My Fitness Coach was launched in the US on 2nd December 2008 and is currently sold out everywhere. It’s a revision of an older game called ‘Yourself Fitness’ which was out a few years ago on the PS2 and Xbox – now Wii owners get the new, improved version!

 

 

My Fitness Coach is more an interactive DVD than a ‘game’.  Like the Wii Fit you have your own personal trainer, in this case a young woman called Maya who puts you through your paces but unlike the Wii Fit this game does not use the Wii Balance Board.

We think this is strange considering the Balance Board is made for this.  Regardless of whether it’s used in the actual exercises or not, it would have been perfect for the setting up of the profile; the weighing and BMI could have been incorporated into this easily, and it is a chance missed.  This is not Nintendo’s doing but Ubisoft who are the manufacturers behind this game.  Saying that, the Wii Board’s absence doesn’t take away from the game at all (but would have definitely added to it).

To start you create your profile and enter a few details. You create your own workout programme by choosing how frequently you will train, for how long, and the period of time you will undertake your training for.  Set your goals, mark your target date, answer a few fitness questions and Maya will sort out the rest for you. 

There are nearly 500 unique exercises on here which you unlock throughout your progress. Each day you workout, your routine will be slightly different which keeps from boredom, and keeps you exercising!  This is courtesy of Maya who choose your activites for the day.  There are no loading times between exercises which is a huge plus point.

In addition if you have your own exercise equipment at home you can add these to your routine ie Balance Ball, Weights, Step etc which customizes your workout further, and also means you can increase the intensity of the exercises.

 

  A nice touch is that you can also choose your exercise environment – by the beach, near the pool, in the studio, or in a New York City loft apartment! There are eight places in total, but one of the favourites has to be the Meditation Garden where you cool down.  There are seven different types of music to choose from too – Latin, 80’s and Hip Hop are some of the choices on offer. This game is not for beginners.  The manufacturers describe this as an ‘intense fitness program customized to meet your needs’. For those of you who have bad knees or backs this is probably not suitable for you as there is lots of skipping and jumping, squats and lunges.  That’s not to say you can’t give it a try, but there is no way of telling the game what physical limitations or disabilities you may have so you may have to skip some exercises. 

My Fitness Coach doesn’t share the same level of interactivity that the Wii Fit does, but it is interactive. And although our beloved Balance Board isn’t used it is a very good fitness game, and slightly more ’serious’ in terms of exercise than the Wii Fit.  For more reviews on the game, check out Amazon.com and see what our US cousins think about it.

My Fitness Coach is released in the UK on the 23rd January.