Wii Workout Week Hardcore Guide

Now that our week long project is over and many a game ground up under my disdainful review-heel, I thought a “hardcore” guide might be just what the sweat doctor ordered- a guide that multiplies the effect of any Wii workout you want to do.

I think you want something… extra… out of your Wii workouts. I think you might be feeling like a bit of a weakling now that you’ve dropped a few days from your gym workouts because you’re playing so much Wii Tennis or Wii Boxing. Tut-tut. This guide will show you a way to workout with the Wii that you might never have considered, the Wii Hardcore way!

But first, I’ve come up with a list of gear that you can use to push your Wii workouts to the extreme:

• Wrist weights
• Ankle weights
• Weight vest
• Therabands
• Fitballs
• Heart rate monitor
• A thick sweat absorbent towel

And from the fun side of life…

• A pair of huge wall mounted wide screen televisions
• Dolby 5.1 Surround sound system
• Two or more Wiimotes and nun-chucks
• Plenty of friends
• Alcoho… I mean… nothing… forget I said that!

As an example of what you might try, fire up Wii Boxing, put on your weight vest, your wrist weights, and put your heart rate monitor on. You want to track this to see how hard your heart works now, and to compare yourself down the road.

Make sure you warm up and do all that good stuff like checking with personal trainers & doctors before you try this. If you don’t warm up you’ll regret it- this workout is for fit people only with exercise history!

Grab your theraband with your left hand, wrap it around your back and under your arm pits, and then grab it with your right arm. Each punch will now need to contend with both the theraband resistance and your wrist weights as you punch outwards. Buy the heaviest theraband you can punch with constantly and alter that resistance by gripping it so its prestretched, or preferably make up a theraband by tying two ready to use loops in each end.

Here’s what I want you to do:

• Fire up Wii Boxing, preferably with a pro level Mii, and just go nuts.
• We’re trying to simulate something close to high intensity interval training, so try and knock that other Mii out in record time.
• Be sure to add a boxer’s bounce, and lean side to side strongly and swiftly to avoid punches.
• Go for a combination of jabs, uppercuts, and roundhouse punches.
• Throw them hard and fast.
• If you’re knocked down by your opponent, get down and bust out push ups until you get back up.
• If you knock your opponent down crank out as many deep squats as you can before he gets back up.
• If all is going well by the time the bell goes you’ll really need some down time. Take as much as you need and walk around your room/house slowly to keep your blood circulating.
• Once you’re good to go, cue the game again and repeat.
• … if that’s not a hardcore exergaming workout, I don’t know what is!

Stay tuned for more hardcore ideas, or if you have some of your own, let me know.

Now… if anyone wants me to review their weight vest, wrist weights, or if I have to, large plasma screen t.v.’s, let me know! I’m kidding… sorta…