The cons of Curves?

I used to go to Curves with my Mom before my birth defect progressed and damaged more of my nerves and muscles in my lower body. I didn't lose any weight while I was there, even when I was on their diet program and their supplements. In fact, I think I gained weight. I got bored of the same routine and it go to the point where the exercises didn't even break a sweat.

I too had trouble with them being rude and irritated when I wanted to cancel my membership. They kept saying that they'd offer me a discounted membership fee. I kept trying to explain to them that my legs were giving out more and more and spasming a lot, and that it was hard to keep my balance on the machines. They wouldn't listen. Eventually, I had to bring a note from my doctor to prove, that my birth defect was progressing. A month later, the owners called me to see if i wanted to join again because they were having a big bargain. This time, I went to there, in my wheelchair, and showed them that there was no way I could exercise there anymore and could they please stop bothering me. i never heard from them again.

Now, my birth defect has gone into the remitting stage (it is a relapsing/remitting defect), so I am able to walk with a walker or cane again, but I would never join Curves again. I prefer just going to the health club.

Jessie

Haven't personally tried it, but from my mom's and her friend's experiences:

- Be careful when you sign a contract, cause you will always get jipped if you leave before it runs out
- It's more of a place where people go to chat while they work out
- No possibility of increasing your weights (that's why I won't join)

And who wants to do Zumba in a circuit?! :bigsmile:

You know they are losing ground when they had to add Zumba as part of their program. The commercials are just sad.

The Curves I used to belong to, had a large population of elderly women. Which is wonderful that they were keeping active and fit. BUT, it seemed to take a little extra time for them to get on and off the equipment. I felt like I was spending way too much time waiting to get on a machine. It was never a 30 minute workout. Additionally, the cushions that people would use were a bit of nuisance. I did not need to use them, but those that did would often leave them there on the machine and the next person to come along would have to deal with it.

Lastly, the Curves I went to had a worker that was over weight and would notoriously sit there and eat crap at her desk. Candy bars and chips. Needless to say, I did not keep my membership there for very long.

M

Can you adjust the resistance on the machines?

This was my major problem with Curves. I did it for 6 months, it was very social, but the median age was 60 and I was 30 at the time. I got above and beyond the capability of the machines and it didn't take long. The cardio was only as intense as you made it. Often times, I'd have to wait for someone to finish to get on a machine because there weren't enough open spaces. Most of the people where I went were very large women who it simply killed them and I needed more.

Plus, the owner of our curves was overweight, lazy, sat and ate snacks while we worked out. She gossiped about me because I brought up that it wasn't intense enough for me, she told me to go faster on the reps, I was moving as fast as I could She then told people that the only way I would get more muscle tone was to lose more weight - I was really light weight already by that point.

The kicker to me leaving - was I'd been attending daily for 6 months- paying my bill monthly, signing in daily - and I got a post card in the mail from her saying "we've missed you, please come back" - I'd never been GONE! And I figured if she saw me daily and didn't know who I was in this really small down - and I'm not shy or quiet - that she obviously didn't need my $$ anyway. I drove by the other day and think she is out of business.... wonder why.