Field Manual

Rules, variations and honest guides for the deck of cards workout. Five moves, 54 cards, 470 reps. No gym, no equipment, nothing to plan.
Close view of The Deck of Death card faces and Spartan artwork
Discipline Over Motivation Is Bad Advice
Telling someone to be more disciplined is not advice, it is a description of the outcome. Consistency is an engineering problem, not a character problem. Read more...
The Deck of Death cards spread to show the four suits and rep counts
Can You Get Fit Without a Gym? An Honest Answer
Yes for conditioning and capability. No for maximal strength past a point. Where the bodyweight ceiling actually is, and what to build without a gym. Read more...
Deck of Death Workout Dice set: retail box, three dice and the instruction guide
Fitness Gifts Under $20 for People Who Hate the Gym
Ten fitness gifts under $20 that work in a living room, need no membership, and do not ask anyone to admit they need help. Read more...
The Determines card and Rule card included with the deck
Deck of Death vs Stack 52, NewMe and Death Fitness
An honest comparison of workout card decks. Stack 52 and NewMe are exercise libraries. The Deck of Death is a workout engine. Here is which one you want. Read more...
The full system in one shot: the deck in its magnetic box with cards, plus the three workout dice
Workout Cards or Workout Dice: Which Should You Buy
Cards are a finite workout with a score. Dice are an infinite workout with no end. How workout dice work, how the two differ, and which one you actually need. Read more...
The Deck of Death: the magnetic box open, a stack of cards, and the closed box
Five Moves, 470 Reps: What a Full Deck Actually Does
An honest accounting of the deck of cards workout. What 470 bodyweight reps actually train, what they do not, and who should be doing something else. Read more...
The dice box open, with all three workout dice inside
Eight Deck of Death Variations for When You Are Bored
Eight ways to change the deck of cards workout without buying anything. Rules, rep math, and what each one is actually good for. Plus how to add the dice. Read more...
Close view of The Deck of Death card faces and Spartan artwork
Deck of Death for Beginners: Scaling 54 Cards When You Cannot Do 15 Push-Ups
A full deck is 470 reps and 110 push-ups. Most untrained adults cannot do that. Here is how to scale it down to a workload you can actually finish. Read more...
A card drawn from the Deck of Death, from the brand film
The Two-Person Deck of Death: Partner and Head-to-Head Formats
Six partner and head-to-head formats for the deck of cards workout. Rules, rep splits, and how to handicap a mismatched pair so you both finish together. Read more...
The Deck of Death: 54 fitness playing cards fanned out behind both tuck boxes
The Deck of Cards Workout: A Complete Guide
How the deck of cards workout works, with any deck you already own. Suit assignments, rep rules, eight variations, and what to expect the first time you finish one. Read more...
The Deck of Death magnetic tuck box, shown closed and open
The Hotel Room Workout That Fits in Your Pocket
A hotel room workout that needs ten square feet, no equipment and no wifi. The half deck, a quiet version for thin floors, and a 20-minute cut. Read more...
The Deck of Death cards spread to show the four suits and rep counts
How Long Does a Deck of Cards Workout Take?
470 reps, one deck. The exact rep math behind the deck of cards workout and realistic finish times for beginner, conditioned and advanced athletes. Read more...