XTFMAX: 90 Day DVD Workout Program with 12 Exercise Videos + Training Calendar & Fitness Guide and Nutrition Plan on 4 DVDs

I feel very compelled to write a review for this program even though I'm nowhere near 90 days in. I have been eyeing this program for a long time, but I was always reluctant to purchase it due to some of the negative reviews. However, I finally decided to make the purchase and I'm so glad I did!!!!! You get a lot of bang for your buck here. This is one of the most complete programs out there. The workouts are basic yet super effective & includes everything from strength training, cardio, HIIT, to yoga. The program is also very professionally packaged with a useful nutrition guide & lots of motivational tips. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I do feel that some of the negative reviews are totally irrelevant & just plain offensive. I do not think Stephanie is annoying, in fact I think she's very personable. She seems very knowledgeable & experienced. The workouts are filmed in real time & Stephanie and her girls are right there sweating with you & even taking water breaks. It's awesome that Stephanie provides 4 different levels to choose from (most programs only show one modification). The production quality seems great in my opinion; nothing fancy, but I can hear & see the workouts perfectly which is what matters to me. I don't purchase exercise DVDs for a fashion show or for the studio/gym decor, I care about the exercises & being able to follow along. My background: I work full time & I'm also a mom. I am an intermediate/advanced exerciser, and I work out about 6 times a week. I own tons & tons of fitness DVDs including all of Jillian Michaels' DVDs. With that being said, I am not new to at home exercise programs & I have pretty high standards for them. This program is so wonderful & complete; I feel so sad that it took me this long to make the purchase. This program is also super affordable, which I really appreciate. I am totally recommending this to all my fitness buds. I do have one recommendation: watch the videos once before starting them. Different instructors use different terminology for exercise moves. For example, I noticed Stephanie calls burpees "thrusts", and plank up downs "hell raisers." Previewing videos always helps eliminate confusion for me. Great job, Stephanie! I hope you continue to produce more DVDs!!!

As a former personal trainer back in the day (30 years ago) and a current P90Xer, X2 & X3, I didn't quite know what to expect from XTFMAX, but I figured for the price I wasn't really losing anything if it turned out to be a dud. Not only did I not lose anything, I gained a well-rounded and complete training system to add to my workout DVD library. In fact, I like Stephanie's workouts better than the glitzy and much more expensive Beachbody workouts. XTFMAX is definitely old school, gritty, down and dirty lifting with some cardio and ab days thrown in for good measure, like in the good old days before trainers had to "outperform" each other. You never spend more than 45 minutes on any workout. Stephanie keeps it short, sweet and targeted, so you're getting a good workout in a reasonable amount of time. All you need is a set of light, medium and heavy dumbells and a yoga or exercise mat. The training system is broken up into four 3-week segments and a final fat shred week at the end for a total of 13 weeks. During weeks 1-3 you build endurance with two weight days, two cardio days and a stretch/abs day. Weeks 4-5 you build strength with five weight days, one cardio day, and a stretch/abs day. Weeks 7-9 is called the meta-endurance stage with four weight days,two cardio days and a stretch/abs day. Weeks 10-12 is another endurance phase with three weight days, three cardio days with abs, and a stretch/abs day. Week 13 is an all-out fat shred week with three each weight and cardio days. The DVD titles and times are as follows: XTFMAX Abs - 24 minutes which works your entire abdominal wall Hard Core - 43 minutes of nothing but focused core work on your back, glutes, inner/outer thighs and abs Long & Lean - 37 minutes of yoga-type stretching Chest & Back - 39 minutes targeting the entire upper, lower and outer back, and upper, middle and lower chest Circuit Burnout - 39 minute challenging fat burning cardio Total Body Blitz - 26 minute weight workout that hits two body parts with each exercise XTFMAX Legs - 46 minutes of non-stop glute, quad, hamstring and calves XTFMAX Arms - 38 minutes of shoulders, biceps, triceps XTFMAX Stretch - 28 minute good old-fashioned stretching Definitions - 42 minutes of descending supersets for your entire body Cardio - 27 minute fat scorcher (it's short but really tough) Cardio Max - 26 minutes of interval cardio moves Stephanie mixes up the workouts really well and I didn't get bored during the 13 weeks, as I tended to do during the Beachbody workouts. The program comes with a diet and training calendar. I did not follow the diet, as I tend to eat pretty well and was not looking to lose weight, however my body composition did change, and I have a lot more muscle definition and am quite a bit stronger than when I first started. For example, on week one I started with 8-pound dumbells as my heaviest weights for bicep curls, but now I can curl 15 pounds. On chest/back I started with 12 pound weights, which felt pretty heavy, but how I can do flys and rows with 20 pound weights. My fitness level has skyrocketed and I can run (yes run) five flights of stairs without becoming a winded mess. I'm so pleased with XTFMAX that I ordered XTFMAX Personal Trainer and am starting that next. There are three ladies plus Stephanie doing different levels of the workout, so you can modify as necessary and work your way to a more difficult level as you gain strength and endurance. You get a lot of workout for the price. I would highly recommend this training program for anyone at any level.

