While Wii Fit’s previously been under some fire for its general uselessness, apparently EA Sports Active is the real thing. Well, next to actually getting out of your house in sweatpants, anyway. According to a study over at the University of Wisconsin, commissioned by EA, the game passed the American College of Sports Medicine’s fitness guidelines, qualifying as an authentic workout.<\/p>\n
ACSM guidelines recommend that a workout keep the heart rate at 64-94% of maximum, with 40-85% of maximal oxygen consumption, and burn 200-300 calories per session. The study tested 16 adults between the ages of 25 and 45, doing the Afterburner and Legs & Lungs workout sets, and both of these consistently fulfilled the stipulated requirements.<\/p>\n
“We believe that exercise should be a part of every individual’s daily life, and our digital fitness programs are designed to help people make that belief a reality,” says EA Sports Active executive producer Tarrnie Williams. “We wanted to put EA Sports Active to the test to show people that as fun as the programs can be, they’re going to give you a real, challenging workout.”<\/p>\n
Well, I don’t know about “fun”. I tried out EA Sports Active once, and didn’t walk properly for three days.<\/p>\n