Here's the first video from THQ's UFC Personal Trainer software coming to Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, and PS3 Move this June:
Looks like it might be a pretty good workout. This is something I'll definitely be keeping an eye on. For a little more info, check out this article at Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/get-fighting-fit-with-ufc-personal-trainer-in-june/
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp - 60 Day Challenge Complete!
Good morning, blog readers. This morning marks the successful completion of my EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge on the Wii. Unfortunately, the last few workouts haven't synced up property with the EA servers, so I can't show you my graphs and whatnot like I usually do. For some reason, the challenge actually ended up being 63 days. I was expecting to be done on Friday, but the workout calendar showed workouts through today (Monday), and the game even said "Day 63" when I logged in this morning. Oh well, the last two workouts were actually easier than the ones leading up to them.
Okay, so now that I'm done, how do I feel? How much weight did I lose? What am I going to do next?
One question at a time. Did I lose weight? Actually, no. I am right in the same weight range as when I started (6'0", around 183-185 lbs). Hmmm. I think the key here is that I'm in a lot better shape and I'm a healthier 185 lbs than when I started. My legs, arms, and core are all visibly more toned, and I feel stronger. I know the old adage of muscle weighs more than fat sounds a bit trite, but it is true. I think I still have some excess fat to burn, but I'm overall happier with how my body looks compared to when I started. I think if I can keep this up for another month, the results will start to show even more.
How do I feel about the whole experience? Overall, great. 60 days is a good amount of time to commit to a workout program, and I want to see if I can keep with it for even longer. I really like the variety of cardio, upper body, lower body, and core exercises and how the challenge kept upping the intensity with each workout. It always felt like I was working really hard. Considering you can pick this up for around $40 as of the time I am writing this, I'd say there's no reason not to. I used to pay that much each month for my gym, and I think that is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum for gyms. I really enjoy being able to workout in the comfort of my own living room and still feel like I'm getting an intense and balanced workout.
What am I going to do next? Well, I'm going to try out some other Wii fitness software, but I'm definitely going to keep NFL Training Camp as my main workout for now. I'll dive into the custom workouts and see if I can still challenge myself and stay motivated in the future. I'd like to keep up 3-4 days a week of high intensity workouts. Hopefully I can get the connectivity issues resolved with the EA servers and I can post some graphs of my final workouts. Thanks for reading, and I'll keep posting on Wii exercise related topics.
Okay, so now that I'm done, how do I feel? How much weight did I lose? What am I going to do next?
One question at a time. Did I lose weight? Actually, no. I am right in the same weight range as when I started (6'0", around 183-185 lbs). Hmmm. I think the key here is that I'm in a lot better shape and I'm a healthier 185 lbs than when I started. My legs, arms, and core are all visibly more toned, and I feel stronger. I know the old adage of muscle weighs more than fat sounds a bit trite, but it is true. I think I still have some excess fat to burn, but I'm overall happier with how my body looks compared to when I started. I think if I can keep this up for another month, the results will start to show even more.
How do I feel about the whole experience? Overall, great. 60 days is a good amount of time to commit to a workout program, and I want to see if I can keep with it for even longer. I really like the variety of cardio, upper body, lower body, and core exercises and how the challenge kept upping the intensity with each workout. It always felt like I was working really hard. Considering you can pick this up for around $40 as of the time I am writing this, I'd say there's no reason not to. I used to pay that much each month for my gym, and I think that is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum for gyms. I really enjoy being able to workout in the comfort of my own living room and still feel like I'm getting an intense and balanced workout.
What am I going to do next? Well, I'm going to try out some other Wii fitness software, but I'm definitely going to keep NFL Training Camp as my main workout for now. I'll dive into the custom workouts and see if I can still challenge myself and stay motivated in the future. I'd like to keep up 3-4 days a week of high intensity workouts. Hopefully I can get the connectivity issues resolved with the EA servers and I can post some graphs of my final workouts. Thanks for reading, and I'll keep posting on Wii exercise related topics.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge: Day 56
60 Day Challenge Day 56, Workout #32
Reliant Stadium, Houston, Trainer: Matt Schaub
Time: 41:24
Calories Burned: 321.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 124 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 169 bpm
Yesterday's workout was a lower-body focused workout, which I really didn't have too much trouble with. Not to say it wasn't a challenge, but I didn't find myself cursing the television as much as I have in some past workouts. Here's my workout chart from last night:
I think I've finally gotten to the point where I don't dread the prone knee drives quite as much as I used to. I had three 45 second sets in last night's workout and I powered through all three without really slowing down. In the past, I have had to stop mid-set a few times. I was certainly gasping for breath by the end of each set yesterday, but I made it through. I didn't have to take any extended pauses (more than 30 seconds or so) between any exercises last night.
Reliant Stadium, Houston, Trainer: Matt Schaub
Time: 41:24
Calories Burned: 321.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 124 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 169 bpm
Yesterday's workout was a lower-body focused workout, which I really didn't have too much trouble with. Not to say it wasn't a challenge, but I didn't find myself cursing the television as much as I have in some past workouts. Here's my workout chart from last night:
I think I've finally gotten to the point where I don't dread the prone knee drives quite as much as I used to. I had three 45 second sets in last night's workout and I powered through all three without really slowing down. In the past, I have had to stop mid-set a few times. I was certainly gasping for breath by the end of each set yesterday, but I made it through. I didn't have to take any extended pauses (more than 30 seconds or so) between any exercises last night.
Monday, March 14, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp Weekend update
Because I wasn't able to work out last Wednesday, I had three days of workouts in a row to do from Thursday-Saturday. I won't do individual recaps of each, but here's my historical calories burned chart for the last 30 days:
Somehow Friday's workout ended up burning something like 370 calories, but it didn't seem quite as challenging as Thursday's. I think it was a good 10 minutes longer though, so I'm sure that explains it. I was pretty sore yesterday (Sunday) and a little sore today too. Mostly my arms and shoulders this time. I'm actually noticing some major toning happening in my triceps and my forearms, which is nice.
I think Friday is going to be the last day of the 60 Day Challenge, so I'm pretty excited to get through this. At the same time though, I really think I need to keep going with these workouts and I hope I have the motivation to keep up with the 4 days a week schedule.