I do different exercise DVD's to keep fresh. My collection includes, Dr. Axe and BurstFit, Dr. Jade and Aftershock, Lisa and Ten Minute Solutions, Jennifer and Weight Watchers Bootcamp, and Steve and Ruthless. Now I added Stephanie and XTF. Each DVD I own is different with format, options, levels, intensity, music, atmosphere, attitude of the leader, coed or just for women, warm-ups, stretching, cool-downs, equipment and space needed. I think my favorite is Lisa with 20 seconds of intense and 10 seconds off with eight exercises total. With that being said, I gave Stephanie a little lesser rating because her workouts are random, ranging in time from 24 minutes up to 46 minutes. She is an extrovert so I enjoy that and she is pleasant and encouraging. My biggest complaint is that there is down time switching from exercise to exercise. I feel like I am standing around waiting when my exercise time is precious. Some workouts I don't break a sweat because it is just yoga or just abs or just stretching. I am used to a pretty much a whole body workout with emphasis on a certain area but getting a good workout. Her DVD gives the option of muting her voice and the music which I had not encountered yet. Any exercise is good and the idea is to keep moving and being flexible. I am 54 and hope that I can always do DVD's to keep fit. I admire all the folks that do videos. Someday, I think I should put one together with all my favorite moves and format combo. Go for it!

Pros: Affordable, plenty of variety Cons: Imperfect technique by instructor, breaks are too long, not enough explanation of moves I'm giving these DVDs a 3 since I only completed a few DVDs. I think there is great variety and you can get a good workout from these DVDs. My problem is the instructor's technique. I have done several workouts in the past - The Firm, 21 Day Fix, P90X and Brazilian Butt Lift. I've also had personal trainers in the past, and my husband does fitness competitions. That said, I haven't been working out lately and I was looking for something new to get me motivated. I didn't want to pay the money for another beach body DVD, so I thought I'd try XFTMAX. Within the first couple of minutes of the Definitions DVD I noticed she wasn't doing some of the moves correctly. It's very subtle, but she has a habit of moving/swaying too much when she's doing her exercises. I notice these improper movements since my personal trainer always would correct me on the same thing. I had my husband check it out and he said the same thing as I. The problem with her swing back and forth at the knees (or swaying at the shoulders) is the muscle groups aren't targeted like they should be - making the workout less effective. Even though the instructor doesn't have the best form when performing the exercises. The other women up front with her have impeccable form. Personally, I would defer to them instead of the instructor for technique. The other issue I have with the DVD is the lack of explanation. I like that she has four different variations/levels of an exercise. However I can't always tell the difference in levels with the Cardio DVD. I can clearly see the difference in the easiest level and what the instructor is doing, but I can't tell how the other two levels vary. The differences in levels are more obvious in the DVDs with the weights/resistance bands. Last, there's a 60 second break after each round of exercises. I think it's too long, but that's just my opinion. Overall, this workout would probably be great for someone who is trying to get back on track. I will try to get through more DVDs so I can provide a better review of the effectiveness of the program.

