500 Calories in 29 Minutes? Are Curves For Real …
No doubt you have seen the ads. Weight loss clinics like Curves and Contours claiming you can burn up to 500 calories in just 29 (or 30) minutes following their circuit workout.
Wow … sounds promising … 500 calories in just 29 minutes.
Maybe this is the solution you are looking for? So like millions of others you pick up the phone and call Curves or Contours to enquire about how you too can burn massive calories while barely breaking into a sweat. Of course the nice lady on the other end of the phone sounds very convincing as she explains how the equipment is all based on the latest hydraulic technology. She tells you that the workout is based on resistance training (which is a good thing) and because it is low impact you will not be left sore with tired muscles.
All sounds fabulous right?
Here is the one question no one ever asks them though that you should…
“Can you send me a copy of the independent Scientific Research study showing that the Workout does in fact burn 500 calories in only 29 minutes for the average person?”
That will put an end to their cheery little sales presentation.
Why?
Because there simply will not be such a study … if there is I will run naked down Bourke Street in Melbourne at peak hour. For those of you who do not live in Melbourne it is a busy main road in the heart of the cityt.
How can I be so confident that I am prepared to risk the embarrassment and possibly being arrested by running naked down Bourke Street?
It is a simple matter of science…
Let me explain. I am a 6 foot 1 guy who is solidly built and carrying a fair degree of muscle. When I get on the Treadmill for 30 minutes and complete cross country training on high intensity (80% MHR) … in other words I am going flat out … I can only burn approximately 300 calories.
How is it possible then that a middle aged overweight woman could burn 500 calories in 29 minutes at a lower intensity rate?
Simple answer … It is not possible! Unless I am missing something???
Now, I am not saying that companies like Curves and Contours are blatantly lying to you!
What I am saying is that the marketing practices they use are questionable at best. They dangle the 500 calories with low intensity exercise carrot to lure you in. The truth is you will never achieve anywhere near this sort of caloric usage.
They could just have easily promised you could burn UP TO 5,000 calories in 29 minutes and the statement would have been just as accurate. In other words, even if you burn just 50 calories, then by definition you fit into their marketing claims.
Do not be misled by deceptive marketing practices!
Again … find 10 people who have achieved significant successful long term weight loss and sustained that loss for more than a year in one of these weight loss clinics. I dare you :
By the way … here is a picture I found of one such weight loss clinic just so that you know what I am talking about here. (I do hope that the lady in the yellow top is not the fat loss coach):
January 24th, 2008 at 4:12 am
ha! even if you could burn 500 calories in 29 minutes (actually it is kilocalories isn’t it - so they may be on to something) - I’m not sure the average person could keep up that kind of intensity. It takes me about 70-80 minutes to do that at a reasonable pace on a bike.
I loved the photo and agree with your “hope”.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Well Actually,
I can manage that. I’m training with a Polar heartratemonitor and both on the monitor and on the cardio equipment i’m capable of working of around 1100 Kcal in about 65 minutes. For your information i’m a 46 year old male weighing around 85 kg’s and after a year of training in an excellent shape. To manage that kind of burning you have to consistently train that 65 minutes with a heartrate of around 150 bpm/ (according to an energy expenditure calculator at polars) i would burn around 16.9 Kcal per minute at a intensity of 80-90% of my max heartbeat( eg 139 -156) and 21.3 Kcal at 90-100 % of my max heartbeat.
Conclusion if your fysically up to it you can easily burn 500 Kcal in 29 min. You would be sweating like hell though. I’m anyway
Rick
January 24th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hey Rick … thanks for your feedback. I think the vast majority of overweight people (Curves target market) would not have any hope of maintaining an intensity of 80% to 90% of MHR for 30 minutes. I am hitting around 70% to 80% of my MHR and sustaining it for 30 minutes on treadmill with Intervals … so my heart rate does get a chance to reduce perdiodically before the next higher intensity. After four months of training I find that I am pushed to my limit and yesterday burnt 330 calories.
