My Curves Experience - Workout in Only 30 Minutes

Thank you Curves International for sponsoring this post. Ready to get #CurvesStrong?

Not too long ago I told you that I was getting off my butt and starting to work out again. To kick off my journey I visited Curves, a unique fitness facility geared towards women. In honor of their 25th birthday, Curves provided me with 30 days free to try it out. Woo hoo!

Curves has over 4,000 locations worldwide. I was lucky enough to have a premium location less than 15 minutes from home.

Curves is based on using several hydraulic strength-training machines designed to work every major muscle group. The machines are designed especially for women’s bodies. Short on time? You can get your full workout done in only 30 minutes!

How it Works

On my first visit I met with a Curves Coach. She measured my bust, waist, hips, and arms. She also took my weight and my blood pressure, and asked me relevant questions about my goals. We then ran through a sample workout.

The Curves Premium location that I visited in Schererville, IN has 12 machines, which you rotate at 30 second intervals. Each machine is designed to work a different part of your body. In between each machine is a fitness mat for stretching, or doing free cardio. Or, you may choose to do the exercises that run on the television in the workout area.

Curves requires that you schedule an appointment for your first 5 visits. This is so your Curves coach can be available to make sure that you are doing your workout correctly so that you do not get injured. Since you spend only 30 seconds at a time on each machine, form is important. And, you may not be working out alone, so there is not much time to correct your form. Having the Curves Coach help the first few times is a huge plus.

After the workout, you are taken to the stretching area. The stretching machine works! It is designed to stretch legs, arms, your back, and everything else. Each stretch is done to a count of 7. You then pull a little harder, and go another 7. If it hurts, you are doing it right!

After your initial appointments, you are free to visit whenever it is convenient for you. However, there is a major caveat about this. More on that below.

Curves Classes

Curves Premium locations offer many speciality classes. Classes are designed for women of all ages and activity levels. Classes are great because they force you to do something different. And it’s always nice to workout in a group setting. The peer pressure to get through it helps! The four types of classes offered are Body Basics, Balance, Boxing, and Cardio. Check with your Curves location for a schedule of classes.

Curves is Good For

Curves is great for women who may not like the traditional gym. At Curves, you don’t have to worry about being self conscious. There are no men!
Curves is great for those that do not have a lot of time to workout. The Curves Circuit is designed to be a 30 minute workout. In that time you make it around twice. And yes, you can work up a little bit of a sweat.
Curves is also good for those who are just looking to stay active, or tone up. It’s a very relaxed environment.
Curves is great for those that like the feeling of community. All the ladies chat while working out. The workers are very friendly. And the space is bright and comfortable. The ambiance is great. And if you go at the same time each day, you may run into the same ladies and feel like you have joined a community.
Curves focuses on overall strength training, which is very important.

Curves Is Not Good For

If you love the traditional gym environment, Curves may not be for you.
If you are looking to bulk up, Curves is not for you. There are no weight machines, so you won’t become a bodybuilder at Curves. 🙂
If you work, and you have a need to workout late at night Curves may not be for you. The hours seem to vary by location. The one that I visited opens at 7:00am. They then close at 12:30, and open again at 3:00pm, so no lunch time workouts. Then they close at 7:00pm Monday – Wednesday, and at 7:30pm on Friday. Hours on Saturday are 8:00am – 12:00pm. They are closed on Sundays. Hours at other clubs may be slightly different. Visit the Curves website to check the hours of locations near you.

My Experience

Honestly? I’m not sure that I would do Curves long term. The workout style takes some getting used to. For example, if I wanted to focus on just a leg day, I cannot really do that. The clubs can get busy and everyone rotates around the circuit at the same time, so you cannot hover and decide to spend more time on one machine. But, I did feel it! Going around twice does provide a bit of a good workout.

Now, if I had the time to make it to Curves every day, I’m sure that it would work. However, because of the hours I just couldn’t do it long term. My pesky job gets in the way. And once I’m done picking up kids, etc. I just cannot make it with much time. However, if the hours worked and I was already at my goal weight and form, I would visit Curves to maintain my shape and tone.

Visit the Curves website for more information and to schedule your first appointment.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Curves International but the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.