If you’re looking to shake up your workouts for the new year with some high-tech vibes, Tiffany Haddish might be your new favorite gym buddy (in virtual reality, anyway).
The actress and comedian’s latest collaboration with VR fitness app Supernatural is bringing us four virtual workouts (boxing, cardio, full-body stretching and meditation) that embrace all the things Haddish herself loves about working out in virtual reality and offers a unique (if a little sci-fi) way to spice up your 2022 sweat seshes.
“I became addicted to Supernatural last year,” Haddish said in a statement. “I’ve never felt so powerful or had so much fun working out. I can travel the world from my living room, move to music I love and feel like a superhero every day. My mission in life is to spread joy and empower people, and as a Supernatural guest coach, I get to spread that goodness in a way that also gets people sweating and smiling as they get a great workout.”
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Here’s a sneak peek at her workouts ahead of their debut in 2022:
This Year Be You: We Ready: “In this Supernatural Boxing workout, members are invited to jab, cross, hook, bob and weave to powerful hip-hop tracks as they sweat with Tiffany. Tiffany encourages members to say goodbye to “New Year, New You” and instead set intentions for a resolution rooted in strength, authenticity and fun.”
Self Love: Raised by the World: “In this Flow workout, Supernatural’s signature cardio routine, members travel to beautiful coastal destinations in Spain and Portugal, smash targets in the Maldives, and sweat amongst rice terraces in China. Haddish calls on members to celebrate the abundance of the natural world as she coaches to dance hits infused with world music.”
Stretch Duet: Full Body Giggles: “Members are invited to give their bodies the healing power of full-body stretches and full-body giggles as they follow Tiffany Haddish and Supernatural Coach Raneir Pollard with this routine amongst salt flats in Bolivia.”
Meditation: Manifesting Abundance: “In this guided visualization, Tiffany Haddish invites members to dream a beautiful vision for their futures as they meditate with her in the Orkhan Valley of Mongolia. Tiffany shares that she changed her life by writing down her goals every morning, and invites members to dream about their goals as they manifest their own abundance.”
Supernatural’s Head of Fitness, Leanne Pedante also caught up with SheKnows for a quick rundown on Tiffany’s collaboration with the app, the benefits of embracing a VR-style workout (no, really!) and how to not feel too silly wearing a VR headset during your next sweat sesh (it’s possible, we promise!)
Leanne Pedante: Our marketing team gifted Tiffany about a year ago and she instantly fell in love with Supernatural. As we got to know more about her, we were so taken by her story; rising to every challenge—and there have been many—breaking barrier after barrier to forge a career making people laugh and spreading joy. For us at Supernatural, what makes a great coach is someone who inspires others to go beyond their known limitations, someone who leads with love, and is authentic to their true self. Tiffany embodies this through and through. She was already such a fan of the workouts, so asking her to join the family as a Guest Coach was a no brainer.
SK: What’s the most exciting part of Tiffany’s guest-coaching project, for you?
LP: The whole experience of getting to watch Tiffany step into her role as a coach was really inspiring because she brought so much authenticity and honesty to every moment. But what made it so magical was that everything she said came from a place of her having spent so many months using Supernatural as a member, so she knew intuitively what people NEED to hear when they’re in their workouts. None of it was fake or forced – she was speaking from her heart, from one Supernatural athlete to another. I remember listening to her record the workout voiceover and she took a second to remind members not to get frustrated if they missed a target, because no matter what, they were still moving their body, which was the important part. And I just threw my hands in the air – EXACTLY! Spoken like a true coach! Plus, she is just so hilarious – it was a real struggle for all of us in the room with her to stifle our laughter while we listened to her record.
SK: What makes a Supernatural workout stand out from other competitors or other workouts our readers might be used to?
LP:The most powerful offering of Supernatural is how truly immersed you are in what you’re doing. There are no mirrors, you can’t compare yourself to anyone else – you are transported to standing on top of a mountain or at the base of a volcano, while listening to music you love and moving in a way that feels powerful and invigorating. You are joyfully forced to be entirely present in what you’re doing, with no distractions or judgements. It’s like meditation that also makes you feel like a wildly fierce rockstar.
SK: For people who are a bit hesitant about whether VR workouts are for them (especially those who feel strapped for time or like the high-tech nature seems a bit extra), why should they consider giving it a try?
LP: Having worked in fitness for almost a decade, I have tried almost every workout, every device, every studio experience there is – and I can say that sliding on a small device on your head is actually one of the simpler things out there! But I understand that the phrase “VR workout” might still be a little mysterious to folks – so I’d recommend that people just stop by our Official Supernatural Community on Facebook to see what over 25,000 of our real members are saying. Every day, I read stories from members of all ages, all backgrounds, all experience levels who are sharing how Supernatural has been the first workout program in a long time – maybe ever – that they’ve wanted to stick to. They feel supported, they’re having fun, they’re getting stronger, and they are part of an incredibly encouraging community that has made them part of something bigger than themselves. We released boxing workouts in October and within a few days, one of our awesome 82-year-old members posted to the group to let everyone know that you can absolutely do the boxing workouts from sitting down and still have a great time. We just released “front-facing mode” to more easily allow folks to do any of our workouts from a small space or from a seated position and have been getting rave reviews from our adaptive athletes. One of the beautiful things about VR workouts is that you can modify them to your needs, so it’s actually one of the best options for folks who want a custom experience depending on where they’re at.
SK: What are some pro-tips for people taking their first plunge into a VR exercise?
LP: When I first started using VR, I was so excited to get right to the fun stuff that I didn’t ask where the pause button was….which I really needed once I started breaking a sweat and was ready for a water break! Take the extra 90 seconds to get familiar with the controllers so that you can really give yourself over to the experience. Whenever I show my friends Supernatural for the first time, I try to get them to do one of our Sweat Symphony workouts, which are set to classical music. Last year we released a workout set to The Nutcracker Suite. You travel from one wintry snowscape to the next, squatting and striking to overtures and you feel like a maestro and a ballerina at the same time. It is pure magic.
SK: Real talk: How do you get over feeling like you look ridiculous in a VR headset? Do you ever really get over that or do you just lean into it and learn to enjoy it?
LP: Lean into it! I also have plenty of evidence of people looking incredibly strong and bad*ss in a VR headset, so I’d question whether that’s even a valid concern. But, for those that are, the cool thing about VR is that you stop worrying about what any spectators might think the moment you slip the headset on. They disappear from sight and from mind once you’re inside. Once you’re standing on the Great Wall of China, listening to Kendrick Lamar and throwing punches, what others think is the furthest thing from your mind.
Before you go, check out some of our favorite workout recovery essentials for a bit of post-exercise TLC: