The 10x10 is my favorite travel workout that is not the deck of cards: you mark off ten yards, pick an exercise for each end, and shuttle back and forth doing a descending ladder from ten reps down to one. It needs zero equipment and works on a beach, in a parking lot, or anywhere I can scratch two lines thirty feet apart. In this Physical Friday I break down exactly how to run the 10x10 and how to scale the numbers.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The 10x10 is a travel workout where you mark off ten yards, about thirty feet, pick an exercise for each end, and shuttle between them doing a descending ladder. You start with 10 reps on one side, run and do 10 on the other, then 9 and 9, 8 and 8, all the way down to 1 and 1. It needs zero equipment.
It works great with burpees and push-ups, or burpees and sit-ups. You get good calisthenics on one side, sprint to the other, and do a second exercise there. You can swap in any two movements you like to get a different stimulus each time.
If you are feeling strong, push the top number up to 20. For easy movements like flutter kicks, start higher, maybe 100, and count down by tens: 90, 80, 70, and so on. The descending structure means it is hardest at the start and gets easier as you go.
Almost anywhere with a little space. On a beach, mark off thirty feet in the sand. In a parking lot, use about four parking spaces. The boat ramp works too. All you need is two lines roughly thirty feet apart and room to run between them.
Sometimes the deck of cards is a problem, like when it is windy on a beach or in a parking lot, or I just want variety. The 10x10 needs nothing but two lines and your imagination, so it is a great change of pace that keeps travel training from getting stale.
Not long. Because it is a descending ladder from 10 down to 1 with running between stations, it moves quickly and does not take much time or space, which is exactly why it is one of my favorite travel workouts.
Sometimes the deck of cards is a problem, like when it is windy on a beach or in a parking lot, or I just want to shake things up. I wanted to share a workout that needs nothing but a little imagination and two lines in the sand.
Here is exactly how I run the 10x10 with cardio anywhere I have a little space.
The deck of cards is great, but cards blow away on a beach and sometimes I just want variety. The 10x10 needs nothing but two lines thirty feet apart, so I can do it on the boat ramp, the beach, or a parking lot using four spaces. I explain when I pick it over the deck in the episode, so press play in the player above.
You start at ten and ten, which is the hardest part, then it gets progressively easier as you count down to one. That front-loaded difficulty is what makes it effective and keeps it short. I walk through the rep scheme and the running between stations in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Feeling good? Push the top number to 20. Doing something easy like flutter kicks? Start at 100 and go 90, 80, 70 down the line. Burpees and push-ups, burpees and sit-ups, swap in anything for a new stimulus. I explain how I adjust it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
This is a fantastic travel workout that takes almost no time and almost no space. All you need is a little imagination, two lines, and the willingness to run hard between them.
If you do it, I would love to hear how it went and what exercises you paired up. Mark off your thirty feet and go from ten down to one. Press play in the player above.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
Tom Rowland · 10x10 workout · burpees · sit-ups · push-ups · flutter kicks · deck of cards workout · Physical Friday · Saltwater Experience
I’m Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast’s Physical Friday series I share the training, nutrition, and mindset that keep fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong, healthy, and able to do what they love for life — in short, practical episodes you can put to use right away.
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