Use Dice to Help You Keep Your Training Interesting

With so much going on in your life, you might feel a little overwhelmed with also having to plan your exercise program. This is how you can use dice to add some variety to your program. 🎲

A photograph of two dice on a white page. One dice is violet. The other is green.

Like you, I find that there is little time to spend on planning my exercise routine. But this is a priority, and I make sure to do it because my future health is important to me. It is tempting to copy and paste each day of my plan, but after nearly thirty years spent training, the last thing I want to do is the same thing every single day.

My solution, and I was inspired by a newsletter post from StrongFirst, by the way, was to incorporate dice rolls into my exercise programming. Here’s an example of how you can do it, too.

An Example for You to Consider

Let’s say, for example, you are interested in improving your cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory fitness, you know, cardio. Your schedule gives you at least 20 minutes each day (plus time to change and get ready) that you can train. You enjoy walking and running on a treadmill. You enjoy the cycle. You enjoy swimming laps in the pool. You’re practically a triathlete. But you just need a little help planning what you’re going to do for the week. Oh, and you also use a fitness tracking watch to help you monitor your heart rate. Here’s how you can use dice.

Get something to take notes with (phone or pen and paper). Take one six-sided die. The first roll will tell you what you will do: either treadmill, cycle, or swim. If you roll a 1 or a 2, then you’ll be on the treadmill that day. Document the result in your notes. Do this for each day you want to train this week.

Next, you can plan for the intensity you’ll want to train at. Your fitness tracking watch can help you estimate your heart rate training zones. There are 5 heart rate zones. For cardiovascular training, there is benefit in training in zone 1 and zone 2. Here is how we can use the dice to help us plan.

Take the six-sided die and roll. The result will tell you the intensity for you to target in your session. If you roll a 1, 2, or 3, then you’ll train exclusively in zones 1 and 2. If you roll a 4, 5, or 6, then you’ll increase the intensity to also train in zone 3. Do this for each of the training days you’re planning for.

Summary

Let’s review. For each day, the first roll will tell you what activity to do, and the second roll will tell you at what intensity to train up to. Using dice to help you plan your exercise program can help keep you positively engaged and motivated with your training. There are other ways for you to use dice, too. This is one idea.

One last thing to keep in mind. Wearable fitness trackers, as an objective measurement, can be inaccurate, so it is important for you to also keep a subjective assessment of how you’re feeling in your mind. If you’re feeling like the intensity is too high or you need to stop or rest, then self-monitor and keep yourself safe.