Thanks to everyone who has been leaving me comments. I know the comment system on blogspot is really buggy, so I often have trouble replying to comments when I try to, but I do read and appreciate them all. If anyone would like to email me any questions or success stories or anything like that, you can send them to shapingupwithwii at gmail dot com. Thanks for reading!
Somehow Friday's workout ended up burning something like 370 calories, but it didn't seem quite as challenging as Thursday's. I think it was a good 10 minutes longer though, so I'm sure that explains it. I was pretty sore yesterday (Sunday) and a little sore today too. Mostly my arms and shoulders this time. I'm actually noticing some major toning happening in my triceps and my forearms, which is nice.
I think Friday is going to be the last day of the 60 Day Challenge, so I'm pretty excited to get through this. At the same time though, I really think I need to keep going with these workouts and I hope I have the motivation to keep up with the 4 days a week schedule.
Thanks to everyone who has been leaving me comments. I know the comment system on blogspot is really buggy, so I often have trouble replying to comments when I try to, but I do read and appreciate them all. If anyone would like to email me any questions or success stories or anything like that, you can send them to shapingupwithwii at gmail dot com. Thanks for reading!
Friday, March 11, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp: Workout #29
60 Day Challenge Day 52, Workout #29
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Trainer: Matt Cassel
Time: 38:32
Calories Burned: 305.7
Avg. Heart Rate: 131 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 182 bpm
I did workout #29 last night rather than Wednesday because I had some friends in town and just didn't have an hour to spare on Wednesday. I also have to workout tonight and Saturday, so that means three days in a row of workouts. Here's a look at yesterday's workout chart:
It was a pretty cardio-heavy exercise, in that there were a ton of jump squats (5 sets of 20) and stride jumps (3 sets of 40). There was one particularly brutal series of exercises as follows: Set of 20 jump squats, another set of 20 jump squats, 45 seconds of foot fires, 40 stride jumps. I was tempted to sit down and catch my breath after the second set of jump squats, but I just kept going. My heart rate hit 182 during the foot fires, the highest that that game has recorded for me. My average heart rate of 131 is also the highest I've ever recorded. Overall it was a really tough workout, but I survived.
I think I only have four workouts left in the 60 day challenge.In Phase 3, I feel like I really turned a corner, like I'm actually in decent shape now. I know that I'd like to see myself lose burn off a little more fat, so I need to make sure I keep up the intensity after the challenge is over. I definitely feel stronger and healthier, but I think this is really only the beginning.
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Trainer: Matt Cassel
Time: 38:32
Calories Burned: 305.7
Avg. Heart Rate: 131 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 182 bpm
I did workout #29 last night rather than Wednesday because I had some friends in town and just didn't have an hour to spare on Wednesday. I also have to workout tonight and Saturday, so that means three days in a row of workouts. Here's a look at yesterday's workout chart:
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| Click to Enlarge |
I think I only have four workouts left in the 60 day challenge.In Phase 3, I feel like I really turned a corner, like I'm actually in decent shape now. I know that I'd like to see myself lose burn off a little more fat, so I need to make sure I keep up the intensity after the challenge is over. I definitely feel stronger and healthier, but I think this is really only the beginning.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge: Workout #28
60 Day Challenge Day 49, Workout #28
Mile High Stadium, Denver, Trainer: Knowshon Moreno
Time: 41:21
Calories Burned: 304.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 127 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 171 bpm
One more in the books. I actually had a hard time with the stride jumps last night - my legs were just feeling really tired for some reason. There were three 45 second sets of prone knee drives, the exercise I love to hate, but I'm actually doing a lot better with them now. Here's a look at my historical calories burned chart over the last 30 days:
Mile High Stadium, Denver, Trainer: Knowshon Moreno
Time: 41:21
Calories Burned: 304.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 127 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 171 bpm
One more in the books. I actually had a hard time with the stride jumps last night - my legs were just feeling really tired for some reason. There were three 45 second sets of prone knee drives, the exercise I love to hate, but I'm actually doing a lot better with them now. Here's a look at my historical calories burned chart over the last 30 days:
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| Click to Enlarge |
Sunday, March 6, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp: Workout #27
60 Day Challenge Day 47, Workout #27
University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona, Trainer: Larry Fitzgerald
Time: 38:13
Calories Burned: 277.2
Avg. Heart Rate: 117 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 166 bpm
Yesterday's workout really wasn't too bad, especially if you consider how awful Friday's seemed. First we'll take a look at yesterday's chart before I start complaining about Friday:
Lots of squat jumps and stride jumps last night, but nothing too brutal. It was an upper body focused workout, so my shoulders were definitely feeling sore afterwards and they still are a bit today. Friday on the other hand - I couldn't believe the intensity of that workout. There were four sets of prone knee drives, each lasting 45 seconds. These exercises are absolutely brutal and they work your legs, arms, and core all at the same time. Plus its a real cardio workout too. Generally when I am doing my workout, I don't really stop to rest at all between the exercises except to the extent that it take the game to load the next exercise. Friday was a different story. After the third set of prone knee drives I had to stop and sit down on my stairs for a few minutes. I was feeling nauseous and completely winded. I did it again before the fourth set of prone knee drives.
Honestly, I don't recall feeling that tired/sick from working out since interval training days when I was on the high school track team. There is no question that this is a legitimate workout. After having built up my fitness level over the last month and a half, this game is still pushing me to my limits and really breaking me down in ways. I wasn't happy about having to rest during the workout, but I am glad I eventually made it through and finished strong. Yesterday wasn't quite as much of a challenge, but I am feeling like the upper body exercises are helping more than I give them credit for. I don't think they're building up the biceps and pecs really, but the smaller muscles in my shoulders, back, and arms are actually starting to show some definition, which is really nice. I think some more serious weight workouts would be needed to bulk up, but like I said, there is some definite toning happening here now.
Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day of rest today and get back to it tomorrow morning.
