Yowza Fitness Miami Elliptical Trainer Review

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As the second generation of their 60% grade of ellipticals, the Yowza Fitness Miami Elliptical Trainer features a long list of upgrades, from fitness app integration, to a longer stride, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

This review considers how much of an impact this could have on your fitness routine, with an in-depth look at the workout programs, adjustable stride technology, and Intelligent Weight Management Program.

Reversible VME technology and adjustable stride

Whilst the entire CardioCore collection can be classed as Variable Motion Ellipticals (VME), only the Islamorada and Miami models feature the full 60% incline and 32 inch maximum stride length.

Combined with the Electromagnetic Braking System, this enables you to control the incline, stride, and resistance level directly from the console, using just a handful of buttons.

This helps to cut down on any learning curve you may have after upgrading from your old machine, and is especially useful if this is the first elliptical you’re buying for your home.

Throughout the stride motion the distance between the pedals has been minimised, in order to keep your feet at an optimum distance apart.

Similar to the ‘Q Factor’ on exercise bikes, this has been found to reduce potentially harmful loading at the knee, while at the same time enhancing the efficiency of the knee and hip power transfer.

Stability, safety, and transport

When you’re buying a new piece of home fitness equipment, it’s often the case that there will be more than one person in the home whom it will benefit.

But whether you’re looking for a new elliptical for your own personal use or for the use of your family, safety and stability are always going to be of paramount importance, especially when the machine weighs in excess of 200 lbs as the Miami model does.

Although we’re missing the console disabling pass code sequence technology of the earlier Precor Precision Series models, by keeping the center of gravity low and increasing the width of the front base stabilizer, this ensures there is no unwanted sideways movement during your workouts.

To counteract any unevenness in the floor on which it rests, Yowza have also included the same base leveller design that we’ve seen on previous CardioCore ellipticals.

These two base levellers can be individually height adjusted without the need for tools, and are made easier to get to through the addition of the heavy duty handle at the rear of the flywheel casing.

This same handle also comes in useful if you decide to move the elliptical between rooms once it’s assembled, with the transport wheels at the front being large enough to roll smoothly over a variety of floor textures, including solid wood and carpet.

SuperCore handle design and patented SureFit pedals

If you’ve already read some of our reviews on the other Yowza Fitness ellipticals, the term CardioCore is probably fairly familiar.

This is the name given to the unique and patented counter-rotational core motion created by the moving handles, which pivot around a point inside the display console.

SuperCore is the name given to the enhanced design that has been developed specifically for the Islamorada and Miami ellipticals, and features a longer handle design and unique egg-shaped rotating grips.

These are designed to create an even more intense workout for your core muscles, which includes your abs and obliques.

YouTube video showing the Yowza Fitness Miami Elliptical Trainer in action:

Another of the upgraded features that’s unique to Yowza Fitness is the SureFit pedals.

A thicker gel insert has now been added to create a more comfortable platform on which to rest your feet, but the same ergonomic pivoting motion remains.

As your stride moves between the 18″ to 32″ range that’s available, these foot pedals pivot in sync with the natural flex in your ankles as you run.

This helps to distribute your weight and running power more evenly, at the same time as reducing the chance of injury by limiting the stress placed on your ankle and surrounding muscles.

Display console design with Bluetooth connectivity

Despite still featuring many of the same fundamental design features, such as the tiered levels and motion/resistance adjustment buttons, the console has been entirely redesigned for the Miami model.

Two new feedback windows have been added, separating the motion level and resistance level away from the rest of your workout information.

This includes your distance, time, number of calories burned, watts, RPM, fan speed setting, and a display matrix profile of your current workout program.

This has been done to create a more intuitive button layout, whose functions won’t be impacted if you choose to view the remaining workout information through a tablet display, using one of the MyLiveLight apps.

The fan speed and volume buttons have been reorganized for a similar reason, to separate the buttons that affect your workout, from those that affect the entertainment options and cooling fan.

If you do want to listen to music during your workout, you might have noticed that the iPod docking station has been removed in the upgrade from the earlier Islamorada model.

This is because the speakers now operate using Yowza’s FitSound technology, which allows you to listen to the music on your tablet via a Bluetooth connection.

This Bluetooth connection plays a major role in setting this elliptical apart from others in the CardioCore range, as well as ellipticals from other leading fitness companies in the same price range.

We’ll be covering its connection with workout apps and the Weight Management program later on in our review.

