EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I think the key to losing weight when it relates to exercise is to find something that keeps you interested and coming back for more. This is an answer that is different for everyone. I am not seriously overweight, but I could lose 15-20 lbs (I have been around 206 lbs for the past year+ and should be 185-190 lbs). I am not a couch potato, I just haven't found the right thing to keep me interested long enough to get myself to exercise day in and day out. When I heard about the new game by EA, I was instantly interested, being an NFL fan for nearly 20 years. I thought the idea was fantastic, and was quick to go out and buy NFL Training Camp, even at the $100 price point which is still a head scratcher to me.
Now this review is very very fresh, as I have only had the game for a very short time, and it was only released less than a week ago. However, right off the bat, I can see some of the pros and cons that jump out at me immediately:
PROS
- More than anything else, I love the concept. This will garner a lot of interest from males, and while its the same types of exercises found in EA Active, this is tailored to a non-female audience.
- There is a wide variety of workouts available, exercises, graphs, stats, etc. This game will keep you interested, as it's not the same old stuff day after day.
- The heart monitor is really, really cool. The straps that go around your leg and arm are made well, and comfortable. I was very impressed by the quality of the hardware.
CONS
- I was very upset to see that in the very first workout that I did, the triceps exercise didn't work correctly. I did things exactly as the game instructed me to, and it just wouldn't work. I had to cheat and do something else to get past these exercises. I don't know how EA would fix this bug. Can they patch this online? For the price point of this game, there better be bug fixes that can be downloaded and applied or I will NOT be happy.
- The package didn't seem to come with instructions on how to tie the resistance band. This isn't a huge matter, but when the game loaded, it should have first instructed me how to correctly tie these. I also feel that the band might break at some point. Probably not, but some more information for the first time user what they can and cannot do with the band should have popped up in a video to start.All in all, I love the idea, but I am very concerned about future problems I am going to have with the game understanding what exercises I am doing. If EA can provide patches that can be applied online, my review goes up to 5 stars. If they do not, I will be dropping this down to 2-3 stars and contacting EA support. For $100 I expect things to work flawlessly, I don't think that's too much to ask.
Look for this review to be updated in the future, hopefully I can get in the habit of using this nearly every day.
**** RECOMMENDED (but holding out my final opinion until I get a better sense from EA how seriously they will be addressing issues)
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UPDATE 11/26/2010
The initial problem that I was having with the tricep exercises was due to the heart rate monitor being upside down. Shouldn't the strap know if it isn't in the right position?
So that issues is fixed, but today pushups wouldn't register correctly.
However, I am really enjoying the 60 day challenge thus far, it gives a great sweat and is fun :)
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UPDATE 11/29/2010
Still loving this WII 'game' nearly a week later and am up to Workout #3 of the 60 Day Challenge. Already lost a pound but I'll really start believing if my scale gets under 200 lbs. which I haven't seen in years.
I'm bumping this up to ***** and making this a big recommendation. I still think it's a little pricey, but it is what it is.
BTW 1 person suggested ditching the resistance band and just getting 10-15 lb. free weights. I think this is a great idea and don't see any reason why this couldn't be done.
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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UPDATE 12/07/2010
Still using this 2 weeks later and it's getting harder, even with the 60 day program on "easy". One complaint that I have is that the game doesn't alert you for routines when you need to keep the wiimote in your right hand, so sometimes you are yelling at the tv when something isn't working. The programmers should have been able to note this as well if you didn't have the remote in your hand for the exercises you need to hold it. Also, there are times when you are tired at the end and don't want to have to look at the tv to figure out when to end the stretch hold, and the commentator doesn't tell you to switch sides at the midway point. Somewhat minor issues, but worth noting. These don't change my recommendation on the product though.
