EA Sports Active 2, Free PS3 Theme & More

By TRJ

EA Sports has released their active series on the Sony PS3. Booya Gadget is going to give you a run-down of the work-out title starting with an un-boxing to see what's in the box.

EA Sports Active Bundle PS3 Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active Bundle PS3
  • 3 Motion Tracking Devices (one heart rate monitor)
  • 6 AAA Batteries
  • Resistance Bands
  • Manual
  • EA Sports Active 2 PS3 Video Game

The Tracking Equipment

The PS3 version of the game comes with 3 tracking devices.  Two of the tracking devices are placed on on your arms just below the elbow and the third tracking device is placed on your right thigh.  The left forearm tracking device doubles as a heart rate monitor.  All three of these devices sync to a USB dongle that you connect to your PS3.  A blue light will indicate a connection has been made.

All of the devices are easy to get in to place and you will have no problem sharing them with other users.  However, if you plan to workout together you will need to get another set of tracking devices that are only available for purchase from the EA Store.

The tracking devices fit nice and snug and in no way do they ever interfere with your workout.  During the workouts you are moving around, jumping around and lifting weights and I never felt them move, slide or rotate during the workout.

Working up a Sweat

So with all the accessories in place its time to get started.  Initially you have two programs to select from.  The 9 Week program and the Cardio Kick Start.  I chose to start with the Cardio Kick Start Program, which is a 21 day program that will include 12 workouts.  You can customize your workout schedule to fit your life and you can also select the difficulty that you wish to use for your program.  You can always adjust your schedule and the difficulty at anytime during the program.

Before you first workout begins you can change the weight setting for the workout.  The default setting is the resistance bands, but I have changed my settings to 20 lb weights.  This particular workout has 24 exercises that are required to complete the workout.

The Warm-Up

EA Sports Active 2 Workout Graph Warm Up Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Workout Graph Warm Up

The first 4 exercises are just to get you warmed up.  Simple stretches to prepare your body for the workout.  The trainer had me do some Heel-lifts, Windmills, Rainbow Squats and Goodmorings.  At this point of the workout my heart rate is still in the 85-95 range.

The Workout

EA Sports Active 2 Workout Graph Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Workout Graph

The workout is going to be the next 16 exercises.  It consists of 8 unique exercises that you will then repeat before beginning your cool down.  Foot Fires, Split Squats, Push-ups from Knees are what get you going and now my heart rate is up around 127.  The fourth exercise is Mountain Biking.  This is where Active changes the game to make it more fun and interactive.  In Mountain Biking you will stay in a squatting position and you jump at the jumps and you run to get up the hills.  This is a great plyometric workout and it kept my heart rate at 123.

The workout continues over at the Basketball court with some Bent Over Rows and Skipping (Jumping Rope).  Now my heart rate is up at 142 and I am really starting to feel this workout.  Basketball Defense and Leg Raises complete the first circuit and my heart rate is at 133.  To finish the work out you repeat the exercises.

The Cool Down

EA Sports Active 2 Workout Graph Cool Down Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Workout Cool Down

A Very important part of the workout is the cool down.  On my last round of Basketball Defense and Skipping my heart rate was up at 157 so naturally we need to gradually bring the body back down to a state of rest.  Arm Across Pulls, Chest Openers, Leg Over and Leg Up help to bring my heart rate back down to 92 and also stretch the muscles I have been using during this workout.  Once you have completed the workout you are sent back to the Summary Screen where you can view your workout.  I have posted the entire workout graph that includes the exercise, the time, calories burned and my heart rate at our Flickr page.  The workouts take about 20 minutes, not counting the tutorials for each exercise.  The game will skip tutorials for exercises that you have already done in the past.

Online Tracking

EA Sports Active has added an online feature to the game that lets you track your stats, calories burned, monitor your upcoming workouts, or meet and chat with other fitness gamers.  This is a great addition and can help you stay on track with your fitness goals.  Online you will find access to your current workout schedule.

EA Sports Active 2 Online Calendar Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Online Calendar

You can also get stats from your last workout and a status update on your current goals for the week.

EA Sports Active 2 Online Last Workout Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Online Last Workout

You can also use the Tracker Tab to get a look at all of the workouts that you have completed.  These graphs compile your calories burned, time of workout, your heart rate averages and the miles you have covered to date in the game.

EA Sports Active 2 Online Tracker Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active 2 Online Tracker

Online also lets you connect with a huge community of fitness gamers.  You can create or join groups to share your fitness success and goals.  This is a great way to keep you motivated and to find other users that are looking to accomplish the same goals of losing weight and staying fit.

My Final Thoughts

I really am a big fan of this genre and games like this that promote healthy living.  I am only 2 days into my workout and I can attest that this game will meet your fitness goals.  I was challenged in my workouts and I am actually a bit sore while I write up this post.  I have already recommended this product to several people and I can now recommend it to you.  EA Sports Active is a massive fitness game with over 70 exercises and more download content on the way.  This is just a small sample of this nice fitness game.

Stay tuned to Booya Gadget for more information on EA Sports Fit as I continue on this fitness journey.  We will be adding a female perspective in the coming days for all the Booya ladies out there.  Finally, we have an exclusive EA Sports Active Theme, you can download that from our Free Stuff Page.

EA Sports Active Theme Wallpaper Booya Gadget
EA Sports Active Theme Wallpaper