Maplewood, MN Health and Fitness

Phil Martens, 501Fit’s founder, invented the patented G-Werx system to orchestrate his versatile, small-group strength-training workouts, which have been named to Minnesota Monthly's Best of the Cities list and chronicled in the New York Times in 2008. A one-on-one consultation with Phil helps determine each student's personal fitness level, which pinpoints the appropriate G-Werx program best suited to their abilities and goals. The 45- to 90-minute training sessions deploy tactics from an arsenal of more than 100 moves, using free weights and a patented lifting machine to target particular muscle groups, such as legs, buns, and abs; chest, shoulders, and triceps; or heads, shoulders, knees, and toes. Each session's energetic trainer pairs with trainees individually, ensuring that persistent perspirers have access to feedback and undiluted encouragement.

Spin, sweat, and sculpt with today’s transformative Groupon. For $30, you’ll get a five-class pass to The Shed, a workout workshop catering to exercisers at all levels that's located inside an actual building. The Shed's a brand-new fitness endeavor, with a shiny new studio, from the owners of the highly regarded The Burn Studio in Burbank, California. The Building: A single door, no windows. Perfect for holding old junk or a couch to crash on.Is It a Shed?: No, it's a storage space, though sleeping in the storage space is strongly discouraged by Adamo Holdings, owner of The Store Spot.

When you did fitness alone, you couldn’t figure out the machines, did a wimpy walk on the treadmill, went home, and ate Funyons in a hammock made out of long, woven strips of beef jerky. Today’s Groupon brings back the buddy system with five drop-in classes at Koficore Studio for $35.

From their expansive space at 501 FIT, the instructors of Avatar Private Training Studio add new twists to the tried-and-true tradition of group fitness classes. Barre classes channel the graceful, physique-chiseling moves of ballet while adding elements of yoga and Pilates to create an all-encompassing workout that keeps students interested and less likely to perform impromptu arabesques at neighborhood bars. TRX, meanwhile, combines suspension training with body-weight exercises and cardio intervals to sculpt a powerful core, a lean silhouette, and a healthy body. Thanks to the studio's location, every member of Avatar Private Training Studio also gets free rein over the machines and equipment at 501 FIT.

Running on a treadmill and blasting through the same reps over and over again can become monotonous. But at Knockout Bodies, the enthusiastic instructors focus on making working out fun. They help gals of all fitness levels chisel rock-solid bodies in alternative fitness classes, which range from pole dancing to kickboxing to Zumba. In pole-fitness classes, they help ladies develop core and upper-body strength as they sensually twist and turn around poles. They also lead high-energy kickboxing classes that motivate students to tone muscles as they learn basic self-defense moves to take down assailants or large stuffed animals that look like assailants without the lights on. Students burn copious calories in Zumba classes, which set easy-to-follow aerobic dance moves to infectious Latin-inspired tunes. When not leading empowering classes, the instructors open the studio for parties to celebrate birthdays or bachelorette festivities.