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Why not deal yourself a workout?
Phil Black, a San Diego
resident who bills himself as a fitness entrepreneur, figured
out a fun, simple way to get people moving is to deal them a
few cards.
And so FitDeck was born three
years ago, primarily catering to the physically fit who wanted
more challenges. FitDeck cards demonstrate hundreds of
exercises, stretches and movements.
Two weeks ago, Black expanded
his repertoire to include a 56-card FitDeck for seniors.
"You just shuffle the
cards to create thousands of routines with unexpected
combinations, sequences and intensity levels," he boasts
on his Web site, fitdeck.com.
Q. You have some 20 FitDecks
— including exercises to do with a baby stroller. How did
you come up with this concept?
A. I was a student at Yale and
my roommates and I played poker and also challenged each other
to physical games. I challenged them to a push-up contest
saying I would deal out 18 cards and guarantee to do as many
pushups as the cards told me to do. I flipped the cards over
one and a time and did more than 70 pushups.
We found out it was a simple
way to get a little workout in.
Q. But how did you get from
Yale to this card deck?
A. I was in the finance
industry on Wall Street. Followed my dream and became a Navy
Seal for five years and learned a huge repertoire of body
weight exercises. Then I became a personal trainer and
eventually a firefighter. When I was doing personal training,
I had to write down exercises on index cards. Then I thought
back to my Yale days and that's how this idea was born.
Q. What do you know about
exercise?
A. I have been a personal
trainer. I also worked with exercise physiologists,
particularly in areas like yoga and pilates.
Q. Is it a good idea to vary
exercise so much?
A. There's a huge body of
evidence that repeating exercises for three weeks makes the
muscles accommodate to the exercise. By mixing and matching,
you change intensities and repetition. Besides, you don't get
bored and in a rut.
Q. This deck for
seniors...well, what's a senior?
A. It can be a 40-year-old
deconditioned person. A 60-year-old in fantastic shape might
find it too base level. Nothing requires you to get on the
ground. You don't compromise hips and knees. If you achieve
all the senior exercises, you can graduate to FitDeck Body
Weight. That can be very rigorous.
Q. These exercises look simple
but are actually tough if you do them the maximum number of
repetitions.
A. The deck has only been out
for two weeks and there is high demand.
Q. Then there's a deck for
travel?
A. This is a great workout for
travelers — particularly those sitting in the middle seats.
There are neck stretches, calf raises. You literally put the
tray table down and do a couple of exercises to feel refreshed
at the end of the trip.
Q. Some of your other FitDecks
are for prenatal exercises, and postnatal also. There's office
exercises and even baby stroller exercises.
A. Why not use the baby
stroller to do some exercises as well as a couple of laps
around the park or the neighborhood?
Q. I like the type size and the
illustrations on the senior cards. Where are they available?
A. Because we just launched
them, they are only available from our Web site (fitdeck.com)
and some affiliate Web sites. Eventually we hope to have them
in retail stores.
Q. Are there more FitDecks in
the offing?
A. Check the Web site for
updates.
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