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 $20, you get 20 day passes to Gold’s Gym of the Capital District (a $300 value). This Groupon is valid at locations in Niskayuna, Latham, Clifton Park, and Guilderland.

Gold’s Gym opened more than 45 years ago and today features an impressive array of next-generation fitness gadgets, a results-oriented focus, and immaculate facilities at each of the four flab-busting locations across the Capital District. Hundreds of Gold’s group exercise classes dot the gyms’ schedules like beads of perspiration on a weight lifter’s sturdy shoulders. Zumba classes tune discordant bodies to a higher pitch with the dynamic rhythms of Latin-inspired dance beats, and one-hour marathons of Pilates and yoga craft strong-cored masterpieces from nirvana-deficient lumps of clay. A staff of trainers well-versed in calisthenics and Rocky sequels also leads sports-inspired cardio workouts, barbell classes, and high-intensity boxing classes. Modern and hygienic workout machines fill the gym’s airy rooms, and autonomous exercisers can easily shift their focus from free weights to cross-trainers depending on their muscle-toning moods.

A motivating and welcoming atmosphere greets guests at every gym location, and on-site childcare facilities (not included with this Groupon) relieve the burden of calculating the weight of a toddler into your bench-press lifts. Although not included with this Groupon, tanning facilities at Niskayuna, Latham, and Clifton Park help guests attain a shade of bronze to match the metallic hardness of a muscular torso.