FAQ's

Question
Which is the strongest muscle in my body?

Answer
The strongest muscle in your body is your heart . . . it beats 100,000 times in a day in an average adult.

Question
Does muscle turn into fat?

Answer
No, a muscle turning into fat is a popular myth but it holds no truth. What is actually happening when you think your muscles are turning into fat is as you become less active your muscles atrophy (shrink). When this happens your body's metabolism slow down so you do not burn as many calories therefore you start to add new fat. It's not muscle turning into fat, rather muscle wasting and fat being put in its place.

Question
How do I get a flat stomach?

Answer
You can spend all day doing crunches at the gym trying to get a flat stomach, with the only result being frustration because nothing has changed. Having a flat stomach is more about body composition (the ratio of body fat to lean mass) than it is about the size of your abdominal muscles. If you want to have good abs, then up your cardio and weight training in order to burn more fat while also reducing your caloric intake. It has been said that weight loss is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise so keep that in mind next time you feel it's ok for seconds because you worked out earlier.

Question
How do I strengthen my stomach?

Answer
Ab crunches are a great way to strengthen the stomach. Attending a Legs, Bums and Tums class, Circuit Training, HIIT Class . . .all of these work the core strength and will tone up and firm the stomach.

Question
How do I get rid of Bingo Wings? (flabby upper arms)

Answer
A combination of free weight and resistance training will soon tackle those 'wings'. Working the triceps and biceps, and ALSO adding chest workouts on resistance or using free weights will work on reducing the 'over bra-under arm' bulge!

Question
Why should I attend a Studio Class?

Answer
This one is very simple to answer . . . MOTIVATION, FUN AND ENERGISING. A great way to meet new friends too. You can't hide in a class, but you do get 100% support and encouragement. Leave feeling GRRRRREAT!

Question
Why should I work out with weights?

Answer
If you do aerobic exercise on it's own, you will burn fat AND muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn off, up to 40% more! If you are dieting, the likelihood is you lose about 75C% of fat and 25% muscle, but this doesn't improve what you see in the mirror ..... working out with weights you will see your clothes will fit better, you burn more calories, you'll build stronger bones and generally get into shape faster.

Question
Is The Curve for ladies only?

Answer
Yes, an all female gym ran by women for women.

Question
Will someone show me how to use the equipment?

Answer
Yes! All new members receive an induction where we show you how to use the cardio equipment safely: Treadmills, Cross Trainers, Steppers, Rowers, Stair Mills.

Question
I want to talk to an instructor about diet. Is that an extra cost?

Answer
NO! We book you in for a 1-2-1 with an instructor, who will weigh and measure you (only if you want), and discuss nutrition and diet and give you personal advice.

Question
I want to use weights but have never used them before. Will someone show me how?

Answer
YES! We book you in for a Full Body Programme, which works your body top to bottom using free weights and resistance equipment FREE OF CHARGE.

Question
Do I have to pay to get weighed and measured?

Answer
No! It is part of your membership and we advise you book in every 4-6 weeks. Very motivational!

Question
I am a member... Can I bring a friend for a workout?

Answer
Yes! Book them in for an induction then bring them along for a free day. Refer two friends who join The Curve and you get a month free every time!

Question
Does muscle weigh heavier than fat?

Answer
No … a lb of muscle or fat is the same as a lb of feathers! HOWEVER, muscle is denser than fat, so when you see it side by side, fat takes up more room. Muscle also burns off MORE calories at rest than fat … so even when you're sat watching TV you will burn off more calories.

Question
Should I count calories to lose weight?

Answer
You could … but that wouldn't necessarily mean you were eating a healthy diet. Every food has a calorie count, so if you wanted to lose weight you would reduce your calorie intake daily. For example, if you were advised to eat 1200 kcals per day, you could eat that amount in chocolate …. not very healthy! We would recommend that you take into consideration Fat, Carbohydrates, Fibre and Protein, to give you healthy, balanced diet.

Question
What exercise do I do for fast weight loss?

Answer
Ok, you’ve got an hour to get to the gym, have your workout and leave …. You also want to lose weight fast SOOOOO, what do you do? • Interval Training: When you decide to run, bike, use the x-trainer, etc. with varying rates of speed and intensity. Sprinting for 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds of jogging, and repeating this cycle for 20-30 minutes. • Weight Training: Whenever you lift weights or do body weight exercises. Cardio is the most basic thing you can do when it comes to burning calories = Cardio means anything that raises your heart rate e.g. aerobics, a 5k run, using the x-trainer for 20 mins. HOW IT WORKS: If you burn more calories than you consume in a day, you will lose weight. Step on a treadmill, run three miles, and you’ll burn around 300 calories. In terms of getting in shape, it’s definitely not the most efficient form of exercise.Lastly, although it trains your heart to be in shape by remaining at a higher level of operation while exercising, it doesn’t train your heart to prepare for moments of extreme stress because it never really has to deal with rapid changes, so you BURN CALORIES when you’re doing your aerobic activity, but YOU DON’T CONTINUE TO BURN CALORIES ONCE YOU’VE STOPPED. High-Intensity Interval Training = Run, bike, use the x-trainer, etc. with varying rates of speed and intensity. Sprinting for 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds of jogging, and repeating this cycle for 20-30 minutes. When you do high-intensity interval training (HIIT), your body and metabolism function at a higher rate of burned calories for hours and hours afterwards, so basically you burn calories even if you’re sat watching TV after a HIIT workout. HOW IT WORKS: HIIT forces your heart to adjust to changing conditions: sprints, jogging, sprints, jogging, up hills, down hills, etc. Your heart learns to operate outside of its norm, and your body learns to adapt to these changes. All of this changing and sprinting kicks your metabolism into high gear for hours after you finish exercising. Weight Training Recent study showed: Overweight subjects were assigned to three groups: diet-only, diet plus aerobics, diet plus aerobics plus weights. • The diet group lost 14.6 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. • The aerobic group lost only one more pound (15.6 pounds) than the diet group (training was three times a week starting at 30 minutes and progressing to 50 minutes over the 12 weeks). • The weight training group lost 21.1 pounds of fat (44% and 35% more than diet and aerobic only groups respectively). Basically, the addition of aerobic training didn’t result in any real world significant fat loss over dieting alone. Thirty-six sessions of up to 50 minutes is a lot of work for one additional pound of fat loss. However, the addition of resistance training greatly accelerated fat loss results. Conclusion: What you eat is the most important thing when it comes to weight loss, aerobic training helps but not nearly as much as you’d think, and weight training when combined with the two is the most effective method to dropping pounds. Exercises that recruit the largest number of muscles: squats, lunges, kettlebell swings, squat thrusts, burpees, inverted rows, pull ups, and push ups.