Love Curves!!
I love Curves!! I would advise you do run a search at the top of the page on 'Curves' exercise (on Atkins or exercise thread), as there have been several threads on it recently. Also, go to the Curves website. However, the best way to find out if it is for you is to go to a Curves for a free trial and explaination.
I have been doing Curves three times a week for five months. I go to my neighborhood one, but have also gone to a couple of others nearby. I find that each Curves (having it's own franchise) can be very different in appearance, attitude and enjoyment. Mine is run by a mother and her two college-age daughters and is great. The other two I visited were not as wonderful.
Curves is NOT aerobic exercise and is NOT meant to be compared to walking briskly several times a week. Curves literature and info states that Curves is to be combined with walking, for optimal health. Curves is not intended to get you winded... it is intended to firm and tone muscles, increase flexibility and strength. (In fact, one of the reasons they have you quickly stop and check your pulse during your workout is to be sure you're NOT getting your heartrate up too high and going into aerobic exercise, as it is not the optimal way to do aerobic (not long or constant enough) and also you will miss the designed strengthening, which is what it is all about.)
I have lost forty pounds during this time (because of Atkins diet) and Curves has been a wonderful companion to that in firming and tightening up my rapidly smaller body. Another nice feature of Curves is that they weigh, measure and take your body fat count each month.. sort of like the weekly weigh-in at Weight Watchers. This is a nice way to track your progress on a WOE like LC where we do not attend local meetings/weigh ins.
I feel that having Atkins WOE info/books, this forum for daily information and support, the Curves toning/weigh ins and walking (for cardio health)... it's basically all covered!!
I have heard from several people doing Curves, that they feel the workout is not hard enough for them. Many are mistaking cardio/aerobic with Curves stregthening and toning. Also, because the machines are hydrolic resistance, rather than weights you are lifting... it is VERY important to push as hard as you can the first two or three repetions on each machine... this will set the machine at a real challenge level for you. If you do the machines a bit half-heartly the first reps, the machine will not challenage you enough before the 30 seconds on it are complete and you will not gain much benefit.
Curves, while of course not for everyone, can be an incredibly pleasant, easy companion to weight loss. I especailly love the people and atmosphere at our local Curves. It is a quick (30 minute) workout, with only 30 seconds at each of 12 machines positioned in a circle. Twice around the circle, with some good music; then, a few minutes of stretching and I'm set!!! I can see a big difference in the firmness of my back, neck, upper arms and whole leg... just a tighter body all around, which is great as I am generally not a big body workout person.
My advice.. as each one of us and each Curves is different... check it out by actually going to one and trying it out!
(Curves also has a weight loss plan which is LC, but I am happy with Atkins and haven't paid much attentin to that.)
Good luck. Don't forget to run that search at the top of this page!
Cheers,
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