Calories burned per session?

[LadyLuck]

I'm 5'4", and weighed 175 today (depends what time of month you ask).

I've only been doing DDR for a week, but I do 2-3 hours a day. I really don't know how many calories...I do game mode of DDR MAX 2 on light the whole time, b/c I suck and can't do those faster steps or diagonal jumps yet lol. I was born without rhythm. I do a little on beginner mode, but when I do that I'm working in stunt stuff like handstands and style and armwork. I'll get back to you on the exact calorie count tomorrow.

Basically, I aim to break a good sweat (but short of falling over dead) and go until "I start to suck" as they said above--you know, when you just can't make the jumps anymore and you're like "well, screw it, I can't lift another toe."

[DizzyKitty]

I don't play workout mode very often. I play game mode half on standard and half on heavy for roughly an hour in the AM (with coffee).

I'd say roughly 300 calories?

I play weekdays and usually one weekend day.

I lift weights and do toning stuff for about 45 minutes weekdays before DDR then at night, after dinner and kid is in bed, I do (don't laugh) bellydancing. I have a video I follow but I usually take the moves and use them to a CD I have called "Bellydancing Breakbeats". I dance for about half hour to 45 mins.

On my husbands nights off, I make him play on the turntables and I dance to it.

I just try to keep from sitting around as much as possible and trust me, I'm lazy. I like to do something at night to burn off some of my dinner calories.

BTW, I am 5'5 and 150 lbs (as of today).

[ashe]

I am at 253 lbs right now, down from 284 a month ago. I am also about 6'3. I invested in a Cobalut Flux, so I make sure to get my moneys worth, heh. I usually burn about 1000-1200 calories per 40 minute workout session. As difficult as it is, I just play Max 300, Max Unlimited, Sakura, So Deep, Healing Vision Angelic Mix, and Drop Out, all on heavy, over and over for about 40 minutes. I just use Stepmania and an adapter to get all of those songs in. It is ultra-tiring, but my endurance has shot up really high now. I lost 80 lbs in 4 months two years ago when I started DDR, then I quit DDR and gained about 40 back, and am now getting back into it. Once you get good enough to do the crazy songs, the weight FLYS off.

[GameTechChris]

I don't play home versions, so I have no idea what kind of calorie burn I do.

How much would a 140ish person burn doing Max300 on Heavy four times in a row?

PS It probably doesn't matter anyway, my DDR weight loss constantly does battle with my love for Wendys triple cheeseburgers.

[fierala]

Geez, I feel like I'm aiming so low after reading all these posts

I'm 5'6", 174lbs and only burn 200 calories each time I play. Of course, this isn't the only thing I do to workout, but after about 30 minutes, my feet hurt and I'm lightheaded. I suppose I could play more than once a day though ^_^;

[snipp]

I have a heart rate monitor. I got it when I started my strugle to loose weight 3 years ago and it have been a great motivation factor for me all this time. Seeing that the exercising really burn some calories is very satisfying.

Today I'm 169 pounds. 3 years ago I was 201, but the last two years I have not been able to loose any weight even if I have been eating sensible and exercising 2-3 times a week in the gym or going for frequent mountain hikes. Hopefully DDR will change all this :-)

I got my DDR dance pad about 3 weeks ago. Except for the first two times I used it I have used my heart rate monitor when playing DDR. What I can say is that the calorie calculation in my Konami Dancing Stage Party Mix program is way different from what my watch give me (and yes, my watch is correct, it is one of those top end Polar watches). Usually my watch have been giving me twize the calorie value compared to what the game gives.

Some of the recordings I have done from my DDR activity so far (day one comes first):

- 1 hour, 330 kcal (the only recording from the game, not heart reate monitor).
- 1 hour, 410 kcal, heart rate: avg 119, max 153
- 1 hour 15 min, 600 kcal, heart rate: avg 131, max 174
- 1 hour 30 min, 610 kcal, heart rate: avg 121, max 147
- 40 min, 380 kcal, heart rate avg 146, max 173
- 1 hour 15 min, 600 kcal, heart rate avg 134
- 35 min, 260 kcal, hear rate: avg 128, max 164
- 1 hour 20 min, 595 kcal, heart rate avg 129
- 1 hour 35 min, 650 kcal

And for comparison:
- walking up and down a 400 meter high mountain: 2h 10 min, totaly 1225 kcal, heart rate: avg 146, max 180.

I really love the DDR and are so happy that I discovered it when I was visiting my friends in the US. Yesterday I ordered 2 new DDR games. My membership at the gym had just expired when I discovered the DDR. I haven't renewed it. The DDR give me aproximately the same exercise as the step aerobic does. DDR is just great!(even if it doesn't beat a walk in the mountains :-) , maybe it will when I improve my steps though...)

[iheartpolkadots]

i weigh 134 pounds and i burned over 500 calories in an hour!!!! i love ddr!!!!! ;D

Jen

[iamjay]

Dont we all? as for the bellydancing no ones laughing here since we all play ddr in which everyone else looks at it as a silly game. also I burn 600 cals a session does that mean i'm really burning 1 THOUSAND cal's instead? Awesome...

[GameTechChris]

Of course, the game can't possibly be accurate compared to a heart rate monitor.

Calorie loss is due to increased heart rate and temperature in the body as you convert body mass to energy (or something like that, I'm not a physician).

DDR calculates calorie loss with a generic formula used to calculate how much energy it should take to hit each step, and approximates the strain on your body based on weight.

Somebody who's say, oh, I don't know, 250 would burn a lot more calories on Max300 heavy than I do, because a) I weigh less, b) I'm used to the motions and c) I don't move that much thanks to the way I play. I mean, 10-footers barely wind me, and 9s don't even get me sweaty. I doubt that I'm burning many calories.

[abrannan]

GameTechChris said:

I don't play home versions, so I have no idea what kind of calorie burn I do.

How much would a 140ish person burn doing Max300 on Heavy four times in a row?

PS It probably doesn't matter anyway, my DDR weight loss constantly does battle with my love for Wendys triple cheeseburgers.

You know, cut those triples down to doubles and you save 200 calories, which is probably about equal to 2-3 Heavy Max 300's.

[GameTechChris]

Haha, not worth it! !

[moose138]

You guys are nuts!!!

Where do you find the time to play 3 hours a night 5 days a week?? I find myself skipping things to squeeze in 30 minutes of dance time. And even there I only burn around 400Kcals. How are you guys not burning yourself out and icing your knees the next morning?

[abrannan]

moose138 said:

You guys are nuts!!!

Where do you find the time to play 3 hours a night 5 days a week?? I find myself skipping things to squeeze in 30 minutes of dance time. And even there I only burn around 400Kcals. How are you guys not burning yourself out and icing your knees the next morning?

Agreed. How do you guys calculate "playing time" If you spend 3 hours in the Arcade taking turns with 4 other players, do you count that as 3 hours of DDR? Or since you played 10 3-song sets, do you count it as 45 minutes? (figuring about 1:30 per song). Granted, your heart rate being elevated for most, if not all, of that 3 hours is a very good thing.

Makes me wish I had other people to take turns with. I play constantly when I DDR, usually on DWI with a random select non-stop course. Last time was a 34 song set, breaks every 4 songs (I use those to get my heart rate back down to the lower end of my target range), 4-6 foot difficulty (from light, std, and heavy). Took me about 1 hour 20 minutes to complete. If I'd been alternating sons with another player I could have stretched my workout out to 2+ hours easily.

[MainMor]

I get in 30-45 minutes a day hitting between 280-380 calories per session.