The Deck of Cards Bodyweight Workout

Life can get really busy, making it hard to find time for exercise. Many people think that if they can't do a full workout, it's not worth doing anything at all. But even short workouts can make a big difference over time and can be very beneficial.

In that vein, I’m continuing my series of bodyweight workouts with the “Deck of Cards” version. It's quick, easy, and extremely effective. You can fit it into your busy schedule to build muscle, lose extra body fat, and get stronger.

Workout Overview

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The "Deck of Cards" workout uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards to determine the type and number of exercises performed. This workout is known for its simplicity, unpredictability, and effectiveness in providing a full-body workout.

The format is simple. The number on each suit will be the number of reps you need to perform. For instance, if you draw a card that says four of hearts, do four repetitions. A seven of clubs is seven reps. But the face cards have a distinct rep number:

• Jacks: 11 reps

• Queens: 12 reps

• Kings: 13 reps

• Aces: 15 reps

How to Play

Credit: Envato Elements/Twenty20photos

To begin, you’re going to need to think about what type of exercises you want to do to correspond to certain cards. Here are some ideas:

For our example, I’ll pick four random exercises:

• Clubs = Mountain Climbers

• Spades = Squats

• Diamonds = Burpees

• Hearts = Pushups

After picking your four exercises, shuffle your deck and then take four cards from the top. You will perform your four exercises that correspond to those cards back-to-back, without a break (I’ll explain this in a minute). After you're done with the four exercises, take a one-minute break and draw another four cards from the deck and repeat the process. Do this until you work your way through the entire deck.

Example:

Taking 4 cards out of a deck:

• Card 1 shows 8 of Hearts

• Card 2 shows Queen of Diamonds

• Card 3 shows King of Spades

• Card 4 shows Ace of Clubs

So for this four-exercise cycle you will perform 8 pushups (for the 8 of hearts), followed by 12 burpees (for the Queen of diamonds), 13 squats (for the King of Spades), and 15 mountain climbers (for the Ace of Clubs). There might be some overlap in some rounds, but that will only keep things interesting!

How Long To Complete?

A.I. Squat Picture

The duration of a typical Deck of Cards workout session can vary depending on several factors. Here's a breakdown of the time estimates:

1. For a solo workout, expect to complete the entire deck in about 15 to 20 minutes if you're moving at a steady pace, without extended rest periods between cards.

2. A more challenging/intense workout version can take up to 45 min. to complete.

3. If you're new to the workout or prefer an even shorter session, you can opt to do just half the deck instead of the full approach.

4. The duration also depends on specific exercises chosen, your fitness level, and complex or demanding exercises.

Conclusion

This Deck of Cards workout definitely offers a creative and challenging approach to bodyweight training. If it doesn’t break the monotony in your workout routines, I don’t know what will. Every workout will be different based on the shuffling of the cards and it is something that you’ll never outgrow. As I always tell my clients, it’s hard to get bored when you’re gasping for breath!

“Success is all about consistency around the fundamentals.” – Robin Sharma

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