My Fitness Coach

5 Comments

1. Alison says:

   July 25, 2010 at 9:44 pm

   Review by Alison for My Fitness Coach
   Rating:
   Bought my copy today at another store (sorry amazon, couldn’t wait for you). Maya, the trainer gives you a fitness test including jumping jacks, push-ups, lunges, and crunches, and then recommends a custom program for you. For me, she recommended a long term goal of cardio and today’s focus was upper body. My 30 min workout was approx 15 min of cardio, 10 min of upper body strength training, and a few minutes each of abs and stretches. You follow along, more like a dvd than a video game. At the end of each segment she asks how hard it was for you, and the game uses your answer to adjust your next workout.
   
   I started with 3 locations, and 5 more to unlock. Lots of music choices. Workout choices are yoga, cardio, upper body, lower body, abs, and flexibility. Workouts will incorporate whatever equipment you have: hr monitor, ball, hand weights, and step. No balance board option.
   
   Much better workout than wii fit, and way more fun than a dvd or live class.
2. Ralph Warren says:

   July 25, 2010 at 9:49 pm

   Review by Ralph Warren for My Fitness Coach
   Rating:
   For those of you who are gun shy after getting burned by the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum, there is no reason to wait. JMFU was garbage. This is the real thing. It does not use a balance board. Some people seem to have a problem with that but it’s not like they claimed to have balance board support and failed to deliver. The description in Amazon of what it does is completely accurate. Also, if it had balance board support it would be nearly twice the price.

   I received it yesterday and have done 2 workouts on it.

   Things I like (There is no way that I will hit all the good features):
   
   1. There was a very thorough fitness test when you first set up a profile. I wish Wii Fit had something this comprehensive.
   
   2. Maya, the coach, is a pleasure to work out with. She has a pleasing voice. She asks how you felt during a segment of the workout. The choices are No Sweat, I Was Working Hard, and I Couldn’t Keep Up. If you choose the first or the third answer, Maya promises to adjust that segment the next time she presents it during a workout.
   
   3. I like being able to change the environment that Maya leads the workout from and I like that the view of Maya changes during the workout.
   
   4. You can incorporate other equipment into the workout. I happened to have an unused step, some weights and a stability ball stored in the basement. Neither of the workouts I did so far used the stability ball.
   
   5. I still use the advanced step program on the Wii Fit but it is the same every time and the step is so low. With this I am able to use a real step and adjust it to the height I want to get the best workout.
   
   6. The routines scroll across the bottom so I can see how much is left of the current routine and which routine is coming up next.
   
   7. The tutorial feature was a necessity for me. When Maya started a routine that wasn’t clear to me I selected the tutorial. Maya explained how to do it. It repeats until I select Resume. Then Maya restarts the routine.
   
   8. A workout DVD repeats the same workout every time. This game is dynamic. I need that kind of variety.

   Things I didn’t like:
   
   1. I don’t have a large space to work out in. I needed to have the step in a place where there was sufficient space to do the step routines but I also needed enough space to perform the non-step aerobic routines. I banged into a couch a few times. I think I’ll be able to work this out after a few workouts.
   
   2. This is probably related to my lack of space but I think I would prefer that it stick to the equipment for a longer time. It used the step, then it didn’t, then it did again, and so on. On the other hand, not doing that may interfere with the randomness of the workouts and that would be a bad thing.

   I had 2 good workouts and definitely recommend this game as long as you have read the description and understand what you are getting.
3. PT Cruiser says:

   July 25, 2010 at 10:34 pm

   Review by PT Cruiser for My Fitness Coach
   Rating:
   These are my first impressions of My Fitness Coach and I will probably be adding some comments as the days go on. This game provides a way for you to set up your own workout and weight loss routine. It starts with a fitness test and you have options for choosing the length of time you want to exercise, how many days per week and what you want to accomplish. You can use it for weight loss, core strength or flexibility. You can also customize it for use with hand weights, an exercise ball or step bench if you have them. Just trying it for a couple days of workouts it provides a good cardio workout and lots of good flexibility moves. I’d have to say it’s more strenuous than most of the Wii Fit exercises, many of which are more concentrated on balance than on cardio. But the one thing I wish they would have included is use of the Wii balance board. This seems like such a natural for this game and would have given feedback on your actual moves. As it is, this seems more like an exercise DVD in some ways than a Wii fitness game.

