Curves on Crack
Curves, is it really all that it’s cracked up to be?…
I think everyone reading this has at least heard of Curves, but if not, here is a brief history. Curves started in Harlingen, Texas in 1992 and has exploded in growth, serving more than 3 million members and 10,000 clubs. The concept is a womens only, 30 min workout using a combination of hydraulic machines and cardiovascular exercises, which consist of marching in place on a wooden platform. Every few minutes the music stops and everyone is told to check their heart rates, depending on where they were at, they could either do their marching on the boards or rest during that time.
Curves is now declining and many of their gyms are shutting down. I get asked a lot about what I think of Curves, and sometimes I even have past Curves members coming to MamaTone.
Being a guy, it has been very difficult for me to experience a Curves workout… I have snuck into a couple Curves, but quickly was asked to leave. I have seen pictures and some videos inside of Curves and have a good idea what it is like.
I started out this blog post idea with the notion that I would completely bash it; however, after doing more research and talking with some participants I will only slightly bash it, and I will bring up many good qualities that Curves brings to the table.
The positives of Curves:
1. Curves is womens only, which tapped into a market of women who wouldn’t normally go to a gym. They aren’t judgmental and completely support each other; Curves’ motto: No make-up, no mirrors.
2. Curves is a very social place where the participants get to know one another and build friendships.
3. Curves uses a circuit training format that combines resistance training and cardio which is far more effective at burning fat that just cardio.
4. Curves is affordable for most people.
5. Curves has many locations, making working out easy to attend and it is a quick workout (30 min).
6. Curves has monthly weigh-ins and measurements to keep the participants accountable.
7. Curves workout is very user friendly and simple to use.
As you can see there are many reasons why Curves exploded in popularity around 2003, but as with many fitness trends, they quickly fade; this seems to be happening to Curves right now. Here are some of the negatives of Curves which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for many people.
1. There is very poor supervision: Each Curves has one person who is in charge and sits at the desk. This person is usually not the owner and almost never is a qualified certified fitness professional, with a background in Kinesiology. I talked with my aunt who has really enjoyed Curves, and the woman who usually was in charge at her Curves gym was a Meth user, and as my aunt put it: “incredibly out of shape and not even slightly attractive.”
2. Junk food at Curves: Many times people bring in “treats” to share with the group. Now, being at a place where you are trying to get in shape and lose weight, you would expect healthy stuff, but no… it is usually cookie, chips, or other high sugar, high fat processed foods. Also, many of the woman go out to eat after their workout… this isn’t necessarily bad if they make good choices about where they eat out.
3. Awful equipment: Curves uses very cheap hydraulic machines. There are usually between 10-20 of these machines. I am not a big fan of machines for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that machines don’t translate into real life application, because we don’t live our lives pushing, pulling, or pressing something that is fixed in one constant path. Our bodies are made to move freely and react to unstable environments. Picking up a baby, carrying the groceries, carrying a heavy laundry basket up the stairs, or lifting a heavy box over your head, all require stabilization of the muscles. This is something that machines don’t train the body for.
4. Ineffective exercises: Many of the exercises are single join movements, which means it isolates a single joint and works only one muscle group at a time. This isn’t a very effective or efficient way to maximize muscle toning or speed up metabolism.
5. Lack of variation: I think this is one of the big reasons why Curves are getting less popular. Curves doesn’t change very much each week. Sure the machines might change in order, but every exercise is done week after week, month after month, year after year with little variation or progression. Not only that, but the workouts would become boring for those who want things to be constantly changing.
6. Lack of progression: Progression is one of the most important parts in program design and super important for continual physical improvements to occur. Sure, Curves participants could march faster or even run in place on the boards between machines, or they could pump their hydraulic machines a bit faster, but the exercises never increase in difficulty or increase in instability. This could easily cause a person to plateau and never get past it.
7. Poor measurements: Every month the participants would have to get weighted and measured (by the front desk lady), as a fitness professional, measuring accurately is pretty difficult, especially measuring overweight people. Imagine getting measured by someone who hasn’t been trained and also measured by different people (front desk lady is different sometimes). My aunt said that she never went by her measurements, because they were always changing each month depending on who measured her.
8. No warmup is included in the workout: It is always smart to begin with a warm-up, not static stretching, but some low intensity cardio to get the muscles warmed up. But to be honest, the low intensity of Curves workouts in general, don’t make warm-up quite as necessary.
