Exercising has come a long way from outrunning a lion until it reaches the point of exhaustion so its sleeping carcass could be bench- pressed and shot putted. Build muscle using nonliving weights with today's Groupon: for $179, you get a 12-month membership to Gold's Gym in Burlington (a $360 value).

Gold's Gym opened more than 45 years ago in Venice Beach and today features an impressive array of next-generation fitness gadgets, a results-oriented focus, and clean facilities. Clients can maximize their strength, flexibility, and typing speed, or enlist the expertise of a complimentary personal training consultation.

Neophyte iron workers can follow up with regular attendance at the gym, where they may hop on a cardio machine, pump up in a controlled manner with free weights, or throw ambidextrous hooks in the boxing room. Improve heart fitness by peddling hundreds of stationary miles in spin classes, or stick with lifting huge, heavy pieces of metal and commercial chest freezers.