Preset and customised workout programs

Whether your goal is to enhance muscle tone, burn fat, or improve cardiovascular fitness, frequent changes in your workout routine are key to ensuring you make consistent progress.

The Yowza Fitness Miami Elliptical helps prevent this muscle adaptation by offering 9 main workout programs, with many featuring a range of intensity levels.

These are in addition to the custom workouts that are available via the MyLiveLight fitness apps, and the customised calorie burning program created by the Intelligent Weight Management System.

View the MyLiveLight fitness apps in action:

Because the design of these workouts is so important, we’ve put together a quick summary of what you can expect if you decide to make the Miami elliptical the newest addition to your home gym.

9 Preset workout programs:

Intelligent Weight Management Program

One of the main benefits of the Miami elliptical is not just in the additional workout and weight management tools it offers, but the reliable way in which it connects to them.

Some of the ellipticals we’ve reviewed in the past have relied on potentially unstable Wi-Fi connections to sync workout data from the console to the tracking software on your computer.

Yowza Fitness have worked around this by basing their connectivity around Bluetooth, which has been used to connect the console to a set of scales that are provided with the Miami as part of the Intelligent Weight Management program.

By connecting directly to the console, you’re able to weigh yourself on the scales, then have the measurement store itself against the user profile you’re currently configuring.

This not only improves on accuracy, but can also lead to a custom workout being automatically created, based on a recommended weight calculation.

You see, as part of the same user profile that uses the weight from the weighing scales, you can also enter your height, age, and gender.

These factors are then used to determine a healthy weight range, based on your BMI. It’s this healthy weight that gets displayed on the console, and is used to determine a target number of calories for you to burn in your current workout.

By following this recommended workout, the goal is to help you reach your recommended weight more quickly than following the preset programs alone.

Although this may seem similar to the ‘Calorie Burn’ preset program already stored on the console, this is much more focussed on your specific body type, and works to a similar method as if you had consulted a personal trainer.

Integration with myLiveLight mobile apps

The second area where a Bluetooth connection can be so beneficial is when you want to sync your tablet with the MyLiveLight training apps.

Using a conveniently designed tablet shelf that can hold your tablet securely in place without covering any of the button functions, this transmits data to your tablet in real time using Bluetooth 4.0.

In total you can install a suite of up to 5 apps provided by Yowza Fitness, each designed to help improve the quality of your workout.

5 free apps available from MyLiveLight:

The LiveLight Scale can be useful for measuring your weight when used in combination with the scales we mentioned for the Intelligent Weight Management Program.

You can then store this information against your personal profile, which can be accessed by the fitness computer to create custom workouts tailored towards your specific fitness goals.

The LiveLight Ellip. will be the app you’ll probably want to use most often with the Miami elliptical.

After creating your profile and selecting a workout, any information that was being displayed on the console screen will now be available to view directly through the screen on your tablet.

This includes your heart rate, speed, current resistance level, current weight, and target weight.

Operating the MyLiveLight apps using a tablet

One of the main benefits to viewing this information via a touch screen tablet is the fact that you can move individual segments of information around the screen, so that it’s easier to find the feedback that’s most important to you.

Where the previous Captiva and Islamorada i35 ellipticals were limited to just an iPhone docking station and built-in speakers, having the connection to your tablet also means you can watch your favourite movies at the same time as working out.

In a similar way to fitness tracker apps like FitBit, you can also use MyLiveLight to enter your caloric intake and view your remaining calorie level for the day, as part of a more comprehensive health management studio.

Ease of assembly and maintenance required

Despite improvements in the length of the stride, range of incline, and technology behind the display console, Yowza Fitness have still managed to maintain their record of developing ellipticals that are quick and easy to assemble.

In the same way as the other ellipticals in the CardioCore collection, the base frame for the Miami model arrives already pre-assembled, as does the upright console assembly and incline frame assembly.

Click here to view the user manual

Despite a comprehensive parts list that lists over 250 items, you actually need to assemble less than 20 main of these (excluding bolts and washers).

The rest has already been completed prior to being shipped to your home, in order to simplify the assembly process, and reduce the cost of shipping.

Despite being as straightforward as we feel it can be, if you don’t have the time to get the Miami elliptical setup yourself, Yowza Fitness also offer two different types of delivery.

This means you can buy direct from Amazon and take advantage of their free shipping, then contact Yowza and request that one of their trained technicians assembles the machine in your chosen room.

There is however an additional cost associated with this that you won’t incur if you assembled the elliptical yourself, which is usually in the region of $299.

What’s covered by the warranty?