Curves

I have not personally, but two girlfriends of mine have over the last couple of years and had great results! They said it was so much fun, it's what kept them going. And that's important, to enjoy the exercise you do. Otherwise, what's the point? Good luck!

I loved it and lost weight when doing it!! Then I got pregnant - and stopped. Shame on me.

It's not the best of training programs with its light weights and minimal progression, but if you're just looking for something to get you started moving and in the habit of going to exercise, it's a decent place to start.

I did it for a while years ago, but I don't think it was intense enough for me.

It is mostly cardio based circuit training. As with weightloss in general you must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight. You can lose weight without ANY exercise. The question should be do you want to go to a gym specifically for women? Do you want to do the same circuit every time you go?

I personally would rather go to a bigger gym where I have more options to do what I want to do- but for a beginner who needs structure it may be a good start.

I've been doing Curves since April and I mix it up with dumbells at home and regular cardio (long, brisk walks on the beach). It has been a great place to kickstart my exercise but I must admit when my year runs out, I will probably head to a gym that offers free weights etc.

The key with Curves is to work hard on the machines, adn don;t use it as a social gathering! It took me a while to learn that, but then I got a Curves Smart doo-hickey which certainly gives you the incentive to push through.

So my advice is yes, check out Curves - aim for one that offers curves smart. And remember, like any franchise, it really depends on the business owner as to how good/bad it is.

Good luck

It's a great start if you're not the gym type and are unfit.

The machines were not intense enough for me but it's a great place where you don't have to plan your workout or wait around for a machine etc.

If you're already quite fit, may I suggest a proper gym.

I have a 'couple membership' with my boyfriend and the gym is our time together. The post workout steam room etc.

I did join Curves a little while ago, and I enjoyed it. There is no shame there, usually no weird looks or remarks. All shapes are welcomed, from the 500 lbs lady to the 120 lbs athlete. It is easy to do because the time goes by so quickly. You only get to be on each station for 30 seconds, so you're always moving. I think it's good to go there if you're a little bit insecure going to the "regular" gym where the muscle heads go.

What I did not really like is that the staff does not have any education in health. They know nothing about kinesiology, strength & conditioning, or what to do if someone is injured. They will tell you if you're not doing the exercises properly, but they will not be able to tell you more than that. The place where I went did not have any defibrillator too. It's not too secure in my opinion.

I also feel like it's easy to slack off when you go there. Because of the hydraulic resistance equipment it's easy to be lazy: if you push hard at the beginning, the resistance is higher... if you slack off in the end of the movement, the resistance lowers until you're okay with it. That means it's easy not to push yourself enough. As you do the circuit, your body gets used to it. When that happens, you have two choices.

A) Change your routine. This is not really possible at Curves because it's always the same circuit, all the time.
Work harder. But as mentioned earlier, the equipment basically adjusts to you, so it is easy to slack off.

If I remember it well, it is about 140 bucks a month for a subscription. I do not think it is worth it when you do not have any specialist on hand and when the training is always the same. The opening hours are not that great, too. But that might not be the case for your Curves center.

A lot of people mentioned that you should go there if you have a lot of weight to lose or if you are unfit, rather than going to a "regular" gym. Screw that. You do not have to be fit or not obese to go to a regular gym. This is where people go to get healthy. It's funny because a lot of people think that they have to get fit before going to the gym... you should go to the gym because you want to be healthy. This is it. That is something I learned by myself, because I thought the gyms were some kind of elite clubs. Turns out that this is not the case at all.

Please take care and enjoy. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. xx