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Lots of fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This really makes exercising easy- it keeps track of progress, varies the routine, and is very energetic and encouraging. My only issue is that since I am fairly athletic to start with, I found myself approaching the cap of many of the exercises- this program is more suited to beginners.

Really like it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Bought this because my wife loves Yoga and I thought that it would be nice for her to be able to track her progress. What I didn't realize is that it also shows the correct way to do the postures, incorporates other exercises and allows you to use exercise equipment you already have in the house. What a hit this was with her. Glad I found it.

Y!F Highly Underappreciated Title!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Some time ago when I was in xbox1 land (approximately 2 years ago) I bought this title to help get into shape. It was challenging, but that is why I liked it so. It got me into decent shape fairly quickly, so much so that my SO who fastidiously exercised on things such as stair masters, stationary bikes and some sort of a device called an 'elliptical' could not keep up during our jogs.

Interestingly enough I only jogged with her because she did not want to do Y!F with me, I capitulated after some discussion and so we started jogging...

Whereupon I blew out my knee because I could 'run through the pain' I had one day. OK so I'm a dumbass. The point being Y!F got me into awesome shape without blowing my knees out.

I am in the process of rehabilitating my knee through performing low impact isometric exercises while I brush my teeth(50 reps each leg)! I'm a busy student, ok a busy and somewhat weird student(But my time is optimised!).

My teeth are brighter and my legs/knees/lower abs are stronger. Since I now own a PS3 and my legs and knees are stronger it is time for me to revisit this classic and get back into shape. I had planned on getting into yoga recently when I remembered that Y!F had awesome yoga instructions as well as cardio and strength training in it already!

This is the first 'game' I will have ever have bought multi-platform, I highly recommend it.

Fun and challenging! Will get you in shape in no time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I own Yourself Fitness for almost four years already - got it when it first hit the market. And I totally love it - I even canceled my gym membership.
There are some glitches in the program of course, but I found the way to work around some of them.
1. Music is the worst - other reviewers are right about that. I usually turn its music off completely and leave only Maya's voice on (there is such an option). I use my own music instead and it really does make a difference.
2. I don't care that much about progress monitoring feature. I'm in pretty good shape and the whole purpose of working out for me is to keep it this way. So my progress report pretty much is a horizontal line. Hence a physical challenge is a boring and time-consuming hassle for me. But those challenges determine array of exercises for the next ten sessions. Basically it depends on what Maya thinks your weak side is and her recommendations for cardio, or upper body strength or etc. So with these challenges i manipulate her to do more of those exercises what I'm interested in. If i want more of core exercises i show bad performance in that group and so forth. The key is to show a moderate performance in a cardio group because focus on cardio/aerobic workout comes as a default recommendation. You need to have heart rate of 120-140 b/min after hops in physical challenge that it would consider it as a medium or moderate level for you. More or less than that and you will be stuck with a focus on aerobic exercises for the next ten sessions.
3. I saw some reviewers complained that Maya doesn't adjust the level of difficulty after she asks about it. Well she does but for the next session. She actually says it, that she "will adjust the difficulty for segments like that" and the next segment usually comes in the next session. To adjust the difficulty during current session (or for any given exercise) you need to pause the game and choose `adjust the level' from a drop-down menu.
4. The most irritating for me is when it got stuck doing the same exercise over and over again. When it happens I pause and adjust the level of difficulty, then it skips to the next exercise.
Bottom line is that this is the best (and the only) fitness program on the market and in spite of all its problems it really does make you stick to exercising routine. Hey, I stay with Maya for four years already and don't plan to leave any time soon. Well, unless the second version comes out - and there are such rumors.
PS BTW it works with Xbox 360 as well but you're going to lose all the data when you switch. So if you have an advanced status at PS2 you'll need to start all over again as a novice.

Workout works, but has quirks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: October 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Yourself! Fitness is a very impressive achievement, but it does have some, shall we say, quirks that you will need to learn to work with. I'll list out the problems that I've had, and hopefully some workarounds that might help you get the most out of this package.

1. Maya doesn't keep in sync with the music.

Maya does okay, but she does tend to have a difficult time staying with the music; my suggestion would be to keep track of which exercises you are doing, and use the animation as a reference for the proper form, but don't try to stay in sync with her movements or they may throw you off.

2. Maya doesn't always give you enough time to catch up.

When switching exercises, she will usually give a verbal explanation of the exercise she wants you to do. The problem is, by the time the explanation is complete, you're half-way through the allotted time, and you haven't really done any reps yet. Therefore, you tend to not have enough time to do the actual reps before you're on to the next exercise. The trick is to learn the exercises well enough so that you can ignore her explanations and go straight to the reps. You can pause the game and get a tutorial on any of the exercises; if you find yourself falling behind, I highly recommend doing this so that you get enough out of your workout. Otherwise, you should just accept that you'll be a little confused during your first few times through, but eventually you'll catch on.

3. Maya doesn't really adjust the difficulty, even though she says she will.

By the end of the warmup exercises, my heartrate tends to be around 170, which is way too high. After that segment, Maya pauses and asks me how I did. I always tell her I couldn't keep up. She says that she will adjust the difficulty of similar segments in the future, but she never does; if anything, those segments have been getting MORE challenging lately. Therefore, if you do have heart-rate problems like I do, then you might find that you have to rein in your enthusiasm during the warmups and kick a little lower, raise your arms a little less, etc. I always feel like I'm cheating when I have to do that, but that's what I have to do in order to keep up.

