Curves

Anyone Do Curves?? What do you think???

Im thinking about joining I think it will be great with helping me tone up!

But i want to know what some other ladies think of it???

I haven't done Curves personally because of time and all that, but 2 people I know go there and love it.  My one friend Kim has been going for a few years and loves it still.  She has lost 100+ lbs.  With curves and healthy eating!

Demila- Thank you :) You look great by the way!!

Anyone else????

I don't think 30 minutes three times a week is really enough by itself.  Most doctors will tell you that you need 30 minutes most days of the week to reap the health benefits of physical activity.  that being said, Curves can work great if you do something like take a long walk on your off days.

A friend of mine was brand new to exercise and she loved it - it worked really well for her.  I went to an orientation on her recommendation and didn't think it was for me (for one thing, they asked me, a fairly healthy 26-year-old, if I got short of breath walking up a flight of stairs.  I said no.  They were shocked and seemed to think I was Superwoman.)  Also seemed really expensive.  But for my friend who was really intimidated by conventional gyms, it was a great way to start getting into the habit of working out.

I went to curves. It was really fun and the people were great. Remember if you do go, each outlet is only as good as the people who a) run it and b) use it. Sooo . . . you may want to check out two or three different locations. When you join, you can also get passes to any other Curves anywhere in the world, so if you are going on vacation you can keep up with your workouts.

Also, although they say it's three times a week, I know quite a few women who went 6 days a week and some who even went more than once a day. One thing to remember when doing this workout is to do the recommended stretches afterward. Apparently they can mean the difference between a good workout and a greatly beneficial one.

I would recommend Curves to anyone but to be more informed, anyone can always pick up their book and read it first. I actually did that and started their plan at home but found out I really liked the friendships, motivation and support from the other participants, and being in that setting was just that much more of an inspiration.

Whatever you choose, good luck.

I did Curves for a year and liked it.  I started to get bored by around 8 mths because I needed more of a challenge.  I would recommend it to get back into resistance training and I did tone up and lost 15 lbs in the 8 mths I went diligently.

Just make sure that you do cardio on the alternating days.

Good luck. 

curves is a business like any other - if they really truly cared about patrons there would be a graduation ceremony after one year and a discount on joining a real gym.

it is a very very good place for the out-of-shape women to get acquainted with their bodies and used to a gym setting and working up a sweat. it is nothing you can't do by attending a fully functional gym and going slowly though.

 

 

Hey everyone, I've been a Curves member for a little more than a month.  At first I had no idea how many calories I was burning but was told it would be up to 500 per 30 minute workout.   Some Curves now have Smartcards which has your personal body info on it and you scan it on every machine as you work out and it keeps track of the calories you burn.  Yesterday I burned 498 calories in 1/2 an hour.  One of my friends burned 548 in a half an hour.  The machines are hydraulic which meand you get out of it what you put into it.  Curves says the more fit you are the more calories you can potentially burn.  I belive this, even though the girl who burned more than I is not even close to being in as good of shape as I am, she pushes herself VERY VERY hard because she wants to lose weight desperately.  If you have a curves near you that offers the SMART training, I would highly recommend it!  Also, age does not matter, I'm 24, and there are girls younger than I am that go there.  I'm also in very good shape, but I still get a lot out of the workout, because I put a lot into the workout.  Basically you get what you give.  The only explanation I can figure out as to why people don't feel like they are getting a workout is because they were not going at it as much as they could.  The SMART cards MAKE you work yourself hard.  Again, I recommend it!  You can usually always find a deal when you are joining to help reduce the cost.  For me it was worth it to pay to work out because I'm more likely to do it if I'm spending money on it! 

