Circuit Training Vs Regular Fitness Gym

Is circuit training centers like curves better for women weight loss vs regular cardio and strength training found at local 24 hour fitness?  Need some opinions first before i make my decision.  

i think curves is great for beginners and/or people who like a quick workout. i like to spend a couple of hours in the gym from time to time so the quick in & out won't work for me. i tried it for a month and just felt limited. if you want to do circuit training, you could do that in a regular gym as well. mine has a circuit class.  one girl i worked with loved curves because it took her less time to workout than it did to think of excuses not to exercise.  they have trials, you should check it out for yourself. as you have probably heard over & over, the best exercise is the one you will do consistently.

Curves sucks, plain and simple. Before you say it, yes it's better than nothing but I usually set goals higher for myself than "better than nothing". The machines are NOT an effective work out. I have heard Curves representatives saying things like "it's so gentle you won't even be sore the next day" and "it's fun, it's not even like working out" and "you don't get all sweaty like at regular gyms"

You know why all these things are true?

BECAUSE IT'S A TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE WORKOUT. I'm going to market the "laying on the couch" workout where you don't sweat, get sore or feel like you're working out. Make out your $50/mo checks to spirochete

Original Post by spirochete:

Curves sucks, plain and simple. Before you say it, yes it's better than nothing but I usually set goals higher for myself than "better than nothing". The machines are NOT an effective work out. I have heard Curves representatives saying things like "it's so gentle you won't even be sore the next day" and "it's fun, it's not even like working out" and "you don't get all sweaty like at regular gyms"

You know why all these things are true?

BECAUSE IT'S A TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE WORKOUT. I'm going to market the "laying on the couch" workout where you don't sweat, get sore or feel like you're working out. Make out your $50/mo checks to spirochete

Now you're competing w/ the flip flop/toning belt/master cleanse diet and workout plan brought to you by Kashicat.  How could you Spiro?

Since yours incorporates the master cleanse you can use the tagline "get fit or die trying". I'll give you that for free!

Original Post by spirochete:

Since yours incorporates the master cleanse you can use the tagline "get fit or die trying". I'll give you that for free!

LOL I like that!! It's really catchy (except it's more like "get fit or die crapping")...but thanks for the freebie

Hey there,

I think it's important for you to decide what is right for you and works for you. If you like the atmosphere and you like the workout then go for it! If you aren't turned on by it then you're not going to be motivated to do it.

I actually like Curves but I'll tell you I wasn't really seeing much happen until I started Curves Smart. I like that "instant" feedback. However - don't believe what the computer says insofar as how many calories you are burning. The computer tells me that I am burning as many as 500 calories in 1/2 hour workout and I know that the truth is that I am burning not quite 300. And that works for me That said, I don't think it should be your only form of exercise, but it has its merits.

Another really important thing is that when I first joined I went to a center that I (actively) didn't like the manager/didn't feel supported(questions would go unanswered)/wasn't motivated. I dropped out for several months but changed my membership to a different center that has a really great owner (she is very supportive and gives extremely personal service) and most of the staff is really great, they go out of their way to answer questions for you if they don't know the answer. What I'm trying to say is that it isn't just the workouts for me, its the feeling of group support that also feels good to me. Not right for everyone, but it works for me.

ETA:  rnjt - WORD.  I used to lead WW meetings and the one thing I said consistently is "whatever you do to lose the weight you have to do for the rest of your life to keep it off, so you better do something that you can live with and enjoy."

I don't support curves only because I read in Bitch magazine a couple years ago that they support pro-life organizations, and for a company that sells an image of "woman power" to make profit, I found this pretty sleezy.

Yikes!  Really?  I know they are franchise owned but still corporate operated I guess.  Now I have to dig and see if i can find info on this.  Damn.

 True - Gary Heavin, founder and CEO of Curves is a right-wing loon and contributor to the forced-pregnancy lobby.

 This probably isn't corporate policy as such, but yes, join Curves and your money will in part go to a man who donates heavily to a political cause designed to strip women of their rights.

 This may or may not factor into your decision to join Curves depending on how you feel about giving money to a man who doesn't think you should have the right to decide over your own body.

 In any case, Curves may be a decent starter workout for a raw beginner, according to several posters here who have been members - but you'd need to graduate to a 'real' gym in 3-12 months depending on your starting fitness level. If you use it to establish the habit of exercise it may be a useful first step despite the limitation of not being a sufficiently challenging workout for the long term. As long as you go in with a clear expectation of it being a first step on your journey and don't get stuck on the "introduction to exercise" level workout they provide, it can probably help.

 Depending on how you feel about indirectly supporting forced pregnancy causes, of course.