A vigorous workout is in the cards

Even with all the high-tech exercise gear and state-of-the-art cardio and weight machines available, there’s something to be said for getting back to basics. That’s the philosophy behind the FitDeck, a series of resistance and cardio exercises that offers a challenging workout without equipment.

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FitDeck: Developed by former Navy SEAL Phil Black, FitDeck is designed to keep workouts simple and fun. Packaged as a deck of standard-size playing cards, it features one exercise per card in four categories -- upper body, middle body, lower body and full body -- plus information on how to use the deck. Each exercise is illustrated, has brief written instructions on execution and correct form, and recommended reps or time for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. The deck includes push-ups, lunges, side crunches, flutter kicks, kick backs, squat thrusts and jumping jacks. A DVD goes into more details on how to use the deck and perform the exercises. Users can choose which exercises they’d like to do, or shuffle the deck and let luck be their guide.

Black based the idea on friendly push-up competitions he did with classmates as an undergrad at Yale University. They used playing cards to determine how many push-ups one had to do. The FitDeck, he says, provides an enjoyable, relaxed way to approach exercise. “It may not be the protocol that you see in all the magazines, but this is about getting people to move their bodies. You look at some exercise guides and it tells you that you’re working your latissimus dorsi, and you just throw up your hands,” he says. “Just tell me I’m working the middle body and I’m happy.”

Price: The FitDeck alone is $18.95; with the instruction DVD, it’s $24.95, and the DVD alone is $16.95. Both are available at www.fitdeck.com or by calling (858) 453-6644.

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-- Jeannine Stein