Bob Backlund's Deck Of Madness

Setting a goal no matter how small or big can make an impact on you no matter how you slice it. I've put myself through deck of cards workouts in a variety of ways from doing just push-ups and squats to 4 exercise decks, animal movements, one exercise deck of doing nothing but Hindu Squats but never in this fashion before. I had set a goal just to see what was possible with doing Step Ups & Ab Wheel Rollouts.

I've talked about the wheel and mentioned the great wrestler Bob Backlund in an article a while back which you can find here.....The Bob Backlund Workout. Going through phases of doing his workout in supersets that range from going for time non stop with certain reps, using them in circuit training and utilizing other exercises as add ons but what would it be like to go through these exercises using a Deck Of Cards? Most deck workouts are mainly bodyweight and getting the most in a quick fashion or just being a little creative but this felt different.

My goal was just to see how far I got in this workout, the first time around, I barely made it through half the deck. These exercises are no joke and can be exhausting. The second time around, I made it through the whole damn thing. I was determined and yes I did take a few breaks but mainly just to regain composure for a few seconds and get my head straight, I'm going to tell you it was difficult and mentally off the wall to pull through. The exercises themselves weren't difficult, it was the ability to keep going and keeping that mindset at the task at hand.

I don't have a clue if Mr. Backlund has ever done this himself although it wouldn't be a surprise to me. The guy is a machine and the energy of someone in their 20's in a 70 year old body. The exercises aren't impressive by any stretch of the imagination but they can be done by a beginner or world class athletes and have quality results and impressive conditioning. To go an hour straight with either one of them non stop is a testament to incredible endurance and crazy functional strength. Physical Conditioning is a goal most should strive for with a mindset of being fit in the long run.

I'll admit, I don't have the greatest attention span to go for an extended period of time when it comes to workouts and not shy of saying that routines don't sit well with me but if I'm determined to figure out and push through without hurting myself, that I have consistently done for years and it's something I'll always love about my training. That workout gave me another perspective of understanding my abilities to challenge the norm and take something so basic and mold it into a crazy idea. I have read and researched many workouts and exercises with the deck of cards but never on just Step Ups and the Ab Wheel.

There were times where I wanted to stop but something kept hounding me to keep going and get past that hump. It was grueling both physically and mentally and sweating like it was niagara falls was part of the proof that when you push hard, your body lets you know what's going on. The funny thing is, I didn't feel sore the next day, I felt it and knew what I put my body through, but didn't wake up aching or crackling all over. I felt great and had an incredible sense of energy. I did however take it "easy" yesterday by going for a long walk and later on did a small workout of step ups and rollouts doing ten rounds supersetting the exercises of 10 step ups and 5 rollouts.

If you want to give this workout a shot, be sure to have experience and knowledge of handling both and not going for world records in speed. Being fast is important but quality movement especially with the wheel is crucial to success in this workout. If you start to get sloppy, stop cause you can hurt yourself and there's no point of pushing through pain that can land you in the hospital. Challenge yourself but also be aware of what you are doing.

Here's the Rep Scheme for this workout.....

2-10 Are Of Face Value or Per Leg 

Face Cards Are 10 Reps Or 10 Per Leg

Aces Are 16 Reps Or 16 Per Leg

Jokers Are 50 Step Ups Or 25 Per Leg

This workout will test your mental toughness, your conditioning, your strength endurance and more. Your Core will get the workout of a lifetime and your legs will feel like jello. This workout isn't about how fast you can go, it's about the ability to keep going and making quality reps each time. It isn't for beginners and it surely isn't going to turn you into Bob Backlund, that title of crazy is already taken but it sure as hell will make you strong long term and give you immense power in ways you didn't know before.

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Core Conditioning With An Ab Wheel And Ditching The Sit-Ups And Crunches

Never was big into sit-ups, leg lifts and worst of all crunches. I use to think ab exercises were done doing thousands of reps and isolating the muscles to get the most benefit. If you're a beginner that's one thing but true Core Conditioning is when the abs are strengthened in a unified entity with the rest of the body. Bridging is amazing for core work because it involuntary contracts the abdominals and stretches the spine and obliques but yet there's more fear in bridging which can be learned to overcome. The most simple things can make the greatest of progress.

If I were to do sit-ups, I'd use a one-two punch combo so I don't feel like I'm isolating the muscles but that gets boring. When it comes to Core Strength nowadays, I go for the Ab Wheel or the three types I have: The Standard Ab Wheel, The Ab Carver Pro & (the best of them all) The Power Wheel. Each one works the core in various formats but the endgame is conditioning the muscles for long term strength and helping prevent injuries.

