The World Series of Poker workout routine

I remember back in high school if you wanted to start a huge argument, all you had to say was “Cheerleading isn’t a sport…”  That would really get a battle of the sexes going!  Since then, I’ve come to terms with the sport that is Cheerleading.  In fact, I recently turned a well known game into a sport.  Being a huge fan of card games, I came up with a workout routine that’s based on a deck of playing cards.  It’s my World Series of Poker workout routine!

All you need for this workout in addition to your regular gear and space is a deck of playing cards.  Here’s how I do the routine, but feel free to adapt my routine in any way that suits your needs and goals.

It’s good to concentrate on 2-4 different moves.  I’ve been doing pushups, pullups, chinups, and dips.  These are all fundamental bodyweight moves that build strength and definition without costly machines or weights.

1. Shuffle the deck.  The goal here is to have randomness built into the routine.

2.  Pick your first exercise before you pick your first card.  This will keep you from wimping out and help you push yourself.  I like to do pushups first.  Then I do pullups, dips, and chinups.  That order makes sense for me, but you can change the order as long as you stick to it.

3.  Pick a card.  Each card has a simple value attached to it. 2-10 are the number on the face.  Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, and Ace=14.  If you want to, Ace could be worth 1, or all face cards could be worth 10, but I like the challenge and variety that the higher values offer.  This number equates to the number of reps you will do for each exercise.  If I draw a 9, I would do 9 reps.

4.  Take a 30-60 second break after the set.  Don’t forget to breathe during and between sets.  You’re going to be doing a lot of work here so have water and towel nearby if you’d like.

5.  Pick another card.  This card represents the reps for the next exercise in your routine.  It might be a 5, so you would do 5 reps of the that exercise.

6.  You continue in this fashion until one of two things happens.  Either you’ve completed a predetermined number of sets for each exercise (say 3 sets per move) or you cannot complete the sets any more, (it’s become too hard).

The key to making this routine work is to use factors to tailor the exercises to your level of fitness.  In simpler terms, if you can do a lot of pushups like me, I like to do 2 times the number I draw.  If I draw a 7, I do 14 pushups, if I draw an Ace, I do 28.  The same goes with reducing the difficulty of an exercise.  With pullups, I do half the number shown, rounded up.  If I draw a 9, half is 4.5, so I do 5 reps.  For chinups and dips, I just do the number I draw.  Pick a factor that makes sense for you, and stick to it.  Don’t change it every set or then you are just doing whatever you feel like and not letting the cards make the decisions.

Why this works:

This routine works for a few different reasons.  By having random numbers of reps, you create muscle confusion for your body.  People who plateau (stop gaining strength) do so because their body gets used to what they are doing.  With a routine like this, your body may get used to the moves over time, but the random number of reps and sets will delay that effect.

Plus, it’s fun.  I like the idea of using playing cards while working out.  Maybe it’s because it’s unorthodox, or maybe I’m a gambling addict, but either way it works.

You can use this method with weight lifting or running or any other exercise you do.  Just make sure that it’s always a challenge however you set it up.  If it’s too easy, you’re not doing it right.  Also, don’t be afraid if some days are easier than others.  This is designed to be random.  Some days you might do 40 pushups and 5 pullups.  That’s just the nature of the routine.  The law of probability will even out over time.  I like to do this routine on MWF, but you can incorporate it into your routine however you see fit.

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com