Much like studying, pie-eating contests, and growing up, the act of exercising is typically more pleasant when it's crammed into a short interval of time. Maximize muscle pump with today's Groupon: for $88, you get eight private training sessions at The Exercise Coach (a $299 value). Choose from locations in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Grayslake, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Niles, Palatine, or Schaumburg.

The Exercise Coach's attentive trainers wield the power of exact science to deliver fitness-forward results over the course of short and slightly sweaty 20-minute sessions. Following the 20-Minute Stimulus program, trainers pair up with their respective muscle-builders, guiding them through slow and controlled movements designed to burn fat and ward off the squeakier side of bodily joints. Like a baseball player sprinting through a stationery store, The Exercise Coach's short-form workouts slide effortlessly into any calendar, eliminating the need for age-old excuses such as, "My crocodile needs hugs," and, "I twisted my heart chakra last week."

This scientifically sound system was sparked in 2000 when Brian Cygan—a former NSCA All American baseball player and kinesiology graduate of Northern Illinois University—decided that the world's boulders should be lifted, not ignored. Brian holds 15 years of personal-training experience that he continuously channels into his trainers, all of whom remain dedicated to serving muscles of all shapes, sizes, and ages.