Prehistoric touch for workouts

NEED that extra bit of motivation to smash your personal best at the gym? Try being chased by a dinosaur – or a virtual one, at least.

In a Queensland-first, Currumbin-based Hype Health Club is installing The Journey as part of an upgrade of its existing cycle studio.

The Journey enables fitness buffs using the gym’s cycle studio to work out while taking part in a virtual journey using a giant screen mounted on the wall in front of them.

The only other two Australian gyms to offer The Journey are based in Western Australia and NSW.

Hype Health Club coowner Chelsea Turner said The Journey provided a fitness experience, using virtual worlds displayed on-screen.

“There’s numerous worlds to travel through, such as the Mine Shaft, Woodland Safari, and a planet world, where you’ll find yourself dodging asteroids,” she said.

“One of them, you’re running through the jungle and it’s raining and there’s dinosaurs running past you.

“The Journey … rather than focusing on your fatigue, it hits your senses a bit differently.”

The Journey is linked to the 33 new exercise bikes in the studio. However the bikes can also be used without linking to the program, if the user prefers.

The Journey is the latest piece of good news for the gym.

Club co-owner and Mrs Turner’s husband, Casper, was recently awarded a Transformer scholarship through Bond University, where he is completing an MBA.

The business also plans to launch a new gym at Pimpama by the start of 2021.