I need a direction!

[PocketRockets]

Hey guys, my name is Anish and I'm new to DDR and the boards. I recently received DDR Extreme as a Christmas gift, and I realized it was possible to lose weight (as many of you obviously did).

Well, I need a direction. I've been playing for a few days, and I just pick random songs to work on at heavy difficulty, trying to score as high as possible. Sure, I work up a sweat for the hour that I play each day, but I still don't know if any of this is effective. What exactly should I do in order to obtain a good workout?

Currently I'm a 16 year-old male that weighs in at about 180 pounds (I'm about 20 pounds overweight) that consumes about 1500-2000 calories a day (no junk food, only water as a beverage, mostly meats).

Over the summer however I was 210 pounds, and I burned 30 pounds throughout July and August by Atkins dieting and exercising vigorously (usually on a treadmill). However, now with the advent of school I can't get to the gym as often as I could (I used to go 5-6 times a week), thus, my amount of exercise has been quite stagnant since the summer's departure.

In order to solve this problem, I thought DDR would be a viable solution, since I'd have easy access to it. However, on the treadmill my workouts were simple and a bit more pragmatic. I'd just run 3-4 miles a day, let my pulse peak, and then continute. I don't know how to do this with DDR Extreme. I've played songs on heavy diffuculty, and despite my sweating I don't feel like I'm getting a very strong workout. Can someone give me some advice on what I should be doing? Like I said, I need a general direction.

Feel free to include your routines as well. Thanks in advance!

Now with the advent of school, I don't really have time to get to the gym, nor do I own a treadmill.

[PocketRockets]

I don't know why that last line is there in my first post, so for the record I didn't mean to reiterate it.

[Laura Moncur]

Shoot for 30-45 minute workouts with as little time between songs as you can (choosing can take a long time if you don't watch yourself). Keep your heart rate in the 60-70% of MHR range.

To find your MHR, go to this site:

www.fitness2live.com.au/Default.asp?pg=calculators&spg=targetheartrate

I use a heart rate monitor to make sure I'm in the correct range during my workout, but you should be able to take your pulse for ten seconds and multiply that number by 6 to do it without the extra gadgetry.

Don't forget to choose some easy songs at the beginning and end of your workout for a good warmup and cooldown. Stretching afterward will help prevent injury.

[PocketRockets]

Thank you very much, anyone else?

[PocketRockets]

How many weeks does it generally take to generate results after working out for 40 minutes at least 5 days a week?

[abrannan]

PocketRockets said:

How many weeks does it generally take to generate results after working out for 40 minutes at least 5 days a week?

It's different for everybody. What you eat, what you pre-DDR level of fitness was, how much you weigh, what you metabolism is, how you respond to exercise, etc. are all factors in how fast your body will respond to exercise. Unfortunately, there's no formulas for how fast you'll see results. But you will see them. Just be patient.