If you go to "Curves" - a question

[grinningghost]

My mom joined Curves, but I was shocked that they have such stupid hours.

They're open from 8-12. Then they open again from 3-7. And on Saturdays they're only open until 12, and no Sundays.

Isn't this kind of rough on working women?

Are your Curves hours goofy too?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

They are ALL goofy like that. They claim that it's only 30 minutes for yourself..easy to squeeze into a day...but they offer no child care, and don't calculate a commute into that 30 minutes.

I had to stop going--b/c it wasn't convenient to my working husband's hours. I am now member of a gym that opens at 5:30am.

 

[jel0511]

Those are Curve's "suggested" hours. At my Curves, they have gone past the "suggested hours" because it was hurting their business. The hours at my Curves are 5:30AM - 8:30PM Monday - Thurs and until 6:00PM on Friday. 7:30 - 12:00 on the weekends.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Ours is open all day during the week but that doesn't help if you work. I quit because of the hours. Weekends were the same, Sat until noon and closed SUnday. I wrote the company and they basically said that they believe that their staff should also have time with their families. The only problem I have with that is that the staff at my Curves were all very young, worked part-time and would probably have loved the hours.

 

[disykat]

IMO it is generally not a good place for people who work full time - that really isn't who they market to. They have a good niche in the retirement community, as well as the SAHMs or part time workers. They're set up to be pretty social.

When I worked full time, I wanted to work out by myself - I would not have joined Curves at that time. My sister works full time and goes to Curves right after work - the "friendliness" drives her crazy. In my current situation (part time, set my own workdays), I enjoy the social aspect and find the hours convenient. I hated going to a regular gym where it was dead during the times that were convenient for me and there weren't any group classes during those hours either.

It's really marketing to a specific group. If there wasn't the market out there for these hours, they wouldn't do it.

 

[BobbinWeez]

I used to go to Curves..I stopped because I moved and because I work in child care and don't get paid enough to afford it and I'm lazy and stopped going. The one I went to had great hours it opened at 6 am and closed at 7 pm and on Saturdays was opened 7-12 it was great and I would have kept with it if I still lived in the area, had money and wasn't lazy

 

[Michie]

I use to belong and HATED the place. The one I went to had goofy hours as well. The one I went to the members were mainly older women, 70+. And some of them were really slow from moving station to station. Am back at a regular gym, and just love it

 

[RitaZ.]

For those of you that have tried it or are currently going to Curves, did it help you firm up? I'm looking to tone and firm up. Also, is there a contract to sign?

 

[minniecarousel]

I LOVE Curves! The one I go to is open M-F, 7 AM - 7:30 PM & Saturday mornings. I doubt you'd find one anywhere that is open on Sundays or in the evening. I drive past the closest Curves to go to this other one, since their hours are so good.

I agree, it's not for everyone.

 

[cabmom]

I belong, joined in September. I'm having a hard time staying motivated going. I don't mind the hours. I go on my lunch hour from work. I don't do weekends. I just got The Curves book today when I was there to read.
I'm hoping it will help me!

 

[rcyannacci]

Curves works for me because my teaching hours work well with the time schedule. And, I really like the diversity of the group, all ages and all sizes. I find regular gyms sort of intimidating, actually, and the atmosphere at my Curves is really friendly. Plus, it is very, very close to my house, so commute time is almost nil.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

For those of you that have tried it or are currently going to Curves, did it help you firm up? I'm looking to tone and firm up. Also, is there a contract to sign?

I had to sign a contract for a reduced rate with check draw (antiquated automatic withdrawal system that they use). It was for 12 months--and if you quit early--you owed back money for the months you had the reduced weight.

I did lose inches 12+..post curves I went on to lose a lot more--and by now if I stayed with them and could credit the loss to them, I'd have my yardstick on the wall buy now (Didn't realize I had THAT much to lose).

