The Wildcard Wellness Workout Routine: Full Guide & Movement Breakdown

I am doing this viral tai chi + bodyweight workout every day until I heal my chronic back pain and lose 70 lbs.

I'm doing this shirtless. Not to show off, obviously, but because at 250 lbs - I need the accountability. And I want to be able to see the progress each day. I used to be an athlete, but a decade of sitting behind a desk has caught up to me. 12 months ago, a herniated disk injury took me out completely.

I did the stretches and exercises PT gave me every single day, but my progress stalled. I felt stiff all day, my back was constantly vulnerable, and the worst part is - I have 2 young boys and I couldn't even chase my kids around anymore.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I want to figure out how to heal my back pain naturally - without surgery or medication.

And thus, the Wildcard workout routine was born 💪

This workout is a modified version of ancient tai chi and qi gong movements (which I've been seeing everywhere on social media), paired with classic bodyweight exercises (like pushups and jump rope). I did not invent this! I initially stumbled upon these movements from accounts like @mikerholland, @tulumtrainer, @taichi.aretues, and other various tai chi pages. I tested about 30 different movements to see how they felt on my back, and these were the 17 that felt really good for me. 

The routine is designed to release fascia, flush the lymphatic system, and reset the nervous system, and I think that's exactly what my back needs to help it heal.

My goal is to go from 250 lbs down to 180 lbs and have zero back pain - so I can finally chase my kids around again like I used to and be the healthy active dad my family deserves. Mark my words, I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. I'm documenting the journey for accountability.

This article is the complete guide to that routine. I’m sharing why I do it, how it works, and a step-by-step breakdown of every movement so you can do it with me!

(Note: If you want to see what this looks like in motion before reading, you can watch my full follow-along workout video on YouTube. And you can find the full "slow day" follow along here.)

The Benefits & Results So Far: What Consistency Looks Like

I didn't expect to see such drastic changes in less than a month, but the progress speaks for itself. The headline result? I’m down 12 lbs so far (currently 238 lbs, down from 250 lbs).

But weight loss is just one part of it. Here are the specific benefits I’ve experienced after 25 days straight of this routine:

1. The back pain from my herniated disc is down to 0/10 - I've been in debilitating pain for the last 14 months - so this alone is absolutely insane for me. Even if I never lost a single pound, this one result alone would be enough to keep me doing it every day.
2. I've lost 12 lbs so far - I am pairing this daily 20-minute routine with eating real, whole food - mainly fruits, veggies, and meat when my body craves it. It seems to be working well. (Note: Movement is only half the equation. You can read more about my diet and how I'm eating here.)
3. Puffiness and inflammation is way down - Within the first week, I noticed my face and whole body start to look less puffy and swollen. It's immediately noticeable, and a lot of people have commented on it.
4. General stiffness and achiness is gone - Even the normal aches and pains I used to have day-to-day (outside of the back issue) are gone. I used to feel like the Tin Man. But now I feel very loose and buttery.
5. I've been able to chase my kids around the park - For the first time in a year, thanks to my back not hurting so bad, I've been able to jog slowly. I was able to go to the park with my kids and chase them around! They were on cloud nine. We haven't been able to do that in such a long time.
6. My energy is way up - I feel like I have way more energy and stamina throughout the day. Not just physically - but also mentally.
7. My mind feels sharper - My mental energy feels way better. My brain feels sharp and clear longer throughout the day.
8. My mood is more positive - I'm not sure if this is because of the reduction in pain, or due to the exercise directly (probably a combination of both!), but I am in such a better mood these days.
9. I'm starting to feel more confident - Being overweight was a big confidence killer for me to be honest. I can feel myself slowly starting to feel more confident and comfortable in my own body again. I'm excited about all the changes that are happening - excited about the future and where this might all go.

All in all, I couldn’t be happier. There’s still a long way to go - I am hyper-aware that the back injury is still there, and just because the pain is gone does not mean it’s healed yet. And I still have a long road ahead to drop the remaining 58 lbs. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m on the right path.

Now that you know the benefits, let's get into how to actually do the workout routine.

How to Do the Wildcard Wellness Workout Routine

The structure is simple by design. I wanted something I could do anywhere, with zero setup time. You can find a full length follow along video here

The Framework:

• Total Time: 20 Minutes

• Movements: 17 Exercises

• Duration: 1 minute per movement

• Rest: 10 seconds between sets

• The only equipment you need is a jump rope

I set a timer on my phone for 1 minute and 10 seconds. When the timer goes off, I hit reset.

