Curves - 30 min training for women

stella77 · August 2011

They just opened a franchise where I live and I am wondering if I should join. Sounds kind of too good to be true - 30 mins intensity workout with up to 600 kcal burn, etc...

So, I am wondering if anyone has done it and had any success with it?

Vhovell · August 2011

I use to go to this when i was younger, so about 8ish years ago. I don't remember me loosing weight on it at all...i wouldn't say it was an intensity workout either, but it may have changed in the years since i went.

It would be interesting to hear how other people found it though

hellolouisey · August 2011

I went to Curves about two years ago and found it fairly useless. There are light resistance 'machines' with platforms in between. You do thirty minute circuits of one minute resistance and one minute walking on the spot on a small platform. There isn't the option to continue beyond thirty minutes. There are little breaks to monitor your heart rate and if you heart rate comes above the optimum fat-burn level, you take a short break until it comes back down.

I am absolutely not an exercise expert and I'm sure there will be Curves success stories, I just found it a bit nothing-y. Personally I prefer walking/running, yoga and normal gym resistance/weights.

Maybe see if you can go for a free trial before you join? (From memory you have to sign up for a number of months)

hellolouisey · August 2011

I don't think 'machines' is the right word... you know what I'm trying to describe!!!

MichelleCoffey · August 2011

hey.I've been going go to a Curves gym where I am ( England) for 6 weeks and lost 3.5 kg so far!I burn between 250 and 300 calories every half hour but of course depends how hard you push yourself.At mine you can go for as long as you want, more than half hour if you want.Personally I really like it its smaller and more personal than a big gym, it's women only and the staff at mine are really involved and great at motivating everyone.the machines are all resistance machines as in no weights so the harder you work the harder the machine makes it for you.My advice try a free trial with them and see how it gos!

hellolouisey · August 2011

Yep, I have to agree, the gym is very small, ladies only and the staff are super friendly, so friendly I was almost like "hey, let me work out in peace!!". The atmosphere was very nice and not at all intimidating.

mariec25 · August 2011

I went a few years ago and I didn't find it useful as after a while the same routine gets boring and I didn't feel I had worked very hard or had any goals to reach. However, some people love that fact as you are told what to do, and if you are self conscious at the gym its a good place to start. I didn't see it as a long term benefit to my fitness as eventually I had to join the gym and running club to push myself a bit further. It's also more expensive than any gym I've been too which also put me off as I was still a student back then.

pixieofdoom · August 2011

I use it to (also England) and I found it was really good as a starting point when I got back into exercise. I lost quite a bit to begin with along with changes to my diet and found that I lost inches more than weight so it was helping to tone. Six months in, I'm still using it but I do find that I need to add in more cardio training to keep losing so I tend to do the circuit and also use an elliptical and/or swim (you coud go running or something too). I use curves rather than the weight machines at my other gym (I'm very lucky in that I don't pay for that as my partner is military) as I find those a bit scary and I don't feel all that confident. The Curves ones are hydraulic so I don't need to worry about setting the right weight etc. It is definitely friendly and supportive and they weigh/measure you track your progress so that keeps me accountable.

The downside is that you tend to be tied in for 12 months (though I believe some do offer pay monthly but it costs a little more) and you might find that after a few months you need more than Curves offers. I think it depends on how fit you are and how much you have to lose. The fact that I could go after work and know that I would still be home within an hour at most, including travel gave me the motivation to go. I probably wouldn't have built up the exercise pattern I have now without it, but that is because I'm a bit lazy and the ease and structure was what I needed. I felt more confident going to a normal gym after losing a bit of weight, toning a little and getting fitter. There are some people at my curves who have been going for years and still feel it meets all their requirements however.

Go for the trial and ask if you can pay monthly if you aren't sure. They also have regular promotions where the is no joining fee or there is a discount on the first few months etc. I would say that 600 calories is a pretty big over estimate though, it's probably more like 250-300. Mine offers curves with zumba sessions which do have a much higher burn (maybe 400 or a little more) and are great fun

Hope that helps

Azdak · August 2011

It's like any other exercise modality--you get out of it what you put into it. Some people like the small size, support, and programmed exercise routine. (Although the "support" can sometimes just be an excuse to go through the motions and chit-chat rather than actually working).

Make your decision based on how you like the routine, atmosphere and, most importantly, if you feel the type of exercise will help you achieve your results.

There is nothing magic about Curves--nothing unique about their setup, programming, machines, etc, that make their program physiologically"better" than anyone else. The "600 calories in 30 minutes" claims are wildly overstated--the average person will burn maybe 1/2 of that total.

Every exercise facility overhypes their program, so I can't fault Curves for doing it as well. My only real negative is that I think, on average, it is a routine that you can quickly outgrow. But many people feel comfortable there, can achieve results, and, in general, I think the company is a pretty good one.

Curves - 30 min training for women

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