Washington Post – Cheap Tricks: Inexpensive Gear that can get you moving
January 24, 2005

FitDeck – Each card in this 56-card deck illustrates a different exercise – none requires equipment.  Shuffle well, pick as many cards as you like (assume one card per minute, including rest) and perform a fresh full-body workout.  Created by former Navy SEAL fitness instructor, this deck can push you as far as you like (modifications for beginners).  Eliminate rest between exercises, and your heart will pump like a piston. $19; www.fitdeck.com

Chicago Tribune – Gifts abound this holiday season
November 28, 2004

FitDeck is a deck of cards that contains exercises. You don’t need any equipment, and you use your body  weight to do the exercises.  FitDeck cards are divided into four color-coded categories – blue (upper body); green (middle body); orange (lower body); red (full body).  Simply shuffle the cards and pick cards at random – this helps vary your routine.  Perfect for the traveling man or woman.

Wisconsin State Journal – Hit the Deck and get in shape
December 14, 2004

Drawing from a deck of cards is more apt to end with a sleight-of-hand magic trick than a full-body workout, but it doesn’t mean the latter can’t be reality.  Phil Black, a former Navy SEAL Instructor, has turned his enthusiasm for fitness into a workout device known as FitDeck.  The idea was hatched when Black was deployed to jungles, ships and other spots where health clubs were inaccessible.  He wanted to remain in great physical condition, but wanted a varied regimen when it came to his physical training. Instead of writing down different routines on a weekly basis, he thought  back to college days for inspiration…

Arkansas Democrat Gazette – Fit Happens: Fitness a deal away with playing cards
December 13, 2004

FitDeck Playing Cards and Instructional DVD, $24.95 ($18.95 for cards only), www.fitdeck.com.  This handy and efficient little workout program stems from a game inventor Phil Black created to play with his buddies at Yale.  Now a former Navy SEAL with a master of business administration degree from Harvard, Black, who is also a certified personal trainer, has turned his game into FitDeck.  It’s a no-nonsense workout that requires no equipment other than your body (well, and  a wall and a chair).

The Idaho Statesman – Do the Shuffle FitDeck allows you to mix it up while getting in shape
January 20, 2005

Want a good workout, one that you won’t get tired of or bored with, one that changes every time? How about a workout that doesn’t require you to go to the gym? You don’t even have to walk out your door, for that matter.  All it takes is you, some floor space and 20 minutes. Oh, yeah – and a deck of cards.  No, you won’t be playing solitaire or mapping out your fortune with these cards.  These cards are special.  They’re FitDeck cards and they were developed by former Navy SEAL Phil Black.  Black has turned the card-routines he practiced as a Navy SEAL into FitDeck – and ever-changing 50-card exercise regimen. Shuffle the deck and you have a completely unique workout.

Hermiston Herald – This year, inexpensive workouts are in the cards
December 24, 2004

Just about anyone who had tried to maintain a fitness program for an extended period of time knows about getting into a rut.  If you’ve ever wished exercising could be as fun and inexpensive as a game of cards, you might want to check out the FitDeck.  Developed by former Navy SEAL Phil Black, FitDeck is a deck of 50 cards that describe strength or flexibility exercises, such as lunges or sit-ups, that need no further equipment.  By shuffling the cards, you can add a certain amount of randomness and variety to your fitness plan that could help keep your interest longer.

Spokane Review – Cut ‘em thin to win
December 29, 2004

The FitDeck is a product that may help you keep your New Year’s resolution.  It’s a deck of cards, each displaying a different exercise to be practiced for one minute.  The cards were invented by Phil Black, a former Navy SEAL. 

NBC’s Today Show

FitDeck is a Navy-SEAL inspired deck of playing cards containing illustrations and instructions for more than 50 upper, middle, lower and full  body exercises. The exercises call for basic body movements and require no equipment of any kind.  Shuffle the deck to create a workout with over 3 million possible combinations. Cards offer choice of beginner, intermediate and advanced fitness levels and are carried in a convenient neoprene case for use on-the-go.  Simple, convenient and fun – FitDeck can be used anywhere, anytime.

