What’s the secret behind the runaway success of Curves? Why, if the training program is so bad, is the franchise such a moneymaker?
My colleague Mike Collins suggests that it is because Curves encourages consistency and fosters a nurturing, peer-oriented environment. It’s marketed towards women, who tend to thrive on group-based endeavors. A Curves circuit isn’t like the impersonality and relative anonymity of a group exercise class, rather, it’s like one big mass personal training session (without the personal trainer).
In other words, Curves provides a safe context for you and your other overweight friends to work out in.
Cynic that I am, I think there’s a (slightly) darker subtext afoot.
Perhaps what draws women in initially is the safe training environment, but what keeps them coming back is the opportunity to lose more fat than their friends.
Humans are naturally competitive. But this isn’t a bad thing – competition can often spur us on to greater heights than we may have pushed ourselves to. Competition isn’t an unhealthy thing if viewed as a way to elevate ourselves as opposed to “beating someone else down.” And by helps our competition grow as well, since they consequently raise their own game.
If you are pursuing a fitness goal, like fat loss, try pursuing it with a like-minded friend or family member. Make a friendly competition out of it; see who can be the most disciplined with their diet for 6 weeks. Or who is logging more consistent exercise (*cough strength training) . You may find that it makes the process of achieving your goals that much more enjoyable.
