How long does a deck of cards workout take?

A typical deck of cards workout takes 30-45 minutes, depending on your fitness level, rest periods, and card values. Beginners might take longer with more rest, while advanced users can complete it faster.

Do I need any equipment for a card workout?

No equipment is required! Deck of cards workouts use bodyweight exercises that can be performed anywhere. You only need a deck of cards (or our digital generator) and enough space to move.

Can beginners do deck of cards workouts?

Absolutely! Beginners can start with modified exercises, lower card values, and longer rest periods. Our generator allows you to customize exercises and repetitions to match your fitness level.

What exercises work best for card workouts?

The best exercises are bodyweight movements that don't require equipment: push-ups, squats, burpees, sit-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, planks, and mountain climbers. Choose exercises you can perform safely for multiple repetitions.

How do I make the workout harder or easier?

Adjust difficulty by changing card values (Aces can be 1 or 14), exercise variations (regular vs. diamond push-ups), rest periods, or including/excluding jokers for bonus rounds.

Can I use this workout for weight loss?

They can help. A full deck is a high-volume conditioning session that keeps your heart rate elevated for 30–45 minutes. Actual calorie burn varies far too much by bodyweight, pace and exercise choice to put a single number on it, and weight loss is driven primarily by overall diet — the workout supports it rather than doing it alone.

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Deck of Cards Workout Generator

Assign an exercise to each suit, then flip the deck. Free, no sign-up.

♠

Spades

♥

Hearts

♦

Diamonds

♣

Clubs

Settings

Ace Value

Reps assigned to every Ace

Face cards = 10 reps

J, Q and K all count as 10

Include Jokers

Adds 2 wild cards (20 reps each)

Pre-built Workouts

Jump straight in with a curated workout — no setup needed.

Military Workout

The classic military deck-of-cards circuit. Forged in the field — push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and the dreaded burpee.

♠ Push-ups
♥ Squats
♦ Sit-ups
♣ Burpees

CrossFit Workout

High-intensity functional fitness with Thrusters, Pull-ups, Box Jumps, and Double-unders. A true deck WOD.

♠ Thrusters
♥ Pull-ups
♦ Box Jumps
♣ Double-unders

Beginner Workout

Accessible and confidence-building. Modified movements with Knee Push-ups, Squats, Crunches, and Jumping Jacks.

♠ Knee Push-ups
♥ Squats
♦ Crunches
♣ Jumping Jacks

Cardio Blast Workout

Pure heart-rate work. Jumping Jacks, High Knees, Burpees, and Mountain Climbers will leave you breathless.

♠ Jumping Jacks
♥ High Knees
♦ Burpees
♣ Mountain Climbers

Upper Body Workout

A focused upper-body push/pull session using Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, and Pike Push-ups.

♠ Push-ups
♥ Pull-ups
♦ Dips
♣ Pike Push-ups

Guides & Tips

Learn how to get the most out of your card workouts.

View all →

How to Do a Deck of Cards Workout

Learn exactly how a deck of cards workout works — the rules, how reps are assigned, and how to run your first session from start to finish.

5 min read

The Benefits of a Deck of Cards Workout

Why the deck of cards workout is one of the best training formats for building fitness — variety, mental engagement, zero equipment, and scalability.

4 min read

Best Exercises for a Deck of Cards Workout

The best exercises to assign to each suit for a balanced, effective 52-card workout — from beginner-friendly moves to advanced variations.

5 min read

Deck of Cards Workout for Weight Loss

How to use a deck of cards workout specifically for fat loss — the right exercises, intensity, and frequency to maximise calorie burn.

5 min read

What is a deck of cards workout?

A deck of cards workout is a bodyweight training format that uses a standard 52-card deck to decide what you do and how much of it. You assign one exercise to each of the four suits, shuffle, and then flip cards one at a time — each card tells you which exercise to perform and for how many reps.

Because the deck is shuffled, no two sessions are the same and you cannot pace yourself the way you would through a fixed set of rounds. That unpredictability is the whole point: it keeps the intensity honest and stops you coasting.

The format spread through military physical training and has since become a staple of home workouts, CrossFit conditioning and travel training, largely because it needs no equipment at all — just enough floor space and a deck of cards.

How a 52 card workout works

Every card in the deck maps to an exercise and a rep count. The suit picks the movement, the rank picks the number:

♠ Spades: commonly a push movement — push-ups, dips, pike push-ups
♥ Hearts: commonly legs or a pull — squats, lunges, pull-ups
♦ Diamonds: commonly core — sit-ups, crunches, leg raises
♣ Clubs: commonly full-body conditioning — burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks

Number cards are worth their face value, so a 7 of hearts means seven reps of whatever you assigned to hearts. Face cards are worth either 10 each, or their traditional ranks of Jack 11, Queen 12 and King 13. Aces are a wildcard you set yourself — 14 is the usual choice for a hard session, 10 or 1 for an easier one. Add two jokers at 20 reps each if you want a sting in the tail.

How many reps is a deck of cards?

With the standard settings — Aces at 14 and face cards at their rank — a full deck comes to 416 reps, split evenly across your four exercises at 104 reps each:

Cards	Value	Total reps
Number cards 2–10	Face value	216
Jacks, Queens, Kings	11, 12, 13	144
Aces	14 each	56
Full deck		416

Turn on "face cards = 10" and drop the Ace to 10 and the same deck falls to 376 reps, or 94 per exercise — a far more reasonable first session.

So if you assign push-ups to a single suit under standard settings, a full deck means 104 push-ups. Assign push-ups to every suit and you are looking at 416.

How long does it take?

Most people finish a full deck in 30 to 45 minutes. The range is wide because the format has no prescribed rest — the deck sets the work and you set the pace. A cardio-focused deck runs faster, around 20 to 35 minutes; an upper-body deck runs slower, because pulling movements need longer between cards.

There is no obligation to finish. Splitting the deck in half, or setting a 15-minute timer and stopping wherever you land, are both perfectly legitimate ways to run it — and a better idea than a first session that leaves you unable to train for a week.

Why train this way

Endless variety

A shuffled deck orders itself differently every time, so the sequence, and the way fatigue accumulates through it, is never quite the same twice.

You cannot coast

Not knowing whether the next card is a 2 or a King removes the ability to pace yourself into an easy session, which is the usual failure mode of self-directed training.

No equipment

The bodyweight versions need nothing but floor space, which makes this a reliable option for home workouts, hotel rooms and anywhere without a gym.

Scales cleanly

Three settings — Ace value, face card value and jokers — move the total between roughly 376 and well over 416 reps without changing a single exercise.

Choosing your settings

Beginners: face cards at 10, Ace at 10, no jokers, and modified movements such as knee push-ups. Around 376 reps total.
Intermediate: face cards at rank, Ace at 14, full movements. This is the standard 416-rep deck.
Advanced: add both jokers, raise the Ace value, and cut rest between cards rather than adding volume.
Short on time: deal half the deck. 26 cards is a real workout and takes under 20 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about deck of cards workouts