Episode Show Notes
The deck of cards workout is a zero-equipment fitness routine you can do anywhere using a single standard deck of playing cards. You assign each of the four suits an exercise, shuffle, and flip the cards one at a time — the number on each card is how many reps you do. In about 20 minutes you finish the deck and finish a full-body workout. On Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 28 (How 2 Tuesday #3), Tom Rowland shares the exact travel workout he has used for more than 20 years to stay in shape on the road.
Listen now: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deck of cards workout?
The deck of cards workout is a bodyweight routine that uses a standard 52-card deck as your randomizer. You pick four exercises and assign one to each suit, shuffle the deck, and flip the cards over one at a time. The number on the card tells you how many reps to do of that suit's exercise. You work through the entire deck, and when the last card is done, your workout is done. It needs no gym and no equipment beyond the cards.
How do you set up the deck of cards workout?
Assign an exercise to each of the four suits. Tom's go-to is burpees for spades, push-ups for clubs, air squats for diamonds, and sit-ups for hearts. Numbered cards are worth their face value in reps, face cards (jack, queen, king) are worth 10, and aces are worth either 1 or 11 depending on how hard you want it. Shuffle, flip, and do whatever the card tells you until you reach the bottom of the deck.
How long does the deck of cards workout take?
Tom gets through an entire deck in about 20 minutes. Because you reshuffle every time, the cards come up in a different order on every session, so the workout is never exactly the same twice — but it lands in roughly the same 20-minute window.
Do you need any equipment for the deck of cards workout?
Just one standard deck of playing cards. You can carry it anywhere, and if you forget it you can buy a deck at a convenience store, a hotel kiosk, or an airport. You only need a six-to-eight-foot space, which means it works in a parking lot, by the pool, in a hotel room, or in a gym if one happens to be available.
How do you make the deck of cards workout harder or easier?
To make it harder, leave the jokers in and turn each one into a 400-meter run around the parking lot, a run up the stairs, or 20 pull-ups. A brutal version makes every black card a push-up and every red card a burpee, with jokers as 400-meter runs. To make it easier, count face cards as 1 and aces as 1, and turn the joker into a walk or a shorter effort that fits your fitness level.
Can people of different fitness levels do the deck of cards workout together?
Yes. That is one of the best parts. One person can run face cards as 10 and aces as 11 while another runs face cards as 1 and aces as 1. You flip the same cards and train side by side, each scaling the reps to your own level, and you both finish at the same time.
The Deck of Cards Workout, Step by Step
Here is the exact method I walk through in the episode. It is simple on purpose.
- Assign an exercise to each suit. My go-to is spades = burpees, clubs = push-ups, diamonds = air squats, hearts = sit-ups. You can swap in any four exercises you like.
- Set your face-card and ace values. Numbered cards are worth their number. Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, depending on how hard you want the session.
- Shuffle and flip. Turn the deck over one card at a time and do that many reps of the suit's exercise.
- Work all the way through the deck. When you reach the last card, you are done — usually right around 20 minutes.
- Add jokers to scale up. Make each joker a 400-meter run, a flight of stairs, or 20 pull-ups when you want more.
I break down the scaling options and a couple of harder variations in the audio. Press play in the player above to hear the full setup.
Why I Still Travel With a Deck of Cards
I do a lot of traveling for my job. Sometimes there is a gym nearby, sometimes there is one in the hotel, and a lot of the time there is nothing at all. About 20 years ago I decided I could not rely on whatever happened to be around, so I built a workout I could do in any environment with zero equipment, something I would not get bored with and would actually do every single time. The deck of cards is the answer I have used ever since.
How to Scale It Up or Down for Any Fitness Level
The same 52 cards can be a beginner's first workout in months or a session that flattens an experienced athlete. The dial is the rep count and what you do with the jokers. I explain the easy version, the hard version, and the truly nasty all-black-cards-are-push-ups, all-red-cards-are-burpees variation in the episode. Listen to that section to pick the version that fits where you are right now.
The Real Reason It Works: Consistency Beats Intensity
I have watched people make great progress at home with a trainer, a gym, and a dialed-in routine, and then lose it the moment a vacation or a work trip knocks them off schedule. Getting back is always harder than staying on. The deck of cards workout exists to remove the excuse: when you wake up on the road and feel the pull of the snooze button, you grab the cards, assign four exercises, and get to work. Twenty minutes a day is enough to stay in great shape. Hear me make the full case in the episode.
Where the Deck of Cards Workout Came From
I want to be clear that I did not invent this. I learned it from Ross Enamait, and he learned it from someone before him. It is an old-school conditioning workout that has been passed around for a long time because it works and because it is almost impossible to get bored with. I have shared it with a lot of people over the years, and a lot of them have gotten real results from it.
Listen to the full how-to: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
Final Thoughts From Me
The whole goal of How 2 Tuesday is to take one topic, get to the point, and hand you something you can actually use — ideally in under ten minutes. This one came in right at about nine, and it might be the single most useful habit I have ever shared on the show.
If you take one thing from it, take this: do not let travel get you off your schedule. Pack the cards, assign your four exercises, and keep the streak alive. Try it and send me an email at podcast@saltwaterexperience and let me know what exercises you used and what your time was.
People & Brands Mentioned
Ross Enamait (conditioning coach credited with the workout) · Saltwater Experience · How 2 Tuesday
About Tom Rowland
Tom Rowland is a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series he breaks down one practical skill at a time — fishing technique, gear, and the training habits that keep him performing on the water — in concise, ten-minute episodes.