The Standard Ab Wheel has been around for decades and is a staple for many athletes that can train their core wherever and whenever. The biggest advocate in my mind when it comes to this device is Bob Backlund without a doubt. A former champion pro wrestler that many arguably say is one of the most conditioned men on the planet and for good reason. This device was one of his foundations for developing into a machine that rarely if ever got tired. Doing hundreds upon hundreds of reps and during his career, would do this for over an hour. It's a simple roll out yet a lot of muscles involved in order to be effective because if you get sloppy, you can hurt yourself.

The Ab Carver Pro is a fairly recent device that was brought out by the people that made the Perfect Push-up products. This has a wider base so you can work more of the muscles along your core including the obliques as you can move to the left and right as well. The handles have a better stance to grip and work your arms as well. It does take some getting use to as it has a steel spring that provides resistance and requires solid smooth motion and control. With a solid nutrition plan and workout regimen, you can shrink your gut and develop stronger abs, not just looking strong, you'll be strong.

The Power Wheel all in all is the ultimate out of the three devices because not only more exercises can be executed, but you have the opportunity to do both upper body and lower body training modalities. Invented by Lifeline Fitness' Jon Hinds, he's taken the wheel to another level and revolutionized the way Core Strength & Conditioning is done. You can do Push-ups, Leg Pull-Ins, Rollouts, Walk On Your Hands, Combos and others, think how strong your Core can be in a matter of minutes a day and getting benefits beyond the standard Rollout.

Get the most out of your Core Training and forget doing Hundreds upon Hundreds of Sit-Ups because in order to effectively train your center that way, you'll have to go to harder exercises and find some form of resistance. With Rollouts and other exercises with the wheels, it'll cut your time down big time and make you work the muscles more efficiently and get them stronger from all sorts of angles without isolating them. Get strong and get conditioned with real Core Training.

Hindu Squats Progression Using A Deck Of Cards

In my research, I come across many different ways to use progressions when it comes to a specific exercise, sets and reps schemes and ideas for workouts to keep things interesting. I've recently gotten back into doing Hindu Squats and doing 500 Reps at a time and found a cool way to do the 500 rep workout. Now in the past doing 500-1000 Reps in the Hindu Squats wasn't much of a challenge for me as I could blast through rep after rep with little to no rest doing 500 in under 13 minutes and doing 1000 in 33 minutes wasn't the biggest deal to me but I did have a slight injury to my lower back a couple years ago and it's been going going on and off since.

I felt the need to do 500 Squats again because my mind was there and just wanted to see how I can do them again. Granted, I' am being more careful these days not to hurt myself and do what's possible without aggravating anything. I found a post that had an article written by the late Catch Wrestler Billy Robinson years ago about using the deck of cards to do 500 Hindu Squats. This sounded like a cool idea so I went for it and made it work for me. Whenever I needed to break from the cards for a bit, I'd do so? Not because I was out of breath or my legs couldn't take it, but to keep my back from straining and keep the tension at bay because I've had spasms and they're not fun.

This progression has worked very well with me and as I got better and the soreness is slowly fading, I'm resting less and less and naturally letting my back get stronger without feeling any pain. It's coming along and not guaranteeing anything, let's see how long I can go with this. I'm not a pro athlete or a wrestler so I'm not worried about how good of shape I need to be in, I'm already in shape and doing what works for me. If I need to back off a bit, I do so, if I need a day to do something else, I'll do it. Do what's possible for you and make the most of it, progressing at your pace and being in top shape for you, not anyone else.

Here's how the progression goes with doing 500 Hindu Squats. Take your time with this and if you can't do the full deck right away, don't worry about it. Your body will get acclimated naturally but yet at the same time, it's never the same workout twice as you you never know which card will pop up and make you work...

2-10 = Face Value

Face Cards = 10 Reps

Aces = 16 Reps

Jokers = 50 Reps

Total that up and it'll come out to 500. Do as many cards as you can in the beginning. 500 Squats in and of themselves is no easy task anyway but don't mistake you can't do them. Rest when needed and as you get better, reduce the rest time until you can go through the deck without needing a break at all. Trust me when I say this, it's better to have the jokers in the beginning than in the middle or even the end cause they will kick your ass and if they happen to be towards the end of the deck, be mindful and get though them.

The benefits are incredible with this kind of workout....Phenomenal cardio, strength in the legs, strengthening the tendons of the knees, great lung builder, stamina, muscular endurance, flexibility and making the muscles work without doing the same set of reps twice in a row. Unlike doing 500 in one set or through a countdown, you're doing 500 differently every time. Have fun with this and get those legs cooking.