I just started this program. So far it is pretty great. I really like it. I also convinced my husband to do it with me (just because it says "for women" doesn't mean it's limited to women!) There is a guide to follow, so you do different routines on different days which work different areas of your body. It's also broken into 3 week sections (starting with "building endurance") so that it builds over the entire program. There are different people in the video doing different intensity levels for each routine, so you can choose one person to follow at that intensity level (which means you can continue to challenge your self since you can increase the intensity, too). For the cardio routines, I enjoy that they are completed in timed segments, so it lets you do it at your own pace, as well as a couple of rest periods (have water handy... you will need it!). The format is really set up so that anyone at any fitness level can get moving, and continue to challenge themselves as they continue the program (and without way over doing it). I'm somewhat active in my lifestyle, but still found that this challenged me (in a good way!). The routines are all under an hour, so it's easy to fit them into my evening. I wasn't familiar with the moves, so I would have to watch a couple of extra seconds at first, but they were easy to pick up on. The instructor also offers bits of encouragement as well as a few comical phrases that keep you engaged and moving. I started looking for a program originally because my doctor said that my BMI was creeping towards overweight each year, and I was warned to watch it. I walk a couple of miles each morning, and sometimes jump on an elliptical, but I think this is turning out to be a great addition to work on not only losing weight, but to strengthen and tone... something that the walking hasn't done. I have issues with my back and hip, and the pain and stiffness seemed to have lessened a little, and I've found that the really bad muscle tension/aches I get have lessened, too. All around, good deal! I haven't tried the recipes included, but I had thumbed through them and they look pretty good. I hope to try a few soon.

I have been working out for 30 plus years, so although I am no professional, I have a lot of experience. I worked out at the gym for about 20 years and loved every minute of it. About 10 years ago due to a move to an area where the gym wasn't as convenient I began to work out at home. Everything was going just fine until I reached my 50's. Although I continued with the same home workout's I was gaining weight and began to lose the intensity that I once had. The reason was that I wasn't being pushed, I just rotated the numerous home workout videos/DVD's that I have collected over the years. Although these are great instructors and routines I wasn't pushing myself to the next level. Well that all changed when I purchased this set. Stephanie is a great motivator by encouraging you to give it all you can for just another minute, just another rep... I haven't sweated like this in years, and although I haven't been doing this for long enough to experience physical changes in my muscles, I am feeling them them next day and it feels GOOD. Don't be afraid to purchase because of the low price as it a great investment, you just need to do them. The only suggestion I have is that Stephanie stands directly in front of the level two trainer. While there are side shots so that you can the trainer at times, it would be nice to see all 4 levels of trainers at once. I think this is a great purchase for those of us that have 30 minutes a day to work out and give it all we can. ***Update after I completed the 12 DVD's one time I just had to share my positive results with just one cycle of these 12 DVD's. First of all many of these are more in the 38 - 45 minute time range. I wrote on each individual DVD sleeve the actual minutes so that I could plan accordingly. Although the scale reflects just a 2 lb loss in weight, my muffin top is gone, and that is so much more important. After two years of not tucking my shirts in, I am tucking them in again and loving it. I have made one very small modification in my diet, which resulted in about 100 calories less a day. I am so much more self confident, and walk with my chin up now, so even my chin looks better (LOL). I couldn't believe that a yoga workout would be so noticeable in my muscles the next day, but of all of the DVD's this is the one that I felt the most in the next day. I hope that in my next cycle that I will be able to increase my level at least some of the time. The only negative that I have come across is that in other instructor led DVD's the instructor is always using left and right for the viewer, not so in these. You need to decide if are going to mirror Stephanie or follow her left and right lead to get an even workout. Other than that, I loved it, smiled and groaned at some of her chatty comments, but not anymore that an instructor at the club would do. Love IT!!!

