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Elkatas bought EA Sports Active. End report at post 97.
elkatas
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I was shopping on the last friday, 60 euros burning on my pocket, when I saw EA Sports Active on the shelf. I don't know what exactly hit me, but I decided to buy it against my better judgement. After using it for three days, I'm surprised how well it works and how much better I feel already.
But before I start to tell about the game, I want everyone understand background which I come from. I admit that I'm grossly overweight, but that doesn't tell whole story, as I'm surprisingly healthy for my weight. I can be years without getting sick, I don't have high blood pressure (surprising, considering every one in the family has it), I eat lots of vegetables and fruits (potatoes, carrots, and apples primarily), and for last 1½ years, I have been walking daily 3-4 kilometres. I have also done 20 min training with weights in the past, although it slipped away from my routines few months ago. While I have started to measure my weight only recently, it is clear that I have dropped some serious weight as I need belt with clothes that barely fit me two years ago. So I would say I'm making steady and nice progress towards healthier life.
Knowing my own personal background and having honest image about it, I was wondering that could game give slouch like some additional exercise. My biggest worries that some of the exercises could impossible for me complete due my lack of balance (I suffer from nerve damage), or that exercises could be too easy. For my surprise, the regiment set by the game was within my physical restrictions, but hard enough to turn me into sweating pile of jello.
Unlike Wii Fit, EA Sport Active totally ignores yoga, instead focusing solely on cardio and endurance related exercises. At the start of the game, you tell game your age, height and weight, and after that you are taken into 30 day challenge. Each day (excluding breaks), the game gives you 20 exercise long program that focus on specific body areas. If you don't feel like doing, let's say, lunges, you can switch the off from the program, but I don't really see the point in skimping. After doing the exercise, you are immediately taken into next one. Sometimes exercises appear twice in program to help you to improve your endurance. You can also create yourself totally new program, if you desire so, and set exercise specific difficulties to suit your own personal tastes.
Typical easy level program takes 25 minutes to complete. Each program has set number of calories that you should burn during the program, and the number varies greatly between the programs. For example, yesterday's program made me burn 270 calories, while today's goal was only 150 calories. The game naturally tracks amount of burnt calories exercise by exercise, and so far I have managed to pass set goals each day by 20-30 calories.
The game does come with pouch that is placed on the right leg, above the knee. Some exercises like those which primarily work with legs require that you place nunchuk on the pouch. By comparing data received from nunchuk to players height, the game knows that legs actually move during the exercise. In some exercises, wiimote and nunchuk are put into hands to make sure that hands move properly.
For most of time, controls work very well, but there are certain moments when movement doesn't register properly, and you need to do it twice for it to register. These are quite minor, however, and I suspect many of these problems are primarily my fault, as due width of my leg, I need to keep pouch little lower than it is meant to be. You also get resistance band that is used in some exercises. While it is perfect for me, I suspect that it is way too weak for someone who has trained for a while. There is also balance board support, but I haven't tested it, and from what I heard, the alternative exercises given by it are actually worse than normal ones.
So far as I see it, EA Sports Active certainly isn't suitable for building muscle mass, but for improving cardio and overall endurance, I believe it is very good product. I have been soaking with sweat after each exercise, and I have truly felt the exercises in the designated areas. Presentation is actually pretty slick, with exercise videos showing exactly how each maneuver should be done, and warning if there is risk of hurting yourself. The greatest flaws are the minor flaws in the controls, weakness of resistance band (which, fortunately, can be replaced with your own), and limited number of exercises.
If anyone has any questions about the game, I'm glad to answer, although my knowledge when it comes to actual fitness is rather limited.
Hypnotically inclined.
elkatas on
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The one thing that is pissing me off is that a few exercises don't seem to track my motion very well. Inline skating only seems to recognize 1/3 of the jumps that I do, and tennis is over-sensitive.
I guess it is result of years of active walking, but my legs haven't felt too bad after those exercises. But jumping is probably most taxing part in whole regime.
I have problems with right leg lunges, because nunchuk is too close to the knee. Then there was the exercise with resistance band that I couldn't get register at all at the first. If game gets stuck, I do the exercise by myself and continue to the next part.
I had the exact same problems with the lunges, I could only get one side to register.
