAIA, our AI chatbot!
