Like practicing the piano while leg-pressing another piano, muay thai helps develop strength and discipline simultaneously. Bolster body and mind with this Groupon.

$29 for Five Muay Thai Kick-Boxing Classes ($90 Value)

During beginners' classes, instructors impart muay thai kick-boxing fundamentals, such as fighting stance, balance, and basic kicks and punches. Advanced sessions focus on the use of thai pads, partner work, and offensive combos that include elbows and knees, among other combat techniques. See the schedule and first class information.

Toronto Kickboxing & Muay Thai (TKMT) Academy

In 2004, Warren Lee was a high-school teacher by day and a muay thai kick-boxing private trainer on the side. But demand for his private lessons grew, and eventually the one-man business blossomed into a full-time combat fitness business. Today, Lee runs Toronto Kickboxing & Muay Thai (TKMT) Academy at three locations, all of which provide friendly atmospheres for students to work up a sweat, shed stress, and learn self-defense. The staff credits its unintimidating and professional attitude with helping to draw an almost even split of male and female students—a rarity in martial-arts gyms.

All three locations feature pristine facilities and include men's and women's changing rooms and individual showers, as well as a boxing ring, grappling mats, thai pads, heavy bags, and an assortment of training equipment. The staff of committed instructors includes Ajahn Amnat Yodkwain, a former professional fighter and muay thai master who has trained in Thailand's combative arts since the age of 7. All of the academy's instructors possess CPR and first-aid certification and participate regularly in professional development. In order to join the team, they must also pass a series of rigorous tests designed to challenge their skills in muay thai, general fitness, and kicking cookie jars off the top shelf.