Dudes in jail don’t exactly have to struggle to find free time. The last time we checked, there’s no 60 minute commute to and from a sh*tty 9-5. Neither is there a bunch of prime-time gym traffic to fight.
You might be able to say that guys inside have got it made. Well, as much as someone restricted to living in a cell and a single hour of yard exercise per day can anyway.
Here’s a short list of ways a prisoner can spend his time:
Or, and this is a big one…
Sweet, we’re sold.
We’ve all seen the Barstarzz busting out some serious calisthenics. These YouTube sensations fill up Facebook news-feeds all across the world, with their rippling backs and single digit body fat.
Besides their incredible acrobatics, what makes these guys so special is their ability to build an impressive and ripped physique using only their body weight. Which, is all we’re going to have to get swell in a cell.
Because, here’s a bunch of things most inmates won’t be doing any time soon:
Sorry bro, it just ain’t gonna happen. The last time we checked the ‘F’ in NFL didn’t stand for felon. So, instead of a multi-million dollar high-tech training centre, we’re going to have to work with a single pull-up bar.
Easy.
Think back to legit British tough guy Jason Statham performing strict pull ups in Death Race. There’s a reason he’s controlling his bodyweight with precision the way he is…
Nah, not just for dramatic effect. But to increase time under tension during eccentric contraction.
Essentially, by lowering his body at the pace of Grandpa mowing the lawn, Statham is raising the amount of seconds his muscles have to work. Leading to an increased number of muscle tears and maximizing metabolic stress.
This method promotes greater growth and more muscle tears. That’s why a lot of the old school bodybuilders preach the low and slow approach for building size.
Plus, by pushing and pulling at this pace, you’ll challenge yourself to use perfect form. Prison ain’t a place to be hiding your cheat reps, bro!
We’ll be using this method too. Because bodyweight alone is quite obviously limited, and we’ve got to find a way to squeeze the most out of what we have.
By working the muscle further with a squeeze, we recruit more muscle fibres than if we didn’t. Pretty simple science, but additional work = extra muscle fibre recruitment = even more potential gains.
So, for example:
You’ll have probably heard some sciency bro call this style of squeezing and holding isometric contract. Because rather than flexing, or extending, we’re simply holding our position.
Okay, now we’ve explained our method in our upcoming madness, let’s get to the workout!
Perform each exercise for the specified number of reps and sets. Because we’re only using our bodyweight, we have to be smart about optimally using our limited resources.
Keep proper form throughout each exercise. If it’s tough, then that means we’re doing our job right in using the body to it’s maximum potential. Cheat reps are still sh*tty, even when it’s only bodyweight you’re slinging.
Make sure to rest for 45-60 seconds between each exercise. Lower rest really challenges our body and when we start to his the 90 second mark we’re entering strength territory.
Keep the rest shorter, and we’ll be hitting the perfect work:rest ratios for growth.
Exercise | Reps | Sets | Rest |
---|---|---|---|
1a. Pull-Ups | 12 | 3 | 00:45 - 01:100 |
1b. Windshield Wipers | 12 | 3 | 00:45 - 01:00 |
1c. Prisoner Squats | 16 | 3 | 00:45 - 01:00 |
1d. Decline Staggered Push-Ups | 16 (8 each side) | 3 | 00:45 - 01:00 |
1e. Wall Walks | 8 | 2 | 00:45 - 01:00 |
They’ll also work the arms (both the biceps and triceps), shoulders, rhomboids and the core.
Because of their simplicity and challenging nature, pull-ups are a favorite of barmen in the prison yard.
How to do it:
Once you have completed all of the above movements, you’ve bagged yourself one complete rep.
How to do it:
A complete “wipe” from left to right is considered one rep. Do not lower the legs to the starting position until the set is complete.
To make this exercise harder, perform each motion slower than the last.
Because the squat is a compound movement, done correctly it will work multiple muscle groups. These include the; quads, hamstrings and calves. The core also gets a little bit of work as it fights to keep the upper body stable throughout.
How to do it:
To make this exercise harder, progress to cell mate squats! Grab your training partner and lift them into a fireman’s carry position. Then, use them as a weight instead of a barbell and half the amount of reps.
Push ups are the daddy of bodyweight exercises. All a guy needs is the ground and himself to work his; chest, core, biceps and triceps.
The exercise is a key component to any cell workout. So much so that the notoriously violent and eccentric inmate Charles Bronson apparently performs around 2,000 push ups per day.
This particular variation will work the body harder by un-evenly distributing weight.
How to do it:
After completing the necessary number of reps alternate the hand position. This will ensure an equal amount of work on each side. To add a decline and make the exercise harder, place the feet on a box or bottom bunk of a prison bed.
Wall walks are an awesome tool to target the shoulders. They’re a lot simpler than they look and break the norm from more conventional shoulder exercises.
It’s said that for many fitness enthused inmates a by product of prison time is the ability to walk on their hands. This is because they have to get creative with the limited amount of resources they have and become masters at manipulating gravity.
How to do it:
All of the above movements combined is equal to one complete rep.
Lastly, the Hard Time Tabata has been for those badass enough to handle it. Don’t get us wrong, the workout is tough as it is!
But, if you’re wanting to get out every last drop of sweat from your session, intense interval training can make an awesome finisher.
Work for 30 seconds and then rest for another 30. Making up for a complete body blast in one four minute attack.
Exercise | Work | Rest |
---|---|---|
2a. Burpees | 00:30 | 00:30 |
2b. Stationary Sprint | 00:30 | 00:30 |
2c. Tuck Jumps | 00:30 | 00:30 |
2d. Alternate Lunges | 00:30 | - |
Surely you’ve worked out at this stage that it’s totally possible to get jacked without weights. It’s all about being a little creative and optimizing the limited tools that are at hand.
Training in prison has it’s own complete culture and history, that’s not only interesting but really educational.
So, feel free to take a look inside the world of getting swell in a cell and add in some more advanced calisthenic moves. After all, if you were in solitary confinement, the prison guards wouldn’t plan your workout for you.
This post was last modified on February 4, 2019 2:42 pm
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I learnt a fair bit about body weight work outs when I had the pleasure of being inside a few years back, in saying that, I found your read extremely refreshing with great tips I had forgotten about, well done you have got me motivated again to gain some mass as I did in the past.
Thanks Karl. Good luck re-building that bulk, bro.