Original Post by chartzell:

Hey everyone, I've been a Curves member for a little more than a month.  At first I had no idea how many calories I was burning but was told it would be up to 500 per 30 minute workout.   Some Curves now have Smartcards which has your personal body info on it and you scan it on every machine as you work out and it keeps track of the calories you burn.  Yesterday I burned 498 calories in 1/2 an hour.  One of my friends burned 548 in a half an hour.  The machines are hydraulic which meand you get out of it what you put into it.  Curves says the more fit you are the more calories you can potentially burn.  I belive this, even though the girl who burned more than I is not even close to being in as good of shape as I am, she pushes herself VERY VERY hard because she wants to lose weight desperately.  If you have a curves near you that offers the SMART training, I would highly recommend it!  Also, age does not matter, I'm 24, and there are girls younger than I am that go there.  I'm also in very good shape, but I still get a lot out of the workout, because I put a lot into the workout.  Basically you get what you give.  The only explanation I can figure out as to why people don't feel like they are getting a workout is because they were not going at it as much as they could.  The SMART cards MAKE you work yourself hard.  Again, I recommend it!  You can usually always find a deal when you are joining to help reduce the cost.  For me it was worth it to pay to work out because I'm more likely to do it if I'm spending money on it! 

 So, how do you like working for Curves? do you guys get benefits? 401K? free membership?

I've seen a few posts on the Fitness forum asking about Curves. Here it is... my Curves experience. But first off, let me say that if you're just looking to tone up, save your money, get a membership to a real gym and hire a personal trainer. Worked for me. Curves helped me to lose pounds though:

"Curves is worth the money, in a way. If you are overweight or out of shape (as in, you don't get a lot of physical exercise), it's an easy way to start a fitness routine. Unlike a conventional gym, it's a defined, planned workout that targets all muscles groups. It's recommended you go a minimum of 3 times a week, for 30 mins at a time but that didn't seem like enough to me so I usually went 4-6 times a week. Some people who are obese or inactive may be intimidated by a *real* gym because they don't know which machines to use, etc. The all-female atmosphere is comforting too. The staff is usually supportive and makes a point to know your name so they can congratulate you on your progress.

I was an inactive, overweight teen and I started going to a Curves-like gym in 1999. I lost 40 lbs but I did plateau because there's no variety in the workout. When I moved to a different city 7 years later, I joined the actual Curves after a year of not going to any gym and lost another 20. However, I was going to a real gym once a week as well. After a year, Curves just bored me so I quit and just went to the real gym. I am making progress in my overall physical fitness because I take part in a variety of activities (ie: strength training, cardio, spin class and pilates).

As with any fitness program, you get out of it what you put in. I worked very hard during the 30 min circuit, keeping my heart rate up the entire time and watching my diet outside the gym. Some women who didn't work as hard, did the machines at a slower pace or didn't go as often, didn't have as much success in the same amount of time. In fact, I used to run on the recovery squares but the "trainer" who worked there said I would get better results if I just walked on them! I don't think so!

So, short answer: it's worth it if you are a first time gym user, you are intimidated by real gyms or you need the support of an all-female staff. Otherwise, a real gym would be fine.

I convinced my mom (she's 56 years old) to go because she was always complaining about being fat but she never did any exercise (she was a little overweight, not obese). She lost 20 lbs and goes every day... but she seems to be plateauing now.

For me, Curves was a great starter gym. I ran on the recovery squares and did as many reps as I could on the stations. I saw some people just going through the motions and not really trying... they won't have the same amount of success. I'd suggest trying it, if you're not currently physically active, you're intimidated by men at the gym or you like the support of a group."

"Yesterday I burned 498 calories in 1/2 an hour"

I'm sorry, but I think that's a serious overestimate. I know the Curves workout. When I did, I went hard for the 30 mins, running on the recovery squares, doing as many reps on the machine as I could. When I compare those efforts to my current effort in spin class (which burns ~700/hour at a vigorous pace), I don't think it would be possible to burn that much as Curves alone. It sounds like they're just using generalized or formulaic calories burn methods.

have you ever used a Smart Card at Curves?