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UPDATE 12/20/2010
Almost a month into the 60 day challenge and I think it's the mark of a great routine when you still exercising nearly a month later, the workouts don't feel too long, and you are still going strong. I'm not losing weight yet but I don't know if that's because I really haven't changed my diet or have gained some muscle, but my muscles are sore much of the time, sore in a good way. I have had knee trouble for years and I have to say that with all the squats they have you do (and it's a TON) it can hurt quite a bit, but I don't quit, and am still fired to keep going!! I figure I'll eventually see the pounds start to come off, and if I ever get below 200 lbs (I am only at 203 right now at 6'1" so not very overweight at all) I will probably be a believer for life!
Main main frustration is with the DB squat forward and back routines. These are very difficult to do correctly and I find myself getting very aggravated doing these drills (but I still do them).
The structure of the workouts as a whole is sooo good. Warmups get you lose, cooldowns do what they are supposed to do, some drills hurt like hell, some tire you out a ton (WR sprints come to mind), some are easier, some are just plain fun (QB stuff). All in all, it's a fantastic balance!!
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UPDATE 12/28/2010
Major server issue this weekend with EA. Not only can thousands of people not get online, the data has been corrupted due to a bug with this issue. If this is not corrected very soon, I will be dropping my review 1 or 2 stars. At this price, with a company this big, this is completely unacceptable.
I had problems with the monitors tonight where I needed to change the battery mid-workout and had no idea what was going on. Would be nice if the game could keep track of battery charge as well. Doesn't seem that difficult since the wiimotes are able to do it.
Nearing 40 days of the 60 day challenge. Lots and lots and lots of squats (muy ugg) and I am not losing any weight, but I think the weight is being replaced with muscle instead. Still going strong!!
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UPDATE 01/06/2011
Up to 40+ days of the 60 day challenge and man it's getting harder. One of the workouts I did the previous week was my first 300 calorie day and 45 minutes long. I couldn't imagine doing medium or hard for this and don't plan to when I do my 2nd 60 day challenge starting next month.
Not sure if this is relevant or not, but I am a 3x open heart surgery survivor with an artificial heart valve, so I am a great candidate to show that this is a safe, healthy cardio option for many, many people out there!! I take atenolol for my heart so my heart rate is far less than everyone else in my online group which is kind of funny.
I wish that EA had built in support for dumbbells instead of assuming all users would be using the resistance band as there are workouts when I have to hold the wiimote in my right hand with the dumbbell at the same time. I don't know how they could have gotten around this without a 2nd sensor, but the dumbbell option is the way everyone should go. It's a better workout and more challenging.
Still no weight loss but there is no doubt I am gaining more muscle in my legs and arms. I've been drinking more water but haven't changed my diet much else, so the weight loss might take a little longer until I decide to get more serious about this aspect of my workouts.
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UPDATE 01/11/2011
OK I finally have some real complaints about this application, and having juuust finished my workout (the first of phase 3), I am going to bullet list these issues:
- My exercise routine tonight was 24 sets, and of the 24, 8 were warm-up/cool-down. That leaves 16 exercises, 8 of which were jump squats or bag hops, some 2 in a row! This is totally unrealistic. I have the setting on easy for the 60 day challenge, and I am only moderately overweight (204lbs, I should be around 180-185) with knees that give me trouble, 3 open heart surgeries and an artificial heart valve. The problem is that people who are 350 lbs are not going to be able to do jump squats and bag hops over and over and over again. There needs to be some setting to determine what kind of 60 day challenge you want --- 1 tailored towards DBs which is what it seems like the default is, or 1 for quarterbacks and lineman. I don't mind doing these routines, but when I have to start taking major breaks and having bad form, this defeats the purpose. This isn't medium or hard, it's E-A-S-Y and I find the heavy, heavy, HEAVY quad and squat work to be way overbalanced away from strength and just...Read more›

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EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp is an exercise game for Wii thatmerges the established momentum that the EA Sports Active franchisehas created in the genre with realistic NFL training camp routinesto create the most challenging and focused exercise game developedto date. Game features include a full range of exercises developedwith the input of actual NFL fitness and conditioning trainers, a60-day exercise challenge, total wireless body tracking via includedadditional sensors, a built-in heart rate monitor, included resistancebands for strength training, 2-player support and more.

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