Curves, anyone?

[HM]

Just wondered whether anyone has used Curves for exercising and what you thought about it?

 

[violetrose]

I was a member of Curves at two different clubs.

The first time I joined was 2005. I loved it, there were people there of all ages, the trainers were actually trainers and worked hard to help you keep motivated. I went there for a year and with changing my eating habits and going to Curves 3 times per week I was able to lose 20 pounds and keep it off.

However, we moved out of state and I could no longer go to that Curves. I stopped going all together and little by little the 20 pounds I took off crept back on. I went back to the Curves near my new home in 2009. The atmosphere there was totally different. All the people who went to the club were over 70. Not that I really minded that, I actually really admired these old ladies out there giving it their all. But I didn't find much in common with anyone there, and worse yet, the trainers were AWFUL. They didn't do anything other than sit there and mind the phones. If you needed help with a machine they didn't know what to do and had to call the owner, who never seemed to answer the phone. When my year contract was up I cancelled my membership and the owner tried submitting a bank transaction for the monthly fees for 3 months after I had cancelled. I tried calling her repeatedly and she never called me back so at that point I just had to put in a dispute with my bank and they got my money back. Not a good experience at all.

So long story short, make sure the club you join is well managed. I think that makes all the difference in any health club. I now have a health club I use that has real weight machines rather than the resistance machines Curves use, and I do prefer those. But Curves can work if you really devote your time to it (but you do have to change your eating habits too if you want to lose weight). Curves alone probably won't do it.

 

[Bethenny]

Curves is great for older women or women who are very overweight and aren't quite ready to go to a real gym yet. If you're sedentary and looking to just start moving, it might work for you. If you're really serious about starting to exercise, a gym might be better for you. But even Curves is better than no exercise.

ETA: my experience was good for awhile. I was young and just had a baby and had that extra baby weight to get rid of. I had not been exercising at all and there wasn't a gym close to our house. When Curves opened 2 minutes away, it seemed easy and convenient. Though with no childcare, my sister and I just switched off watching the kids. It definitely helped me lose 10 lbs, but that was over the course of about 9 months and by then I was really needing more exercise. By then, a new YMCA had opened, so I had to wait out my year contract at Curves and I joined that because Curves was no longer exercise for me.

 

[Lynne M]

Curves is great for older women or women who are very overweight and aren't quite ready to go to a real gym yet. If you're sedentary and looking to just start moving, it might work for you. If you're really serious about starting to exercise, a gym might be better for you. But even Curves is better than no exercise.

I tried it, it did nothing for me. I moved on to a 'real' gym.

I should add, I started at Curves because I was nervous about going a gym. I thought I'd be terribly out of place as a chubby middle aged lady, among all the twenty-somethings with perfect bodies. A friend told me, "if you're uncomfortable and feel out of place, you're at the wrong gym." I visited a bunch of gyms until I found a small one whose clientele was mostly adults from the neighboring office parks, and have been very happy there.

They offered a few free sessions with a trainer to get me started. Yeah, 20-something and perfect, but she was absolutely professional, got me started with exercises that were appropriate to my level of fitness, and taught me how to build on that on my own.

 

[Karalea]

I bought a Groupon a few months back for 20 sessions at Curves for $20. I figured if I hated it I would only be out a few bucks and it was better than nothing which is what I was doing.

I don't hate it but I probably won't purchase a membership when my 20 sessions are up in a week or 2. I am 41 and totally out of shape and it was harder than I thought it would be the first few times. Now that I have been going for a few weeks, I don't think I am getting as much out of it.

The time of day I go has a big difference in the clientele. If I go first thing on a Saturday morning or even on my lunch break, it is mostly senior citizens. If I go after work, it is more working women like me.

The first time I went, I was the only one under 60 in there. The "trainer" who works there is in her 80s!! The owner is a really nice women in her mid 30s. I much prefer working out when the owner is there.

I do think that for most of the women who go, it is a social thing. They get so loud talking and laughing, I can't hear the cue to change machines some times.

I am not sorry I spent the $20 but am glad I didn't commit to it long term. I do know that you can get a free pass on their website or through Avon. You might want to try it before you decide.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Cautionary tale:

At Curves, when I used to go, there were pictures of ladies who had lost "significant weight" using JUST Curves, or so they claimed. they were local people who used the gym. I thought one picture was really interesting. The lady in the picture had lost a good amount of weight and I asked them if she ONLY used Curves to loose. They were adament that she had used only Curves to loose the weight. Now I might believe it if the person in the picture wasn't my Aunt and I hadn't known that she had gastric bypass. Yes, gastric bypass doen't do it alone, and she did work out at Curves but they were adament that she had only used them to loose weight.

 

[Coconut36]

Curves is great for older women or women who are very overweight and aren't quite ready to go to a real gym yet. If you're sedentary and looking to just start moving, it might work for you. If you're really serious about starting to exercise, a gym might be better for you. But even Curves is better than no exercise.