Not a huge fan. I've been doing Jillian Michaels DVD's for about a year now and decided to change it up a bit with a different trainer. The price was low enough to try this one. I've done the first three DVD's, and I really thought I was going to have to return it part way through the first DVD, but wanted to give it a fair chance so I kept going. I'm sure that I will get decent results if I follow this program through, but it will be a test of patience to do so. These videos seem so amateur, and the trainer honestly doesn't have the personality to motivate properly. Complaints: 1. Why so many water and towel breaks? Annoying. The trainer wastes too much time doing and talking about breaks. I think interval training would be more effective than going like crazy for five minutes and then just stopping for 1-2 while the trainer complains about how sweaty she is. 2. How many times can the trainer say "C'mown"??? Translated: 'Come On!', in some weird, forced manly voice with an oddly southern accent? During the Cardio DVD, I was actually yelling at the screen saying "If you say 'C'mown' one more time I'm going to scream!". I do realize that I have options for what audio I want to hear, but I'd like to listen to the full videos at least once on the first time through without wanting to tell her to SHUT UP. The trainer is in great shape, and I'm sure the results from this program would be pretty decent. But, I wouldn't recommend this DVD set to others. Not after doing other, better programs with less annoying trainers. I do feel bad about making claims personally against the trainer, rather than critiquing the program, but I think it's significant enough to warn potential customers of these flaws. UPDATE: AFTER COMPLETING FIVE DVD'S I know why this was so cheap now. Definitely downgraded to one star from three. I won't even bother trying to complete this program, and am hoping to return it. There are many other, better options available, so why suffer through something this bad? Complaints: 1. Again, I wish she would please SHUT UP. Her voice oscillates between irritatingly squeaky and beyond irritatingly and awkwardly forced-manly. She talks WAY too much, and usually just about herself and how sweaty she is. She is not positively motivating anyone. She is clearly very self-centered and it seems that she made this program just so she can try to show off to people. She constantly likes to draw attention to how much harder/better she can do the moves, and then constantly refers to how hard she's working out as evidenced by how sweaty she is. Nobody wants to hear about how sweaty she is. At least not more than once or twice, and certainly not 10-15 times during a set. I can't recall anything positively motivational that she said the the audience, besides something like 'this is where we finish strong'. With all her ridiculous talking, she barely explains the moves and how and/or why to do them. Other trainers explain the goal of each movement. 2. The flow of the exercises is not well planned, and sometimes awkward. 3. The warm ups and cool downs and stretches are the worst I've seen in any exercise DVD. For example, in one DVD she has you do three intense calf exercises, but neglects to even bother to stretch the calves at the end? None of the cool down stretches was ever comprehensive enough to be effective. The warm ups are a joke, and also completely ineffective. 4. The frequent breaks between sets are unnecessary and a waste of time. She should have just moved on to a slower/calmer move to bring the heart rate down for a minute, rather than constantly just stopping for a minute. Sure, she says 'keep moving', but she and the others are barley tapping their toes. 5. The 'long and lean' DVD is supposed to be a Yoga workout. She clearly doesn't understand that in order to get the benefits of each yoga pose, you'd have to hold them for more than 1-2 seconds! Yoga isn't supposed to be a race. And, her incessant talking during this DVD is beyond what anyone could tolerate while trying to do Yoga. 6. She seems to try to rush through many of the moves, and includes too many combos which are difficult to keep pace with, even for someone who is accustomed to exercise DVD programs with combos. All the while claiming form is most important. But, you can't maintain proper form when constantly shifting positions too quickly. I strongly recommend you do not waste your money and time on this program because there are plenty of others out there that are so much better.

There is something special about Stephanie's program. It is hard to explain, but I will try. I am a former female, collegiate basketball player and I have always been athletic. About a year ago my sister got me in to home video workouts and I started with Jillian Michaels. I purchased many of her videos, maybe 7 I would say, and there were a couple go to videos for me. But, I got bored, stagnant, unmotivated and frustrated. You see with XTF MAX you get 12 videos in the 90 day program!! Yes, 12 for less than $30. With Stephanie's program I feel like I have a personal trainer in my home. With JM I jumped around the videos...one day cardio, another day a different type of cardio, next day who knows what! But, with XTF MAX Stephanie has it all organized for you. I didn't want to write on the poster that comes with the program so I printed the training schedule from her website. I have ONEonONE, too, so I am doing the training schedule that combines both programs. Each day I record the date I did the workout and highlight the name of the workout. I love being able to see my progress that way. I also too a before picture so I can compare at the end of the 90 days. You can read the details of the program in the specifics of the product, but my point is that it seems that Stephanie is using knowledge of nutrition, anatomy and/or science when she created the program. I have to admit there were times that I was thinking...what is this all about, how is this going to work...but it does! Right now I am on week 6 and today I just finished day 38. At this point I have not done all the workouts, but I have done the majority of them. Here are some of my pros and cons: PROs: 1. 