Anyone go there?? What do you think of it?
Thanks!

i love it.. i just joined last month.although I find the hours they are open and the fact that they don't have daycare a real downer for working parents I have done well with it. I'm still in training mode so I haven't even been weighed yet.. I will say that in our entertainment book there was a 50% off starting fee. hth

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I joined end of August and I love it!
I find our hours to be extremely compatible with my needs. I don't need childcare, so that is not a concern.

I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I've lost inches and I don't "jiggle" so much in the wrong places!! Also, within one month of 3-4 times a week exercising, I was able to cut my blood pressure meds in half! My doctor was beyond thrilled with that...

PLUS...it's an enormous stress reliever for me! I look forward to that 30 min. of exercise and stretching. That 30 min. never fails to help me feel better mentally and physically.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Good for you, Marilynk!!! Wicked good stressbuster and makes you feel real good to see day-over-day improvements, too!

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I can join for free. My work is paying for it.. and if you go 10 times a month for 10 months you get 100.00 bonus..
Thanks! I have my initiation appt tomorrow.

how much does it run? or does it differ depending on which one you go to?

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mom_2_5 , and baby makes 6
Dallas James, born 5-21-03

I looked into it when they first opened in my area a few years ago. However, I found that it was actually less expensive for a regular full-service gym membership than joining Curves. I've heard from friends that it is great in the beginning, but it gets boring after awhile. I don't know of anyone who has kept their membership after their one year agreement was up because they were bored of it and looking for a full-service gym instead. So, as a starting point, I think Curves is great, but once you get into the routine, you may want to look for something with more options.

Sarah......mom to Jason & Devin

I used to train strongwoman and belong to a body-building, strength competitor, and powerlifting board. A lot of the members there are professionals and many are personal trainers. What I have heard from them is that it is good for beginners, but it is a cookie cutter approach. Because it is a franchise, often the people working there know about the Curves program, but not much about physiology and exercise/personal training. Some of the cons that they see is that you will get bored, it is not very effective to keep the same routine as long as they have you (you basically need to keep your body in shock mode to see results and you do that by changing what you do about every 2-3 months), and they have seen many people come from Curves with injuries (either from too much repetition or poor advice about what weights and form to use.) Of course, the pluses are that it is pretty convienient, and not too time consuming or complicated. Sooooo. . . .just from what I've heard, it's a great way to start exercising but probably not something that you want to be tied into for too long. HTH

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

My mom goes to curves and it's been great for her. She took me along a few times with some free passes she had.

For me the major advantage would be that it's all women. I hate when I'm sweating and grunting like a pig while lifting weights and some guy just walks up and starts chatting.

The disadvantage would be that I didn't feel like I got that much of a work out. Maybe I could have picked it up more on the cardio blocks? Also, I prefer free weights over resistance machines.

So anyway, I'd say it's a good starting point for women looking to get in shape.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

My friend just go laid off from our curves business is so slow. Really sad.

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Without Health you have no Wealth!

You aren't seeing injuries from using weights--Curves is resistance based (not weight based), and with the exception of ONE machine it's almost impossible to use incorrect "form". The one machine is the press/squat machine and if done improperly hurts like hell, and could cause injury. The other ones are pretty much idiot proof.
I don't do the press/squat machine for a couple of reason--the biggest being I have a bad knee and this machine puts too much axial pressure and weight on my knees--and then that knee starts hurting, grinding and locking. But, this would be true of any equipment that required me to squat w/ pressure and then "un" squat w/ resistance.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I just this week decided not to go back. My membership was up on Nov. 8th. It is so boring. I went at 6 a.m. with a friend and got to know other women there. A couple of sisters were so funny. That kept me going.

Overall though it is so boring. I also think the machines need to be cleaned on a more regular basis. Yuk. I think it is kind of expensive for what you get. After the first two months or so, I didn't see any real big changes on myself. I will say that it kept me more limber.

Now if my work were paying for it, and I got a bonus for going -- you bet I'd go!!! :-)

It cost $29.00 a month if you sign a year contract and $39.00 if you pay month to month with no contract. They will really push the contract, but you don't need it. Stay strong about no contract. They won't let you walk out the door without trying to get some money! :-) I think the Cuves craze has peaked.

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Donna

Usually it's not the machines that actually cause injury, it's the imbalance of muscle building. When you use resistance machines you don't engage smaller stabilizer muscles (same with core muscles). Over time this can make you more vulnerable to injury.

That said, resistance machines are fine for someone just starting out. It's just a good idea that once you've been using them for awhile, you add in free weights with your routine.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

I have never been to Curves, but several of the women I work with went on a regular basis for over a year. I couldn't see that any of them lost any inches or weight. Having said that, I am firm believer that some exercise is better than none. I am not sure that I would get enough of a workout at Curves. I do agree with the above poster that resistance machines are fine when you first start out, but I think free weights should be added to most routines. I also think its very important to get some kind of cardio in at least four times a week.

You are still at risk for muscle imbalance when using machines. . .even resistence ones. This can cause overcompensation, and yes, sometimes bad form. . .not just in using the machines, but in everyday movements, ie. unloading and carrying groceries. I'm sorry you can't squat. To me that is my most effective exercise. I can't live without the three majors. . .squat, deadlifts and press.

But you are right in that most Curves injuries are of the overuse kind. Here is a good review of their program for anybody interested:

Curves Fitness Program

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

Thanks. I couldn't find the original thread on the other board I post at, but I'm pretty sure that that was what they meant when talking about other injuries besides overuse.

I'm with you. . .I love free weights. If you lift heavy you can pretty much eliminate the need for an ab workout. . .at least that's what I tell myself.

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

The one around here went out of business last year.

Yeah, the Curves that I go to has a few new members that came over from a near-by Curves that just closed its doors recently.

bumping up for itzme91.....

Thanks Kelly, was beginning to think I was being ignored.

I used to be a member. For a year I paid for it myself ($41.00 a month) and then I quit for about another year, and then rejoined when work paid for it.

I found that most of the people there seemed to be there more to socialize rather than work out. They would jibber jabber about nothing and barely use the machines. For me personally, when I go to work out...I want to WORK OUT...not chatter. YMMV, but for me it got to be very annoying. And besides....I want to listen to my own music...not Cher....LOL

This year my employer switched insurers so we had some more choices. I went with the wellness center at the local hospital. Beautiful facility and if I ever keel over I won't have to wait for a transport...

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