"I'm sorry, but I think that's a serious overestimate. I know the Curves workout. When I did, I went hard for the 30 mins, running on the recovery squares, doing as many reps on the machine as I could. When I compare those efforts to my current effort in spin class (which burns ~700/hour at a vigorous pace), I don't think it would be possible to burn that much as Curves alone. It sounds like they're just using generalized or formulaic calories burn methods."

 

i know i sent you another message, "have you ever used a Smart Card at Curves?"  i thought i was working out hard, and as i said, i am in shape, but as soon as i started using the smart card i could tell a HUGE difference, i'd appreciate any input from anyone else who HAS used one (Smart Card)  i'd recommend looking into it further before judging, and google it, don't just look at the curves website, see what other people have to say!  being fit and using this i've gained muscle and lost inches, if i can, anyone can... i feel like it is very important to emphasize that i THOUGHT i WAS working hard...but after using the smart card, i realized what i had been doing prior to that was nothing!!!  i don't think that 498 calories is an overestimate at all....they couldn't really do that now could they...false advertising...seems like they'd get in trouble for it by now if it was a "serious overestimate"

Circuit training doesn't allow your metabolism enough time to rebound, so you can actually drop your metabolism by doing circuit training.

A much better approach is to work muscle groups MWF, and do cardio T/T +one weekend day.

Ex:
Monday: Backs and Biceps
Tuesday: spin, row machine, walking/running, elliptical, whatever
Wednesday: Chest and Triceps
Thursday: cardio again
Friday: Legs and Shoulders
Saturday: play racquetball, swim, whatever cardio you want

I'm not a big fan of Curves. No I never used their card, but I know better than to do circuit training.

I don't know what a Smart Card is and I don't mean to imply that you're not working really really hard. I'm just saying that almost 500 cals in 30 mins of exercise is a lot to burn in a short period of time. I was implying that the system may estimate calorie burn the same way a treadmill or elliptical does: you enter your weight and it gives burn estimates based on the weight. The number isn't always accurate though. Maybe the Curves Smart Card system is more advanced than a treadmill burn meter.

FYI: I googled "curves smart card" and didn't find any results. I also didn't find any info on the Curves web site so I can't do any further reading on the subject.

I was a member at one time and I really didn't care for it.  Saw no changes and didn't feel challenged at all.  My sister was a member once too.  She said that she thought it worked better for ladies who were  very overweight as opposed to those who only needed to lose 20lbs-ish. 

I wouldn't rejoin.  I'd rather have a gym membership.

i do not work at curves

ok, well here is an article about circuit training for you guys to check out...as for slowing metabolism, i think it's common knowledge that exercise of any sort speeds up your metabolism....

http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/ does-circuit-training-exercise-burn-calories- 29183.html

quote from the article:  The bottom line is that how many calories you burn while circuit training is primarily up to you. The benefit of exercise that many people are seeking is caloric reduction (fat loss), so it stands to reason that if you're going to work out it's a good idea to put in maximum effort. Vigorous exercise, as opposed to moderate exercise, will double your fat loss results. This is true of both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training.

also:  We know that you can burn from 299 to 599 calories in thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, and we also know that you can burn from 112 to 225 calories in thirty minutes of resistance training. Finally, we know that with the circuit training exercise routine you're getting both types of exercise at the same time. Therefore, it stands to reason that you could conceivably burn between 411 and 824 calories in a thirty-minute circuit training session.

i'd be happy to find more information on it if you all would like :)

but you know...i guess not everything works the same for everyone...so....sorry if my being adamant about this has offended everyone, i simply know how it works for me and many many others, sorry if it didn't work for you.  The point i'm trying to make is that it DOES work and you CAN achieve the results I've spoken of, whethere you're a beginner or not.  Not everyone likes every kind of exercise, i personally dislike running, but i do it!  So...that's all I've got!

 

Original Post by chartzell:

i do not work at curves

 Yet you still decided to post the exact same thing in 4 threads about curves (for your first 4 posts on these forums) some of which had been dead for over a year?  If you don't work for them why are you spamming this forum about how great they are.