What has others experience been with Curves?

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2/16/13 7:58 P

My experience has been very good. I think it really depends on your Curves and what your exercise needs/wants are.

I am a 60 year old who has never exercised. Joined a gym once in my 30s and found it very intimidating and quit going after a couple of weeks.

Curves has been a totally opposite experience. The women and staff are friendly and supportive. The staff at my curves are all university students (most working on their masters) majoring in physical fitness or nutrition or exercise physiology, etc. They are smart, personable, joys to be around.

I can certainly see where a Curves would not provide a high intensity workout for a fit young adult. But there are many of us Sparkers who do not fall into that demographic. There are plenty of us who just need to get moving. At a level that we will actually STICK WITH - for our new lifestyle. Not some unrealistic activity level that will soon fall to the wayside. Curves can be very effective for this goal.



Edited by: CHESAPEAKE60 at: 2/16/2013 (20:01)

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2/16/13 7:50 P

The Staff DOES make a Lot of Diffrence at Curves -- And Maybe at all Gyms? If they act Interested or 'Vested' in your Progress, you will stay motivated. If they just sit at the Desk or in the Office, it is like ~~ If they don't care that you are there, why should you waste your time?

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2/16/13 7:30 P

I agree......it's a great place to start; but once I got more fit, got into running, it wasn't enough, When I was so out of shape, I'd find myself dripping in sweat, which showed me that I was getting a good workout. That being said, there are PLENTY of women who can benefit from it.

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2/16/13 7:10 P

Curves worked for me as it was near where I lived and I liked that I could drop in at any time. For the first couple of years, the staff were attentive and knowledgeable. But as time went on, new staff came on board and they were less so, and I lost the motivation to go and started working out at home using the SparkPeople videos and exercises. It does depend on the particular Curves gym, but I decided not to travel to the next one a little further away.

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2/16/13 11:16 A

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2/8/13 12:21 A

I did Curves for a while. I was at my heaviest and figure I'd give it a shot. It was a good way to get back into exercising. After a while I was ready to do more and wanted to up my intensity a bit. I thought it was a great start though and for some people it's not just a start it's what they like doing and they stick with it. I think it's fine to do what you like and if it works and keeps you moving keep exercising (in my humble opinion).

I think the atmosphere at each Curves can be different depending on the staff & even the other members. I liked my Curves because the two main people who worked there were upbeat and friendly. They played trivia games (just multiple choice cards from a board game) with us as we worked out. People who didn't like the games just didn't participate. I'm not generally a huge fan of trivia but it really made it less boring. Also, they had little posters on the wall by some of the machines with weekly riddles. Sometimes they did little contests for motivation.

I was younger then most of the women and did things a little differently (I went a little harder during the jog in place parts) but no one gave me any looks (as far as I noticed) and everyone seemed welcoming.

Edited by: MRS.MITA at: 2/8/2013 (00:21)

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2/7/13 9:13 P

I worked out at Curves for over 3 years. I would still be there if they had not closed and there is not another one close to me.
You have to really Focus and you will get out of it what you Put In to the Work Out. It does help if they have the Curves Smart Computer Set Up -- Mine Did -- It really keeps you focused on the Machine and will automatically increase the Resistance as you get Stronger.
The Staff is Critically Important. They need to be Trained, and Knowledgeable about the Machines, and about Exercise in General as well as Nutrition. I think the new Curves Complete Program will help with that. I do not know anything about that as it didn't get implemented until after my Curves closed.

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2/4/13 12:37 P

My experience with Curves was not good. I went for about a year and didn't seem to 'tone' up. The only thing I came out of it with is a bad shoulder. I ended up having surgery on it and the doctor said I had many bad tears. And after the surgery, I went to physical therapy. The therapist said that in the past 6 months, he had 5 people he treated with injuries from Curves. I do attribute some of this problem with Curves with a lack of training from the staff.
I hope this helps you in making a decision.

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2/3/13 12:23 P

Double posted sorry.

Edited by: AMB3RKENJI at: 2/3/2013 (12:24)

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2/3/13 11:39 A

I enjoyed curves, I feel as if with all workouts its the effort you put into it that really makes you see results or not. I used curves in conjunction with weekly hikes and jogging with a co worker.

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2/3/13 8:05 A

I agree with NUMI - I found it to be a really great place when I first started working out, but after a while (a few months, I guess?) I found myself wanting heavier weights and more of a cardio challenge.

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2/3/13 7:43 A

I think Curves is a great place for people who are just getting into exercise and are maybe leery of the gym. When I was at my heaviest (not reflected on my SP details), I went there because I was uncomfortable in gyms with all the fit people. It was a great start.

I don't think Curves is sufficient for most people beyond a certain point, but it's great to help ease people into working out in a "public" setting.

And no, I didn't have the same experience with people staring at me. Maybe you're just lucky enough to have a bunch of weirdos in yours!

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2/3/13 12:42 A

I am so not a fan of curves. I went 3 times with my sister. I felt like I was not getting a workout. The people there gave me the impression that curves was the only workout place. They had said to me "YOU need curves". I told them that I had a treadmill and weights at home.

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2/2/13 11:07 P

I was wondering what others thought of Curves. I got a Groupon deal and so far have only used it a few times. The last time I went one of the other patrons kept staring at me while I was working out. I did as my workout and stretches and then headed home. I can't do the routine right now because I hurt my knee but was wondering if others had a similar experience.