That gives me 10 seconds to check my phone to see what the next movement is, get into position, and then go for a full minute.

(Note: Music is the only thing that gets me through the burning moments. Here is the super amazing, absolutely killer (in my personal opinion) Spotify playlist I listen to when I'm doing this workout.)

The List of Exercises:

The Golden Rule: Listen to your body

If I say "do this for a minute" but your back says "stop after 20 seconds," you listen to your back.

If for whatever reason your body wants to slow it down - drop the time down to 10-30 seconds for each movement and take it slow and gentle.

(I put together a full length “slow day” follow along video that’s great for the days where you need to take it nice and easy).

The goal here is consistency, not intensity. I would rather you do 10 seconds of a movement every day than push for a minute, aggravate your body, and then quit.

How To Do Each Movement: The Full Breakdown

Here is the specific breakdown of every exercise in the routine.

(Note: If you are currently doing the workout and just need a quick list to glance at without the long explanations, pull up the Wildcard Wellness Exercises Quick Reference instead. You can also find a full length follow along video here. And a full “slow day” follow along video here.)

1. Lymphatic Hops

This first exercise is called the lymphatic hop. We start with small, gentle hops in place. Keep your feet close to the floor, knees soft, and arms relaxed at your 

We're really just trying to bounce here. We're not trying to jump and get as much air as possible. The point is to get bounciness and springiness down in your knees. The movement should feel light, not intense.

If you're having a hard time jumping or you can't get off the ground, that's totally fine. You don't need to. Keep your feet on the floor and just do a nice kind of springy bounce where your knees are dropping down and you're getting some good movement, but you don't actually need to get any air.

2. Body Waves

Stand tall and slowly roll your body from top to bottom. Start by lifting your chest, then round your upper back, mid-back, and lower back as you bend forward slightly into a squat. Reverse the motion to stand back up.

With body waves, you're gonna swing your arms over your head and then you're gonna swing them down. When you swing them down, you're gonna go into a squat-type position. You don't have to drop down too much - just try to get a little bit of bounce in your low back and your knees.

Keep your head steady. You don't want to be flinging your head up and down - that’s a recipe for dizziness. Your face should stay facing straight forward and not be swinging around.

3. Arm Swings

Swing your arms loosely forward and backward at shoulder height. You're simply swinging one arm at a time back and forth.

Keep your shoulders relaxed and let the arms move freely. Don't worry about the speed - just go as fast as feels good for your body. If it feels too fast, slow it down. The speed doesn't matter.

This looks incredibly easy, but don't be fooled. My shoulders started burning after 30 seconds when I first started this. I couldn't do them very quickly for the first couple of days, but now I'm able to pick up the pace. Your body will get used to it over time. If you need to stop and shake them out, do it.

4. Trunk Twists

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and twist your torso side to side, letting your arms swing naturally across your body.

For these, get into a "ready position." You don't need a full squat, and you don't want your back arched, but you want to be slightly leaning forward. You can face your head like you're looking down at the ground in front of you.

The key here is to keep your feet still. You don't want to be twisting your legs. Keep your hips and legs facing forward and just twist in the trunk.

5. Forward Arm Circles

Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height. Make small circles moving forward.

Often, we are trained to do arm circles using our muscles to "place" the arm. That's not what we're doing here. Here, we're really swinging our arms using momentum. You shouldn't be pushing with your arms, try to get into a good sway and flow.

This one is way harder than it looks. Everyone thinks it's easy, but by the end of the minute, I'm burning. I couldn't even do a full minute for the first couple of days - I'd have to take breaks. If it's the same for you, don't overdo it. Just work your way up to it.

6. Bent Over Back Shakes

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hinge forward at the hips, letting your upper body, head, and arms hang heavy towards the floor. Hang your arms down right in front of you.

From here, you're just going to "bounce your butt." The idea is that we are trying to get blood flow into the low back area. Think of it like you're a pump, and you're just pumping blood into that low back area.

I don't do these for a full minute all the time because I have a back problem, and these start to tire my back out. So go for as long as you can. If you can do a minute, awesome. If you can only do 45 seconds (like I often do), that's fine too.

7. Backward Arm Circles

These are the same as the forward circles, but reversed.

For some reason, going backward is always harder for me. These ones really burn. I struggled with these for the first week and had to take breaks for a few seconds just to get through that first minute.

Do what feels right for you. I don't want you to hurt your shoulders. If you can do it all the way through, awesome. If not, just take breaks and keep being consistent. Eventually, you'll be able to go longer.