On the Wish boards, someone else was asking about this and someone mentioned that curves is great for the BEGINNER...but once you become more advanced and your body needs more b/c it has acquired a certain level of fitness--the effectiveness of Curves kind of goes down and you end up just maintaining what you acheived but not necessarily losing much more than that. A lot of woman have lost a LOT of inches and weight---but these women also started out with a lot more to lose than I did.

 

[RitaZ.]

Lisa, thanks for the explanation. The most I'd want to lose is 10 lbs, I'm more interested in toning and firming up. I'm quickly approaching 40 and "things" are heading "south", so I want to firm up. Are you saying that Curves is more for losing weight rather than firming up? Did you notice an improvement in your muscle tone when you were going?

 

[Beth76]

On the Wish boards, someone else was asking about this and someone mentioned that curves is great for the BEGINNER...but once you become more advanced and your body needs more b/c it has acquired a certain level of fitness--the effectiveness of Curves kind of goes down and you end up just maintaining what you acheived but not necessarily losing much more than that. A lot of woman have lost a LOT of inches and weight---but these women also started out with a lot more to lose than I did.

I would agree with this too. I always hesitate to say this because I don't want to risk offending anyone. But, I believe that Curves is great for women just starting to work out (who may feel imtimidated at a gym) and for older women. If you are overweight, Curves will help you lose pounds and inches. But once you hit your target weight, you'll want to try something else to firm up and tone.

I lost about 20-25 lbs in 9 months, then I hit a plateau and couldn't lose anymore. I stayed for another 3 months until my contract ran out. Then I joined the YMCA and was able to lift free weight and do a lot more cardio. Love Spinning!!!! That is what helped to firm up. Of course then I got pregnant again, so I have more work to do now to get back into shape.

And back to the OP. Yes, my Curves closed in the middle of the day too. I found that frustrating because sometimes that was a really good time for me to go. When I was a member it closed at 10:30 on Saturday. That was really tough.

 

[AmoDolphin]

DD and I go to Ladies Workout Express, which is similar to Curves. Ours is open until 8 on weeknights, Saturday mornings, and closed on Sunday. We're sometimes pushing it to get there by 7:30 so we can finish our workouts by 8.

I just do the weights, doubling up on them and skipping the aerobic stations in between. I do my Nordic Track at home for aerobic exercise.

We have a contract through next August, and after that may switch to the regular gym that DH and DS go to. By that time I should be in better shape and ready to increase my exercise. (I've lost 35 pounds so far between LWE, my Nordic Track, and Weight Watchers...and have about 70-80 pounds more to lose.)

Edit: Ooops! Speaking of DD, I'm logged in as her. This is really Barb D.

 

[Beth76]

Lisa, thanks for the explanation. The most I'd want to lose is 10 lbs, I'm more interested in toning and firming up. I'm quickly approaching 40 and "things" are heading south, so I want to firm up. Are you saying that Curves is more for losing weight rather than firming up? Did you notice an improvement in your muscle tone when you were going?

Rita, you would not be happy at curves. You'll want a real gym where you can lift free weights and do more cardio. At my Y, they have a class called "Rock Bottom" which focuses on toning your bottom half. Love that class too.

 

[yourtravelpro]

They are ridiculous hours. Mine is open 8-12 an 2-7 and on Saturdays until 11:30am.

 

[RitaZ.]

Rita, you would not be happy at curves. You'll want a real gym where you can lift free weights and do more cardio. At my Y, they have a class called "Rock Bottom" which focuses on toning your bottom half. Love that class too.

Beth, thanks for explaining it. Yes, that's what I'm looking for. That "Rock Bottom" class sounds good.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Lisa, thanks for the explanation. The most I'd want to lose is 10 lbs, I'm more interested in toning and firming up. I'm quickly approaching 40 and "things" are heading "south", so I want to firm up. Are you saying that Curves is more for losing weight rather than firming up? Did you notice an improvement in your muscle tone when you were going?

I would say if that's all you are looking todo--a set of simple free weights in your house and occasional walking would be better. It doesn't take a year to tone up--and after a while it could just get darn boring. I was hiding under a layer of fat--I am only now noticing my tone and that's after training for a marathon. I left curves about 18 months ago.