My Fat Ass Review - My Fitness Coach for Wii

Thought I might do a review of the My Fitness Coach by Ubisoft for the Wii...You can find it at leading retailers - like Best Buy and Target and on-line at places like Amazon for about $20.

I have been using it about 3-4x's per week and I really like it alot - for $20 I will say I have gotten my money's worth...

To begin you set up your profile - which includes you measuring various parts of your body (not so pretty) and entering your weight, doing exercises to determine your resting and active heart rate and checking your flexibility.

From there it asks what your goal is...be it strength, toning, flexibility or mine (obviously) Weight Loss...and allows you to set up a workout scheduale for the week

You have the opportunity to imput what extra equipment you may have that the program can incorporate into the workouts - Yoga Ball, Hand Weights, Step and Heart Monitor.


I did get a yoga ball, a set of 3 lb hand weights and a step (got that for a trade for some cards from a friend of mine) - so I will say I have spent an additional $20 or so $$.

Personally, I think you definately need a step - I love the exercises they do that encorporates the step...before I got my real one I was using the Wii balance board - but the real one is higher and I don't have to worry about stepping to hard on the real one vs the Wii Balance Board. Most every workout I have done has encorporated exercises using the step - obviously if you don't have a step you won't be doing those exercises...

Yoga ball don't really NEED.... BTW I bought the cheapest one they had at Target - about $10 works great - so far my fat ass hasn't popped it - but it is nice to have - I have enjoyed the exercises that have encorporated the ball but there have only been a few so IMO it is not as vital as the Step...

Handweights are nice to have but like the yoga ball you don't really NEED them...but you can pick up a set of 3lb or 5 lb ones for under $10... I will actually use them even when the program doesn't have you using them...sometimes they will have a "plie with row" - I grab those weights and row away.

For the workouts you get to choose your music and location - if you stick to your workout schedule the more workouts you do the more locations and music you unlock...but be forwarned...the first unlock comes at 3 days...so you do the 3 days you have scheduled and you unlock a place and music - the second comes at 7 days...BUT if you miss a schedualed workout you go back to square one...I did 6 schedualed workouts and missed the 7th one and now I have to start all over working to unlock the next location/music...but I have gotten wise to the program and have been "adjusting" my workout scheduale - for example I had it set to 15 minutes for Mon, Tues, Wed and Thursday...but I have something on Thursday evening so last night I went in and "adjusted" my schedule and took out Thursday...I want to unlock that next location/music - dammit

The workouts are great and have a nice variety to them - you are led by Mia - who is a little too perky for my taste...although she does through some sarcasm in there from time to time and I like that in a person (real or not...) - It is not like a DVD or a tape where you are doing the same workout over and over again. I have tried DVD's before and after 3-4 times I am just plain bored...

It does work out your whole body for the most part...I have aching leg muscles to prove it...

There are a few things I can't do - I have bad ankles so i can't have a lot of sudden impact so things like jogging are out for me - I just march in place instead of jogging (something that has one foot on the floor)...and other things....well I am just not coordinated enough to do - like I can skip up...but skipping back would probably land me in the ER...so I just hustle up and back...

I do different arm movements sometimes - pushups...no can do - so I do something different while Mia does her thing - but I keep moving...I do feel muscles where I haven't before and it does get my heart rate up -

There are a few different things you can do
Yoga (different yoga poses)
Cardio (mainly moving around with some spot toning towards the end of the session)
Upper Body (focuses on your arms and back)
Lower Body (legs)
Core (mid section...lots of different crunches usually)
Flexibility (like Cardio with more stretching/yoga involved)

My goal is 4 x's per week - with one day of Cardio, one upper, one lower and one core...although last time I did core they had me doing crunches while on the ball...OWWW my abs the next day I could feel them everytime I moved...

But even when you choose say Upper - like I did last night - I was still doing lots of squats and lunges in the exercises so my legs got a workout too - along with like a bajjion bicep curls.

The program will give you rest periods and give you an opportunity to let the program know if you find the sections easy, hard or just right and will adjust the program for you...so be prepared that for a 30 minute session - it will actually take 35-36 minutes to get all the way through it.

You can set your time - in 15 minute increments - 15, 30, 45 etc... i usually do 30 minutes because that is all I have time for during the week - I usually do it after dinner and it carries me through the night...but you can do things back to back - say 15 minutes on Upper and then do a 15 minute Lower.

If you are advanced in your workouts and are one of those people who belong to an actual gym and can wear spandex without embarrassment this probably isn't the program for you - but if you have limited time on your hands and want to do some basic workouts that will get you moving without being in a room full of people and mirrors then the My Fitness Coach might be just what you are looking for...