I am a huge Stephanie Oram fan after completing XTF Max and XTF One on One. I was super excited to get this latest addition to the XTF series. Upon receiving the set I put the first disc in the DVD player player to see what it was like. Initially I was unsure if I would enjoy the personal trainer style with Stephanie instructing one student through the entire workout, but I have done a couple of the workouts now and really like them. Karen, the woman in the video, shows great form (usually) and Stephanie gives lots of good advice on modifications when necessary. Challenging but doable, and easily modified for all fitness levels by using whatever weight you are comfortable with. Another great workout series. Thanks Stephanie and crew!

Update: I finished the program and ended up much stronger as a result. I began using mainly 5 and 8 pound weights and finished using mainly 8 and 15 pound weights. I lost a couple pounds toward the middle of the program but gained it back by the end even though I was under my calorie goals 99 percent of the time. I lost 1/4 inch on my chest, 1 inch on my waist, 1/2 inch on my hips and 1/4 inch on my thighs. My biceps remained the same. Weirdly enough, I look more toned even though my measurements show barely any difference. My biggest complaint is that after the initial three weeks there are NO rest days. I don't mind not having rest days, but lots of times the workouts work the same muscles on consecutive days, and there is no time for muscle recovery. I also found the cardio to be a total drag to get through, and incredibly boring even though it is very difficult. The pace is so fast that it is nearly impossible to complete the exercises without compromising form. My other complaint is the amount of push-ups. I know that push-ups are a great exercise, but one of the workouts has five or six sets of 30 push-ups in one form or another, and for most people (even high-intermediate to advanced exercisers) cannot do that number of push-ups with proper form. Even Karen had trouble demonstrating those sections with proper form. I also found Karen's timing to be inconsistent. Unless I watched her at all times, I never completed all the reps in a particular section at the same pace that she did. I would have to pause the DVD to catch up or would do extra reps until she finished...and Stephanie often gets confused on how many reps are left in each set. Karen keeps her on track with the number of reps most of the time. Overall, decent workout series, but I am very disappointed that I didn't see better results.

I just completed my first week of the program. In general, these are good workouts that are different from what I normally do in the gym so I was hoping to bust out of a gym rut and avoid the holiday crowds by working out at home. I like the workouts overall but I've got some beefs:

1) Only one of the endurance workouts is labeled as working your abs, but all 4 of them have segments to work your abs. If you add up all the pyramid segments, you're doing 64 sets of each of 4 abs excercises for the first three days then on day six you do 80 reps of the abs excercises. It IS possible to overwork your abs, and most PTs would tell you that too many reps can actually make your stomach muscles bulge outward.

2. It would be really, really, really helpful if Stephanie would give you a little blurb before the workout begins telling you what equipment you need. It sucks if you have 5 seconds between reps and suddenly have to go scrounging for a resistance band, stability ball, or step. I could manage the others, but the step got me because I had nothing I could use and her only alternative was lunges. Ok, 25 lunges per leg in one set and 30 lunges per leg on another set is a ridiculous amount of reps.

3) The counter in the lower left of the screen goes from white to green as you exercise so I guess you can have an idea of your pace, but I match the pace of the gal doing the exercises and sometimes she's saying she's done 16 and I'm only at 13. Half the time Stephanie doesn't know the count and while I try to keep my own count, Stephanie talks constantly or starts HER counts "off" so I feel like I'm in the dark about actual reps. I'm going to keep working through the DVD but I'd drop a trainer at the gym--even if she was friendly--if I couldn't keep track of my gains/reps.

This is not my first time using XTrainFit workouts. I really like the 30 day circuit burnout set. I've tried all of Stephanie's dvds and I think she's got good ideas and great personality, but her reviews are always the same and I don't see her ever making the suggested changes. This will most likely be my last XTrainFit purchase because it's kinda convinced me that they'll just keep doing things the same way.

I've completed this whole program once, and really enjoyed it. I'm going through RIPT 90 by the same company now, but plan on returning to this one soon. If comparing - RIPT 90 is repetitive, but challenging. I do wish they had more cardio like this one does. Here's my findings on this personal trainer:

Pros:
~Warm Up, and Cool Down/Stretch is in each workout. I think this is really important!
~These are challenging workouts for every fitness level.
~The trainer and the other lady work well together with some funny commentary.
~Keeps you engaged without boring you.
~Great mix of both cardio, and weightlifting.

Cons:
~PACKAGING! Each disc comes in a plastic sleeve that looks like you should be able to throw away after opening. DON'T throw away the sleeves!!! The glue from each DVD holder will destroy the discs. You must put each disk back into the sleeve after each and every use.
~Not enough time between each exercise. I wish they would put the countdown timer off to the side, and show you what the next exercise will be during that time.
~I'm not working out 6-7 days a week. Just not happening. It is easy to change the schedule to fit your weekly needs though, and still get a LOT out of it! I've changed it to workout 5 days a week, and have greatly benefited from it! Yes, it takes longer then 90 days, but it helped me to keep pressing through this, and not give up.

I wish I could rate this 10 star, but Amazon only goes up to 5. Our house is a big fan of Stephanie and all her workouts. Stephanie makes working out fun "“ as hard is that is to believe. We started working out with Stephanie with X-TrainFit At Home and were instantly hooked and have done XTFMAX, XTFMAX One on One and now XTFMAX Personal Trainer. We have also done several other X-TrainFit workout sets. Needless to say, we are all in with X-TrainFit and think they are the best. When we saw that they released a set geared more toward Stephanie being our personal trainer, we got very excited. We workout together in our house so having Stephanie be our family trainer is amazing. She sets up each exercise and does not make us feel intimidated if there is one we struggle with. There are some modifications shown for exercises too so if we are struggling, we can always modify down. Likewise, she has her participant show more advanced movements too. It's fun to constantly be challenged, yet successful at Stephanie's workouts. We don't follow the nutrition plan provided exactly but have tried several recipes already and love them! The calendar and training guide have helped us stay on plan. Once again, Stephanie and X-TrainFit have done it again. Thank you X-TrainFit!

This is my second purchase(RIPT90 was the 1st) this company and the products keep getting better. I am in the 1st few weeks of the endurance phase and I find the workouts to be challenging, interesting and effective. The workouts kind of sneak up on you. You do sets of ladders(16 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps, 12reps then 16) starting with lightest weight, medium then heaviest. The 1st time I did each workout I did not go as heavy as I could....when I ramped up the weight....the workouts were amazing. The cardio workout is a bit short(by design 20 minutes) and really simple moves...actually, I think what I like about the workouts are that they are simple, intense and basic. Times vary from 20 minutes to 40 minutes or so. I wish I knew how long each workout is(It might tell you in the manual but I have not read them). I love that Stephanie Oram keep making dvd's rather than moving to only streaming.....she is cornering a market that still has demand. I am a 52 year old, high level exerciser and these work for me. I actually bought this for my wife and we both just love them. Women have it tough as a dvd instructors...can be too feminine or overly manly(see Jillian) but Stephanie finds a sweet spot...kind, funny but with enough to push a man(I am not a sexist so I hope you can understand what I am trying to say here) like me. Between each set Stephanie provides a time and motivational quote....which I love. I will report more as I move into the next phase. If you like simple, effective, fun and great home workouts.....this one is for you.

Btw, I hope they produce a RIPT90 2 - I am in for sure. Now....if they could just find a way for me to perfect my diet!!!