The idea of working out with men and waiting for weights and machines to open up wasn't motivating Louise Brown to go the gym. She needed a more inviting environment to achieve her weight-loss goal, so she checked out Curves for Women in Moncks Corner.

She is one of the thousands of women across the globe that have joined Curves or similar circuit centers that serve as an alternative to large-scale unisex gyms.

"You don't do the same thing over and over, and you are more comfortable than if guys were included," Brown said.

At the centers, hydraulic resistance machines are set up in a circle, and background music is cued to instruct exercisers to rotate every 30 seconds. The machines work each muscle group, abdomens, chest, lower and upper leg, back and shoulders. Between each machine, exercisers jog or walk in place on a platform before moving on to the next machine.

Exercisers rotate 3 rounds and finish the full-body workout in 30 minutes, which is often all that some women can give to their workout.

Brown works full-time at C.R. Bard in Moncks Corner and goes to the gym before her shift begins.

"I have to run to the store, do this, do that. I just say, let me get my 30-minute workout," she said. Brown likes the non-gym atmosphere, with small dressing rooms instead of large locker rooms. The club has small enough membership so she isn't overwhelmed.

Linda Addison, owner of Elite Ladies Fitness in Moncks Corner, said the 30-minute span makes working out less of a challenge for busy women and allows them to come in on lunch breaks.

"They can come here on their lunch hour, take a shower, and go back to work," Addison said.

Exercise time is spent more efficiently, with less time spent waiting on machines, which makes the circuit centers an attractive alternative.

Fay Kornahrens, who works out at the Curves in Moncks Corner, said she spent too much time standing in line at her former gym.

"It was so crowded, I would have to wait. Sometimes you can't even exercise on a machine," she said.

Curves and similar centers have faced criticism that the 30-minute workout is not enough and that the calories burned don't add up to make a significant difference. Critics have also said the routine, although designed to break up the workout, is actually monotonous in its repetitions, making it a difficult routine to stick with.

Janel Haltiwanger, a Curves employee in Moncks Corner, disagreed.

"I didn't work out before. I lost 80 pounds in two years. (Curves) is all I did," she said.

Curves International, a Texas-based franchise that began in 1992, has over 9,000 stores in the world. Elite Ladies Fitness is similar to Curves, except it also provides treadmills and additional cardio machines for women who want to add to their circuit training.
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