FitDeck Blog with founder Phil Black

Here's is one of my favorite motivational mantras:

"Survive for Five"

Is it me, or do the first 5 minutes of most things just suck?

Who can honestly say that they actually enjoy the first 5 minutes of:

Living A Balanced Life

There are so many components to living a balanced life. How well do you manage work time versus playtime? Do you spend enough time with the kids? Do you take time for yourself? Do you make time for your spouse? Do you put enough money away for the future without cheating yourself today? How much do you prioritize health? What does your diet consist of?

Hi friends,

I can't think of a comment that gets me more annoyed than this one:

"Oh, man. It sucks getting old."

I've heard it one too many times and I'm sick of it.

Here's how it develops:

Circuit Training Workouts On the Run

When it comes to circuit training workouts, most people think of moving from station to station and performing different, sometimes unrelated, exercises. This is a popular workout routine with untold benefits. There are ways to capture the benefits of these circuit training workouts, but in a different context. I incorporate these circuit training principles into my runs as well.

You may recall a related blog called Obstacle Running I posted a few weeks ago. This is one of many circuit training workouts that can be done while you are running. Obstacle Running demands as much strength as it does cardio output, so you must be in the right frame of mind to get maximum benefit. If you're not in the mood to Obstacle Run, there is another alternative.

Beating a Dead Horse

I'm not going to spend another minute trying to convince you that our kids' fitness is in sharp decline. There may not be another headline that gets more attention. We don't need another shocking statistic or a PhD in Child Psychology to realize that our kids need help. Just take a look around.

5 Great Ideas to Improve Kids' Fitness

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's do something about it - even if it's just in our own homes, basements, classrooms, and auditoriums. We can leave the larger scale changes to the First Lady Michelle Obama.

Here are 5 basic ideas to improve kids' fitness. These are tried-and-true methods that have worked for tens of thousands of people. In true FitDeck fashion, these methods are all simple, convenient, and fun. And, importantly, can be implemented right now!

Circuit Training Workouts

There are plenty of programs around that focus on "circuit training workouts". These are workouts that promote changing exercises or movements often during the course of your overall workout.

Instead of heading over to the leg extension machine and plopping down for 10-15 minutes, you move from "station-to-station", engaging in all manner of exercises. These workouts can be as laid-back as Curves or as amped-up as CrossFit. The principle is the same.

FitDeck Bodyweight Origins

Our original deck of FitDeck Exercise Playing Cards started out as a unique way to deliver a dynamic bodyweight workout - anytime, anywhere. By shuffling the deck, you automatically randomized the order of the exercises - forcing your body (and mind) to adapt to new challenges with every flip.

I don't know about you, but I see a lot of moms and dads sitting on park benches watching their kids climb and run on the playground. Some of these parents might even, oh, I don't know - take a glance at their smartphone every once in a while? Maybe even send a text or two (or ten)? Or check Facebook for the 30th time in 5 minutes? Sound familiar? We've all been there.

Phil Black's Top 10 Fitness Products

There are so many different fitness products out there. How are we supposed to keep track of what works and what doesn't? Some products start out strong and then lose steam. Others seem marginally useful in the beginning until they become indispensable. I've set out to make a list of the Top 10 Fitness Products that I would choose if I was limited to only 10.