I know it can sometimes be very difficult to make it to the gym and for me personally, without being surrounded in that athletic atmosphere – it can be quite difficult to stay motivated. However, I think having plenty of exercise options can help us stay motivated and inspire our creativity because honestly, relying on your will alone is freakin’ tortuous – not fun at all! So today, I’d like to share how you can have a FUN and EFFECTIVE workout with a plain deck of cards.

General Guidelines

Choose Right

• Make sure you choose exercises that you not only have the strength and endurance to do many of, but also those that you can maintain proper form throughout EVERY repetition.

• Stick with 4 exercises (one for each suit).
  • I personally like to do exercises that address my upper body, legs, lower back and abdominals.

Be Creative and Have Fun!

You don’t have to address all the major muscle groups. Lets say you want to do abs only – simply pick four different abdominal exercises and get to it!

Go Through the ENTIRE Deck

This is VERY important. I don’t care how long it takes, as long as you keep moving and stay consistent – challenge yourself, do EVERY repetition and reap those benefits.

Be Safe!

Make sure the exercises you choose are safe to perform and do not aggravate any preexisting injuries. Always consult your doctor for permission.

Make a Plan and Start Moving

I think this is the funnest part right here – this is where YOU decide which exercises you’d like to do.

It’s EZ Peezy:

1. As stated above, choose 4 exercises that you’d like to do and assign a suit to each
2. Shuffle the cards really well
   
3. Lay down the deck of cards, face down
   
4. Grab the first card from top of the deck
5. Perform the exercise and the number of repetitions as seen on the card
6. Keep going!

Remember, you are at the mercy of your shuffle. So if you stack too many push-up cards back to back for example…the hurt is on (I like the hurt though)!

**You can also vary the intensity by going for speed; see how fast you can burn through the entire deck**

What to Do with Face Cards

Whenever you see a Jack, Queen, King or Ace, do 12 – 15 repetitions of the given exercise.

What to Do with Jokers

Whenever you see a Joker, choose one of the 4 exercises and do 20 repetitions – NO LESS.

Example Routine

Diamonds - Hindu/Dive Bomber/ Modified/ Regular Push Ups

Hearts -  Jump/Regular Squats

Spades – V’ Ups/Regular Sit ups

Clubs – Table Makers/Lower Back Extensions “superman”

The Combinations are Limitless

The great thing about training with cards is that the combinations are unlimited! You can vary up muscle groups, as in the example above, or you can choose to isolate a single muscle group – its completely up to you. With 52 cards (plus two jokers) total, that’s 13 cards dedicated to each suit. With 4 exercises, that’s a total of AT LEAST 102 repetitions  PER EXERCISE! And don’t forget the extra 20 repetitions from each Joker. Insane right? I love it!

Have at it my friends!

Warm regards,

PJ