Curves gyms

[littled]

I looked in the window of a "Curves" gym yesterday. It looked like they only had a handful of equipment, and the lady behind the front desk was obviously out of shape.

Everywhere I go, I see these franchises opening up, and I read somewhere that they are now one of the biggest chains in North America.

Do you think these places are super successful because they work, or because they have done a brilliant job at marketing themselves?

[Suzanne]

They don't work ACE even did a study

they are successfull (meaning signing people up who then never show) cuz everyone want to hears "just 30 min 3 times a week" you can't even change the amt of wt and it is a circuit do the same one day after day after day

[mmspencer24]

I worked for a place like curves and they went under after the frist 2 years cause not that many people came in after the first 6 months and they ones that signed up would cancel there contracts. Plus they had me say words like 'tone' and 'light weght for the burn' as part of the sales pitch. :nuts:

[ripitupbaby]

I worked for a place like curves and they went under after the frist 2 years cause not that many people came in after the first 6 months and they ones that signed up would cancel there contracts. Plus they had me say words like 'tone' and 'light weght for the burn' as part of the sales pitch. :nuts:



lol :D

[littled]

It seems too, that they try and appeal to middle aged, overweight women. I saw a lady at the grocery store one day wearing a t-shirt that read" I lost 20lbs at Curves" or something like that! I guess that the "reward". I also heard they get stickers too!
My Gawd, I'd be soooo embarrassed to wear something like that!

Hey, wouldn't it be funny, if one of us walked into one of those places the day before a contest when we are totally ripped and bought a pass and started working out! Imagine the looks we'd get! LOL

[joelster]

They market themselves very well, period. Go look at the food line "weight watchers" at your grocery store in the frozen food aisle. Do people really lose weight eating that crap? The same overweight people buy that stuff week in week out. Excellent marketing there as well.

[mmspencer24]

I just wish I had the idea first :p

[Badgergrl]

I know several older women that have had success with Curves. Maybe it's not how we would define physical success, but not everyone aims to be a bb or figure competitor.
I think these places are good because they get women, who otherwise would be completely sedentary, to exercise. It may not be the optimum form of exercise as we see it, but it's better than nothing.
Sometimes you just have to meet people where they are at, and I feel that's what a place like Curves does.

[fitmomma3]

I agree its a nice thought... some people love group ex for the same reason they'll never really get into shape without resistance training but they figure its better than nothing... but the problem is with a curves is they don't market it that way its not a gym...

I use to work at LA Weight loss and same thing...concept honestly not bad at all... but those damn LA lites bars were such a joke and a scam lol (they market it as $7 a week) but that's only to show up for the program then you had to have two of their bars a day and you couldn't pay weekly you had to pay in one lump sum... People lost a ton of weight cause it was something better than nothing... but others where like WTF? lol

[littled]

Is Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig food any different from ordinary TV dinner style stuff that you buy in the frozen Food aisle? Or, is it normal food, but smaller portions?

[superoboe73]

Dunno about Jenny Craig, but I think WW frozen items are normal food, just smaller portions. Sometimes some substituted ingredients (i.e., I heard their Giant Fudge Bars are made using potato flakes), but taste pretty good. You can eat any food you want on WW, so long as it fits with their points system (combination of fat, fiber, and calories). I lost 25 of the 50 lbs I lost w/ them, then I plateaued.

[fitmomma3]

Is Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig food any different from ordinary TV dinner style stuff that you buy in the frozen Food aisle? Or, is it normal food, but smaller portions?Jenny Craig from what I heard is just total crap... but WW actually has decent frozen meals... I mean ton of preservatives and sodium but if you're going for quick frozen meal not a horrible choice IMO... they actually have a chicken broccoli alfredo THAT I LOVE I take that and add a few oz of chicken to it! lol so good for a bind in the offseason... and they have a grilled chicken and veggies and it is literally just that grilled chix and veggies. I did Nutri System too after I had my twins just because they were premies and I spent the first month going back and forth to Boston so I couldn't cook and got sick of eating vending machine and hospital food (and I wanted to lose my baby weight) and I liked that it was low GI index and portioned but I personally wouldn't ever recommend it... it was easy and decent but 60% of it was yucky to me lol but I'm wicked picky though... my hubby did it with me and he scoffed it down lol

[fitmomma3]

Dunno about Jenny Craig, but I think WW frozen items are normal food, just smaller portions. Sometimes some substituted ingredients (i.e., I heard their Giant Fudge Bars are made using potato flakes), but taste pretty good. You can eat any food you want on WW, so long as it fits with their points system (combination of fat, fiber, and calories). I lost 25 of the 50 lbs I lost w/ them, then I plateaued.My mother in law lost a ton of weight with WW too... its perfect for those who have a general knowledge of nutrition, a little self control but just need a little portion control and guidelines... but for someone like myself IT would NEVER work IF YOU TELL ME I can have a cupcake and a slice of pizza with a diet pepsi and then scrimp on food all day I would EASILY do that lol until I was starving and then I'd just binge haha and "wait till next Monday" to get back on... and many dieters are like that.