ETA: my experience was good for awhile. I was young and just had a baby and had that extra baby weight to get rid of. I had not been exercising at all and there wasn't a gym close to our house. When Curves opened 2 minutes away, it seemed easy and convenient. Though with no childcare, my sister and I just switched off watching the kids. It definitely helped me lose 10 lbs, but that was over the course of about 9 months and by then I was really needing more exercise. By then, a new YMCA had opened, so I had to wait out my year contract at Curves and I joined that because Curves was no longer exercise for me.

I agree. This was my experience with Curves as well. I joined after my 2nd son was born and I was trying to shed some of the baby weight. I did not find it to be much in the way of a workout but it helped jump start me for real exercise (I took up running down the road). I lost no weight doing it (and eating well).

I found it to be older women, the staff/trainers did nothing and I wasn't always certain I was using a machine to my advantage or properly but the staff would generally say "Yeah I think so..I guess that is right". Well great..that doesn't help.

I wouldn't say it's horrible but I wouldn't recommend it and I didn't re up after my 3 free months.

 

[momto2inKC]

Curves is great for older women or women who are very overweight and aren't quite ready to go to a real gym yet. If you're sedentary and looking to just start moving, it might work for you. If you're really serious about starting to exercise, a gym might be better for you. But even Curves is better than no exercise.

ETA: my experience was good for awhile. I was young and just had a baby and had that extra baby weight to get rid of. I had not been exercising at all and there wasn't a gym close to our house. When Curves opened 2 minutes away, it seemed easy and convenient. Though with no childcare, my sister and I just switched off watching the kids. It definitely helped me lose 10 lbs, but that was over the course of about 9 months and by then I was really needing more exercise. By then, a new YMCA had opened, so I had to wait out my year contract at Curves and I joined that because Curves was no longer exercise for me.

I totally agree! You probably won't have too much as far as results by doing Curves alone. I paired it with the Weight Watchers program and lost about 60 pounds. That was after doing Curves nearly 9 months with no results. After about a week the workout becomes so easy, you don't even 'feel' it anymore in your muscles. I finally started going to a 'real' gym and saw a lot of difference.
And I agree with the previous poster that they try to make the clientele think that the success stories are from only using Curves. They put that on my card on the wall. Obviously it wasn't true, I lost it using Weight Watchers.

 

[phorsenuf]

I went to Curves many years back. A few months in I had a Drs. appointment with my rhumatologist (I have fibromalgia) She asked if I was exercising and I told her I was going to Curves. She said she was happy I was exercising but I shouldn't go to Curves because it was too high impact on my joints. Now when I exercise (and that's a big when ) I do low impact and yoga.

 

[superme80]

I go sometimes. I love the Zumba Circuit they have. It really makes me sweat. It has helped m ease back into working out, but I will not renew when my year is up. I actually like working out at home better.

 

[onelilspark]

I did it 5 years ago (in college) and it was the skinniest I've ever been as an adult. I did it 2 years ago (now working) and the hours were awful with my job, so I didn't keep it up. I just joined again yesterday now that I have a new job I'm hoping the hours will work a little better (they're still terrible hours though, the earliest they open is at 7 at the one near me.)

Curves works for me because I have a heart murmur. I can't work out to the same intensity as others my age (26.) But with Curves I can control my heart rate a little easier and it doesn't make me feel as self-conscious when I don't see others in their 20s going hard core at a gym.

So we'll see how it goes this time. I'll be honest that I'm not looking to really lose weight. I'm trying to be more healthy and have some kind of exercise. I tried the Couch to 5k thinking I could go at my own pace and with my heart problem, it was a disaster.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I was a member a few years back. I found the routine monotonous and I also thought the membership fee was pretty high considering they had such limited hours at the time.

 

[Coloradomom]

I've been a member of Curves for the last 6 months and can say that it works really well for me. I'm motivated by knowing it is just 30 minutes per session (I am much better at going more frequently for shorter times) and that it is just women, and pretty structured. I'm 55, slightly overweight and in the last 6 months between Curves and eating more sensibly (bit not starving) I've lost 20 pounds. I started Curves when I realized I needed to not just lose weight bu also be more toned so I did not get saggy.
I think it depends on what you are looking for but for me it has been just right. (I am fine with the hours because I do not want to be working out at 9PM not do I want to work out on Sunday)

 

[SandrA9810]

Humana's PPO plan includes a "silver sneakers" program, which gives the person a free membership to local gyms/health clubs. Curves is one of them.

I just took my aunt over there today to sign up again. She has bad muscle spasms and joint pain. She found a specialist who told her she had low muscle tone, and suggested therapy 3 times a week. Therapy would be over a $100 a week, Curves is free...

She's even dragging my grandmother along, and she's 86. She can't do all the machines, but she's finally doing more than sitting in her chair all day.

When I went to the gym out in California, it also has a lap pool, only 4ft deep. I did a few of the water classes, and there were people from all walks of life, in all shapes/sizes. There was a weight room that was kind of off in it's own little world. That's where all the buff 20 something yr old guys hung out. Other than that, the whole gym was filled with various people. It's weird walking in for the first time, but it's not hard to kind of people watch to see how the machines worked. Of course for an additional fee there were personal trainers.