University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona, Trainer: Larry Fitzgerald
Time: 38:13
Calories Burned: 277.2
Avg. Heart Rate: 117 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 166 bpm
Yesterday's workout really wasn't too bad, especially if you consider how awful Friday's seemed. First we'll take a look at yesterday's chart before I start complaining about Friday:
Lots of squat jumps and stride jumps last night, but nothing too brutal. It was an upper body focused workout, so my shoulders were definitely feeling sore afterwards and they still are a bit today. Friday on the other hand - I couldn't believe the intensity of that workout. There were four sets of prone knee drives, each lasting 45 seconds. These exercises are absolutely brutal and they work your legs, arms, and core all at the same time. Plus its a real cardio workout too. Generally when I am doing my workout, I don't really stop to rest at all between the exercises except to the extent that it take the game to load the next exercise. Friday was a different story. After the third set of prone knee drives I had to stop and sit down on my stairs for a few minutes. I was feeling nauseous and completely winded. I did it again before the fourth set of prone knee drives.
Honestly, I don't recall feeling that tired/sick from working out since interval training days when I was on the high school track team. There is no question that this is a legitimate workout. After having built up my fitness level over the last month and a half, this game is still pushing me to my limits and really breaking me down in ways. I wasn't happy about having to rest during the workout, but I am glad I eventually made it through and finished strong. Yesterday wasn't quite as much of a challenge, but I am feeling like the upper body exercises are helping more than I give them credit for. I don't think they're building up the biceps and pecs really, but the smaller muscles in my shoulders, back, and arms are actually starting to show some definition, which is really nice. I think some more serious weight workouts would be needed to bulk up, but like I said, there is some definite toning happening here now.
Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day of rest today and get back to it tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge - Phase 3 Begins!
60 Day Challenge Day 41, Workout #25
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Trainer: Darren McFadden
Time: 38:20
Calories Burned: 311.2
Avg. Heart Rate: 125 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Okay, I've got one Phase 3 workout under my belt and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I wouldn't say any one part of this morning's workout was particularly strenuous, it was just a constant push and was a fairly long workout. One thing to note, where I write "time" is what the game tells me after the workout is complete. From what I can gather, this is the amount of time spent doing the exercises, not the total time that elapsed from start to finish of the entire workout. I would say the whole thing took closer to 45 minutes today, and I don't tend to stop for long in between exercises. There is a little load time though, and sometimes there is a demonstration of how to do the exercise if its a new one. As you work through the 60 day challenge, the duration of the workouts increases. In Phase 1, I was spending about 30 minutes from start to finish and now its more like 45. It'll probably be even longer by the time I'm finished. I'm finding myself getting up earlier and earlier to get my workout done and still catch the same bus to work.
Anyway, let's have a look at today's workout chart:
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Trainer: Darren McFadden
Time: 38:20
Calories Burned: 311.2
Avg. Heart Rate: 125 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Okay, I've got one Phase 3 workout under my belt and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I wouldn't say any one part of this morning's workout was particularly strenuous, it was just a constant push and was a fairly long workout. One thing to note, where I write "time" is what the game tells me after the workout is complete. From what I can gather, this is the amount of time spent doing the exercises, not the total time that elapsed from start to finish of the entire workout. I would say the whole thing took closer to 45 minutes today, and I don't tend to stop for long in between exercises. There is a little load time though, and sometimes there is a demonstration of how to do the exercise if its a new one. As you work through the 60 day challenge, the duration of the workouts increases. In Phase 1, I was spending about 30 minutes from start to finish and now its more like 45. It'll probably be even longer by the time I'm finished. I'm finding myself getting up earlier and earlier to get my workout done and still catch the same bus to work.
Anyway, let's have a look at today's workout chart:
Monday, February 28, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge: Day 39, Workout 24
60 Day Challenge Day 39, Workout #24
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, Trainer: Frank Gore
Time: 36:23
Calories Burned: 261.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 120 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 165 bpm
As of this morning, Phase 2 is complete! I am a little intimidated by what Phase 3 is going to throw at me, but I'm feeling good about stick with the program so well at this point. Life has been quite busy lately, so I haven't been able to blog every single workout, but I've been keeping up. Here's a look at my calories burned chart over the last 30 days:
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, Trainer: Frank Gore
Time: 36:23
Calories Burned: 261.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 120 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 165 bpm
As of this morning, Phase 2 is complete! I am a little intimidated by what Phase 3 is going to throw at me, but I'm feeling good about stick with the program so well at this point. Life has been quite busy lately, so I haven't been able to blog every single workout, but I've been keeping up. Here's a look at my calories burned chart over the last 30 days:
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge: Day 34, Workout 21
60 Day Challenge Day 34, Workout #21
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Trainer: Aaron Rodger
Time: 31:41
Calories Burned: 218.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 117 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 173 bpm
To my anonymous commenter yesterday who warned me about workout #21 - Yep, you were right. If I never do another jump squat in my life, I would probably die a happy man. Take a look at last night's workout chart:
They're a little bit hard to see, but the tiny little icons across the bottom of the chart represent the different exercises. The little jump squat guy shows up on the chart FIVE TIMES. The first set was just 15. Okay, that's fine. But then the very next exercise was a set of 20! So basically 35 jump squats in a row with about 15 seconds in the middle for "recovery." I think the heart rate graph shows the full story there.
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Trainer: Aaron Rodger
Time: 31:41
Calories Burned: 218.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 117 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 173 bpm
To my anonymous commenter yesterday who warned me about workout #21 - Yep, you were right. If I never do another jump squat in my life, I would probably die a happy man. Take a look at last night's workout chart:
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| Click to enlarge |
They're a little bit hard to see, but the tiny little icons across the bottom of the chart represent the different exercises. The little jump squat guy shows up on the chart FIVE TIMES. The first set was just 15. Okay, that's fine. But then the very next exercise was a set of 20! So basically 35 jump squats in a row with about 15 seconds in the middle for "recovery." I think the heart rate graph shows the full story there.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp 60 Day Challenge: Day 33, Workout #20
60 Day Challenge Day 33, Workout #20
Soldier Field, Chicago, Trainer: Devin Hester
Time: 35:16
Calories Burned: 247.9
Avg. Heart Rate: 131 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 176 bpm
Yesterday I did my first makeup workout. I missed my workout on Monday (see my previous post) but I was able to power through it last night. Surprisingly, the game didn't even really make me feel guilty about it. My legs were actually still feeling pretty sore when I started the workout, but I figured I'd just power through it. Lots of foot fires, stride jumps, and squat jumps last night to keep my heart rate up. Check out my heart rate/calorie chart below:
Soldier Field, Chicago, Trainer: Devin Hester
Time: 35:16
Calories Burned: 247.9
Avg. Heart Rate: 131 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 176 bpm
Yesterday I did my first makeup workout. I missed my workout on Monday (see my previous post) but I was able to power through it last night. Surprisingly, the game didn't even really make me feel guilty about it. My legs were actually still feeling pretty sore when I started the workout, but I figured I'd just power through it. Lots of foot fires, stride jumps, and squat jumps last night to keep my heart rate up. Check out my heart rate/calorie chart below:
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Uh oh.. Missed one..
