Paper Workouts

[PhyllisG]

I started out years ago with paper workouts. Then I discover videos and that changed everything for me. But I have started rethinking paper workouts. I used to really like putting on my own music and working out at my own pace. I actually got into very good shape.
What paper workouts do you like. I just ordered NROL for woman and a book by Joan Pagano from the library. Any suggestions?
I still have my Lisa Lyons book somewhere and the one by the couple Zane.

[superfit41]

You might like one of the books by Joyce Verdal. Before I discovered workout videos in 1996, I purchased her Weight Training Made Easy book. I used it for quite a while. It is basically pyramid training with weights. It is split into two workouts, upper and lower body. It even has diagrams, you could tear out if you want. I still have it!
Sherry

[Jane P.]

I like Ultimate You by Joe Dowdell and the Six Week Bikini Countdown by Karon Karter. Karter's book contains some Pilates workouts, but it also has cardio and weight workouts. Dowdell's book is somewhat similar to NROL but progresses more slowly (almost all the workouts can be done at home) and contains diet info.

[jilybeann]

I'd suggest looking at Nia Shanks. She has several great programs on her website Lift Like a Girl. Depending on what equipment you have, she has several options, including some bodyweight only workouts.

I've also done The Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove and I enjoyed it. Currently I'm doing You Are Your Own Gym which is all bodyweight exercises. It's surprisingly tough, especially for my upper body.

You also might want to check your local library. Mine has several books available, including the one I'm planning on doing next, Strength Training for Fat Loss.

I really like paper workouts too, especially since I can go at my pace and listen to whatever music I like.

[FirmDancer]

I'm a fan of Sally Moss. Her website is Strength Ambassadors. She has basic and intermediate strength training workouts, and great videos to demonstrate progressions of various Olympic lifts.

[Scorpio6]

i have been doing some paper workouts recently that I got from Self and Shape Magazines, also Women's Health, and Fitness Magazine. I just do a copy and paste to a Word document and it's mine. No dvd, no streaming, and I can go at my own snail's pace, music of my choice. A lot of times it's hard for me to keep up with a dvd because of my hip arthritis.

[bzar]

before i went on an outer island trip (Maui), i wrote down all of the moves from P90x Legs and Back. i did the workout in the hotel fitness room. i was able to do the workout in about 40 minutes because there was no Tony-Gab happening.

i second the suggestion about joyce vedral. in most of her books, she has the summary of the moves at the end of the book.

[slysam]

I like paper workouts for strength training. The main issue is that it really helps me to be able to watch the exercise in person so I prefer paper workouts where there is access to the instructor (or someone approved by the instructor) demonstrating each exercise with good form.

I really liked Venus Index workouts (I have the first and second, one is now called Venus Factor and I forgot the other name) as it does just that. And my body responded well to it.

I like Strong Curves though it is simpler than Venus Factor and not quite as thorough.

I like Valerie Waters programs as paper workouts. I have Red Carpet Ready and Action Hero Babe. I found when following the video of Action Hero Babe that I didn't get as good of a workout as when I followed it as a paper workout. I actually would go faster than Val (lots of downtime and talking). Using it as paper I loaded up with heavier resistance too, for some reason seeing lighter weights can inspire me to use lighter weights.

I have Female Body Breakthrough but really have only used the warmup. I actually used it as my warmup for Venus and for Red Carpet Ready. The warmup is really a mini-workout with prehab exercises and some functional mobility exercises. I bought Drop Two Sizes (book and DVDs) to see the warmup in action. I think I prefer the book, the warmup and workouts didn't flow as much as I would prefer in the DVD (too much downtime and talking).

I do prefer DVDs or some form of video for some types of workouts like cardio, dance, yoga, pilates, barre, bodyweight calisthenics. For some reason the timing is usually wrong for me with strength work unless it is circuit involving light weights ala Jari Love or something like that.

[Vintage VFer]

I like the old Look Great in 8 from Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine years ago. I still have the wall chart that came in the magazine.

It is very flexible in that you can use videos or not.

Here is the rotation:

http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=104923

[Littlepoecat]

I have a couple of Joyce Vedral workouts, but the one I keep going back to is Cory Everson. I like her book simply titled Cory Everson workout. I got my best results with that workout.