[frannyfran]

I think Curves appeals to these certain groups of women bcz let's face it a normal gym can be kind of intimidating. Most of them are wanting to loose weight and I think they feel more comfortable doing it around other out of shape people than they would around fit ones.

"Regular" gyms can be intimidating at times. Most of them are "meat markets" (at least mine is) and you have cardio bunnies walking around half naked and guys in tanks flexing their "muscles". Imagine someone who's been Sweating to the Oldies at home walking into that.....Hell no.

Maybe the whole 30 min thing is appealing too but call me crazy I like spending a 1 1/2 in the gym everyday, it's my home away from home. :)

[mmspencer24]

Yeah when I worked at the 'ladies' gym they were all 40+ out of shape women that were scared to really go tot a gym. We had one 20 something cheerleadr that would come but she did it for her mom to help keep her going to the gym. I know when I very first started to workout I wanted to go to an all women's gym cause I didn't want guys hitting on me cause I lacked the self esteem. No now I'll go right up to a guy and ask if he was using that squat rack for his curls then tell him that its not for curls cause I need to squat. :angel:

[Trish]

I think Curves appeals to these certain groups of women bcz let's face it a normal gym can be kind of intimidating. Most of them are wanting to loose weight and I think they feel more comfortable doing it around other out of shape people than they would around fit ones.

"Regular" gyms can be intimidating at times. Most of them are "meat markets" (at least mine is) and you have cardio bunnies walking around half naked and guys in tanks flexing their "muscles". Imagine someone who's been Sweating to the Oldies at home walking into that.....Hell no.

Maybe the whole 30 min thing is appealing too but call me crazy I like spending a 1 1/2 in the gym everyday, it's my home away from home. :)

LOL, so true....
Curves or what ever the establishment is. If it gets them moving is better than nothing.

[Andersen]

LOL, so true....
Curves or what ever the establishment is. If it gets them moving is better than nothing.

I agree with that part especially because there are still too many obese people in the USA.

But I don't care much for the name as I don't see how outta shape people can have "Curves".:nuts:

I know that's the goal their striving for , but doesn't make sense to use it as a gym name.

[fitmomma3]

At the last wellness center I use to work at we did a 45 minute circuit a REAL circuit with cardio and real resistance training equipment... and I mean I planned out these workouts perfect for these ladies stop watch tempo of lifts... laminated color coded sheets and EVERYTHING. lol It was booked solid and they LOVED it because it was still group ex... BUT the only ones who got any results were the ones who did nutrition along with it... very little at that point has to do with what you do in the gym but instead has to do with what you put in your mouth. I mean cardiovascularly where they healthier sure... and they got benefits from resistance training BUT most want to see a certain number on the scale... and a certain size pants and unless you change your eating habits it never really happens.

[superoboe73]

My mother in law lost a ton of weight with WW too... its perfect for those who have a general knowledge of nutrition, a little self control but just need a little portion control and guidelines... but for someone like myself IT would NEVER work IF YOU TELL ME I can have a cupcake and a slice of pizza with a diet pepsi and then scrimp on food all day I would EASILY do that lol until I was starving and then I'd just binge haha and "wait till next Monday" to get back on... and many dieters are like that.

Hehe, that sounds familiar! I definitely tried to do the junk food thing with it- the bad thing was, it still created a calorie deficit and technically worked! Ended up w/ a pre-ulcer doing that though- didn't know what was wrong and had a scary trip to the ER in the middle of the night.

When I was getting serious about weight training, I was clueless on nutrition and insisted on trying the WW program w/ heavy lifting, b/c, hey, it worked before! It worked for about a week and a half, started binging like crazy, and after being really 'good' one day the next week, the pre-ulcer flared up again after having been totally gone for over a year... I then calculated out how much I was burning w/ my exercise, and turned out I was netting about 300 cals per day- they give almost no activity points for weight training, even if u call it rigorous. So, I read up on bb'ing nutrition and changed my diet to ISSA recommendations for losing fat/gaining muscle, and am a MUCH happier camper now!