He's travelled to 25 countries teaching a program that's part aerobics and part toning. A U.S. national aerobic champion in 1987, he's made exercise videos recommended by health magazines and praised for "MTV-esque moves." He's an instructor on Cable Health Club TV shows. He appeared on Japanese TV to raise money for victims of the Kobe earthquake.

He also works a full-time job with BellSouth in Atlanta as a demographics and deployment analyst for advanced intelligent networks and wireless communications.

Barry Joyce (Martin '83) didn't plan to be an exercise guru. But that's the turn his life has taken since an aerobics instructor challenged him. Since accepting that challenge, Joyce has made seven aerobics videos and was choreographer and coach for the 1989 individual female national aerobic champion and the 1990 male champion.

The son of Ida Belle Joyce, who still lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Joyce came from Murfreesboro Oakland High School to play middle linebacker at UT Martin. While at UTM, he was named to the small college Academic All America team for his 3.3 grade point average. During his college years, he packed about 230 pounds on his six-foot, two-inch frame. Now, with a sleek physique (which is also the title of one of his videos), Joyce has less fat than skim milk. He weighs in at just over 200 pounds and says he's in the best shape of his life.

At first he thought aerobics wasn't a manly sport. He was into distance running and had broken the 40-minute barrier in 10-kilometer races. He knew he was in good shape. Or at least he thought so until one day in Orlando in 1986.

"I was running and saw this building rocking. The second floor stuck out over the parking lot, and you could see the floor moving. I went in to see what was going on."

Instructor Diane Teresi was leading an aerobics class. Coincidentally Teresi needed a partner for an aerobics competition. She tried to interest Joyce, but he declined.

"No. Girls do aerobics," he told her.

"They had an aerobics challenge, and she bet me I couldn't make it through the whole class. I was in top shape then. I made it 15 minutes and thought I was going to die. I could hardly walk the next day. I decided that maybe aerobics wasn't so wimpy," he laughs.

By the time Joyce decided to compete in aerobics, Teresi already had a partner. So Joyce teamed with Susie Stone of Miami for his first event, the 1987 National Aerobic Championships in Los Angeles. They won, beating out several couples who had competed for years.

From that championship it was a short hip hop into exercise videos. For videos, you need catchy titles. Joyce's first was "Graffiti Funk," put out by Muscle Mixes Music Company. ("Funk" generally describes a type of low impact-high intensity aerobics with dance-like moves.)

After another video, he switched to Rhapsody Productions, headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Rhapsody wanted to find a name for Joyce's style of aerobics and toning. Other aerobics instructors already had trademarks for cardiofunk and hip hop. Eventually the company settled on "street jam" to describe Joyce's style.

Joyce choreographs the steps to music written expressly for his routines. He and the production company have made five videos: "Street Jam Step & Groove," "Street Jam Dance to the Heat of the Street," "Street Jam to the 2nd Power," "Street Jam 3 Times the Funk," and his latest, "Sleek Physique Workout."

Self magazine named "Street Jam 3 Times the Funk" as the best funk aerobics video and one of the top 10 videos of 1994. The magazines Fitness and Shape also recommended the video. American Fitness named Joyce as one of the top funk instructors in the U.S., and Atlanta Sports & Fitness magazine voted Joyce as "Best Funk Instructor in Atlanta."

He's performed in South America, Asia, Europe, and Canada. He went to Japan in February, Spain in March, and Germany in April to teach his brand of aerobics and toning to promote his videos. He'll go to Mexico in November.

Joyce says he's better known overseas than in the U.S.

"I'm almost superstar status there," he said. "People ask for my autograph. In Japan, I did two benefits for Kobe earthquake victims. It's funny -- they scream; it drives me crazy. I've experienced on a small scale what Michael Jordan or someone like that goes through."

Aerobics aficionados in the U.S. recognize him, too. In early March he was in New York for an aerobics convention being covered by Shape and Fitness magazines.

"I was getting approached in restaurants by people asking, 'How can I get rid of this?'"

Despite the intrusions, there are benefits. Tammilee Webb and her staff took Joyce out for his birthday in February. Her name doesn't ring a bell? She's the one on the "Buns of Steel" video.

And he spent two weeks in May in Mexico filming a new show called "Body Squad" that will air this fall on Sports South cable network.

"One thing I like about it (aerobics) is it's a hobby. I just make money on it," Joyce says. "As long as it remains like that, I can stay excited about it. I think if I did it full time, it would lose its excitement for me and become a job.

"I have a great job at BellSouth and their support. I love my job."

To work full time and be a funkmaster too takes lots of hours. Joyce takes vacation time to do his aerobic work.

"I hardly ever take a regular vacation," he says. "I work an extra day to get an extra day."

Joyce also saves time by not sleeping as much as some of us. He said he gets by on five to six hours of sleep a night: "If I'm sleeping, I feel like I'm missing something."

But there can't be much he's missing. In addition to his job and his aerobics videos, Joyce is active in his community, working with mentor programs at Atlanta elementary schools, helping athletes study, and being a member of the YMCA Black Achievers program. He's also worked with the United Negro College Fund, the American Heart Association, and other community groups. He says he learned to give from people who influenced him as he grew up. "In addition to my mother, three people significantly influenced me and gave me the drive to attain what I have," Joyce says.

Anthony and Jean Girone were his mentors while he was in high school in Murfreesboro.

"They took me in as a family member. He was a father figure I could talk to," Joyce says.

While the neighborhood he grew up in wasn't the worst, Joyce says it wasn't the best either, and he saw people making money dishonestly. Anthony Girone "showed me that on the business side of life you can be honest and make money."

While he attended UT Martin, he met Nancy Overton, now a member of the UT Board of Trustees.

"She became a strong influence in my life. She was someone I could talk to when I couldn't reach my mom."

He made friends with her sons, who played football with him at UTM. He was with them again last November when he received UTM's Outstanding Young Alumni award at Homecoming.

Joyce says we need to reach out to others.

"Once we as individuals make it, there [still] are kids out there who need the same opportunities we had. I think we become so self-embalmed, we lose focus on the important things . . . giving back to society, to UT, and to UT Martin. Become a big brother or big sister. Something my mom and the Girones showed me was you could have kids, but still help other kids.

"That's the kind of people who take on additional roles for kids. That's the kind of people who'll save our society from destruction."

"What we do by working large muscle groups is work complementary muscles. We focus on large muscles, and by depletion, work all muscle groups."

Using the LMGPT workout three times a week produces benefits, Joyce says. His workout takes 45 minutes to an hour. Participants use a weighted body bar for resistance.

"People need to do some cardiovascular work and weight training," he said. "We encourage cross training -- swimming, biking, lifting -- not just aerobics."

Get prepared before starting an exercise program, Joyce says.

"I would recommend a physical examination, develop a nutritional plan, and set goals for yourself and what you want to accomplish. Set time lines that are realistic."

For example, if you want to slim down for an upcoming class reunion, know the date of the event and plan accordingly.

"You can count on losing two to three pounds a week with serious diet and exercise," he says. Joyce suggests 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular training, building up to an hour a day.

"Then cross train with weights, swimming, or other muscle-building exercise."

If you take those steps, Joyce says, "Your body will look better."