4. Some exercises are not challenging enough.

You may find that some of the exercises are not going to work for you if you have a decent amount of upper-body strength. My suggestion would be to learn which exercises they are (like "Lift Sequence" which is a set of biceps curls without weights), and make sure you have some dumbbells or heavier hand-weights nearby to enhance these exercises; for example, some of the curls and lateral raises really require more resistance to be effective. I've also found that the "Swim" stretches are not particularly useful for me, so I would suggest substituting "Supermans" for those if the "Swim" is too easy. It will take a little work to figure out which exercises are going to be beneficial to you, and which are a waste of time, so be prepared to make adjustments on the fly. Also, since you don't have anyone observing you to ensure that you are keeping proper form, you have to be very self-aware as to which muscles you are attempting to work out; if a particular stretch is too easy, it's quite possible that you're not doing it right, and you might want to go through the tutorial and make some adjustments.

5. Some exercises might be physically impossible for you to do.

When you first start out, Maya tests your physical fitness, including your flexibility. I can barely stretch my hands to my knees from a sitting position; regardless, during one of my workouts, Maya wanted me to do a yoga position called the Half Moon. I guarantee - if you can't touch your toes, you can't do this either. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about that because you can't skip an exercise; you have to wait it out, or do an alternate exercise on your own until she's ready to move on. There are other remedies - you can buy special foam blocks that help bridge the distance between your hands and the floor, but the program doesn't tell you that; it just assumes that you can do the move, and unfortunately the tutorial doesn't give you a suitable alternative.

A good tool to have in your fitness tool box.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

With a busy schedule, this "game" is a very convenient way to slip in a workout when one gets a free moment. It is relatively engaging (much more so than a DVD workout) and the variety in the workouts is an added bonus. Workouts are customized for the individual (based on age, gender, weight, fitness level, personal goals etc.) and they increase in difficulty over time as one's fitness level increases. This proves to be so much more rewarding and beneficial than a "one size fits all" exercise DVD, where you either can't keep up with it or it's no longer a challange. I was expecting much more of a aerobic-cardio focus, but there is a significant amount of strength-building exercises also. I've been using for about 30 days (two or three 45-minute workouts a week) and I definitely notice additional muscle definition in my shoulders, arms, chest and legs. One additional benefit is that the program tracks one's progress, and it is gratifying to be able to look at one's stats and see the pattern of progress.

I've tried the home gym and the exercise bike, but they get so tedious and boring...difficult to stick with. This product is engaging enough and has enough variety and (dare I say) fun so that it overcomes the boredom. I foresee this as something that I can stick with long term.

Bottom line is that if you are a hard-core fitness guru, this probably isn't for you. However, if you're a 20 or 30 or 40-something working professional and/or parent and are tyring to figure out a way to incorporate a sustainable exercise/fitness progam into a busy lifestyle, this is a good option.

The best workout I have had

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I have several workout DVD's including The Firm and Kendell Hogan workout DVD's and by far this workout program has challenged me to a level I have not experienced. Maya challenges you everyday by incorporating new moves each time you workout depending on your responses during the workout and will increase the intensity each workout. She keeps you motivated while working out like saying things like "Get those knees up", "Move Move", or "That's it your doing it" just to name a few. If you tell her,when she asks how that part of the workout was for you, no sweat she will keep a mental note and increas the insensity on your next workout. She asks things like "How did you sleep last night" when you start you next workout. She tell you "See you tomorrow for your next workout". It definitely keeps me motivated, I look forward to hearing what she has to say each day. You will definitely feel like you had a great workout each time. I highly recommend this workout program especially if you want to increase the intensity of your workout. She keeps a record of everything you do and your responses you give her for your next workout. Each day you pick the type of workout you want to do like cardio, weight loss, or upper body strength; the duration of your workout and tell her what equipment you have. There are meal plans for you depending on the calorie diet you are on, and you can set up your workout schedule to what days you want to workout. This is the best workout program I have experienced and it is definitely worth the money. Maya will keep you motivated till the end and looking forward to the next workout.

Love it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game shortly before Thanksgiving after being disappointed with the Kinetic: Eye Toy game for PS2. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. You remember your exercise DVDs and they become quite boring, but this game actually motivated me to exercise every day because each routine was different. Maya doesn't exactly scold you when you miss a day that you're scheduled to exercise, but she doesn't let it just slide either... I love that it is customizable to your weight and fitness goals. It even tells you how many calories you've burned after the workout. I have the stepper, weights, and the stability ball...all of which have really maximized my experience with this game, but I've had days when I've used none of them and the floor exercises are just as enjoyable!

I highly recommend this to anyone bored with exercising at home....you really need to buy this!

Yourself! Fitness

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off, I'll start out by saying I'm not in shape-unless you consider "round" a shape...I was amazed at how this game works as a fitness instructor-and when I was done with my workout, I felt pretty whooped. But, I can tell you it was very fun, and I felt good after the workout. You can set your own workout schedule and routine, even check out thousands of menu selections, recipes, and set them for any given day! It's all right here folks! I set a target goal of 50 lbs. to lose-You cant go wrong with this game folks!! This game keeps it fun, and that's very important-I started out on October 3, 2006-I'll be back here a month from now to share my results!

Yourself!Fitness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Awesome! I feel like I have a personal trainer sitting right in my room with me, every step of the way. I totally sweat to this workout. Worth every penny!

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