Overtime Fitness gym for teens includes video games

One day in the future, we're sure that everyone will be strong, good-looking and above-average. But today, given that 16 percent of American children aged 12-19 are overweight according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have to be ways to get kids into more healthful habits. As we all know, everyone's supposed to be exercising regularly in order to stay well and fit -- thankfully, kids have a new type of fitness center in Mountain View, California (home of Google!) which aims to appeal to the children of Silicon Valley reared on a steady diet of gadgets. Overtime Fitness, which opens tomorrow (and restricts membership to kids 13-18) includes a regular workout equipment area, a "study center" with PCs, Macs and free WiFi (for the Linux laptop-toting set?), a DDR-clone called "In The Groove 2" and the Cybex Trazer, a virtual reality-type game that maps physical movements to the on-screen action. If all that gear wasn't enough, there's always the Xbox hooked up to something called a Kilowatt Sport, which includes a "resistance rod" to merge the real world with the virtual, or as Ars Technica puts it: "if you're playing Madden '06 and want to run a fullback dive, you're going to have to lean hard against the resistance rod to break through the defensive line." Our only question is this: exactly how are parents going to react when they find out that the $60 monthly fee is being spent so that their kids can play even more video games?

[Via Ars Technica]

[Leon Lamle @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:09PM]

Sounds like a great incentive to get people off thier lazy butts. My friend lost 20lbs playing DDR for close to 2 months almost 3 hours a day everyday. This might work and if it does it might help the 66% of americans who are over weight.

[Dario @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:39PM]

i get a great workout playin DDR for hrs, and for free

[DieH@rd @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:55PM]

this is so cool. to bad, this will never come to europe :)

[Ian @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:33PM]

Sounds really cool to me. I'm not overweight, but i wouldn't mind working out while playing video games.

[Cowboy Bob @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:26PM]

Excellent, they should really make a partnership with Nintendo and their Wii console, seeing as it makes you do more than just sit on your rear end. Seriously, Wii Sports and WarioWare: Smooth Moves are perfect examples of this. Its great.

[Eddie @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:31PM]

I agree. That's the main reason I'm getting a Wii, rather then an Xbox 360, or a PS3. I'm tired of sitting on my ass. I want to get up and PLAY!

I think once a gun (Pistol? Maybe even a rifle. Full size. That would own. Hard.) controller comes out for the Wii... I will have many wet dreams...

[ChrisWray @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:26PM]

Is it really restricted to kids 13-18? Sounds like a money pit, to me. Unless Mountain View is the next Potomac, but I sure wouldn't know.

[AT39 @ Sep 23rd 2006 10:44PM]

This has addressed for me one of the major reasons I (17 years old) do not go to a gym to work out; it is boring. Yes, ADD plays a factor, but I look at it like if I have an hour to spare to go to the gym, that is one more hour I could be spending having fun playing video games. DDR has been a blessing to me and many other people I know. Workout mode is the best thing to come to the game ever.

[Leon Lamle @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:39PM]

DieH@rd
Just because they might not bring it to europe doesnt mean you cant create one. Isnt this post all about people getting off thier asses and DOING things. This could be a great way to start a buisness, just base it around this one and get a few Wii Systems.

Eddie
Yo Ed... i think your prayers were answered... http://e3.britishgaming.co.uk/2006/nintendo/wii/gun.jpg

Im getting the Wii launch day i preordered mine at Nintendo World in NYC so ill pick it up ~midnight on the 19th

[hermes @ Sep 24th 2006 12:34AM]

i saw some posters for this at my school, kind of looks like a joke to me, and never thought that i'd see it on here. $60 bucks to go there? hella whack.

[LimboMan @ Sep 24th 2006 8:21AM]

Another execution of an old idea. Check out this more refined and developed operation already open in Canada for a while now:

http://www.bulldoginteractivefitness.com/

[rawr @ Sep 24th 2006 12:06PM]

Now all they have to do is make AP US History disappear so that I'll have free time to work out...but I'm afraid even they can't perform that miracle.

[Justo @ Sep 24th 2006 12:25PM]

I would love to have such a gym over here... Of course, those $60 are really steep, but I would make sure I justified them :P

[janks @ Sep 24th 2006 12:52PM]

we really do need constant input. ddr as an excercise tool is great buy what ever happened to plain old running

[Acheeze @ Sep 24th 2006 4:07PM]

honestly this is one thing i hate about america (im american) but soo many kids here are overweight because all they do is say at home and play videogames. Me?, i go to a gym without videogames to workout

[boz @ Sep 25th 2006 3:26AM]

Awesome idea! I would pay $60 to have a club JUST for teans without any adults running around the locker room naked in front of the kids.

[derrick @ Sep 25th 2006 9:51AM]

I found that I ride the exercise bike a lot longer at the gym when I bring my DS. Then again boredom is my only opposition and not lack of discipline.

[Jason @ Sep 25th 2006 10:30AM]

Well duh, of course gaming is contributing to obesity. My problem with working out is it is boring, however I love playing sports. Some kids don't feel comfortable playing sports, maybe this is the true reason behind Nintendo's Wii.

[pink @ Sep 25th 2006 12:05PM]

Want all the facts about Overtime Fitness? You need to check out their website at overtimefitness.com Wow! I'm impressed!

[jake_f @ Oct 15th 2006 3:19PM]

DieH@rd

Not only is it in Europe, it's better than in the USA.. DDR is good but kilowatt is non-cv, so it doesn;t help with fitness.

Check out the UK entry on Google.com

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5481340851011312249&q=gamercize&hl=en

Jake