Joyce Vedral ??

L

LSP

Active Member
Hi,
Can anyone give me their opinions about Joyce's videos. I have been using Cathe PS and MIS for a long time (and I am getting the Slow & Heavy series too), but I was thinking about getting either Joyce Vedral's Bottom's Up Series or the Definition Series for some variety. Can anyone tell me how they compare to Cathe and if they are good videos?
I appreciate any info. you guys have (I have read the reviews at video fitness, but I want to hear more!)
THANKS, Laura
 
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Hi Laura,
Lets just say that I put Joyce Vedral's tapes in the dusty corner for good. She is extremely bad at cueing. She has her daughter along side of her and their counting is always off. I found these tapes putting me to sleep.:-sleepy :-sleepy Comparing Joyce with Cathe is like comparing brussel sprouts and ice cream. Just my opinion though, as Cathe says take it or leave it, right? Amy Jo
 
I agree that the Joyce Vedral tapes are not very good.

If you just want a change of pace until you receive the Slow and Heavy series I suggest the following:

Upper body:
Corey Everson's Get Hard Arms and Shoulders

Lower body:

The Firm's Standing Legs


The above are pretty good workouts to do for a while.
 
Bottoms Up!

Hi Laura,
For the most part, I don't like JV's workouts. I've tried a few and I typically steer clear of her now. There is, however, one (and only one) that I'd really recommend for a solid upper body workout, that's the Bottoms Up video. I don't know about the other Bottoms Up videos, I'm only familiar with the upper body one. It hits all five muscle groups sufficiently and, although Joyce is more than a little obnoxious, the exercises are done in a very effective and varied manner. Her daughter is counting for her, so the reps don't get off in this one. In some of her other tapes, her reps can get pretty uneven. I've kept this tape because it's quite effective and I know I've worked hard and evenly when I'm done but I wouldn't hazard trying any of her other tapes. Oh yeah, this one is out of print so you'll need to check the Video Exchange or maybe e-Bay.

As for Cory Everson's Get Hard Arms & Shoulders, it's a very popular tape and has a good series of exercises. The only thing is that it completely excludes chest & back work. If you use Cory's tape, just make sure you include some chest & back work yourself, or do the work from another tape. Good luck & happy 'pumping'!
 
Cory also has a set of videos that are similar to the PS series. Her Basic Sculpting series is a set of 3 videos that has the same split as PS -- Legs, CST, BBA. I really like the series, but the tape quality is not as good as Cathe, and there is no warmup -- you have to do that on your own. Cory demos the at-home version of the exercise, and two background exercisers demo the gym versions w/ machines. Unfortunately, for the back routine, she does chinups, so if you don't have a chin-up bar at home, you'll need to substitute.

Hmmm, it looks like a listed a lot of negatives with regards to these videos, but I *do* really like them! :) I got mine pretty cheap at GNC.
 
RE: Bottoms Up!

I agree with the opinion on Bottoms Up...it's not a bad tape. I had her Bathing Suit Workout and promptly traded it. Joyce's books are excellent, and she should stick to them. The books are really so good, that she doesn't need to produce videos. I especially like the book "Fat Burning Workout."
 
RE: Bottoms Up!

Thank you so much for all your opinions. I value the opinion of Cathe fans, because you guys know what a good workout is! I do agree that Cory Everson's Get Hard Arms & Shoulders is a good workout - I guess I should dust mine off and use it again! I tried her Basic Sculpting series too, but didn't really like it - I felt like I was at a gym watching people workout. Maybe I will just try the Bottoms Up Upper body video and try to remain patient as I wait for the Slow & Heavy series. I may also get Firm standing legs - I have heard many good things about it. Well, thanks again, and please keep any Joyce Vedral comments coming!
Laura
 
Hi Laura,

I have been using JV's Fast Forward and Weight Training Made Easy for the past couple of weeks because our house is turned upside down and I don't have access to a lot of weights. They are VERY different than Cathe's excellent tapes, but I think I am still benefitting from them. The production quality isn't top notch, and Joyce's form leaves a lot to be desired, but if you know good form, this shouldn't be an issue. Also, her reps are very fast, thus you can't use nearly as heavy weight as you would in a Cathe workout (although Joyce says she uses 10,15, and 20 lb dumbbells in her real-life workout - I'm using 5, 8 and 10!). All this said, I think that the muscles are worked thoroughly, but in a different strategy. You don't have an overall exhausted feeling that I do with a Cathe workout either, but while I'm in my situation, I'm kind of enjoying the break. So I can't give a totally negative review, it's just very different and if you're looking to shake your system up a bit, you might try one of her series. They say her Definition series is the toughest, using the full pyramid system, but I can't comment on it personally. Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers!
Colia
 
I've tried both the Definition Series and the Bottoms-up tapes. I actually like the Bottoms-up Upper and Lower body tapes. Joyce does go considerably faster than Cathe and her form can be poor. But I really enjoy the pyramid method and supersetting. It makes the workout go quickly. You can adapt to the speed and user heavy weight with Bottoms-up. I've used the same size dumbbells as I use with MIS or Bodymax. I sometimes change the exercises in the Lowerbody tape. She does several variety of squats that she calls different names, but they all look and feel like the same exercise to me.

I did not enjoy the Definition series. The reps were just too fast to use anything heavier than 5# and keep up with Joyce. In this workout, it's one-on-one with Joyce so there is no one to keep her on track. Her comments on this one were a little more annoying.

If you want some variety, I would recommend the Bottoms-up tapes.
 
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