I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I did workouts 18 and 19 last Friday and Saturday, but workout 20 was supposed to be yesterday - it didn't happen. Workouts 18 and 19 were pretty tough, and then I went on a strenuous hike on Sunday. I fully intended to continue my workouts yesterday, but my legs were just way too sore. The mere thought of prone knee drives made me cringe. Today is a scheduled day off, so I will make up yesterday's workout this evening and everything should be back on track. I'd feel worse about missing the day if I wasn't going to make it up immediately, or if it wasn't due to being sore from another physical activity. Honestly, my legs are still pretty sore this morning but I'm just going to work through it tonight and see how it goes
Below is my historical calorie burn chart, note the most recent three days have no calories burned :(.
Still, the last two workouts were over 230 calories. This program is definitely not letting up on me at all.
Below is my historical calorie burn chart, note the most recent three days have no calories burned :(.
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| Click to Enlarge |
Thursday, February 17, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp: Day 29, Workout 17
60 Day Challenge Day 29, Workout #17
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, Trainer: CJ Spiller
Time: 30:08
Calories Burned: 198.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 122 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 161 bpm
Workout 17 was last night and it was probably the most difficult workout I've had yet. I don't know what it was, but I was just feeling fatigued right off the bat. The workout focused on the lower body with a lot of squat jumps, bag hops, and prone knee drives. For whatever reason, I just really didn't want to keep going when I got to the first set of prone knee drives. I started to feel a little bit sick and had to pause for about five seconds during the first set of prone knee drives. By the second and third sets of jump squats, I was barely getting my feet off the ground. I think I hit a wall last night. Here's my workout summary chart:
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, Trainer: CJ Spiller
Time: 30:08
Calories Burned: 198.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 122 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 161 bpm
Workout 17 was last night and it was probably the most difficult workout I've had yet. I don't know what it was, but I was just feeling fatigued right off the bat. The workout focused on the lower body with a lot of squat jumps, bag hops, and prone knee drives. For whatever reason, I just really didn't want to keep going when I got to the first set of prone knee drives. I started to feel a little bit sick and had to pause for about five seconds during the first set of prone knee drives. By the second and third sets of jump squats, I was barely getting my feet off the ground. I think I hit a wall last night. Here's my workout summary chart:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
What else do you do to keep healthy?
While the focus of this blog is really on using the Wii to get exercise, I thought I'd try to write a post about some of the other aspects of being healthy. I'm definitely not an expert, so I'm not here to give advice, just to share my experience and invite you to share your own. Any comments, tips, criticisms, etc. are encouraged.
Based on my own observations, it seems like the number one response to "How do I lose weight/get in better shape?" is "Diet and exercise." Well, this blog is covering the exercise portion well, but what about diet? Honestly, that is probably the harder part of it for me. I'm 26, I've always eaten whatever I want, and never saw any negative consequences until the last few years. I'm not 17 anymore. I can't go out and devour a large pizza by myself and not gain an ounce. As a typical guy though, I'm constantly bombarded by advertising and the general young American guy culture encouraging me to eat "guy food" (i.e. eat this, its 5 pounds of steak covered in bacon, cheese, and deep fried). Mmmm. That sounds pretty good.
So how have I been doing with my diet since the start of my workout program? Well, better than I used to, but its still not good. I was using a calorie counting app on my phone for a couple of weeks just to get an idea of where I was at. Generally, it made me aware of what were good choices and what weren't. I cut the burger place down the street out of my weekly lunch rotation an discovered a gyro place that is a much better alternative. No more Chipotle burritos either. How about a light sushi lunch instead? No problem.
Based on my own observations, it seems like the number one response to "How do I lose weight/get in better shape?" is "Diet and exercise." Well, this blog is covering the exercise portion well, but what about diet? Honestly, that is probably the harder part of it for me. I'm 26, I've always eaten whatever I want, and never saw any negative consequences until the last few years. I'm not 17 anymore. I can't go out and devour a large pizza by myself and not gain an ounce. As a typical guy though, I'm constantly bombarded by advertising and the general young American guy culture encouraging me to eat "guy food" (i.e. eat this, its 5 pounds of steak covered in bacon, cheese, and deep fried). Mmmm. That sounds pretty good.
So how have I been doing with my diet since the start of my workout program? Well, better than I used to, but its still not good. I was using a calorie counting app on my phone for a couple of weeks just to get an idea of where I was at. Generally, it made me aware of what were good choices and what weren't. I cut the burger place down the street out of my weekly lunch rotation an discovered a gyro place that is a much better alternative. No more Chipotle burritos either. How about a light sushi lunch instead? No problem.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Troubleshooting EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for Wii
Okay, I've been using this program for about a month now and have experienced some frustration, which appears to be shared by others, during certain specific exercises. This entry will show my experiences with how I've dealt with them and will be updated whenever I have a new tip/trick to share. Hopefully this will be helpful to some people that have had the same frustrations that I have. If you have any particular troubles or solutions, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do to address it.
Alright, check out the guide below:
Alright, check out the guide below:
Monday, February 14, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp Day 27, Workout 16
60 Day Challenge Day 27, Workout #17
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Trainer: Tom Brady
Time: 33:18
Calories Burned: 207.4
Avg. Heart Rate: 108 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 150 bpm
Sorry blog world if I've been neglecting you. Its been three workouts since my last post. Life's been super busy the last week, but the good news is I haven't missed a workout. Check out my calories burned chart to see how I've been doing:
I've been consistently burning 200+ calories for the last several workouts. Today was focused on the lower body, so my average heart rate wasn't as high as its been during the full body workouts, but that doesn't mean it wasn't exhausting. Lots of squat jumps, lunges, and bag hops to really give my legs a challenge. Had two sets of alternating leg raises and two sets of reverse crunches today too - those are ab killers.
