A no-fuss trend

It was bound to happen. The phenomenal success of Curves International, a chain of small, women-only gyms offering 30-minute circuit training, has begat a slew of copycats.

The imitations are more than flattering -- they constitute one of the biggest trends to hit the fitness industry in the last few years. These alternatives to conventional gyms are drawing people who are intimidated by young hard bodies, hate some gyms’ meat-market atmosphere or simply can’t keep up with a Spinning-”power abs” fusion class.

Basically, members like the ease and efficiency of a no-nonsense circuit and are willing to give up plush locker rooms and juice bars.

Currently the roster of gyms includes Ladies Workout Express, Contours Express, and Slim and Tone, which opened its first L.A. franchise two weeks ago. Canadian-based Expressfit is just beginning to expand its branches into the U.S. And Cuts Fitness for Men is a New Jersey-based business offering circuit training to males; its first West Coast location, in Northridge, opened a few weeks ago. (The concept is even being adopted by at least one mega-gym-chain, which offers 30-minute “express” classes.)

While all the small, circuit-training gyms are based on the same model -- brief stints on hydraulic resistance weight machines alternating with aerobic activities such as jogging in place -- some companies offer more equipment and amenities.

These facilities “get people doing something, and considering the state of fitness in the U.S., that’s good,” says Lynn Millar, professor of physical therapy at Michigan’s Andrews University. The downside, she adds, “is that it’s very limited. What do you do when you get bored with the routine? In a traditional gym, you can change it up. But with some of these cookie-cutter programs, I see more chance of people eventually becoming bored and dropping out altogether.”

The fact that Curves and other companies continue to grow “demonstrates some staying power,” says Barbara Bushman, associate professor of health and physical education at Southwest Missouri State University. But, she adds, they may have to evolve.

“Will they continue to explode? Part of me says maybe not, because we are a nation that looks at change. But they may morph into some other things,” she says. “They may see that they need to throw in other activities, or include more aerobic exercise.”

That’s what Betsy Ludlow had in mind when she started Slim and Tone early last year (there are now 65 locations). The former American Express senior vice president of marketing was considering buying some Curves franchises but found many of the company’s regulations too restrictive: She could not set her own hours, offer yoga classes or massage, stock free weights or alter the 30-second-per-equipment-station rule.

Slim and Tone gives franchisees the option of adding fitness accessories such as stability balls, elastic bands and free weights which, she says, help prevent plateaus and burnout. “That’s when you have to introduce variety and do things that are slightly different,” she says. Ludlow also allows owners to experiment, and some Slim and Tones offer coed hours, child care and tanning facilities.

Cuts Fitness for Men was predicated on the Curves model, but president and founder John Gennaro tweaked it to appeal to men. The chain’s aerobic stations, for instance, allow exercisers to use a punching bag and a jump rope instead of simply jogging in place. He also added television sets. “Men aren’t as much social animals as women,” he says, “so if you don’t want to talk to someone, rather than stare at a wall, you can watch TV and not be rude.”

But as with Curves, there is a social aspect to the Cuts in Northridge, which has 50 members.

“They interact with each other,” says owner Jeff Jarred, who plans to post his own weight-loss progress in the club. “They come in pairs -- I’ve got fathers and sons and friends who join. I want this to be a club where they want to come, even if it’s just to watch TV and have a bottle of water.”

The 24-Hour Fitness chain adopted its half-hour express classes three years ago after Donna Meyer, corporate director of group fitness, noticed people leaving hourlong classes earlier and earlier. “I remember once doing a cool-down, and opening my eyes and being alone,” she says. “I thought we could make classes effective, quick and easy to follow, with different levels of intensity.”

The popular program includes cardio step, step, leg, body and ab express classes. Lots of repetition and no complicated choreography make the routines easy to learn and follow.

Although she says Curves wasn’t the inspiration for the program, she believes the shorter classes are here to stay. “It gets down to the time factor more than anything. I also think that boomers are aging, and they may not want to pound their body for 60 minutes.”

Gary Heavin, founder and chief executive of Curves, doesn’t worry about competitors or about members reaching burnout. With close to 7,000 franchises in the U.S. and abroad, he’s clearly the leader of gyms offering regimented circuit training. Heavin also funds diet and exercise medical research based on the Curves regimen. He doesn’t see the program as a fad: “The first franchise we opened eight years ago has 400 members and is thriving,” he says.

Yet whether or not this no-fuss kind of fitness has staying power has yet to be determined.

Five years from now, Curves and its ilk could either be a Starbucks-like staple in every neighborhood or -- if people tire of the formula -- the clubs could ultimately be replaced by doughnut shops and dry cleaners.

The executive director of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Assn., the health club industry trade organization, believes no-frills circuit training is here to stay.

“I think this is a huge, important addition that is distinct, irreplaceable and permanent,” says John McCarthy. “I don’t think these clubs are going to meld into the mainstream industry because they’re reaching people that the traditional clubs are not.”

Both can exist, he believes, but only if they stay true to their differences: “It gets back to that anti-club idea. If the knockoffs are more like traditional clubs, they may have gone too far.”