This arrived for me on Saturday. Unlike Wii Fit I think I will stick with it, the 30 day challenge is a great idea well executed.
Yeah, it is pretty well done. I just do the exercises, and don't answer the questions. I have pretty good idea about my eating habits and what is wrong with them.
I answered the questions the first time around to experience the whole package but yeah, once is enough. Drink a lot of water, eat more and smaller meals throughout the day, cut out the sugary crap etc. that's all the questionnaire boils down to, well known dietary stuff but it's neat that it's there for those who don't know better.
Whatever, I do the surveys after the workout while I'm cooling down, but there's really no incentive to do them.
Day two over and I am feeling pretty good about this still
Hmh, I have done three days, and tomorrow is my first rest day. Running is really neatly done, but I'm glad that no one is seeing me doing kick ups or high knees.
In other news, EA has now announced that EA Sports Active is fastest selling 3rd party game for Wii, and has sold more than 600 000 copies already. EA has also already announced expansion that will be out in November. I wonder what exercises it will feature, and will it focus on more advanced exercises?
- "You're going to hurt yourself out there, you're doing it wrong."
- "GO FUCK YOURSELF FITNESS GUY."
I feel bad for my downstairs neighbors when it pulls up things like side-to-side jumps.
How did you have any problems with timing? I mean, it is simple. Jump when guy is on green part of the ramp.
Hmh, that's strange. I have more problems with getting full speed than jumping.
Day 5 still going strong.
Yeah it is surprisingly intense, and feels good start for anyone who doesn't much about fitness. I was surprised to learn how much you can actually burn with simple exercises if they are balanced correctly.
Another thing that bugs me is that if you hit +, it goes to the pause menu where you can change options, etc. The only problem is that you can't hit + to go back to the exercise; you have to point the remote at the 'Resume' button. So if you're in an exercise using the resistance band and you accidentally get to the menu, you have to break your stretch or whatever you're doing, point at the screen, then go back and finish. This seems to happen most often during bent-over rows.
But overall, I'm liking it. Been using it for almost 2 weeks, and I've lost about 2 pounds.
I haven't found it problematic, but then again, I'm probably doing simpler exercises than you. For me bigger problem has been getting resistance band back to its original form. Sometimes it just doesn't return to its normal form after it has been twisted.
Weights were primarily used for relaxing my shoulders and back, and to help with hand coordination. For those purposes, even 20 minutes was very effective, and I did lose weight little bit faster that way. It is worth noticing that I did it on daily basis, on very fast pace, and without any kind of breaks.
Good luck with that. I was somewhat lucky that my wisdom teeths were pulled off when I was seventeen. Dental care in Finland is totally free for those below 18, and it is pretty expensive process to do (200 euros or so) when you are older.
I'm currently on easy, and I'm going to stay on that level for a while. From what I have heard, there is huge leap in intesity between the levels. If I remember correctly, someone at Neogaf said that his hard 30-day challenge started with program that burnt 620 calories. That sounds pretty extreme.
Thanks. This summer is certainly going to be delightful. :P Yes, I'm a bit mad at the dentist I had in high school, who told me over and over again "no, you won't need to have them out." I go to get my yearly checkup a couple of weeks ago and the first thing my dentist tells me is, "They're all going to have to come out." So all the money I was putting towards a new Wii and a bunch of other stuff is now going towards my dental work. Thankfully I have dental insurance, the costs would be horrible otherwise. The US health care system is terrible beyond belief.
Back to your regularly scheduled thread.
I haven't counted my average, but I would say that it is somewhere around 190. This is from easy course, mind.
(I don't even have a wii, but will get one eventually waiting on price drop, my wife used to enjoy DDR Max 2 for the PS2 for working out but the pad broke and we lost the disk)
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
Well, it retails for 60 $, and comes with resistance band and pouch for nunchuk. Outside resistance band, everything happens with power of wiimote and nunchuk. Band can get broken, and I think it is way too weak for those who have done some serious exercise. I would say it is better than DDR for work out, as the program concentrates on each area instead of just legs.
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
Balance board is supported as a optional control device. From what I have heard, most exercises work worse with it, or are less intensive.
Just remember that there are some annoying quirks on detection, mostly on lunges.