There you have it! All you ever needed to know about curves. I think Curves has helped SO many people (many more than I have so far), but I feel Curves falls very short in providing the professional fitness and nutritional advice that you deserve as a hard working mom. I think despite their shortcomings, this shows that if overweight and obese people just start doing SOMETHING and pay some attention to their eating, they will see success. My aunt told me she knew a couple women who had lost over 100 lbs at Curves, so I can’t argue with those results!
I get asked over the phone, through email, and on the street, what MamaTone Fitness class is like. My usual response is “Curves on Crack.” I say this because we take the highly effective circuit-style workout format and progress it to extremely high levels. What I mean is that we can take a mom who is obese and has very little strength, coordination, or aerobic capacity and progress her to high levels of fitness, by systematically showing modifications or progressions to each exercise. This can be done because of the background myself and my staff has with regards to anatomy, physiology, and human performance. Right next to an obese woman, we can have a mom who has been in shape her whole life, or one who has been part of MamaTone for 6-12 months, and is lean and toned, and who wants to take her fitness to a whole new level, a level that only 1% of moms in this country ever experience. I would say I have a dozen or so that would fit into this category.
MamaTone isn’t for everyone… it isn’t for a mom who is content with a Curves-style low/slighly moderate intensity workout. It is, however, a place where moms can be themselves and not worry about how they look. It is for a mom who is mentally tough, or is willing to learn how to develop mental toughness, and can endure short term physical discomfort for long term results. Heart rates in class can exceed 190 beats per minute for short periods of time while doing cardio, but the rewards are great for those who join and STAY with it!
For more details about MamaTone click HERE
I have been secretly working on some big things that will allow me to reach out to any mom in the world and help her get in amazing shape! I am so pumped for it and will be releasing details in the upcoming weeks. I hope to have things ready in a couple months. Until then, continue to share this blog with other moms and continue to comment to the posts. Feel free to respond to other comments written by other people.
Keep moving,
Dustin
Comments on Curves on Crack »
Angie @ 3:15 pm
“…but the biggest reason is that machines don’t translate into real life application…Picking up a baby, carrying the groceries, carrying a heavy laundry basket up the stairs, or lifting a heavy box over your head…”
Really? Being a stay-at-home mother is a noble and empowering charge, but there are other audiences that this article should target as it provides useful information. Are there no other practical applications that require stabilizing strength than the ones listed? There is a constantly changing idea of womanhood and motherhood that also must be addressed to reach many women out there. What about them?
admin @ 3:44 pm
Angie, this is a very true comment and I will be more conscious in the future of not stereotyping what moms do… but, 80% of my clients are stay at home moms and these activities that I mentioned are some of the most common activities that they come back and tell me how much easier and safer they become.
This type of training will help construction workers, police officers, doctors, or whatever activity or career moms choose.
Anne @ 4:15 pm
I thought it was a good article, good info! I am a stay at home Mom and did not take offense to it at all. I am a MammaToner and love what the class has done for me in only 4 months! I wanted a class that would improve my strength and overall fitness and so far it has worked great for me. Thanks Dustin!
Amber @ 4:51 pm
Hey, I started a huge weight loss at Curves and used to work there before working at Supreme. So watch it. I agree some Curves are poorly staffed but if you get the right person for the job, then it can be a successful workout facility for many women. I worked there for 3 years and saw many people (myself included) lose weight by following the program. It is hard to say a program doesn’t work because every program can be successful or unsuccessful based on many factors. Curves was the starting point of a huge weight loss for me. It is a great place to begin working out.
Mike @ 3:42 pm
Hello Dustin,
I just came across your site through Chris McCombs. You are doing a fantastic job. I wanted to share a little information on Curves. You are right on with your observations both positive and negative. The machines actually work two opposing muscle groups (shoulder press - lat pulldown). I actually opened the first Curves that lead to the current Curves franchise model. In 1993 I was getting ready to open a club using the PACE equipment line (a more advanced version of the equipment used by Curves) and the sales rep for that company happened to be the owner of the Curves for Women in Texas (2 locations at the time). I told him what I wanted to do with the club which I had entended to name Body By Mike but after he heard the concept suggested Curves by Mike since it was for women only. The rest is history and he has done a fantastic job and has introduced fitness to millions of women around the world. Again, great site, super information - keep up the good work.
admin @ 7:53 pm
Mike,
That is awesome! I do think it is great that Curves has gotten millions to exercise who normally wouldn’t have. Thanks for being such a positive influence in the fitness world.