Orange County Register – Hit the deck for fitness
November 9, 2004

It’s all in the cards.  FitDeck can spice up a weight training routine with unpredictability.  This deck of 56 playing cards shows classic exercises divided among four categories: whole body, upper body, middle body and lower body. How it works: Shuffle the deck, and draw the cards that tell you what to do that day.  The cards come with instructions in print and a DVD. Cost: $18.95 - $24.95.  Games are also available at www.fitdeck.com.

News & Observer – Check it out
December 16, 2004

Instead of losing motivation for your New Year’s Resolution the first sign of bad weather, why not drop $18.95 on a deck of cards.  Each FitDeck card has an exercise on it; shuffle the deck and randomly draw 20 cards for a 20-minute workout.  No equipment necessary; just a room to sweat in and some workout clothes. Yes, it’s exercise the old-fashioned way Jack LaLanne way, though keep in mind that FitDeck was developed by a former Navy SEAL.  Expect plenty of six-pack-ab-tough-love guaranteed to turn you from a girlie-man (or manly-girl, as the case may be) into a California governor.  Crunches, dips, flutter-kicks and 47 other grunt’n’groan –inducing exercises that’ll make you wish you’d never taken that second helping of Aunt Pearl’s pecan pie.

KFMB San Diego – New Cards Pump up a regular exercise routine
December 15, 2004

People have many excuses when it comes to working out - -they’re too busy, a gym membership is too expensive or working out is just not fun.  But a former Navy SEAL who lives in San Diego has developed a deck of fitness cards that just might replace those excuses.  The idea behind FitDeck is that by shuffling the cards you have a brand new customized workout you can take with you anywhere, anytime.  Black said it’s important to remove the barriers that people have to working out. So his goal was with FitDeck was to make it simple, convenient and fun.

Greenwich Times – Feel Good of the month
January 4, 2005

Come the new year, the pile of fitness books and DVDs promising killer bods in seconds flat that corsses our desks is so overwhelming, we feel the need to dive into the office cookie stash.  Which is why we were so amused when FitDeck arrived.  This neat little stash of playing cards didn’t promise anything but a fairly cheap, no-frills workout.  On each card is a fitness challenge created by former Navy SEAL and Yale grad Phil Black, and ACE-certified personal trainer.  Pull a card, and you get orders to do jumping jacks. Another: push-ups. A third: tricep dips.  Shuffle the deck and you get a different workout each time. All together, you get 56 playing cards, 46 exercises – and none of it requires more than motivation.

Gainesville Sun – Play cards for fitness
December 22, 2004

Playing cards usually isn’t thought of as one of the top cardiovascular exercises.  But a new custom deck of playing cards may change that.  FitDeck, developed by for Navy SEAL Phil Black, allows you to create and randomize your own workout.  Simply shuffle the deck and perform up to 50 exercises pictured and described on the card faces. 

SNEWS – FitDeck Exercise Playing Cards – Product Review
January 10, 2005

Variety is the spice of life, it is said, and in study after study of those who stick to exercise one tie that binds is the knowledge of how to mix activities to keep motivation and interest high.  That’s where the new deck of cards called FitDeck comes in.  Introduced in 2004, it looks and feels like a deck of playing cards…but closer inspection reveals it is that, and much more.  The card deck serves as a coach or personal trainer in a compact 2.5-by-4-inch package for those who don’t want to do strengthening or toning exercises but either don’t know what to do, can’t remember what to do, or simply need someone to tell them what to do. 

Board Games Blog – Card Deck Encourages Exercise
January 2, 2005

Playing games is great exercise for the mind, but many game enthusiasts (including me) suffer from a problem also common among the public at large: being overweight.  FitDeck, a deck of cards designed by a former Navy SEAL, is attempting to change that.  Available for about $19, FitDeck consists of only “body-weight” exercises which require no equipment or special machines.  Designer Phil Black says, “Every workout is different – which keeps your body and mind fresh.”

Tampa Bay – Shuffle your
November 30, 2004

Former Navy SEAL Instructor Phil Black says exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.  His FitDeck exercise system is a deck of 56 playing cards.  You shuffle the deck, draw some cards, and down to basics.  Twenty cards takes about 20 minutes.  No equipment is required other than a little room.  These are boot-camp style, such as push-ups, lunges and squat thrusts that rely on your own body weight.  Reshuffle, draw again, and you’ll never get bored, says Black.

