Curves

I was sad to find that this location is closed! Not sure when that happened but the sign is still up in front. I did a trial at the Edgewater location but found it was too out of my way (sharing a vehicle with my husband at the moment).

I’ll admit it — I’ve been having an internal struggle ever since I got home this evening as to whether or not I would write this review. On one hand, I am über impressed by this business, but on the other hand, I’m still living with the stereotype and its slightly embarrassing to admit that yes, I, Molly K., work out at Curves.
NO — IT’S NOT OLD LADIES AND FAT HOUSEWIVES! In case you were wondering.
So here’s the dealio: I’m getting married in the fall and have decided that its time to «tighten up» a bit before the big day. I am not a huge fan of the few gyms that Annapolis has to offer (I don’t blame the gyms — its more me, and an inveterate lack of motivation to actually get a good work out). So I figured what the heck, I’ll give Curves a call.
So I call — and the owner of the store, Carol answers. OMFG she is like the nicest person in the world, and not in that annoying, syrupy fake nice way. She means what she says and is passionate about her business which i totally r-​e-​s-​p-​e-​c-​t. Carol is so great that I decide to stop by after work. I walk in and am greeted by two of the staff members. Both super nice as well. I immediately start to check out the scene, and there are *gasp* 20-​somethings in the joint! Yes, there are a couple of old ladies and some moms, but the ratio was no different than any other health club I’ve belonged to.
So they give me the scoop on their philosophy — basically Curves works on a circuit — you alternate between anaerobic machines and aerobic exercise platforms which are all set up in a circle. The machines are designed to hit every area of your body, except for your pinky finger. You only do each one for a little while, then you switch to the next one. The aerobic platforms are where you run in place, or if you’re like me, you do this lame little dancey jog. Lather, rinse, repeat. Follow it up with a stretch and you’re out of there in 30 mins.
The really cool thing is that the machines are all hydraulic — basically the harder and faster that you work on them, the harder they become. No adjusting weights and seats and handles and pins, just step up and go.
The other really cool thing is the atmosphere — (and this is where i get a little lifetime tv-​ish) but the community feeling in there was really cool. No one is there trying to impress someone. They are there to take care of their bodies, and also have some fun. AND they are getting results. I met a girl who had lost 103 pounds, no jk. That’s impressive.
So I went again tonight, and met up with Carol who is even more amazing in person, and signed up. We did a whole fitness assessment — weight, measurements, bmi, % body fat, etc. and then designed a realistic goal for me. I found the personal attention to be so energizing and inspiring. SO much better than at other gyms where your intro consists of that bitchy front desk girl who is like omg so annoyed to give you a tour of the facility because it interrupts her text message conversation. OH, and the price is AMAZING — like half of what the other gyms are.
After the whole sign up thing, Carol hits the circuit with me. Yes, we did the whole circuit twice together! She wanted to be totally sure that I was comfortable with all the equipment, and we also just had the opportunity to chat and get to know each other. And, she knows all of her members. Greets them by name as they come in the door — asks about kids, work, etc. That lady must take her ginko biloba — I would never be able to remember all those people. She’s kind of my favorite person right now.
So as for the actual workout — it was fantastic. I definitely had a glisten going on, and was really feeling the burn. It also went by really quickly, and it was a lot of fun. I’m going the recommended 3x per week, and I’m already looking forward to my next workout.
So here’s the bottom line — I totally recommend this place. If you’re some super intense athlete or ridiculously competitive, then this vibe might not be for you. But if working out isn’t exactly your favorite thing but you want to get in shape and be healthy (and you’re a female) then its definitely worth checking out!