Okay, so its been about four weeks now since I started the 60 Day Challenge. How am I feeling?
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Trainer: Tom Brady
Time: 33:18
Calories Burned: 207.4
Avg. Heart Rate: 108 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 150 bpm
Sorry blog world if I've been neglecting you. Its been three workouts since my last post. Life's been super busy the last week, but the good news is I haven't missed a workout. Check out my calories burned chart to see how I've been doing:
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| Historical Calories Burned (click to enlarge) |
I've been consistently burning 200+ calories for the last several workouts. Today was focused on the lower body, so my average heart rate wasn't as high as its been during the full body workouts, but that doesn't mean it wasn't exhausting. Lots of squat jumps, lunges, and bag hops to really give my legs a challenge. Had two sets of alternating leg raises and two sets of reverse crunches today too - those are ab killers.
Okay, so its been about four weeks now since I started the 60 Day Challenge. How am I feeling?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp Report: Day 22, Phase 2 begins
60 Day Challenge Day 22, Workout #13
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Trainer: Kevin Kolb
Time: 30:00
Calories Burned: 217.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 123 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 172 bpm
I did workout #13 last night, which was the first workout of Phase 2! Let me tell you, about 1/3 of the way through the workout, I was wondering how I was ever complaining about the intensity of the last few workouts. Things were pretty relentless last night with squat jumps, prone knee drives, and leg raises. The leg raises were sets of 20! I thought the sets of 16 from last week were brutal...
Here's my workout graph from last night:
More impressions after the jump...
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Trainer: Kevin Kolb
Time: 30:00
Calories Burned: 217.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 123 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 172 bpm
I did workout #13 last night, which was the first workout of Phase 2! Let me tell you, about 1/3 of the way through the workout, I was wondering how I was ever complaining about the intensity of the last few workouts. Things were pretty relentless last night with squat jumps, prone knee drives, and leg raises. The leg raises were sets of 20! I thought the sets of 16 from last week were brutal...
Here's my workout graph from last night:
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| Workout 14 chart (click to enlarge) |
More impressions after the jump...
Monday, February 7, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 7, Day 21
60 Day Challenge Day 21, Workout #12
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Trainer: Roy Lewis
Time: 32:19
Calories Burned: 200.8
Avg. Heart Rate: 111 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 160 bpm
First of all, what a great game yesterday! I didn't really have anything invested in the outcome, but I've become quite the Aaron Rodgers fan, and it was great to see the Pack hang on despite so many critical dropped passes.
Okay, today's workout was alright, but I do have one major complaint. The DB Challenge (defensive back) just feels broken. There is a section where you are standing in the middle of four cones and you are supposed to lunge towards the cone it tells you (front right, back left, etc.) and it just doesn't want to work most of the time. I try moving the sensors around and realigning my body into strange Twister-esque contortions and it just seems almost random what it accepts as being the correct movement. Then there is a section where it throws balls and announces which direction you need to move in order to catch them (its either left, right, or up high). I catch every ball to the right and miss every one that is up high or left. What is odd about this is that in the WR Challenge (wide receiver), there is this exact same drill and I catch everything.
Its frustrating, because while I do really enjoy this game/exercise program, every once in awhile there is a glitch that I feel really impacts the quality of my workout. My heart rate came way down for the few minutes of the DB Challenge where I was struggling to get the program to record my movements. I think I'll just skip this one the next time it comes around.
So the big news after the workout was over... Phase 1 is complete! Excellent, I'm 1/3 of the way through the 60 day challenge! On to Phase 2 starting tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the increased challenge.
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Trainer: Roy Lewis
Time: 32:19
Calories Burned: 200.8
Avg. Heart Rate: 111 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 160 bpm
Okay, today's workout was alright, but I do have one major complaint. The DB Challenge (defensive back) just feels broken. There is a section where you are standing in the middle of four cones and you are supposed to lunge towards the cone it tells you (front right, back left, etc.) and it just doesn't want to work most of the time. I try moving the sensors around and realigning my body into strange Twister-esque contortions and it just seems almost random what it accepts as being the correct movement. Then there is a section where it throws balls and announces which direction you need to move in order to catch them (its either left, right, or up high). I catch every ball to the right and miss every one that is up high or left. What is odd about this is that in the WR Challenge (wide receiver), there is this exact same drill and I catch everything.
Its frustrating, because while I do really enjoy this game/exercise program, every once in awhile there is a glitch that I feel really impacts the quality of my workout. My heart rate came way down for the few minutes of the DB Challenge where I was struggling to get the program to record my movements. I think I'll just skip this one the next time it comes around.
So the big news after the workout was over... Phase 1 is complete! Excellent, I'm 1/3 of the way through the 60 day challenge! On to Phase 2 starting tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the increased challenge.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 6, Day 19
60 Day Challenge Day 17, Workout #11
FedEx Field, Washington, Trainer: Donovan McNabb
Time: 30:19
Calories Burned: 202.4
Avg. Heart Rate: 121 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 161 bpm
Another tough workout today, this time focused on the upper body. Still, there were a lot of jump squats and stride jumps to keep my heart rate up. I had some trouble with the tricep kickbacks today. The game didn't seem to register me holding my arms up and would tell me to hold still. After holding still for about five seconds, I couldn't hold still anymore, so I kind of had to cheat to get the game to record the exercise. I still did actually do the exercise, but it didn't register all that well and I had to repeat the motions a lot of times to get through it - kind of frustrating. Alternating leg raises were tough today - had to do two sets of 16. These leg raise exercises seem to be doing a lot for my core though. My abs are going to be sore tomorrow. I can already tell.
Below is a graph showing my historical calorie burns since I started the challenge:
FedEx Field, Washington, Trainer: Donovan McNabb
Time: 30:19
Calories Burned: 202.4
Avg. Heart Rate: 121 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 161 bpm
Another tough workout today, this time focused on the upper body. Still, there were a lot of jump squats and stride jumps to keep my heart rate up. I had some trouble with the tricep kickbacks today. The game didn't seem to register me holding my arms up and would tell me to hold still. After holding still for about five seconds, I couldn't hold still anymore, so I kind of had to cheat to get the game to record the exercise. I still did actually do the exercise, but it didn't register all that well and I had to repeat the motions a lot of times to get through it - kind of frustrating. Alternating leg raises were tough today - had to do two sets of 16. These leg raise exercises seem to be doing a lot for my core though. My abs are going to be sore tomorrow. I can already tell.