8. Dead Arms

Lift your arms up and shake them out loosely - imagine they are cooked spaghetti. Then, sway your body side to side so your arms slap against your torso.

These are a little weird and awkward. I’d never done anything like this before. You're trying to slap your body, but you are not using your arm muscles to do it. Your arms should be completely limp, and you use the sway of your body to fling them.

It takes practice. I still feel like I'm doing it wrong sometimes. But when you get it right, you get a nice slap on your chest right in the collarbone area. My upper body is usually pretty red afterwards, which is cool because it means we're getting good blood flow.

9. Golf Swings

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Swing your arms together side to side like a pendulum or a golf club.

When you first start, you might want to "throw" your arms backward to the side of you. That feels right, but it's not. You should think of it like a pendulum motion, almost like you're throwing your arms straight up to the side. Get in front of a mirror to see what you look like.

Unlike the trunk twists, here you do want to twist your leg. Allow your body to twist all the way around to protect your knees.

10. Marches

March in place, lifting one knee at a time. Swing the opposite arm to the leg like natural walking, and slap your knee as it comes up.

When your arms go back, try to fling them back so you get a stretching motion in your upper back (thoracic spine).

This one takes coordination. I was very awkward with it in the beginning - I felt like I was leaning back too far. I had to force myself to lean forward a little bit. It's really good for coordination and balance on top of just being a good workout. The first couple of days, my shoulders burned, but now I can finish without dying.

11. Tip-Toe Arm Swings

Swing your arms forward and up while simultaneously rising onto your tiptoes. Drop your heels back down as your arms swing down.

This is very similar to the arm swings, but instead of lunging down, you go up on your tiptoes as far as you can. The purpose here is really about your feet, calves, and toes.

This is a sneaky calf killer. My wife was doing this workout with me behind the camera, and around the 45-second mark, she had to drop because her calves were burning so much. It doesn't look hard, but it burns.

12. Twist the Waist

Stand tall and twist your waist left and right in a controlled motion. Let your arms hang completely dead - they should be limp.

You're going to twist back and forth so your arms slap your body. As you can see in the video, my feet are twisting too. You want to do a full twist all the way around.

This feels really nice. It's kind of like a break in the workout. It lets your body cool down a little bit because coming up here soon, we're going to get into the hard part.

13. Ballet Squats

Take a wide stance with your legs spread fairly wide, wider than your shoulders. Point your toes out slightly. Then, just drop down while swinging your arms down, then push up swinging your arms up.

Try to keep your back straight - you don't want to be bending over.

Now, someone gave me feedback in the comments saying that I'm "hinging" my back when I come down. And I think that's just because my hips are really tight. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep my chest and trunk straight up, but I can't seem to stop hinging. That's something I've got to work on. You don't want to do that. Try to keep your back as straight as possible. Don't do what I'm doing.

14. Wide Arm Step Backs

Step one foot back into a shallow lunge while sweeping your arms wide open. Step back to the center, clap your hands together, and switch sides.

This one is a killer. It looks easy, but especially after all the arm circles, my arms are always burning.

It’s really awkward at first - I never do movements like this. If it's awkward for you, just slow it down. Focus on getting the right balance and coordination first. Don't worry about speed.

15. Backward Step Body Waves

Step one leg back into a lunge while performing a body wave from earlier in the workout. Lunge back, drop your knee down, and throw your hands over your head.

This is where the workout starts to get a little more intense. If you're having a hard time dropping your knee down in the lunge, don't do it. Just take a step back.

For my back, this one feels like I have to be careful. I'm able to drop down a little bit, but I work my way up to it. So be careful with this one.

16. Pushups

Now we hit a minute of pushups.

I'm doing about 30 of these in total within the minute. I do a set of 10, then I'm dead, so I take a break. Then I do another 10. I'm essentially trying to do as many as possible before I just can't push up anymore.

If you can't do standard pushups, you have options:

1. Modified: Do them on your knees.

2. Couch: Put your hands on the couch and do them there.

3. Wall: Go all the way up to a wall and just go down as far of an angle as you can handle.

Just start with whatever is doable. Even if you can only do one or two, do it. We're trying to build our upper body capacity here.

17. Jump Rope

This is the finisher. We are going to jump rope for one minute straight.

If you don't have a jump rope, you can skip this, sub it with another movement, or just hop with me.

