Curves For Guys?

My dear wife was snickering when she saw that next door to one of the many Curves fitness clubs in our city they are opening a similar club for guys. A place called The Blitz. Below the "Opening Soon" sign was another sign touting "20 Minute Total Fitness for Men".

"You can't get a good workout in 20 minutes" was my wife's quip. I would have to respond, with all due irreverence, that for too many guys and gals around here 20 minutes would be a good start...

Lets see... For a good workout your body needs to get warmed up. They say a good warm-up takes about 15 minutes. Plus you don't get aerobic benefit until you've exercised continuously a little below your maximum capacity for more than 15 - 30 minutes. So, I'm in agreement with my wife. But if the sign said "20 Minute Total Warm-up" it just wouldn't have the same selling appeal, would it? In my opinion a good workout takes at least an hour.

Ah, but who has the time?

It is easy to see the convenience appeal of Curves. Quick in, quick out. I'm told they don't even have showers. It is the least you can do and still say you exercised. Literally. There are over 8000 Curves in the U.S. which indicates remarkable success. It makes sense that something similar would appeal to guys. Especially when they throw in heavy punching bags to knock around.

Wait! In a local drug store I saw some wooden cubes in a box by the checkout. They had "Exercise Block" in bold black letters printed on one side. Being curious, I picked one up. Attached to the cube was a tag with more instructions. In short, it said to put the block on the floor in the middle of the room. Next walk around it twice. Congratulations, now you can tell everyone you walked around the block twice today! The ultimate in convenience fitness?

But I do have to recognize and praise the results that Curves members have achieved. Curves has lowered the barriers to getting started in a fitness routine and any start is better than none. Fitness results are a reflection of persistent effort which often involves overcoming motivational hurdles. Curves helps women get over the first hurdles. Hopefully The Blitz will do likewise for men.

"Health, vitality and long life are the goals that everyone would wish to aim for. These are not, however, achieved automatically. Because the 'civilized' habits of Western Life do more to diminish health than to increase it, fitness is something that has to be worked at.
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Exercise, above all, makes you look and feel well. Few adults who have taken the trouble to get fit will ever allow themselves to become unfit again. You owe it to yourself to get your body fit and to maintain that fitness for as long as you possibly can."

- The Complete Manual of Fitness and Well-Being by Dr. Robert Arnot