Below is a graph showing my historical calorie burns since I started the challenge:
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday - Day off!
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| Not quite how I'm spending my day off. I still have to work :( |
Because its really mostly my abs (and my legs a little bit) that are sore, I may try to squeeze in a quick Gold's Gym Cardio workout this evening before dinner. Maybe a few upper body dumbbell exercises too. Nothing too strenuous though, since it technically is a rest day.
I keep reading about the horrible winter weather that is striking the Northeast and the Midwest. Its been pretty mild here in the Pacific Northwest, but I'd sure be glad to have an indoor at-home workout program if there was a blizzard outside. I have no idea how I'd get to a gym or go for a run with two feet of snow on the ground.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Follow me on Twitter!
I am now tweeting at http://www.twitter.com/shapingupwithwi
Let me know if you have any recommendations for accounts to follow, and be sure to follow me to get the latest updates on my progress and on upcoming Wii exercise titles!
Let me know if you have any recommendations for accounts to follow, and be sure to follow me to get the latest updates on my progress and on upcoming Wii exercise titles!
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 5, Day 17
60 Day Challenge Day 17, Workout #10
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Trainer: Troy Polamalu
Time: 28:23
Calories Burned: 184.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 112 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 166 bpm
Got up nice and early this morning for the second of my back to back workouts. The game automatically picks a stadium for you to work out in, but you can override its selection if you want. So far I've just been going with what the game picks, but man, I hate the Steelers. I worked out in the steel city anyway with Troy Polamalu today. I think he's funny in those shampoo commercials.
On to the workout! It was a challenge again today. Not quite as brutal as yesterday's workout, but decidedly more difficult than the workouts of the first two weeks. Foot fires and bag hops were plentiful today, and the duration of the foot fires seems to have doubled, while the bag hops went from sets of 5 to sets of 10. The game also introduced an exercise called leg raises, where you sit on the ground, lean back, propping yourself up on your elbows, extend your legs straight out in front of you, then lift your legs up to about a 50 or 60 degree angle. Then you bring your legs back down, but leave your feet hovering a few inches off the ground. Repeat. 16 times. This is the first time in awhile that I had to take a pause in the middle of an exercise. I made it through 8 and had to stop for about 10 seconds because my abs were killing me. This happened during both sets of leg raises. By the last few reps of each set, I was putting my feet on the ground, which you're not supposed to do.
Below is the graph of my heart rate/calories burned today:
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Trainer: Troy Polamalu
Time: 28:23
Calories Burned: 184.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 112 bpm
Max. Heart Rate: 166 bpm
Got up nice and early this morning for the second of my back to back workouts. The game automatically picks a stadium for you to work out in, but you can override its selection if you want. So far I've just been going with what the game picks, but man, I hate the Steelers. I worked out in the steel city anyway with Troy Polamalu today. I think he's funny in those shampoo commercials.
On to the workout! It was a challenge again today. Not quite as brutal as yesterday's workout, but decidedly more difficult than the workouts of the first two weeks. Foot fires and bag hops were plentiful today, and the duration of the foot fires seems to have doubled, while the bag hops went from sets of 5 to sets of 10. The game also introduced an exercise called leg raises, where you sit on the ground, lean back, propping yourself up on your elbows, extend your legs straight out in front of you, then lift your legs up to about a 50 or 60 degree angle. Then you bring your legs back down, but leave your feet hovering a few inches off the ground. Repeat. 16 times. This is the first time in awhile that I had to take a pause in the middle of an exercise. I made it through 8 and had to stop for about 10 seconds because my abs were killing me. This happened during both sets of leg raises. By the last few reps of each set, I was putting my feet on the ground, which you're not supposed to do.
Below is the graph of my heart rate/calories burned today:
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 4, Day 16
60 Day Challenge Day 16, Workout #9
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Trainer: Chad Ochocinco
Time: 26:53
Calories Burned: 204.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 123 bpm
Finished my workout about an hour ago and it was INTENSE. Below is a graph showing my average and maximum heart rates for each workout so far:
You can see that my average and maximum were down a bit the last couple of workouts before today. Well, today they upped the number of reps for some of the exercises. I was doing sets of 10 squat jumps in the past - today they were sets of 15. Stride jumps used to be sets of 20 - today they were 30. There was one stretch of three exercises where I really thought the game was trying to kill me: 1 set of 10 squat jumps, 1 set of 15 squat jumps, then 1 set of 30 stride jumps. My heart rate peaked during the stride jumps at 175. Pretty impressive considering I've rarely been above 150 in the past workouts.
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Trainer: Chad Ochocinco
Time: 26:53
Calories Burned: 204.0
Avg. Heart Rate: 123 bpm
Finished my workout about an hour ago and it was INTENSE. Below is a graph showing my average and maximum heart rates for each workout so far:
 |
| Heart rate graph (click to enlarge) |
You can see that my average and maximum were down a bit the last couple of workouts before today. Well, today they upped the number of reps for some of the exercises. I was doing sets of 10 squat jumps in the past - today they were sets of 15. Stride jumps used to be sets of 20 - today they were 30. There was one stretch of three exercises where I really thought the game was trying to kill me: 1 set of 10 squat jumps, 1 set of 15 squat jumps, then 1 set of 30 stride jumps. My heart rate peaked during the stride jumps at 175. Pretty impressive considering I've rarely been above 150 in the past workouts.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Gold's Gym Cardio Workout: Initial Impressions
Fast forward 24 hours from my first GGCW session...
My back is SORE! I can feel some soreness in my biceps as well and I know its from GGCW, not the NFL workout, which was lower-body focused. I only just went through the basics in GGCW, where it shows you how to throw a jab, cross, hook, and uppercut as well as goes over some simple footwork and dodging. I probably spent about 30 minutes total getting through the training sessions. I didn't want to overdo it since I'd already done a workout in the morning. Still, even just doing the basics, I broke a light sweat and its clear now that I used some muscles I don't normally use.