American Way – 9 gifts under $25
November, 15 2004

FitDeck, $18.95 A deck of playing cards, each with an exercise you can do right now. www.fitdeck.com

Daytona Beach News Journal – Deal yourself a simple fitness plan
December 20, 3004

Does money buy fitness? Not according to Phil Black, who recently invented the world’s cheapest full-body workout equipment - a simple deck of cards called “FitDeck”.  The ever-changing 50-card routine retails for $18.95 at www.fitdeck.com.  Each playing card displays a different exercise – such as lunges or situps – which are intended to be practiced for one minute. Different cards focus on different muscle groups.

Sunday Republican – Fitness in a deck: what a deal
January 2, 2005

Fitness industry spending is at a record high.  But does money buy fitness?  Not according to Phil Black, a former Navy SEAL who recently invented the world’s cheapest full-body workout equipment.  It’s called FitDeck and it’s no fancier than a deck of cards.

Post Tribune – Gift Guide
December 5, 2004

Making a workout more fun by giving FitDeck, a pack of cards that contain body exercises instead of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs.  Shuffle the cards and draw push-ups, crunches or 48 other exercises during each workout to help eliminate boredom and maintain an element of surprise.  The exercises use basic body movements and don’t require machines.

Voice of the Diabetic – Small Package
Winter 2004/2005

Exercise is important – but do you need all those machines at the gym? Maybe not.  Fitness expert Phil Black, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, knows a lot about workouts that just take up space on your floor – and he has packaged his manual as a deck of cards.  Now the Navy SEALs are the fittest of all, but the FitDeck workout is designed for beginners through advanced, for folks who want to get fit.

Spokane Review – Cut ‘em thin to win
December 29, 2004

The FitDeck is a product that may help you keep your New Year’s resolution.  It’s a deck of cards, each displaying a different exercise to be practiced for one minute.  The cards were invented by Phil Black, a former Navy SEAL. 

The Tennessean – Pick a card, any card
December 21, 2004

Want a workout that’s inexpensive, simple and comprehensive?  Give FitDeck a shuffle.  Each of the 50 cards displays a different exercise. Shuffle the deck and you’ll get a random sample of upper-, middle-, lower body exercises that don’t require equipment.

Austin-American Statesman – A little duck walking
January 24, 2005

A little duck walking, followed by a dozen half sit-ups, 24 calf raises, a dozen reach-ups, and 30 seconds of something called “the bridge.”  That’s the first 5 minutes of the workout I came up with when I tried FitDeck, a stack of cards that outlines 50 different exercises plus warm-up, cool-down and stretching techniques.  Each gives a suggested number of repetitions for a beginner, intermediate and  advanced user.  Shuffle the deck and voila, a new workout.  It’s low-tech and old-school, but that what’s-on-the-next card thrill does add some appeal.  There’s a fun twist, too – wild cards that instruct you to skip the next exercise, double the last one or do something else.

Modesto Bee – Fit’s in the cards
February 8, 2005

Each card in this 56-card FitDeck illustrates a different exercise; none requires equipment. Shuffle well, pick as many cards as you like (assume one card per minute, including rest) and perform a fresh full-body workout. 

Northwest Herald – Easy exercises are in the cards
February 7, 2005

Each card in FitDeck illustrates a different exercise; none requires equipment.  Shuffle well, pick as many cards as you like (assume one card per minute, including rest) and perform a fresh full-body workout.  Eliminate rest between cards and your heart will pump like a piston.

Jericho Syosset News Journal – For fitness variety, try the FitDeck
January 21, 2005

When a former Navy SEAL tells you that fitness requires no more than a deck of cards and your  own body weight as resistance, you have to listen.  A lifetime athlete whose fitness and strength  among other skills propelled him into the U.S. Navy elite forces, Black has worked as a personal trainer since leaving  the service in 2000.  His clients and others are among the 39.4 million Americans who hold health club memberships.  They also were among the huge numbers of consumers of expensive home exercise equipment.