I use a weighted jump rope. For the first couple of days, I was doing double jumps (bouncing twice every time the rope went around). Today was my first day trying single jumps, and it's brutal. Man, these ones kill. After I finished this minute, I was hands on my knees, huffing and puffing, full body sweat. It's a really great workout.

Common Questions About the Workout

Since this routine went viral on Instagram, I’ve been flooded with questions. Here are the most common ones:

Did you invent this?

Absolutely not. I curated it. I am standing on the shoulders of giants here. I learned these moves from trainers like @mikerholland and @tulumtrainer. I just packaged them into a sequence that works for my recovery. It's a mix of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and classic bodyweight exercises. The Tai Chi movements serve to warm up the body and flush the lymphatic system, and then the bodyweight workouts at the end make it a bit more intense.

Is there a list of exercises I can reference while I'm doing the workout?

Yes. I know scrolling through a long article mid-workout is annoying, so I put together a quick-reference list with visuals for every exercise. You can pull this up on your phone during your session to see exactly what comes next. Check out the list of exercises w/ visuals.

Is there a full workout that I can watch and follow along with?

Yes. If you prefer to just press play and follow along, I recorded a full workout video that guides you through all the movements in real-time, complete with my 1-minute sets, breaks, and a timer. You can watch the full length follow-along workout video on YouTube.

And if you're looking for a slower, gentler version you can check out the full "slow day" follow along workout video.

How do you know when it's been a minute?

I set my iPhone timer to 1 minute and 10 seconds. When the timer goes off, I hit reset so it starts over again. That gives me 10 seconds to check my phone to see what the next movement is, get back into position, and then start the next move. It doesn't need to be 10 seconds sharp, it's okay if you go a bit over or under.

How do you know what movement comes next?

At first, I wrote the exercises down on a piece of paper and checked it between sets. Now, I keep the list in my Apple Notes. You can also just pull up the list of exercises (with visuals) on your phone and keep it open while you move.

Do you have to do it in the morning?

No. Time doesn't matter. Consistency matters. I do it in the morning after I drop my kids off at school because that’s when I have the time. If you do it at 9 PM, it’s just as effective.

What if I don't have 20 minutes?

Something is better than nothing. If you only have 10 minutes, do each movement for 30 seconds. Or just pick your favorite 5 movements and do those. Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of "done."

Are you doing anything else other than this workout?

Not right now. For my herniated disc, this is enough. I am taking it slow and steady. As my back gets stronger and I build confidence, I’ll probably add more intensive bodyweight workouts (like burpees or longer sets), but for now, I’m trusting the process.

What if this is too easy for me?

If you want to make it more intense, you can do a couple of things. You can add burpees, planks, or other bodyweight workouts to the end of the sequence. Or you can do each movement for 2-3 minutes each. Or you can do the full routine multiple times.

What if this is too intense for me?

If this is too intense, that's okay! You can just slow down the movements and do them for less time. For example, you can do each movement for 10-30 seconds instead of a minute. Just do them nice and slow at whatever pace works for you.

What if some of the movements hurt?

None of the movements should be causing pain. If you’re feeling any pain, that’s a problem and you should stop immediately. I have never felt any pain from any of these movements. And I don't want you to hurt yourself or flare up an injury.

If any particular movements don’t feel good, you should throw them out. When I put this routine together, I tested about 30 movements. A bunch of them did not feel good on my back so I threw them out. These ones felt good to me but if they are not good for you, please don’t continue doing them!

Are you doing anything with your diet?

Yes. Movement is only half the equation. I am pairing this routine with a specific eating plan I learned about in my early 20s from the book Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. You can read more about my diet and how I'm eating here.

Final thoughts

I know what it feels like to be stuck. To try everything - the stretches, the PT exercises, and all the rest - and still feel like nothing is working. To feel desperate for something to work, and completely unsure of what to do next.

I created this routine because I was tired of that feeling. I was tired of being in pain. I was tired of feeling 80 years old when I was only 35. It blends the ancient wisdom of Tai Chi flow with the practicality of bodyweight strength to gently coax your body back to life.

It won't fix a decade of being sedentary (or an injury) overnight. But if you show up, day after day, it offers a sustainable path forward. It’s working for me, and I believe it can work for you too. And I’ll be doing it every single day until I heal my back injury and lose 70 lbs.

Resources:

• List of exercises (w/ visuals)
• Full length follow along workout video
• Full "slow day" follow along workout video
• My diet & how I'm eating
• My super amazing, really very good Spotify playlist

Have any questions or was anything unclear? I'm happy to help! Please feel free to DM me on Instagram anytime.