Is Kinect on XBOX a good idea for exercise

W0zzie

Kinect was my primary form of workout to get to goal and still is in maintenance. I have mostly used Sports (target practice, soccer, tabletennis, volleyball & boxing are all good to great burners), BLUW (for focused training), Fighters Uncaged (not a great game but nuclear burner) & Adventures (reflex ridge can be a killer). Recently I got Dance Central too just for a bit of fun.

As nabauer86 says - it's "fun" - it is the only "workout" that kept my interest since leaving the military where I had to keep it 14 years ago.

stevenc78

I use EA Active Sports 2 for Kinect for almost all the workouts I do. Its not perfect but once you realize that its pretty good. I like how it came with a heart rate monitor that syncs up with the game. I got a Polar FT7 though and use that (along with the games hrm) as its more accurate.

lucentabella

It's an excellent work-out! It's fun and you burn more than you think. If you do a lot of cardio in the game, log it as cardio. If you do a lot of jumping, squating, etc..log it as calesthenics. Have fun!

My Kinect Games:
Adventures (lots of squat jumps and arm work)
Self-Defense Training Camp (haven't tried yet)
Kinect Sports (a great cardio/calesthenics mix)
Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure (true to Jillian form you will work hard and all over)
Game Party In Motion (great arm work)
Body and Brain Connect (easy movements)
Deca Sports Freedom (10 different sports)
Your Shape Fitness (awesome flexible fitness program with tons of options)
Zumba Fitness (burn mega calories mega fast)
MotionSports Adrenaline (haven't tried yet - looks like a lot of fun fast/tight movements)
UFC Personal Trainer (haven't tried this yet)

BaconMD

Well I don't have an XBOX but I have a PS3, and have lost 5 inches from my waist by doing EA Sports Active 2 on it so I'd definitely say exercising through a games console helps!

EASA2 is great! I lost around 45lbs last year doing only EASA2 on my PS3, and not tracking food or anything like that. I owe my success to that program, even though it's not as polished as it could be, it still was great. Tracking my exercise, heart rate, calorie burn, etc. is exactly what I needed and this made it sooo easy. I cannot recommend it enough! I even bought it for my friend for Christmas who didn't even own a PS3 yet (he was planning to get one soon). He tried it at my place prior, and he liked it and wanted to get it.

I heard the Xbox 360 Kinect version of EASA2 is far inferior to the PS3 and Wii versions (like half as many exercises plus Kinect is wonky at best) but I would also recommend it if that's the only system you have. Otherwise, get it for PS3.

I use EA Active Sports 2 for Kinect for almost all the workouts I do. Its not perfect but once you realize that its pretty good. I like how it came with a heart rate monitor that syncs up with the game. I got a Polar FT7 though and use that (along with the games hrm) as its more accurate.

I also got an FT7 and wear them both when I use EASA2 (these days I vary my workouts sometimes freestyle, sometimes treadmill, sometimes this or that). I found the EASA2 HRM was usually exact or a couple beats behind the Polar, and the calorie count was far lower in EASA2 at the end (due to the short pauses between exercises).

BlueBaron37

I got EASA 2 the Adventures game that came with it and Motion Sports, Uncaged Fighters and a pre owned Sonic Free Riders.
Plus a mat and some arm and leg weights and a set of light weights.

Thank for your input peps

bluefox9er

not on kinect ,but ''golds gym'' on the wii is a KILLER workout and I have dropped pound after pound after incorporating it into my workouts before..I might just get back into it now.

FireSwan

I have the Your Shape Fitness Evolved & Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012, as well as Zumba and a bunch of dancing games [Dance Central] and they really get the job done. With Your Shape Fitness Evolved alone I lost 10+ lbs.

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 is very fun. "Punch your calories!"

Please don't get UFC Trainer after you've tried Your Shape 2012, you will not even have the patience to dink around with that laggy POS game. Unless I got a bad copy or something. It doesn't read you nearly as good as Your Shape does, I had to return UFC Trainer the first day I got it because it was so horrible. You can cheat on all the exercises really easily, and when you try to do them correctly, it doesn't count it.

Also, the "workouts" are just like a Computer Graphics Generated celebrity UFC fighter showing you the workouts, no interactivity, so it's just like a DVD with fake people you can't really relate to.

I do agree with you on UFC trainer. We bought it before Your Shape 2012. I like your shape much better, but hubby likes to keep UFC for variety. I'll probably not be using UFC much now. (plus I got mad when it wouldn't count the pushups I could barely do)

katgirl985

I LOVE my Kinect! I wear a HRM when playing to log calories -- normally about 500 an hour, not too shabby considering I am playing a game!

