Most historians believe that playing cards originated in China and then spread to India and Persia. From Persia they spread into Egypt and then in the second half of the 14th century migrated into Europe via the Italian and Iberian peninsulas.
Some of the earliest surviving packs were hand painted works of art which were expensive and affordable only by wealthy patrons. But you can play card games with any old pack so as demand increased new, cheaper methods of production were discovered so that playing cards became available for everyone…
Knave of Coins is acknowledge as the oldest known European deck (c.1390–1410). Mamluk suits of cups, coins, swords, and polo-sticks, which are still used in traditional Latin decks.
Well, if you want your butt kicked then try this out. It comes from the military such as the SEALs but likely goes further back. Many groups use it today to get in shape: SWAT, Spec Ops candidates, and your Crossfit athlete. But it’s good for anyone who wants to be challenged. I’ve gotten through the deck with a few friends and it’s a great way to feel united.
Perhaps you’ve tried using the playing card technique before and if you haven’t given it a try. When you get to the higher numbers, such as 9,or 10, you will feel the hurt.
If you are pretty good and doing the exercises properly you should make it more difficult. If you can do standard push-ups easily then how about putting your feet on a chair and raising the difficulty level? Have fun.
Take a deck of cards and shuffle them. Your face cards are valued at 10. Aces are 11. The numbered cards as valued.
Flip each card and perform the movement and the number of reps specified. Cycle through the entire deck.
Hearts Pushups
Diamonds Pullups
Spades Situps
Clubs Squats
Jokers Run 1 mile