It is great that you are in obviously good cardio-vascular condition … congratulations! At 85kg though you are probably not overweight … in fact you state you are in excellent shape.
My comments were focused on … “middle aged overweight woman could burn 500 calories in 29 minutes at a lower intensity rate.”
This is Curves target market … and the nature of their hydraulic based circuit training equipment do not lend themselves to the level of physical exertion that you are talking about.
Appreciate you dropping by my friend!
Rod
January 24th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hey Mike … thanks for your comments. From you pics you have a large amount of muscle already. Muslce is metabolically active … so if you need 70 minutes to burn these sort of calories then what hope the deconditioned middle age overweight woman?
Rod
January 25th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Hi,
My blog has just recently been added to Adam’s RTP ShredderSphere. I read your blog and would like to say, Bravo!
I think that you and i share the same sentiments for all of the misinformation and the snake oil people try selling as miracle fitness pills, shakes and diet plans.
Look forward to more of your posts!
Ciao
January 25th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Hey just wanted to add my two cents to this…I used to work at a Curves and the ladies are encouraged to check their heart rate every 7 minutes so that it is in what they call the training zone but it is recommended to go only to 60% MHR unless you are in good shape already (which almost none of them are). So yes, there is no way they are burning 500 (some claim more!) calories in a workout. They have somewhat misleading marketing but the concept of getting people who would not be caught dead in a regular gym (very overweight or elderly women) into a regular workout routine is a good one. Unfortunately, they were so popular that they oversold their franchises and now many have closed because they ran out of clients to sustain the business. So that shows that the workout gets old as well and after a year most people quit or move on to something different. Anyway, just wanted to share that little extra info. I wish the fat loss industry had more honesty in it because maybe if they did more people would actually try instead of getting frustrated with unfulfilled promises and resigning themselves to being fat.
-Joni
January 31st, 2008 at 1:46 am
Hey Christina … welcome to the shredders and thanks for dropping by. I look forward to checking out your blog and cheering you onto success.
Rod
January 31st, 2008 at 1:49 am
Hey Joni … thanks for your information on Curves. I have to agree with you that on the positive side they are doing a good job in encouraging people to do some exercise. So that is excellent. Its interesting though that they promote a training zone based on the old Fat Burning Zone ie 60% MHR … this is an outdated notion for effective fat burning.
Appreciate you dropping by and sharing your knowledge
Rod
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March 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article 500 Calories in 29 Minutes? Are Curves For Real …, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
April 5th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I want to add that people who have more weight to move do burn more calories. I work at Curves and the reason I am here is to research the claim of the 500 calories in a workout. I too am an active/physically fit person and have worked out on cardio equipment and have not got to 500 calories in a 30 minute session. I also want to dispel the idea that all my clients at Curves are a certain way we have ladies in their 20’s-80’s all types of fitness levels… median age is probably 40. I encourage the ladies I work with to stay w/in the 70% target heart rate. Lastly about the weight management picture… we don’t know that lady’s story just because she is overweight does not mean she is not having success now and a lot of times people who have been there are more understanding and can help others…specially those that might be a long way from there ideal weight… think about it who leads AA meetings. Just had to clear up some misconceptions. Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article 500 Calories in 29 Minutes? Are Curves For Real …, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I’m a curves member and they just started with the curve smart it’s a device that records your heart rate and the intensity of your workout it is alot harder than before. It also records calories burned.. if the machine is accurate i burned 506 cals in about 30-40 minutes .
I lost 40lbs without the new device , so i’m excited . Keeping a healthy weight comes down to balance and discipline.
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July 17th, 2008 at 3:53 am
I joined curves at the end of february. 3 times a week is not enough, I go 5 now. I’ve lost 20 lbs and 3 sizes. We got the smart equipment a month ago and it is kicking my butt! my lowest calorie count is in the 500’s and today I hit 909. I don’t know how accurate that could possibly be, but I do know that I am making progress and that’s what counts. Last week I had 813, someone beat it with 826 so I had to reclaim the top number! Just a little friendly competition
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