I'm not going to write up a full review here just yet since I don't have enough experience, but so far I'm intrigued. From what I can tell, the bulk of this game is "cardio boxing," which involves throwing punches and doing various footwork in sequence and in conjunction with music. The interface actually looks similar to games like Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero, where the moves you are supposed to do scroll across the screen and you need to synchronize your actions with them to get points. Seems fun, I may try it again on Friday which is my next off day from the NFL workout. I'm a little too sore to fire it up again tonight.
Monday, January 31, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 3, Day 14
60 Day Challenge Day 14, Workout #8
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Trainer: Joseph Addai
Time: 28:34
Calories Burned: 174.9
Avg. Heart Rate: 104 bpm
Got up nice and early this morning (6:15) to get my week going with an NFL workout. Check out the screenshot below that I grabbed from the EA Sports Active website, which shows the details of the workout:
The black line shows calories burned, while the white line shows your heart rate. If you put your mouse over and of the dots, it shows you the details of that exercise (Stride Jumps in the screetshot). I'm about 90% sure my heart rate monitor was not registering properly during a few of the workouts which you can see in the middle. I haven't had this problem before, but I doubt that my heart rate fell below 100 while I was running around in the WR obstacle course.
Overall today's workout felt a lot more challenging than Saturday's. It focused on the lower body, so there were a lot of squat and lunge type of exercises. My legs felt pretty weak walking up the stairs to the shower.
Well, there's one more in the books. I'm still feeling really positive about this workout program. Saturday seemed a little too easy, but today had me sweating and struggling again (in a good way). Off day tomorrow and then my back to back days Wednesday and Thursday!
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Trainer: Joseph Addai
Time: 28:34
Calories Burned: 174.9
Avg. Heart Rate: 104 bpm
Got up nice and early this morning (6:15) to get my week going with an NFL workout. Check out the screenshot below that I grabbed from the EA Sports Active website, which shows the details of the workout:
 |
| Today's workout summary graph (click to enlarge) |
The black line shows calories burned, while the white line shows your heart rate. If you put your mouse over and of the dots, it shows you the details of that exercise (Stride Jumps in the screetshot). I'm about 90% sure my heart rate monitor was not registering properly during a few of the workouts which you can see in the middle. I haven't had this problem before, but I doubt that my heart rate fell below 100 while I was running around in the WR obstacle course.
Overall today's workout felt a lot more challenging than Saturday's. It focused on the lower body, so there were a lot of squat and lunge type of exercises. My legs felt pretty weak walking up the stairs to the shower.
Well, there's one more in the books. I'm still feeling really positive about this workout program. Saturday seemed a little too easy, but today had me sweating and struggling again (in a good way). Off day tomorrow and then my back to back days Wednesday and Thursday!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Report 2 (Day 12)
60 Day Challenge Day 12, Workout #7
LP Stadium, Tennessee, Trainer: Vince Young
Time: 25:59
Calories Burned: 151.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 104 bpm
I've got to be honest, today really didn't challenge me much. I feel like I've been getting in better shape, so that might explain it a little bit, but my previous workout on Thursday left me out of breath a lot more and my average heart rate was around 112 if I recall and calories burned was over 190.
Summary of the exercises: 3 stretching exercises, shoulder presses, jump squats, foot fires, bent over rows, jump squats, lateral shoulder raises, QB obstacle course, bent arm side planks, reverse crunches, push ups, foot fires, jump squats, single arm bent over rows, foot fires, overhead tricep extensions, field goal challenge, bent arm side planks, reverse crunches, then four stretching exercises.
My impressions of the workout:
LP Stadium, Tennessee, Trainer: Vince Young
Time: 25:59
Calories Burned: 151.3
Avg. Heart Rate: 104 bpm
I've got to be honest, today really didn't challenge me much. I feel like I've been getting in better shape, so that might explain it a little bit, but my previous workout on Thursday left me out of breath a lot more and my average heart rate was around 112 if I recall and calories burned was over 190.
Summary of the exercises: 3 stretching exercises, shoulder presses, jump squats, foot fires, bent over rows, jump squats, lateral shoulder raises, QB obstacle course, bent arm side planks, reverse crunches, push ups, foot fires, jump squats, single arm bent over rows, foot fires, overhead tricep extensions, field goal challenge, bent arm side planks, reverse crunches, then four stretching exercises.
My impressions of the workout:
Friday, January 28, 2011
UFC Personal Trainer coming to Wii/Kinect/Move in April 2011
Well, today is a scheduled rest day in my NFL Training Camp 60 day challenge. Its a welcome rest day since I was definitely feeling the effect of all those jump squats while I was coming down the stairs in my house this morning. I wanted to make a quick post about a new fitness game coming out in a few months. There isn't a lot of info available, but THQ is releasing a UFC themed fitness game on the Wii, Kinect, and Move called UFC Personal Trainer in April of this year.
Details are sparse at this point, so I'll have to reserve any sort of judgment until I can find out more or maybe see some clips of the game in action, but I'm tentatively excited to see another fitness game that has a decidely "male" appeal to it. There certainly aren't a shortage of fitness type games on the market, but so many of them seem targeted at females. Obviously a guy can still do these workouts, but something about having a more masculine theme seems more appealing to me, which probably explains why I'm so far sticking with NFL Training Camp, whereas the generic themes of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit didn't keep me drawn in. If I see a dance workout game, or something with Jillian Michaels on the cover I'll pass, thanks.
Do other guys out there feel the same way? I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I don't want to feel embarassed by the workout I'm doing. I'd feel kind of emasculated to admit I'm doing an aerobics routine with a virtual Jenny McCarthy. [Okay, there is not supposed to be any innuendo in that last sentence. There really is a family-friendly Wii workout game that features Jenny McCarthy]
I'll be sure to post more about the UFC title when more info becomes available, and I'm always keeping an eye out for news on any other upcoming Wii exercise titles. Back to the NFL workouts tomorrow. I'll post a detailed recap of my workout tomorrow so people can get a good idea of what a typical workout is like.
EDIT: Just read this article on Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/ufc-trainer-grappling-with-delays-launching-in-june/
Looks like it'll be out in June... maybe.
