Today's Videogamers = Future Bodybuilders?

Why gamers are a great fit at the gym.

Dick Talens weighed 230 pounds in high school before becoming a body builder.
No, srsly.

Has anyone thought about the level of dedication, time, and effort that put into making their characters, their builds, getting those purple IOs, or getting that 30th level 50 and channeling that in to being physically active?

Michael Perry said he was heavy all of his life before he started weight-lifting.

So, how do all of you balance gaming and exercise?

I'm waiting for Fitocracy to push out another update or two.

Those are considered bodybuilders?

*looks at self in mirror*

I guess I'm a bodybuilder

*werewolf hooOOOOOOOWWL!*

I've seen so many heavy folks, or folks out of shape, I would tell myself "there is no way I'm ever going to let that happen to me"

Joining the military helped as well.

Now I hear most folks say "I don't have time to exercise" but they somehow find time to watch a TV show.....or three.

I'd had a rather high metabolism all of my life (it runs in the family, but there are exceptions) but still.....that isn't a total free pass to binge eat. So I burn off what I eat whenever I can. (My job is exercise enough some days!)

Another motivator: We may never get super powers in real life. Being fit is a good second option though!

I've got Wii Fit but I only use it to weigh myself every day, this then gets turned into a graph. I love graphs and I love statistics so I am motivating myself to do 45 minutes of uphill walking a day along with eating more responsibly and not drinking sugary drinks just so I don't disturb my graph.

Yes that's probably a bit mental, but it works!

I started doing it about two months ago and have lost a Stone so far. Another stone to go and I'll be at a 'normal' weight for my age. Probably for the first time in around twenty years.

I'd love to get into Fitocracy and try that out, but you need an invite and I don't have one. Can anyone hook me up? Send me a PM if so!

well, gaming, particularly street fighter 2 pushed my interest in eastern martial arts. one time i was even caught yelling something close to "hadoken" while doing one-step sparring(but for a kick, wasnt saying i was going for full authenticity). It certainly helped my enthusiasm for training and for hitting clinics when my teacher had them to train in other styles, because i enjoyed using the characters in various games that used them. also, there is something to be said for playing ninja giaden and then looking at the mirror to motivate one to hit the gym. I am not going to be ryu hyabusa, but it is fun to hit a climbing wall and scale it with relative ease, like he would do.

as to the content of the article I dont use any particular gaming relate strategy for my weight lifting,outside of unflattering physical comparisons. but i can see how a min-maxer could set up a mean diet/exercise regimine.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

Per my log, I have run just under 1500 miles (will hit that mark on Sunday) this year.

There are actually quite a few runners in CoH. We don't tend to make a big deal about it, its just another part of our life, and is usually by accident that I find someone I have played with for a while, runs.

Its all about balance, and certainly this marathon cycle gaming time has been cut back, but its certainly possible to do both AND maintain other family activities.

I'm curious about Fitocracy and will keep an eye on how it develops/goes along.

I have Wii Fit, but unfortunately my living room is too clusterfudged with furniture to make daily use of it. Before the clusterfudgation of my living room I used it every morning to do some light-faux-yoga (I don't consider any exercises on Wii Fit real) and I found just getting that activity in the morning gave me a boost of energy that soul sucking and forum trolling just couldn't do.

I run a lot. I used to do cross country in high school, and now I continue running. Usually about a 5-10 mile jog 3-4 times a week is good. And I do the usual crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, vertical push-ups, weights, etc.

I also did 3 other sports in high school (track, basketball, and baseball), and so I did a lot of weight lifting and other such exercises (bench of 240, squat of 340, 40yd of 4.5, so I guess I was a nerdlete). At one point I did the calculations and I was consuming 5000 calories a day, everyday. I distinctly remember one growth spurt where I started off my day with 8 poptarts, and 6 slices of cinammon toast for breakfast, before eating 6 sandwiches and 2 bags of chips for lunch. I then ate 3 bags of popcorn and 2 pints of ice cream for a snack, and 2 large pizzas for dinner. So, I could eat a lot. When I went to college, and stopped eating lunch (cheap student that I was), I lost 20 pounds in the first 4 weeks.

It does make sense that videogamers would be good at any activity that required constant effort and patience, aka grinding. I wonder what other things my fellow gamers are good at?

The whole premise of the article is: Based on 3 anecdotes, I see a trend and here is the obviously plausible explanation which you're really gonna groove on since it's the opposite of expectations based on a much hugely larger sample!!!!!

Way to go investigative journalism!

Those could be 3 anecdotes pulled from a larger sample

oh and, relevant to the discussion

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

That's actually exactly what Fitocracy is. You've got levels to gain for different exercises and an overall 'level' for yourself. It's a Skinner box for exercise and it's surprising this hasn't been done earlier!

We are not born equals when it comes to physical fitness, and I can't help but feel jealous whenever I hear those stories of people who neglected their bodies for all their lifes, suddenly wake up and get in shape within months.

For some of us, exercise is a delicate balance between pain and gain. There are people who can work out daily, there are others who have to take great care not to break something in their body each and every time.