How intense are you?

I just thought I'd find out from this group to see the levels of DDR that people take it to for calorie burning

I have DDR Max 2 for the PS2 - I play endless mode for about 15 songs (I can only really manage light mode without crashing on my face) and I play (right now) 3 days a week.  I'm really just trying to get back into it, so it will get more intense from there.  well, as intense as it can living in an upstairs apartment...

Anyone have a metal dance pad? Or just go to the arcade as if it were the gym? (paying your fees in quarters or tokens)

Does anyone play at expert mode?

How long/often do you play?

Hey, 

My PS2 Is getting old so I get disk read errors half the time, but I've been playing ddr X.   I like this one bc you can play the workout mode with regular songs with normal steps and just track how many calories you burn.  I havent have a chance to play in the last couple weeks, but when I did play, I would just go until the counter hit 500 calories, and after that, If i wasn't completely drained, I would go for 1000.  This usually takes 1-2 hrs.  I'd say I tried to do that 3x a week.  Also, I drank a LOT of water during - about a gallon. 

I have fake ignitions (thick foam soft pads) right now off of ebay which work all right, but If I lose 8 lbs by the end of this month (lol) I'm thinking I'll reward myself with a nice metal pad.  And maybe a new ps2.  I'm hoping this incentive will help me step it up!

I typically play standard mode songs, 6-8 steps, and 3-4 steps when I need a breather.  I have to admit its easy to get lost in the game and forget how much cardio you've done :) 

I haven't had a chance to DDR in a couple weeks though so I'm looking forward to when I go home today.

Original Post by zaionczyk:

I just thought I'd find out from this group to see the levels of DDR that people take it to for calorie burning

I have DDR Max 2 for the PS2 - I play endless mode for about 15 songs (I can only really manage light mode without crashing on my face) and I play (right now) 3 days a week.  I'm really just trying to get back into it, so it will get more intense from there.  well, as intense as it can living in an upstairs apartment...

Anyone have a metal dance pad? Or just go to the arcade as if it were the gym? (paying your fees in quarters or tokens)

Does anyone play at expert mode?

How long/often do you play?

I play Max2 (US) and Extreme2, though mostly the former.  I used to be in shape enough to do pretty much every song (except the 10-footers like Max300) on Expert, but since I haven't played much the past 4 years I'm way out of practice.

Generally, I'll alternate between Heavy and Standard, depending on the type of song.  The more voltage/stream/freeze I see in the radar, the better.  Lots of quick jumps kill my stamina pretty quickly.

I play on a RedOctane Ignition soft foam pad.  It's not as good as a metal pad, or an arcade pad, but it's decent.  I think the arcade is a wonderful place to do it, since you can go all out, but it depends on your level of comfort and what the arcade atmosphere is like.

PS: DDR Max2 has a Workout mode as well.  I'd still suggest the endless mode, just because there's less of a break between songs, and the main reason that DDR is hit or miss for excercise is the ability to maintain a high heart rate (ie; continuous songs).

It's actually been a very long time since I turned on my PS2 to play that way. The mat slides around on carpet and frustrates me, not to mention I'm pretty certain it throws off the calorie estimate (not that I think it was that accurate to begin with. :P).

I downloaded Stepmania last year, and have basically every mix ever created at my fingertips (feet?). Unfortunately I haven't had cash to invest in a nice metal pad, so I just put that on jukebox mode and play on the floor. At this point I know how to play the game so the scores don't matter, just the movement does.

Given a choice, though, I would play at the arcade anyday. :)

If I go out to play there, then I play a mixture of Standard and Heavy modes. If I'm playing at home, then I stick with Standard. My routine is to dance three songs (a typical game), then let the next song play while I take a breather, stretch, sip some water, whatever. Then I dive right back in. I don't really have a set length of time I do that for, but I try to figure it so I have at least 30 minutes of dancing altogether, but I'll usually go for as long as I can.