Details are sparse at this point, so I'll have to reserve any sort of judgment until I can find out more or maybe see some clips of the game in action, but I'm tentatively excited to see another fitness game that has a decidely "male" appeal to it. There certainly aren't a shortage of fitness type games on the market, but so many of them seem targeted at females. Obviously a guy can still do these workouts, but something about having a more masculine theme seems more appealing to me, which probably explains why I'm so far sticking with NFL Training Camp, whereas the generic themes of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit didn't keep me drawn in. If I see a dance workout game, or something with Jillian Michaels on the cover I'll pass, thanks.
Do other guys out there feel the same way? I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I don't want to feel embarassed by the workout I'm doing. I'd feel kind of emasculated to admit I'm doing an aerobics routine with a virtual Jenny McCarthy. [Okay, there is not supposed to be any innuendo in that last sentence. There really is a family-friendly Wii workout game that features Jenny McCarthy]
I'll be sure to post more about the UFC title when more info becomes available, and I'm always keeping an eye out for news on any other upcoming Wii exercise titles. Back to the NFL workouts tomorrow. I'll post a detailed recap of my workout tomorrow so people can get a good idea of what a typical workout is like.
EDIT: Just read this article on Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/ufc-trainer-grappling-with-delays-launching-in-june/
Looks like it'll be out in June... maybe.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
EA Sports NFL Training Camp: Review & Report 1
As a pretty serious NFL fan, I was definitely intrigued when I heard about EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for the Wii. I have worked out with EA Sports Active 2 before, and while I felt like it provided a good workout, it was BOOORING. It just felt really generic, it had no personality and nothing really kept me coming back to it. I have now had NFL Training Camp for a week and a half and I haven't missed a workout in the 60 challenge. I actually found myself wanting to do a workout yesterday even though it was a designated rest day per the program.
The 60 day challenge first requires you to determine a workout schedule - you pick four days of the week you'd like to work out and the other three days are to be rest days. If you need to adjust your workout days, there is an option to do so, but it does not take effect until the following week. I began the challenge last Tuesday (1/18/11) and have so far completed six workouts as of this morning. I haven't missed any of my scheduled workouts yet. Here are my initial impressions of the game:
 |
| Here's what comes in the box |
Lets start out with some of the basics about NFL Training Camp. It retails for around $100 (though I have seen it on sale for much less) [EDIT: Just noticed the regular price seems to have dropped to $60. Nice!], includes the game, manual, arm sensor w/heart rate monitor, leg sensor, and a resistance band. The game features a collection of different exercises, many of which are NFL themed. They range from yoga-type stretches/poses to resistance band exercises to obstacle courses and several football skills workouts that simulate things like throwing passes, tackling dummies, kicking field goals, and making interceptions. Its a good variety, and you can either choose from workouts that have been created from these exercises by stipulating the intensity, time, and type of workout you'd like, or you can create a custom workout by simply selecting which exercises you would like to perform. There is also the 60 day challenge, which is really what I will be writing the most about to begin with.
The 60 day challenge first requires you to determine a workout schedule - you pick four days of the week you'd like to work out and the other three days are to be rest days. If you need to adjust your workout days, there is an option to do so, but it does not take effect until the following week. I began the challenge last Tuesday (1/18/11) and have so far completed six workouts as of this morning. I haven't missed any of my scheduled workouts yet. Here are my initial impressions of the game:
Welcome to my blog!
Can a 26 year old with a desk job and an extra 20 pounds accumulated since high school turn things around by working out with a Wii? We'll see...
Growing up, it was always easy to stay in shape. I ate whatever I wanted, ran around outside all day, rain or shine, life was good. Next thing you know, running around isn't so much a leisure activity - its something you do if you see your bus speeding away from you or if you feel you might be in mortal danger. Exercise is the last thing on your brain after spending a ten hour day sitting in a chair at the office. Maybe you'll just have a seat in front of the television or go have a beer or three to unwind with your friends. Then one day you happen to catch an unflattering glimpse of yourself in the mirror coming out of the shower, or god forbid you step on a scale. It hits you - what happened here?
I'm a 26 year old male, not in the worst of shape, but my figure has certainly evolved to reflect my more sedentary office job lifestyle. I'm a good 15 to 20 pounds heavier than I was in high school a mere 8 years ago. In the last few years I've joined a gym, bought an exercise bike, taken up actual cycling, bought a set of dumb bells, and attempted to go for a jog more than once, just to name a few of my attempts to get back in shape. Well... I've also quit the gym I joined, didn't ride my bike more than five or six times last year, probably about the same can be said for my stationary bike, and the dumb bells are more or less gathering dust. Oh, and don't ask about the jogging...
I've got all the excuses too - It's raining outside, what if I look stupid and run into someone I know, the gym is closed, this workout bores me to death... Well, what excuses do I have to not try working out with my Wii? Its in the privacy of my own home, I own the required equipment, less any software I'd like to try, and it seems like it can be engaging.
Growing up, it was always easy to stay in shape. I ate whatever I wanted, ran around outside all day, rain or shine, life was good. Next thing you know, running around isn't so much a leisure activity - its something you do if you see your bus speeding away from you or if you feel you might be in mortal danger. Exercise is the last thing on your brain after spending a ten hour day sitting in a chair at the office. Maybe you'll just have a seat in front of the television or go have a beer or three to unwind with your friends. Then one day you happen to catch an unflattering glimpse of yourself in the mirror coming out of the shower, or god forbid you step on a scale. It hits you - what happened here?
I'm a 26 year old male, not in the worst of shape, but my figure has certainly evolved to reflect my more sedentary office job lifestyle. I'm a good 15 to 20 pounds heavier than I was in high school a mere 8 years ago. In the last few years I've joined a gym, bought an exercise bike, taken up actual cycling, bought a set of dumb bells, and attempted to go for a jog more than once, just to name a few of my attempts to get back in shape. Well... I've also quit the gym I joined, didn't ride my bike more than five or six times last year, probably about the same can be said for my stationary bike, and the dumb bells are more or less gathering dust. Oh, and don't ask about the jogging...
I've got all the excuses too - It's raining outside, what if I look stupid and run into someone I know, the gym is closed, this workout bores me to death... Well, what excuses do I have to not try working out with my Wii? Its in the privacy of my own home, I own the required equipment, less any software I'd like to try, and it seems like it can be engaging.
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