Gym means two things in Pokémon, and this post is about the other one. Not the badge kind, the treadmill kind: Pokémon lifting, boxing, training, and a handful actually playing a sport.
We’ve gathered our favorite gym rats in the hobby here, sorted by era and card type, plus a set of football promos that only ever came out in England!
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Fitness & Sports-Themed Full Art Cards
Gym work, physical labor, or just standing there being extremely jacked. The modern full arts give this theme room to breathe, and the Fighting types do most of the heavy lifting.
Our Picks:
- Riolu · Scarlet & Violet #215 on eBay
- Exeggcute · Surging Sparks #192 on eBay
- Machoke · 151 #177 on eBay
- Machamp V · Astral Radiance #172 on eBay
- Machamp V · Astral Radiance #072 on eBay
- Single Strike Urshifu VMAX · Brilliant Stars #TG19 on eBay
- Dewott · White Flare #106 on eBay
- Golurk V · Evolving Skies #182 on eBay
- Raboot · Stellar Crown #147 on eBay
Fitness Trainer & Item Cards
The supporting cast. Trainers who clearly lift, plus a small run of items that are literally gym equipment. Judge turns up three times across different sets, which makes him the easiest one here to collect as a group.
Our Picks:
- Lt. Surge’s Bargain · Mega Evolution #185 on eBay
- Amarys · Prismatic Evolutions #170 on eBay
- Bea · Vivid Voltage #180 on eBay
- Judge · Destined Rivals #222 on eBay
- Judge · Paldean Fates #228 on eBay
- Judge · Silver Tempest #TG25 on eBay
- Bodybuilding Dumbbells · Burning Shadows #161 on eBay
- Premium Power Pro · Mega Evolution #174 on eBay
- Boost Shake · Evolving Skies #229 on eBay
- Judge Whistle · Team Up #194 on eBay
The On the Ball Futsal Promos
The only cards here that are about an actual sport. In 2019 The Pokémon Company signed a three-year deal with England’s Football Association to grow participation in Futsal, and for the 2020-21 season that partnership turned into cards. Five of them: four given away with purchases at GAME stores in England, and a fifth included in kit bundles sent to schools and clubs on the FA’s Youth Futsal Programme.
Our Picks:
- Pikachu on the Ball · Futsal Promos #FUT20-001 on eBay
- Eevee on the Ball · Futsal Promos #FUT20-002 on eBay
- Sobble on the Ball · Futsal Promos #FUT20-005 on eBay
- Scorbunny on the Ball · Futsal Promos #FUT20-004 on eBay
- Grookey on the Ball · Futsal Promos #FUT20-003 on eBay
Vintage Fitness Cards
The Machop line and the Hitmon family carry this one, and it tracks. Base Set, Team Rocket, the Gym sets, Neo Destiny and the e-Card series all show up, and it’s Fighting types from top to bottom, with more boxers than any other section here.
Our Picks:
- Machoke · Japanese Vending Series 3 #67 on eBay
- Machamp · Wizards Black Star Promos #43 on eBay
- Hitmonchan · Japanese Vending Series 2 #107 on eBay
- Hitmontop · Aquapolis #82 on eBay
- Light Machamp · Neo Destiny #25 on eBay
- Machop · Neo Destiny #73 on eBay
- Primeape · Aquapolis #29 on eBay
- Hitmonlee · Neo Destiny #42 on eBay
- Hitmonchan · Team Up #74 on eBay
- Hitmonchan · Aquapolis #81 on eBay
- Machop · Base Set 2 #78 on eBay
- Giovanni’s Machop · Gym Challenge #72 on eBay
- Dark Machoke · Team Rocket #40 on eBay
- Machoke · Base Set #34 on eBay
- Machoke · Skyridge #38 on eBay
- Machamp · Base Set #8 on eBay
- Dark Machamp · Team Rocket #27 on eBay
- Brock’s Primeape · Gym Challenge #35 on eBay
- Tyrogue · Neo Discovery #66 on eBay
- Tyrogue · Aquapolis #63 on eBay
Commons & Affordable Fitness Cards
Everything here is in the main run of its set, so most of it turns up while you’re collecting something else!
Our Picks:
- Aipom · Dragons Exalted #99 on eBay
- Premium Power Pro · Ascended Heroes #199 on eBay
- Weedle · Chilling Reign #001 on eBay
- Machop · Champion’s Path #024 on eBay
- Bodybuilding Dumbbells · Burning Shadows #113 on eBay
- Hitmontop · Unbroken Bonds #101 on eBay
- Makuhita · Mega Evolution #072 on eBay
- Poliwrath · Lost Origin #085 on eBay
- Machop · 151 #066 on eBay
- Machamp · 151 #068 on eBay
- Machoke · 151 #067 on eBay
That’s our roundup of fitness and sports Pokémon cards! Who’s your favorite gym rat? Let us know in the comments below!
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