howdy ya'l! i was just thinking of joining curves but wanted to know if anyone who has had the lapband sugery had any problems after joining (port pain, n/v) ? want a few oppions before joining winter coming up and i need to find a place to get this lazy body moving so i can see thepounds come off like they "use to" in the begaining.:thumbup:

I think Curves has lots going for it - supportive atmosphere, no men, no lycra clad glamour girls, and a good basic circuit routine for women who are not athletes and have not been in great shape.

I also think there's a few pitfalls to be aware of. The instructors for one, obviously we can each talk about only the centres we've experienced but I worked as a trainer at Curves for a little while and really, the trainers know very little. They are not properly trained, they're not very knowledgeable and I wouldnt be placing my health and fitness squarely in their hands, I'd be informing myself.

And secondly the equipment - its GREAT if you're unfit, but despite how much Curves denies that you'll ever get too fit for their equipment, that's simply not true. There is only so fast you can push that hydraulic equipment (which is how you increase intensity and continue to progress) before you lose form because it has limitations on how fast it will more. I was unable to get enough of a workout to even get a little bit sore from it, and everytime I went I had to try to work so darn fast, that I'd lose the correct form and it took me months for my back to recover, especially from those twistie side to side abdominal machines.

If you're starting out, you need lots of friendly support then it'll be a really great experience for you. If you have base fitness and like to exercise and know a fair bit about it, you'd be better off at a regular gym.

I have gone to Curves for about a year now and really like it. The trainers at my Curves are knowledgable on the correct way to use the machines. I waited until my 6 wk post op appointment to go back full time and I have not had any port pain so far. I am working on getting back to the level I was before surgery. My Curves has the "smart" machines that track your progress and then you can see on the computer how many calories you have burned, etc.