   Still, it does have many features that are interactive and that set it apart from an exercise DVD that I enjoy. You can choose from among 8 different places or environments to exercise, whatever suits your mood on a particular day. And there’s a good selection of music that you can choose to exercise to. To me that’s a big thing. Nothing is worse than having to exercise to music that you find annoying. Everyone should be able to find something they like here. And you can keep track of your progress.

   Maya, your trainer gives you lots of encouragement and pushes you to achieve your goals. I think being able to set your own goals and making a commitment to exercise and eat well is a very good way to lose weight or gain flexibility and core strength. This game helps you to make that commitment and it gives you a way to measure your progress. There are also a lot of different exercises, something for everyone and for every fitness goal.

   The music is good and the graphics are fine, not exceptional, but not bad. The instruction and demonstration of the exercises is very good and easy to follow. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I thought it missed a good chance at more interactivity by not including the balance board.
4. Suzanne E. Curtis says:

   July 25, 2010 at 11:15 pm

   Review by Suzanne E. Curtis for My Fitness Coach
   Rating:
   Most reviewers have aleady highlighted the great features of this title. I just want to add something that I haven’t seen anyone mention yet. I am on the cusp of 40 and am considered “obese” by the Wii Fit. Although I know that I weigh way too much, I was somewhat in denial, because I was quite fit “back in the day.” Since I first began gaining weight, I have been one of those all or nothing exercise types. I would decide that I was going to start an exercise routine, and then I would go all out the first few days and burn myself out before a month was over. With My Fitness Coach, I’ve decided to start with the minimum amount of exercise time each day — 15 minutes. At the end of the cardio section, Maya the Trainer asks how I’m feeling, and I find that I was working out at a good pace. When I can really answer “No sweat,” to the question, “How was this workout?” then it will be time to bump up the duration. The workouts increase in 15 minute increments up to 75 minutes. So far, I’ve been having a great time with My Fitness Coach and, compared to a gym membership, you sure can’t beat the price or the convenience!
5. Ivy Kong says:

   July 25, 2010 at 11:20 pm

   Review by Ivy Kong for My Fitness Coach
   Rating:
   I’ve been using My Fitness Coach for a few days. Besides this one, I also own Wii Fit and other ‘get-you-off-the-coach’ Wii games. Wii Fit turned less and less challenging as my body got used to the exercises, so I was looking around for another workout ‘game’. Then here came My Fitness Coach.

   The level of challenge reminds me of PS2′s Eyetoy Kinetic a few years back, and I’m quite happy about it. A mere 15-minute session is enough to get you sweating and your heart pumping. On the other hand, I can do multiple sessions of ‘Advanced Steps’ on Wii Fitness without breaking a sweat. My Fitness Coach tailors to your ability level, so it’s always challenging.

   The sequencing of each exercise session is what I love most in this game. Each session starts with about 3 minutes of warmup, then they get gradually more and more intense. Maya would slip in some rest sessions here and there, and the session usually ends with some strength training and stretching. This feature beats Wii Fit hands down.

   However, as other users have pointed out, MFC is like a glorified exercise DVD because the interactive element is seriously lacking, especially when this is a Wii game! You would think after this many years, these workout game developers would have come up with some more advanced form of Eyetoy Kinetic which tracks your movement (better) in an exercise program.

   All in all, if you are looking for a more serious fitness game and don’t care whether it’s going to utilize any Wii accessories you have, this is the game you should get.

   I -love- My Fitness Coach, but I am giving it 4 stars because I really was hoping for some more interactiveness between me and the game. (Amazon.com doesn’t let me change my rating after I’ve given it 5 stars by accident.)