My Deck Of Cards
Congratulations! You have acquired a lifetime tool for fitness that provides unlimited workout possibilities!
The Deck Of Cards workout is not new and it is not my idea. This has been around for a long time and there is one reason…it is effective, simple and time tested.
There is not one way to do a deck of cards workout, it can be done with infinite variability and therefore infinite possibilities. A great workout can be had with just a standard poker deck, but I wanted a special deck just for working out with some suggested exercises printed on the cards. That is what is different about your deck of cards. In addition, I made sure that they were printed on plastic cards so they can handle sweat, rain or even puke and last forever. It comes in a plastic box so you can throw it in your travel bag and not worry about a paper cover tearing.
Do not be intimidated by the exercises. They are simply suggestions printed on the cards so that you can always have a workout ready to go without thinking about it. If you are unable to do any of the exercises, simply replace with something that you can do or consult the videos to see some suggested scaling options.
If you are new to this workout idea you may have questions even after you read through these instructions. If you do read them and still have questions text the word “CARDS” to (305) 930-7346 and ask your question. I’ll get back to ASAP.
How It Works
In a standard deck of playing cards there are 4 suits (2 red suits and 2 black suits) and 2 Jokers. One possible way to create a workout with a deck of cards is to assign an exercise to each suit and use the number on the card for reps. I often have Face Cards=10 and Aces=11 but you can make them anything you want to scale the workout up or down in difficulty. Here is an example:
Spades=Burpees
Clubs=Pushups
Hearts=Situps
Diamonds=Air Squats
Joker 1= 100 flutter kicks
Joker 2= 400 m run
Face Cards=10 reps
Aces=11 reps
All other cards are face value
With this workout, you shuffle the cards and turn one over. Lets say you get a 5 of Spades. Spades=Burpees so you do 5 burpees. Flip the next card to get a King of Hearts. Hearts=Situps so do 10 Situps. Continue through the deck until you have done all the cards.
This is my go-to travel workout. I have done it hundreds of times. In fact, I gravitate to this one and sometimes forget that I could do so many other exercises. This is why I created the deck you have.
How the Tom Rowland Podcast Deck Works
If you look at the cards, each suit has 4 exercises listed 1-4 and then #5 says "Your Choice". You can create workouts by choosing numbers for each suit and the Jokers.
Example 1:
The easiest example is to assign each suit and the Jokers the #1 exercise listed on the card.
In this case:
Spades=Burpees
Clubs=Pushups
Hearts=Situps
Diamonds=Air Squats
Joker 1= 100 Double Unders
Joker 2= 20 pullups
Face Cards=10
Aces= 11
Shuffle the cards and simply do what they tell you. A Jack of Diamonds=10 Air Squats, The first Joker=100 Flutter Kicks…etc…. Go through the whole deck. In this example you do the same exercise for all cards within the suit. You will do Air Squats for all Diamonds and the reps are determined by the number on the card. The same is true for the other suits.
Example 2:
Choose #2 for all suits and Jokers. Do exactly the same as example 1 but choose the #2 exercise.
In this case:
Spades=Mtn Climbers
Clubs=Handstand Pushups
Hearts=Vups
Diamonds=Squat Jumps
Joker 1=100 Grasshoppers
Joker 2=100 Flutter Kicks
Example 3:
Choose #3 for everything
Example 4:
Choose #4 for everything
Example 5:
Turn a card over. Whatever suit that is, choose #1. Turn cards until you get to a different suit and assign that #2. Turn cards until the next suit comes up and assign that #3. The last suit would be #4. Make Joker 1= #1 and Joker 2 = #2
I recently did this and it looked like this:
Diamonds=#1 Air Squats
Clubs= #2 Handstand Pushups
Hearts= #3 Sandbag Getups
Spades= #4 Wall Walks
Joker 1= 100 Flutter Kicks
Joker 2= 20 pullups
This was a VERY challenging workout. I named it "The Twister".
With 4 exercises per suit and 2 Jokers there are over 27,000 possible combinations of workouts.
You will notice that there is also a "Your Choice" on each card. You can put your own exercise in here if you like. This makes this infinite possibilities. Any exercises are fair game. Try different things, experiment, enjoy!
If you have any questions about this deck, please text me at 305-930-7346. Text the word CARDS first and then your question. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. When you find a combination that you particularly like, send it to me on the same text number.
I designed this deck to be used with zero equipment or absolute minimal equipment that could be acquired almost anywhere. In this version, you can do box jumps or step ups on any short wall, park bench or any surface that is 20-24' tall ideally. I have double unders as an exercise which does require a jump rope and there are also sandbag get ups which can be done with or without a sandbag. If you do not have a sandbag, a sack of dog food, a backpack, a laundry bag or really anything with a little weight in it will suffice.
If you want to use weighted exercises, go for it. Put something in as "Your Choice" and get after it.
Another version of this deck is in the works with minimal equipment, like 1 dumbbell that will challenge anyone who tries it.
Thank you for purchasing this deck of cards. I seriously hope that you are the first one to go through all 27,000 possible combinations! I also hope that you get as much out of this deck as I have over the last 25 years of using the deck of cards as my primary travel workout tool. It has kept me consistent, and in shape through difficult times on the road in environments that seem impossible to get a workout in. You don't need much space and now you don't even really need much imagination. All you need is the discipline to shuffle the cards and get yourself moving. Good luck accomplishing your fitness goals. When you do, I want to hear about it. Shoot me a text and let me know how you are doing.
All the best,
Tom Rowland