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Anonymous
Question for /fit/.

What are your thoughts on using dance games like In The Groove or DDR as part of one's exercise routine? I'm overweight and am looking for a bit of fun while I go on this fucking diet and lose some weight. About 2 months ago I was one of the guys who would laugh hard at anyone playing this game. Then I gave it a try and I've actually become addicted to it. I've heard of people losing weight playing this game and just wanted to see how I would go about doing something like that?

I would also be running or walking daily as well as swimming at least every other day. Not to mention giving up the crap food that I've been eating for the past few years...
>> Tarzan !3GqYIJ3Obs
Only if you dance for 40 minutes straight with no breaks.
>> Anonymous
>>331072

Any specific difficulty? Or just play whatever I feel comfortable playing? I'm not too good yet. I can only do about medium 7's to heavy 8's if I'm lucky.
>> Anonymous
if you keep playing and get good enough to do expert on ITG2 (9-12s) you can start building up some major endurance and play 4-5 rounds back to back which is like 30 mins of hardcore cardio workout
>> Anonymous
I hope you're planning to play at home, because 1) public arcades are not your personal gym, and 2) the BO and sweat factor (if you're doing it right, you will be sweating A LOT).

Seconding>>331072; as long as you avoid taking breaks in between songs (yes, that includes taking your sweet time to pick what song you want to play next) and you feel like you're being challenged (i.e. leg muscles burning/sweating), then DDR MIGHT be something you might want to add to your regular workout routine.
>> Anonymous
Yeah I use it for a little cardio but I still do bike and lift though.
>> Anonymous
>>331068
its like playing soccer/footbal or any other sports. its not an actuall excersice but its healthy and fun game which does help you in loosing weight.but no matter how hard it may be replacing cardio with it is not really a very good idea
>> Anonymous
that is nowhere as hard as any cardio sport so cut the shit you fucking american lazy ass and go run
>> Anonymous
>>331104
LOL

american here and listen to this foreign faggot. he's right, and OP is the reason why america is being called fat all the time. shape your fat ass up, that game will not fucking do as much as running or jogging. get a gym membership you fat bitch
>> Anonymous
>>331127
Stop enabling the xenophobic Europeans, faggot.
>> Anonymous
Hope this isn't a double post...

When in High School, I had DDR in my parents' basement, and I have some words for you.

Half of the challenge of DDR is reading the arrows. DDR only really becomes a great workout when you can look at a speeding slew of arrows and interpret a tango from it. If you can't read the arrows, you can't go beyond slow step aerobics. If you can do 7's and 8's, you're getting there!

DDR can be a great workout if you stay up on your toes. Run in place when you have streams of arrows. See how high you can jump for doubles. DDR can be a workout, but it can also just be someone standing there barely wiggling their feet as they ace a 10-step song.

For a platform, the best recommendation I have for you is StepMania on a PC. Get a pad or a converter that lets you use your computer and download StepMania. This will give you access to a large variety of songs for FREE. Pick a song you like, chances are someone's made a step chart to it that you can find and download. If you become a true addict, you can even make your own steps to songs.

Make sure that at home, your pad won't move (or in the cheaper versions, crumple) when you play. That reminds me, make sure your pad works! There's a lack of fun in a game that fails you just because your pad's breaking.

Finally, like all workouts, pay attention to your health. DDR can be a high-impact activity on your feet, especially if you have fun while playing it. Pay attention to your joints. Don't overwork yourself.

Oh, and your legs can go numb when playing the hardest songs.
>> Anonymous
This CAN work fine, and anyone who says otherwise is a clueless moron.

However...the trick is keeping your heart rate at the right pace for the right amount of time. You don't go out and run as hard as you can as long as you can, because when you put that kind of exertion on your system, it starts going straight for the most readily available calories...those you've just eaten.

However, if you get your heart rate a little high, say half again as fast as it normally beats, and keep it at that rate for a sustained period of time, your body will burn the less readily available energy, that being fat.

So, it'll take some doing to find the right "playlist" to do the job correctly, and you'll have to switch between songs quickly and not take a break, but it is an option. Just a complicated one.
>> Anonymous
If you play on it often enough it would be great for cardio,

its not because he's lazy that he wants an alternative to running/jogging he wants an alternative since running/jogging is extremely boring