Curves gym?

angeldaisy

new to this forum, so sorry if this is in wrong place?

I'm thinking of joining somewhere like curves, anybody any experience of them? are they any good?

thanks

EileenG

Better than nothing, and if you have no experience with gyms and feel that you might feel uncomfortable in a gym with men, then they are a possability.

However, they are not a real gym, you'll find you very quickly get bored with the limited machines available, you can't vary them as you get fitter, and most of them have very limited shower and changing facilities. One manager told me this was because "Our ladies don't sweat".

They are also expensive, particularly when you consider how little you are getting for your money. Work it out for a year, and you'll realise you can join a good gym, with lots of cardio machines, all sorts of weights, aerobics classes, real showers and maybe even a swimming pool for the same money.

gwhiz

angeldaisy wrote: »

new to this forum, so sorry if this is in wrong place?

I'm thinking of joining somewhere like curves, anybody any experience of them? are they any good?

thanks

I did a free trial in Curves last year.... thought it was useless
You keep going around in circles doing different exercises and every 60 seconds a recorded voice blares out "change station now" and then you move on to the next exercise.
I felt like a fcuking hamster on a wheel..... :eek:

Hanley

gwhiz wrote: »

I did a free trial in Curves last year.... thought it was useless
You keep going around in circles doing different exercises and every 60 seconds a recorded voice blares out "change station now" and then you move on to the next exercise.
I felt like a fcuking hamster on a wheel..... :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPfFX8Ph4-k

gwhiz

EileenG wrote: »

Better than nothing, and if you have no experience with gyms and feel that you might feel uncomfortable in a gym with men, then they are a possability.

However, they are not a real gym, you'll find you very quickly get bored with the limited machines available, you can't vary them as you get fitter, and most of them have very limited shower and changing facilities. One manager told me this was because "Our ladies don't sweat".

They are also expensive, particularly when you consider how little you are getting for your money. Work it out for a year, and you'll realise you can join a good gym, with lots of cardio machines, all sorts of weights, aerobics classes, real showers and maybe even a swimming pool for the same money.

This is good advice for the OP. You are putting your money into a gym. Much better value and definitely better results. I think Curves is more aimed at women in their 50's and upwards (no offence intended) cause the exercise is not very strenuous and I cant imagine that you would get much results from this place. Thats just my opinion and I could be wrong. Only someone that has been a member can tell you what the success rate is...

gwhiz

Hanley wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPfFX8Ph4-k

That's fcuking hilarious... excellent :D:D


CHANGE STATIONS NOW .......

angeldaisy

thanks everyone for the advice

sunflower353

Hi Angeldaisy, did u tink anymore about joing curves? I went to my local curves yesterday for a look around, they measured and weighed me etc but thought they would give me a trial or something which they didnt. I like the thought of it, need to loose a few pound and inches and find it hard to get the time for exercise, thats why the 30 minute programme would be ideal for me I think. After reading through what people have to say on this its kind of turning me off though, im really unsure of what to do. Ive tried regular gyms in the past and dont like them, what to do?

ronbyrne2005

sunflower353 wrote: »

Hi Angeldaisy, did u tink anymore about joing curves? I went to my local curves yesterday for a look around, they measured and weighed me etc but thought they would give me a trial or something which they didnt. I like the thought of it, need to loose a few pound and inches and find it hard to get the time for exercise, thats why the 30 minute programme would be ideal for me I think. After reading through what people have to say on this its kind of turning me off though, im really unsure of what to do. Ive tried regular gyms in the past and dont like them, what to do?

Best bet would be to hire a personal trainer for a few sessions and buy some equipment for your home. You can them workout at home and dont have to travel to curve for a 30 minute workout.
Curves is more of a social club for women over 50 then anything else. You burn little calories doing it and rapidly get used to the set resistance on the machines which are hydraulic and more likely to cause injuries and imbalances.

Mary D

I joined Curves in Finglas last year and got bored after about 2 months, it's so repetative, you just keep going round and round and round. I got weighed when I first joined and when I tried to get them to weigh and measure me again there was never anyone available (they were too busy with other people) so I'm not sure if the two months was of any benefit or not. I also found that the machines/mats were all very close to each other and you were very restricted in your movement, otehrwise you'd just end up hitting the person beside you. Save your money and go for a brisk walk for 30 mins instead.

Assets Model

Curves is good to get you started into the habit of exercise so if you could go for 3 months and then join a real gym it'd be grand. If you've to sign up for a year no way you'll get bored very quickly.

angeldaisy

after reading everyones comments, I decided against joining. I don't like being too cramped when exercising, so have decided to make the most of this nice weather and get out walking. Might join a gym later in the year when it gets nearer to winter. guess for now will just do my own thing. thanks everyone though for the advice.
If only I could afford a personal trainer, I'd definately benefit from someone kicking my backside into action:D:D

ronbyrne2005

angeldaisy wrote: »

after reading everyones comments, I decided against joining. I don't like being too cramped when exercising, so have decided to make the most of this nice weather and get out walking. Might join a gym later in the year when it gets nearer to winter. guess for now will just do my own thing. thanks everyone though for the advice.
If only I could afford a personal trainer, I'd definately benefit from someone kicking my backside into action:D:D

YA see, walking alone will do little to get you in shape. You need to do resistence training to increase lean mass and burn more fat and Diet is most important element of getting into shape . Now walking is grand on top of a healthy diet and some resistence training and good for your wellbeing but walking wont get you in shape.

ronbyrne2005

Also you are prepared to pay several hundred a year for curves but wont spend the same on some home gym equipment and a few personal trainer sessions . The personal trainer can be just 40euro an hour ,say twice a week for a few weeks weeks to show you how to effectively exercise at home. You dont need a personal trainer shouting at you every session for rest of life.

RacoonQueen

As I've said in here before, I worked in Curves before for a while when I was in college. It serves it's purpose, people DO lose weight consistently, they don't market themselves as a 'gym' they market themselves as a 'fitness and weight loss centre' for people who do no exercise, wouldn't work out alone, wouldn't go to a gym and all those usual excuses it IS fantastic. The chances are the staff will know little about exercise, fitness - depending on the one you join. There was 3 of us who were qualified instructors (funnily enough, the 3 of us also didn't use the 'system' and were members of other gyms :pac: ). I still feel very protective of Curves even after all this time, you will not build your fitness to a level that you can go out and run a 10k race, you will not build much muscle but you WILL lose weight and presuming you continue going you will keep it off - which for many people is enough, bearing in mind that not everyones goals are to get their bf% down to a certain point, build lean muscle mass etc etc a lot of women are all about numbers; what the scales say, what the measuring tape says and what the label on their clothes says. As with any gym/diet/system you have to give 100% when you're there and when you're not. Some of our members saw some fantastic results weight loss wise.

Edit: It is expensive, more expensive than somewhere with more and better facilities but there is an unbelievable amount of women out there who wouldn't go to another gym so will happily pay the bigger fees which is why Curves is so successful.