Golds Gym Cardio Workout Review

Golds Gym Cardio Workout for the Nintendo Wii has been out for about a week now and I’ve had an opportunity to put in a few hours of game play on it this past weekend. As you’ll remember from my Wii Cardio Workout preview article, this game had a lot of hype around the capability to use the Wii Fit Balance Board. There were few details released prior to the game’s launch, so I was very surprised with the way this game came together. While it wasn’t exactly what I expected, I do think this game as an excellent buy for a number of reasons.

Shape Boxing – Enhanced Wii Fit Rhythm Boxing

The biggest surprise to me after my first fitness session on Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout was how dominant the Shape Boxing exercises were. I knew this was going to be a major feature of the game, however I had no idea it would be the center of the game. When you start playing, like most fitness games for the Wii you begin by creating an avatar or persona to represent you.

Unlike the Wii Fit game you are unable to use your Mii, but considering this game was released by UbiSoft and not Nintendo this wasn’t a big surprise. Once your avatar is setup you jump right into Shape Boxing training.  You go through some training on how to punch and defend then you setup your controls.

Double Wii Remote Style

The only options you have when setting up your controls for Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout are whether or not you are left or right handed, and whether you would like to use your Wii Remote and a Nunchuck, or whether you would like to use two Wii Remotes. The option to use two Wii-motes is a huge innovation in boxing games. This peaked my interest as soon as I saw the option during the setup, and while I tried both methods I found the Double Wii Remote Style to be the best choice. Instead of having your Wii-mote tethered to a Nunchuck like you do in Wii Fit you can have a completely wireless setup (provided you have two Wii Remotes available). Another advantage to the Duel Wii Remote Style is that you have a balanced amount of weight in each hand. That may not be something you initially think of, but when you’re doing a 15 minute workout it will make the punches feel much more natural.

Utilizing the Wii Fit Balance Board

With such an innovation in the way this game uses the Duel Wii Remotes I had high expectations of the way in which it would make use of the Balance Board which was originally distributed with the Wii Fit. Unfortunately so far I’ve been very disappointed. When doing Shape Boxing routines you do not use the Balance Board at all. Defense exercises do require you to step forward and backwards similar to Rhythm Boxing for the Wii Fit, however you don’t use the balance board so consequently this game doesn’t track your steps. This assumption that you’re stepping when directed to do so allows the player to easily cheat the system. While I don’t recommend doing this because from a fitness standpoint you will only be cheating yourself, it does make it easier to progress through some of the faster paced defensive exercises with ease. Plus if you cheat the system the report of your calories burned will be incorrect. I do understand the reason UbiSoft made this decision was because they wanted to create a balanced environment for all users, but they could have at least added the ability to weigh yourself in to track your progress. Some fitness exercises such as push-ups and squats use the Balance Board, but that is about the limit of its usefulness in this game. I had very high expectations of the way this game would utilize the Wii Fit Balance Board in the exercise routines, and unfortunately it was disappointing. The good news is that this makes for an excellent game to travel with when you don’t have room to pack your Balance Board.

Getting Fit with Golds Gym: Cardio Workout

While you won’t be using the Balance Board frequently, you will find yourself getting an excellent workout with this game. I’ve worked myself up to the point where I could play an hour of Rhythm Boxing on the Wii Fit without being sore afterward, but just an hours on Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout and my muscles have been sore for a few days now. This is because the Shape Boxing routines require you to use multiple categories of muscles.

If you’re familiar with boxing or kick-boxing you will be familiar with some of the different punches that are required during the course of this game. Jabs, Upper Cuts, Hooks, and Cross Punches will all utilize different muscles in your arms to ensure you have a more balanced workout. You will also be encouraged to move your body to the rhythm of 22 motivational songs including “Eye of the Tiger”. To do this you must shift your weight forward and backwards to the rhythm of the music. Again, there is no balance board to measure this so it is easy to cheat it, but if you do it right not only will your arms be sore by the end of your workout but your legs will be too.

In addition to Shape Boxing there are a variety of other exercises you will have access to. These include some upper and lower body workouts such as squats and push-ups and also some cardio workouts such as jump rope. As you progress through the levels of Shape Boxing from Beginner to Expert you will earn ‘Gold’ which can be used to unlock additional exercises. While I haven’t unlocked them all yet, I can see that it will take quite a while to unlock all of the features of this game.

Ultimately, if you weren’t a fan of Rhythm Boxing for the Wii Fit I can’t recommend this game to you. For me, and many others I know Rhythm Boxing was their favorite workout. To those of you like me, I encourage you to purchase this game because the 21 separate punches will really give you a workout once you’ve got them all unlocked. You will follow a set training routine and not just box free-style so the game gives you enough structure to give you an excellent workout. This game is especially useful for those people who haven’t purchased the Wii Fit yet, but still want to use the Wii to stay in shape. The bottom line is that as long as you enjoyed Rhythm Boxing for the Wii Fit you  can’t for wrong with Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout for $30.00 (or less if you buy from Amazon).

Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout – $27.99