Monday, December 15, 2008

Deck of Cards Workout

Thought I would share a quick workout idea in case you have a brain freeze and don't want to plan one yourself. We did these in class today for a warm-up and it really woke everyone up. You will need a deck of cards. Feel free to change the exercises to suit your abilities. Here is an example video and description:



Here's the deal:

1. You can use either the whole deck or a half at a time. I have found that a half deck takes about 6:30-7:00 to do with clients.

2. Assign an exercise to each suit.

3. Turn the cards over one at a time and do an equal number of reps for that exercise. Number breakdown:

4. Aces: one, Numbers are what they are, Face cards: eleven

5. Rest only if you have to. This is for endurance and you should try to push your limits.

Here are three examples: One focuses on cardio, one on strength endurance training and one on core movements.

Cardio:
Hearts: Jumping Jacks
Diamonds: Kettlebell Swings (Use a dumbbell if necessary), alternative: Mountain Climbers
Spades: Burpees (aka Squat Thrusts)
Clubs: Frog Hops

Strength endurance:
Hearts: Pushups
Diamonds: Pull-ups or Body Weight Rows(can be modified using a smith machine, Jungle Gym or Assisted pull up machine)
Spades: Prisoner Squats (bodyweight and hands behind head)
Clubs: Prisoner Front Lunges

Core:
Hearts: Hanging Leg Raises
Diamonds: Russian Twist (count every right side)
Spades: Kettlebell Swings (great lower back move), alternative: Good Mornings
Clubs: Half Turkish Get Ups (up to bridge and down)

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.