In the Victorian era, people made their cores look tight by wearing corsets, which doubled as bulletproof vests during pistol duels. Strengthen your core until it's naturally impervious to bullets instead with today's Groupon: for $45, you get five Pilates classes at WundaBar Pilates in Claremont (a $99 value). All five classes must be used within the same month, and new clients must attend a complimentary Intro to WundaBar session before beginning their classes.

WundaBar Pilates relies on the intelligently designed WundaFormer, a Swiss army apparatus that combines a reformer, Wunda chair, jump board, and ballet bar into one sinew-sculpting machine. Armed with the knowledge gleaned from a complimentary Intro to WundaBar session, students delve into a host of 40-minute classes that engage muscles with simple routines emphasizing proper form in the face of fast-paced progression. Strength & Length sessions forge slender muscles and a cast-iron core while minimizing the joint stress that can accompany other workout regimens. Heart rates similarly pulse during Cardio Blast classes as students orchestrate a kinesthetic symphony of unfurling limbs and blushing arteries, shedding unwanted calories while toning the 12 muscles typically used to accuse a neighbor of stealing your TV remote.

The studio hosts a generous lineup of intensive classes throughout the week. Morning sessions greet the sun and insomnia-ridden roosters as early as 6:15 a.m., and evening classes banish daily stresses like a evening commuter train covered in sprinkles.