Do you remember how you ran and played as a kid?
Whether it was storming castle walls, avoiding lava pits, or cartwheeling down the sidewalk, we weren’t worried about sets, reps, or time-under-tension. We were just having fun in the moment.
When was the last time working out felt like that for you?
For those of us that love strength training, exercise DOES feel this way. We love getting in the gym and crunching numbers and focusing on technique. It can be totally absorbing and fun.
But for many folks I work with, exercise feels more like a chore than a hobby. More like an obligation than something they look forward to.
Here’s one way to change that.
An Alternative To Traditional Training
Years ago, I ran a group class at my local gym called the “Ninja Academy.”
Twice a week, a group of adults would show up and we’d spend an hour running around like 10-year-olds. We played tag. We crawled on the floor. We had lightsaber battles with foam swords. We played Zombie Dodgeball (which is a-maz-ing.)
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We weren’t focused on reps, heart rate, calories, or weights. And yet – people were genuinely out of breath, laughing too hard to talk, and asking “can we do that again?”
That experience transformed how I look at fitness.
Sure, exercise and strength training and 5k races are all awesome.
But the fitness industry tends to laser-focus on things we can count and track. That has naturally led to the idea that real exercise looks a certain way. And by extension, anything that CAN’T be easily tracked becomes less valuable.
That’s backwards.
When you’re playing, you move because you want to. You push yourself without thinking about it. You come back the next day not because you’re disciplined, but because it was genuinely fun and you want more.
Play doesn’t have to replace traditional training. It just gives you more options.
And the benefits go beyond just getting sweaty. Play builds community, keeps your brain young, introduces your body to movements it never gets in a gym, and promotes lifelong movement across all ages and generations.
Here’s what Christy – a mom of two teenage girls – said after her first Ninja Academy session:
“I took my twins to a class at my gym last night. Probably the only reason they agreed to go was because it’s called ‘Ninja Academy.’ It’s exercise, yes, but basically it’s structured recess for adults. We did silly stuff, like jump over a ‘creek’ (made out of jump ropes), did tripods or handstands depending on ability, played follow-the-leader (outside in the dark!), and just had a fun time.
The girls and I had a blast doing this together. They were still talking about it this morning. I’m on cloud 9 because it was just one of ‘those moments’ that can be hard to find. We just got to PLAY for a change. Not homework, not housework, not some dumb chore, just play. I don’t do that enough with my kids anymore. I’m going to try to fix that.”
Want to try it? A few principles first:
- Everything is optional. Not feeling a game or activity? Try something else!
- Try your best no matter what. You’re not going to be good at these movements and games right away. Especially when stuff is new, it’s easy to get frustrated. We used this mantra in the Ninja Academy to help us focus on doing our best instead of being the best.
- Have fun, but don’t let your head explode. When you’re out of practice with playing, it’s easy to go too hard too fast. You try to jump too far and take a spill, you get a bit too aggressive in a game of tag. Ease in.
- The 70/30 rule. If you’re playing with someone else, adjust the rules so one person isn’t winning more than 70% of the time. Stronger player? Make them use their off hand. Taller player? Make them balance on one foot. Keep it competitive for everyone.
Some games to get you started
🎯 Taps: Try to keep a foam ball or balloon in the air. Kick it, hit it, backheel it, whatever it takes. Bluey fans will recognize this as Keepy Uppy. Works solo against a wall or with a whole group. This was our warm up game every session of the Ninja Academy. 😊
⚔️ Samurai Warrior: One person stands in front of a group and swipes their arm either up high or down low: high swipe = duck, low swipe = hop over. Note: you don’t LITERALLY hop over their arm. just react to their cues. If you get “hit,” take a step back, do 2 squats, and step back up. Just keep playing.
🏹 Zen Archer: Try to keep your feet planted while your partner slowly sweeps a hand or stick toward you in slow-motion. Move out of the way at the last possible second with as little movement as needed. Harder than it sounds.
🪄 Stick Drop: Stand a broomstick upright, let it fall, and your partner (or yourself!) tries to catch it right before it hits the ground. Start close. Move farther away as you get better.
💥 Crack-About Dodgeball: Free-for-all dodgeball. Best played with those foam Rhino-Skin dodgeballs (one of my favorite tools to facilitate play without someone getting nailed painfully in the face.) When you get hit, sit down. If a ball rolls to you, you can still throw it. When the person who hit you gets hit…you’re back in! No one is ever really out, which creates infinite amounts of fun.
🫳 Reaction Drop: Hold two balls at shoulder height and drop one at random. Your partner tries to catch it before it hits the ground. Deceptively hard. Immediately addictive.
🥅 Goalies: Roll or toss a ball so it’s just at the edge of your partner’s reach. They try to stop it. The goal is to find that edge so they are successful about 50% of the time. It’s a game for practicing your aim, too, and if you can put it in the perfect spot!
👑 King of the Log: Hold hands with a partner and try to make the other person take a step. That’s it. You can adjust this by having to stand on a crack in the sidewalk, on a small curb or even on an actual log in the woods!
🔥 Floor is Lava: All-time classic. You know the drill 😉.
🧱 Jenga Balance: Stack two Jenga blocks on top of each other and try to hold the bottom one without letting the top one fall. Once you get the hang of that, try adding some slow motion movement. Great focus game, surprisingly challenging.
👻 Mario + Ghosts: One person walks around the space. When they turn to look, everyone freezes. The goal is to sneak up and tap them on the shoulder. (I’ve also called this “The Weeping Angels” for all my Doctor Who fans out there.) We even did a version of this at Camp Nerd Fitness where our entire group was ghosts and we picked an unsuspecting coach to be Mario. 😂 We got some WILD looks as coaches saw a hoard of people move at them and then all freeze in an instant.
I hope this gave you some inspiration to explore a new game or movement – either for yourself, or with a friend or family member.
And more than anything, I hope it gave you permission to rethink what your training “needs” to look like.
I’d love to hear from you – what are some physical games you love to play? I’m always collecting new ideas!
– Matt
P.S. Want to make fitness a sustainable part of your routine? That’s exactly what our coaches help with. It’s like having your own personal fitness Yoda in your pocket, except instead of Yoda it’s just a real nerdy human who has your back. Otherwise it’s basically the same thing 😜