I LOVE the Adventures game, Kinect Sports, and Dance Central. :-)

BlueBaron37

The HRM that comes with EASA2 can that be worn on any game to help log calories ?

pumkinoodle

How can you tell how many calories you burn playing various kinect games?

katebigue

Zumba fitness Rush. works great. You can have a single song to a short class to a full class. That is for the xbox 360 kinect

katebigue

with the zumba rush fitness you can loss 100 or better, depending on which dance you do and if you a single,short,or full class.

meerkat70

It's a good way to get moving at home as it's fun. I use it on days where I can't get to the gym, and it's too late to run / cycle outside, and it's great as a back up exercise. As someone else said earlier, it's going to be a whole lot better than doing nothing, and it can give you a pretty good cardio workout if you put yourself into it properly.

sashatranett

i've definitely been looking into the games on the kinect and i really want one! the games im most interested in are dance central, ufc trainer, and the star wars game (not at all fitness related). there was another scary game that i saw at walmart that looked interesting (also not at all fitness related) but i love scary ****, and its gotten great reviews. but, i dont see how it could hurt. even if you've done your workout for the day, and you just want something to do to avoid boredom, might as well use the kinect and burn some calories while you're at it

PHS7

Its a heck of a lot better then doing nothing, thats for sure!

Agreed!

pduckworth

I love Zumba for Kinect! Unfortunately my apartment is too small for it now though

pduckworth

I use my heart rate monitor to tell. It was $30 at Target on sale

JeriG75

Does the Biggest Looser show how many calories burned?

lord_lethris

I havent read any of the replays so sorry if this has been repeated.

I have higly recommended XBox360+Kinect for months now.
Your Shape:FE is by far the best work out game/program. (as seen on "the Gadget Show Fitness reviews")

Without sounding to much like a PR geek, and to keep it short, I help run an online Media games site, I have alot of hardware indoors, and I can also say I have tested Fitness Programs on all platforms.

PS3 - Its ok, but you can only really feel the work out on your arms, and there is a moderate opertunity to "cheet" the program/game.

Wii - The Wii fit, in my opinion, is useless. My mate stood on it (yes, he is over weight) and it demorolized him and told him to get of because he was to heavy for its sensers to weigh him. Also told my "skinny" daughter of 10 (at the time) she was overweight... she is tall... and to stick a thorn in her side, made her Wii-Mee charicter "fat". There is also a HUGE margin to cheat the system. Its demorolising, clearly "weighted" for the Japaneese populating (as they are naturally slim and small people) and, well, just plain useless.

XBox360+Kinect - Simply Excellent, very small margin to cheat the system, as it tracks most of your joints, even jogging on the spot excersise you have to "lift those knees" to register a jogging step. and skipping rope excersise you have to rotate your arms AND jump in time to register a "skip". Sit ups track your motion and position to see if your doing it correctly. Also, if your doing it wrong, unlike the "Wii Fit", it DOESNT demorolize you, it instead "encorages" you to do it correctly bu explaining "Whilst your excorsising" how to do it right, for example it may say "Don't forget to lift those knees! thats right! well done, great!", or "We'll practice this again in another session, we'll work on lifting your arms a little further, you'll get better the more you practice"

Only yesterday (hence why I found this thread) I was playing Starwars Kinect with my son. We did 2x3hr of playing (rested half way for lunch). He loved it, we both broke out in a sweat, we must have burned a fair few 100 cals each as the game has alot of flaling with your arms (upper chest, shoulders, biceps), kicking with your legs (calf, theigh), jumping and ducking (abdominal excorsise)

(sorry for any bad spelling, no spell checker in this, and i'm useless for spelling)

BaconMD

The HRM that comes with EASA2 can that be worn on any game to help log calories ?

Nope. It's only for EASA2. The company that made the tech for EA also makes a standalone armband-type HRM called the ePulse2. I would recommend the Polar FT4 or FT7 (or better) first, though. You can use them with any game or any non-game activity.

mdsjmom98

We have a Wii system, and have the sports one. I was experimenting the other day and found Wii boxing. I was so determined to beat my score, that I continued to play for about 30 minutes. I was exhausted and sweaty when I finally quit. Two days later, I could barely move my upper body. The workout I got was amazing. I highly recommend it!!

LReneeWalker

Our Kinect has kept me wanting to exercise. And I HATE exercise!

sabriel

I love mine. I use dance central mainly, it tells you how many calories too. Which is great.

PinkiePie07

It's not the exact same but I have a Wii and I use Wii Fit and a Zumba style game on there as well. I'll alternate between playing both those games and riding my exercise bike. It's been working for me, especially since it's helping me change it up so my body doesn't get too used to one thing. That said, I don't plan on using it the entire time I'm losing weight. The games are on loan from my mom, and once I get my weight machine moved up here, that will probably be what I spend most of my time working out with.

The best way I can put my feelings about using the video games to work out, actually comes from what my brother told me. "They work fine and they're fun, but they work at their very best when you do other things alongside with it."

MrsHutcho9988

Yes! I had one and sold it because you have to have ALOT of room to do it in and I have a really small living room Its awesome though

Kenzietea2

I think it is a good way to get moving and burn calories, but if you are looking to get into the best shape of your life then you definitely shouldn't rely on it as your sole way of exercising.

Prettylittlelotus

I LOVE my Kinect. I use it on days I don't feel like working out. It's fun, intense and waaaay better than Wii fit. I have Fitness Evolved 2012. The reason I like it more than the Wii is because i don't have to stop in between every exercise. I can do a 14-40 minute program that has me dripping sweat and practically crying by the end