Wii Fitness: A Personal Trainer’s Perspective
Posted by Sean Fallon on February 5, 2007
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We have all heard the stories about the potential health benefits of playing the Wii, especially from sedentary individuals who had their ass handed to them by Wii Sports.
As a personal trainer, I thought that it would be interesting to offer a professional analysis of this subject - starting with the fundamental question: Does the Wii have potential as a fitness tool?
In a word, yes - I believe that it does. However, there are a couple of important things to keep in mind here. First of all, when discussing fitness and the Wii, we are talking about cardiovascular / cardiorespiratory fitness. Any good fitness program should consist of cardio and resistance training with a solid nutritional foundation. Therefore, playing the Wii by itself does not constitute a well rounded routine.
Second, a good cardio routine should involve a sustained, elevated heart rate and utilize as much of the body as possible - i.e. it is preferable to move both arms and legs as opposed to swinging one arm around while standing in a stationary postion.
The role of the heart rate and exercise can be summed up with the following formula: (continue after the break)
Karvonen Formula:
To determine your target training zone with HRR, do this:
First, take your resting heart rate three mornings in a row, just after waking up. Add all of them together, and divide by 3, to get the average. Then plug the figure into the following formula:
(220 for men / 226 for women) - (your age) = MaxHR
(MaxHR) - (resting heart rate) = HRR
(HRR) x (a figure somewhere between 60% and 80%) = training range %
(training range %) + (resting heart rate) = (your target training zone - i.e. the heart rate you must sustain during exercise to achieve goals)
Goals:
So, at 60% of your MaxHR you would be in the Healthy Heart Zone / Fat Burning Zone which will help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. Most of the calories burned in this zone are fats.
At 80% of your MaxHR you would be on the tail end of the Aerobic Zone (will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system and increase the size and strength of your heart) and at the beginning of the Anerobic Zone which will lead to an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and an improved cardiorespiratory system. It will also increase endurance and help you fight fatigue. Much less fat is burned in these zones as compared to the Healthy Heart and Fat Burning Zones.
When you get beyond 90% of your MaxHR, you are into the Red Line Zone which will burn a hell of a lot of calories, but is not recommended for your average person.
With all of that in mind, the best game currently available on the Wii from a cardio fitness standpoint is Wii Boxing. When done properly it can utilize a significant portion of the body while keeping your heart rate elevated with little risk of injury (outside of accidentally punching your friends in the face.)
Because most of my clients are focusing on weight loss, cardio conditioning plays a major role in every routine. That’s why I often take short breaks during weight routines to elevate the heart rate using everything from jumping jacks to a few quick laps. I also throw in a little shadow boxing here and there. Wii Boxing can have the same benefits, so long as the gamer jabs with both hands, shifts the body back and forth to dodge punches, and adds in a little footwork to keep the lower body moving. The exercise should also be sustained long enough to generate benefits - but this is relative. You should always start out slow and work your way up, setting goals along the way. And, like any fitness program, you should consult a doctor before beginning.
Wii Sports is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of the Nintendo Wii as a fitness tool. I suspect that in time, games will be developed for the platform that are focused primarily on exercise. Anything that can make fitness more enjoyable is definitely a plus in my book.
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