Looking for a simple and fun way to plan your own workout? You can use a deck of playing cards to determine which exercises to do and how many reps. Here are the steps for planning this game-based workout.
Determine Your Workout Goal
What kind of workout do you want to accomplish? Is it cardio based, strength based, or a combo of both? Once you have determined this, choose exercises that coincide with your workout goal. For example, if you want to do a cardio-based workout, you will need an exercise designed to raise your heart rate, like hill sprints, sled pushes, or timed intervals on the rower. If your goal is strength-based, you need to choose resistance exercises like dumbbell bent-over rows, barbell bench presses, or bodyweight air squats. If you want to mix it up, pick exercises that are combo of strength and cardio that can do both, like dumbbell thrusters (front squat to push presses) or burpee to box jumps.
Select four exercises. Assign each exercise to a suit in the deck of cards. For example, here’s a quick view of suits for a combo workout:
- Spades: Dumbbell thrusters
- Clubs: Rowing (x50m for every # on card)
- Hearts: Barbell bench press
- Diamonds: Air squats
- Jokers: (Wild card or rest break) x5 flights of stair climbs followed by a 2–5-minute rest.
Know Your Numbers
The number on the card is representative of the number of reps you'll perform. For instance, a 2 represents x2 reps, an 8 represents x8 reps, and so on. However, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces can get tricky. You have a couple of options. You could choose to assign each face card the equivalent of x10 reps, so no matter which face card you draw, you always perform the same number of reps. As an alternative, to make it more challenging, assign each face card a different number of repetitions: Jack x11 reps, Queen x12 reps, and King x13 reps. For the Ace card, decide whether to make it a face card, assigning it the equivalent of x10 or more reps, or you can treat it as a x1 rep, assigning a single repetition. Whichever way you decide, the number or number equivalent of the card you draw from the deck is the number of reps you'll perform. Jokers are your wild cards or rest breaks. I typically use them to designate a rest or break within the workout with a special extra exercise before taking the rest break.
# of Reps
Ace = 1 rep, 10 or 14 reps, player's choice
2 through 10 = 2 through 10 reps
Jack = 10 or 11 reps, player's choice
Queen = 10 or 12 reps, player's choice
King = 10 or 13 reps, player's choice
Joker = Rest or player’s choice
Shuffle Up and Deal
Start your workout, perform the designated exercise for the assigned number of reps, and immediately pull another card from the deck after completing each exercise. Continue drawing cards and performing exercises until you finish the amount of cards you want to do for your workout, or until you have done all 52 cards.
Sample Workouts
Here are four different workouts that I have done in the past with my athletes.
Workout: 52-card Pickup—Upper-body Strength
Goal: Complete reps to the corresponding card. Shuffle up the deck and complete the entire 52 cards
- Face cards = 10 reps
First Half of Deck
- Hearts = Barbell bench press
- Diamonds = Wide-grip pulldowns
- Spades = E-Z bar preacher curls
- Clubs = E-Z bar skull crushers
- Jokers = Manual resistance x5 reps of previous card pulled followed by 2-minute rest period
Second Half of Deck
- Hearts = DB triple press (high/low/flat) broken up and rotating between cards
- Diamonds = Seated wide-grip rows
- Spades = DB hammer curls
- Clubs = Cable/rope triceps OH press-outs
- Jokers = Manual resistance x5 reps of previous card pulled followed by x2min rest period
Workout: 52-card Pickup—Strength and Cardio
Goal: Complete reps to the corresponding card. Shuffle up the deck and complete the entire 52 cards.
- Face cards = x:20secs
- Jokers = Sprint the distance and rest
- Hearts = BOSU jumps—stick and hold (alt. direction of jumps)
- Diamonds = Box step-ups w/sandbags
- Spades = Med-ball slams (any variations)
- Clubs = BOSU push-ups (alt. exercises) OR plyo push-ups
- Jokers = x200m run (x1 lap) and 2-minute water break
Workout: 52-card Pickup—Cardio and BW Strength
Goal: Complete reps to the corresponding card. Shuffle up the deck and complete the entire 52 cards.
Sprint the distance associated with the suit on the card on a soccer or football field.
- Hearts = x1 width of field sprint
- Diamonds = x1 down and back width of field sprint
- Spades = x1 length of field sprint
- Clubs = x1 down and back length of field sprint
- Jokers = Rest
- Red cards = Push-ups
- Black cards = Sit-ups
Workout: 52-card Pickup—Full-Body and Cardio Combo
Goal: Complete reps to the corresponding card. Shuffle up the deck and complete the entire 52 cards.
- Face cards = 10 reps
Part I: Full-Body
- Hearts = MB burpee slams
- Diamonds = BOSU GUGDs
- Spades = Push-ups plank shoulder taps (R/L)
- Clubs = Plate halos R/L
- Jokers = 200m (red lanes) sprint followed by 2-minute rest
Part II: Cardio
- Hearts = Sled drive (10m for every card #)
- Diamonds = Jump rope (x20 skips for every card #)
- Spades = Rowing (x50m for every card #)
- Clubs = Airdyne bike springs (x:10s for every card #)
- Jokers = Stair climb to top of NIFS (hallway) followed by 2-minute rest
Part III
- Hearts = Sledgehammer strikes
- Diamonds = Sandbag clean and press
- Spades = BOSU hand release push-ups
- Clubs = KB swings
FINISHED!
This blog was written by Michael Blume, MS, SCCC; Athletic Performance Coach. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.