Even for dedicated fitness-heads, working out isn’t always a treat.
When you do it right, it’s hard work! When you’re tired and busy, it can sometimes be tough to dredge up the motivation.
But making your workouts a little more fun is a great way to stay motivated and never skip a workout. You can:
- Try new routines
- Workout with a partner
- Or make fitness into a game
In fact, there are some fantastic fitness card games out there that can not only make your workouts more enjoyable, but teach you new moves and techniques along the way.
Some of the best fitness card games are:
- Stack 52
- Playout
- NewMe
- Sweat Deck
- And regular playing cards!
Let’s take a look at each, what makes them so fun and effective, and where to buy them.
1. Stack 52
Stack 52 (as in 52 playing cards) is one of the big dogs when it comes to home fitness games.
No matter what type of workout you’re into, Stack 52 has a card game for it!
They offer games for:
- Barbell workouts
- Bodyweight workouts & calisthenics
- Dumbbells
- Yoga
- Resitsance bands
- HIIT
- Exercise balls
- And more
How it works:
It’s pretty simple.
Just shuffle the deck and draw a handful of cards, just like you’re dealing yourself a poker hand
Each card features an exercise, move, or pose for you to execute.
If you get stuck, Stack 52 has an extensive video library online demonstrating every move in each deck. You’ll always know what to do and get plenty of form pointers if you’re a beginner.
The moves typically cover the gamut from beginner to advanced moves, and using this random shuffling and dealing gameplay, you’ll never do the same workout twice!
Why it’s awesome:
- Designed by a military fitness expert
- Games & expansion packs for every workout imaginable
- Caters to beginners and experts
- Never do the same workout twice
- Incredible exercise video library
Check out Stack 52 on Amazon right here — this link takes you to the bodyweight workout deck, but there are plenty of others to choose from!
2. Playout: The Game
If you want something slightly more involved and competitive, you should check out Playout: The card game.
It’s similar in nature to Stack 52 — cards feature an exercise that each player must complete, adding some fun variety to your workouts.
But playout pits two or more players against each other to really amp up the intensity!
How it works:
Players draw cards that feature either upper body, lower body, or core exercises — along with some fun wild cards and competitive mini-games.
When you complete the exercise on that card, you get a certain number of points depending on if you chose the Easy, Medium, or Hard variation of the exercise.
Most points at the end wins!
Why it’s awesome:
- Fast-paced and competitive
- Endless variety
- Different game modes and ways to play
Check out Playout the card game on their official website here
3. NewMe Fitness Exercise Cards
NewMe takes the basic concept of random exercise cards and adds some fun twists.
At first glance, the game is simple — but it’s actually a really great fitness tool that can help you string together a real routine to reach a goal.
So it’s a game, but it’s not JUST a game!
How it works:
NewMe Fitness cards come in packs for bodyweight training, dumbbells, and resistance band workouts — and more.
Once you have the deck, there are tons of ways to use it.
Draw random exercise cards and enjoy a totally unique workout.
Or draw a “workout” card that strings together several moves into a proper workout to build muscle, burn calories, and tone your body.
Why it’s awesome:
- Individual exercises & workout routine gameplay
- Durable card construction
- Buy bodyweight, dumbbell, and other games
Grab the NewMe Fitness playing cards on Amazon here.
4. Sweat Deck Exercise Cards
These cards are no joke, featuring intense workout and exercise challenges like 25 pull ups or 10 burpees!
How it works:
Shuffle and deal cards for a totally random workout, create your own routine, or tackle intense challenges like the Cheat Meal:
- 1 mile run
- 25 thrusters
- 25 pull-ups
- 25 pushups
- 50 burpees
- Another 1 mile run
Yikes!
Why it’s awesome:
- Gorgeous and professional looking cards
- 53 programmed workouts plus individual exercises
- Cardio, HIIT, and strength all included
Get Sweat Deck on Amazon right here.
5. Regular Playing Cards
I love what the fitness gaming companies mentioned above are doing to make working out fun and effective.
But you don’t NEED to drop extra money on special cards to capture the spirit of fitness card games.
You can use any regular deck of cards you have laying around and make up your own games and workouts!
How it works:
Pick a workout focus (upper, lower, cardio, core, etc.) and assign an exercise to each suit or type of card in the deck.
Draw yourself a hand and use the number value of each card (A-K = 1-13) as the number of reps to perform for each exercise!
Verywell Fit has a great guide to getting started with a deck of cards workout right here.
But that’s just one way to do it. The possibilities are endless and you can make up whatever game or variation you’d like.
Google around for more ideas.
Why it’s awesome:
- Regular cards are cheap, and you probably own them already
- Infinite games & workouts available
- Variety is endless
Wrapping Up
Fitness card games can really dial up the fun factor of your workouts, whether you do them alone or with a buddy.
If you’re serious about getting home workout results, you’ll eventually need to pick a discipline or type of home workout, or at least set a few fitness goals, and devise a workout program to help you get there.
But in the short term, you’d be surprised how effective some of these fitness games can be! Stringing together random exercises is better than sitting on your butt — and many of the games help you build unique and strategic workout routines each and every time.
Before you go, check out:
- How to workout when you’re too busy with work
- How to stay fit while working from home
- The best fitness board games
- The best fitness dice games
Hope this helps!