12 videos, so you don't get bored. I love the variety. I also love that you are not working out the entire body every day. It gives parts of your body a rest and again you are not bored. 2. I love that the video has a timer that shows how long the video is and then counts down so you know how much longer you have to go in the workout. 3. The video shows the name of the exercise at the bottom of the screen and a time bar to show you how much longer you will be doing this exercise. Brilliant! 4. Packaging is very professional. All 12 videos in one case. Comes with a poster and an explanation of the program, each workout, how long each workout is. I refer to this often. 5. Before the video begins she explains what this particular workouts goal is. Good info to have! 6. The other girls in that workout with her are realistic. They just look like everyday women. With JM video the girls are so ripped and toned that there is no way I could get that way with just the workout video I was doing. Those girls are working out in the gym, too, or something. But, with XTF the girls show realistic goals. 7. Another thing about the girls...they don't look like the exercises are so easy. I can see arms shaking and sweat dripping. 8. Stephanie has a great personality. I read some reviews that this got annoying to some. Well, JM is annoying to me but I just muted it and listened to music. XTF also gives you the option of hearing her voice or not. 9. Like I said above the training program makes sense. There is reasoning behind the order of workouts. I like that. I need that guidance. 10. Videos how multi-levels so you can choose your own ability. Sometimes I am on 3-4, but there are times I have to stay on level 1, too. And, Stephanie is encouraging that if you need to stop for a second, STOP, but just come back! 11. I have posted a question twice through the contact page and she has personally written back. Very impressive! CONs: 1. Some of the videos are long. They seem to average about 35 minutes, but some are 48 minutes. I have very limited time to workout, so this can get frustrating. [One on One videos are shorter, 25 minutes and I LOVE those, but this is not a review for that program. But, I feel like the new program addressed the issue of length in the MAX series] 2. There is some time taken in the videos to go from one exercise to the next. Stephanie explains the exercise before she does it. This is good info to have, but if I have done the workout 3 times I don't need to hear it again and again. My suggestion: explain it while you are doing it. For the most part Stephanie does do this but those times when she doesn't eats up time. 3. I would love to know the weights that Stephanie uses. You can't read a # on the weight and so far I have only heard her mention a weight once. I am trying to just go by how heavy it looks. Knowing the weight would be helpful to get an idea of how heavy my weight should be. Or, if on one exercise it is a 5lb weight, but then she goes to a 10lb weight I would know to go up on whichever weight I am using as well. Sometimes she will say, "go heavy" or "lighter" but I want numbers! My suggestion: show how heavy the weight is on the screen somewhere or make sure it is visible on the actual weight. 4. I feel like my abs are being neglected. I can see a difference in all areas, but my abs. But, that may just be my personal problem with weight loss. My suggestion: make the ab video longer?? I don't really know how to remedy this one. I know on other workouts she says to "zip up your abs" so your abs are getting a workout all the time, but I am not seeing much difference for me. But that could be nutrition as well. My results so far: I am 40 years old (41 a week from today), female, married with 3 kids and have always been athletic. Starting the program I weighed 195 lbs and had 25.5% body fat. I was a size 14 and rarely a size 12. I was a size XL and rarely a size L. I won't bore you with my measurements...My goal is not for vanity. I want to be strong and healthy on the inside. At 40, my goal is to lengthen my life, increase energy and prevent injuries. For me, it is not about wearing a bikini or short shorts. I am also a lifetime Weight Watchers member so I do track what I am eating -in my head. I eat fairly healthy, but I love cake and candy and believe me I still enjoy is at least 2-3 times a week. After 38 days of the program I weigh 192lbs and am 24.7% body fat. Areas on my body that I see/feel a difference: my butt and hips are smaller. My legs are more toned and arms are getting stronger and toned as well. My clothes are fitting better, much better! Shoulders are more toned as well. I wear a size 12 and rarely a size 14 and a size L and rarely a size XL. When working out I feel stronger and have better stamina. And, I am sticking to it. I don't dread working out each day. On days where I just don't have time I am actually a bit sad. I enjoy my workout time with Stephanie. In the past I would dread doing it, but I knew I had to do it. This is different. I will most likely come back and do an update as I go through the program. I am almost 1/2 way through! I highly recommend the series and I have recommended it to many people that I know. It is not crazy rigorous -it is doable for all levels and ages. My biggest problem right now is what to do when the 90 days are up. But, I have written to Stephanie and she said we could talk about that after I finish the program. Nice to know that she is there to help and support. Great job Stephanie...you and the program are very unique. Keep doing what you are doing! Don't disappear on me!