Curves Philippines – All Women’s Gym and Fitness Club
As a young woman growing up in Metro Manila, I learned very quickly the importance of safe spaces and supportive female communities. This 2020 International Women’s Day, I’d like to put a spotlight on a boutique fitness gym that was designed for women by women – Curves Gym.
While there are a ton of boutique fitness experiences catered primarily towards women such as yoga, barre, indoor cycling and dancing, there are still few spaces that are designed holistically just for us. More than just a space where men are not allowed, Curves has a very intentional design from its physical space, company policies and workout programs.
What is Curves Gym?
In 1992, Gary and Diane Heavin founded Curves International, a wom en-only gym in Harlingten,Texas. In 2012, they opened their first branch in Metro Manila and have served the female Filipino fitness community across 5 branches since.
What are the Curves Gym Facilities?
While a lot smaller than your usual Fitness First or Anytime Fitness, the studio itself is mindfully designed. Starting with the fact that there are no mirrors except for the dressing room, it does well to allow people to focus on what our bodies are doing instead of what our bodies look like when we do it. If you’re concerned about form, don’t worry because the personal trainer will make sure you’re still doing things right.
Another aspect of the gym that I found unique and interesting is the equipment. They are the only gym I’ve seen in Metro Manila that use 12 hydraulic resistant machines, wherein it’s as heavy as the speed you use the machine with. While most physically able people won’t think much of this, it radically reduces the threat of injury for the differently abled and the elderly. They adapt to your individual strength level and mirrors the pressure you put on.
On top of this, the staff are also equipped to handle toddlers and pets. Since many of their clientele are mothers looking to squeeze in a quick workout in the middle of their busy schedules, their staff are readily prepared with coloring books, crayons and even toys for dogs, while their mothers are taking a moment to take care of themselves.
While there are also specific class times for workouts that focus on things like Core, HIIT and Yoga, their regular 30 minute circuit runs daily from 7am to 11pm. The personal trainer can also adjust the intensity of your workout should you want to be challenged more.They have a locker area where they provide the padlocks, showers and dressing areas. If you don’t bring your own water, you can purchase refreshments at the front desk as well.
My Curves Experience
To start off, all of the physical trainers are women and they are trained to be emphatic towards these problems that many of us face in secret. From the moment you enter, you are asked to fill out a form that is a little different from other traditional gyms and staff that ask for particular concerns that you wont often feel comfortable discussing in co-ed spaces – hormonal problems like PCOS, trying to conceive a child, struggling with losing the pregnancy weight, ageing and even your partner’s level of supportiveness in your fitness journey.
With my personal trainer for the day, Kaye
While the interior is unassuming at first, I was charmed by the details that most people who they’re not made for overlook. As a furmom myself, being greeted with a puppy while I fill out my forms was already a very welcoming experience.It took a while to adjust to the machines because I was so used to the weighted ones in the usual gyms I worked out in, but because there was a trainer that was always in proximity, I felt like I had a personalized training class instead of a regular circuit class.
The standard circuit is done in two sets for 30 minutes, inclusive of a warm up and cool down. You’ll spend about 30 seconds per machine. Occasionally, there will also be an automated voice that will tell you when it’s time to check your heart rate to see if you’re making the best out of your workout. While the circuit looks easy at first, I was pleasantly surprised when some machines were a lot more difficult than how they looked.
Curves isn’t really the place for hard core athletes and women already comfortable enough to be in traditional gyms or other more intense boutique fitness experiences like spinning, vertical climbing or rowing. The great thing about it is that it doesn’t try to be. Curves is for people looking to start their fitness journey and need a gentle hand that will both push you during your workout but also carry you when you haven’t yet built your stamina and confidence. It is an understanding space that lets you go at your own pace.
I particularly loved the community touch that emanates from the space. With photos of success stories plastered on their locker doors and celebratory posts of pounds shed and inches lost in the locker room. It was a space to celebrate little victories and you could feel how that meant so much to their members.
Would I go again?
From what I have observed, most of their clientele are women just starting their fitness journey, women not allowed to be in proximity with men due to religion, or the elderly looking to maintain a healthy physique.
While at this point in my fitness journey I crave for a little more intensity in my routine, I can imagine how a place like Curves can feel like home. I wish I knew about it in the early stages of my fitness journey, as was battling with PCOS isn’t just a physical exercise but a mental one.
As of now, it’s not the place for me to get to where I need to go, but I am pretty sure there will be a time in my life when I will need spaces like this again – when I come from an injury and need to recover, when I focus on work and would be trying to jumpstart my stamina again after months of taking a break, when I want to recover from a pregnancy in a place where I don’t have to feel conscious about mirrors and when I get older when I can no longer comfortable rage on a indoor bike.
For women like me who have to work twice as hard to get the body we want, whether it’s due to hormonal problems or life changes such as pregnancy or ageing, it’s often a lonely and frustrating journey. For that, I’m happy that places like Curves exist.
A Word of Thanks
Thank you again to Curves Gym and TruLife Philippines for starting off my women’s month celebration with a bang! Happy to be a #TrueWomanOfToday this March.
If you’re interested in trying out TruLife Premium Fish Oil to supplement your workouts which can improve your endurance and recovery, burn fat and build muscle, get 10% off any TruLife products visa TrulifePH Lazada with the promo code: TRUCURVES10.
#HealthyTruLife
Rates
Their rates differ per branch but you can also book a class through ClassPass!
Get a free 2 months Curves Gym membership and TruLife Premium Fish Oil by joining their #TruLifexCurves promo here.
Curves Gym
