| You have seen inmates and ex-cons depicted in | | | | sure of your form and are completely confident with |
| movies and television. Men hardened by the cruelties | | | | doing a one-rep max. A lifting partner and a power |
| and isolation of stone walls. You have seen them in | | | | cage are a definite plus as well. These are not for the |
| news footages and documentaries. And though they | | | | weak of heart. |
| come from different walks of life the majority of them | | | | The first thing you want to do, naturally, is find your |
| have one common denominator. | | | | one-rep max (or for someone like me who rarely does |
| They are big. Not just big, but huge! Sleeve-ripping, | | | | a max, find the weight that brings you to complete |
| button-popping mass that looks like muscle piled upon | | | | muscular failure after three reps). |
| muscle. Their shirts look too small to cover their | | | | Then, after determining your one-rep or three-rep max, |
| melon-sized shoulders and biceps seem ready to rip | | | | subtract twenty pounds and do twenty reps. It |
| through stretched sleeves. | | | | doesn’t matter if it takes you four sets, six sets, or |
| All men are created equal but they sure do not go to | | | | twenty sets the goal is do twenty reps. Chances are, |
| prison that way. Some are overweight or skinny or | | | | if you are an intermediate or advanced lifter, you will |
| weak. Their physiques are shaped by years of | | | | get your twenty reps in relatively few sets. That’s |
| neglect, abuse, and disuse. I know. I have seen it first | | | | good. That’s okay. Because next week you are |
| hand. For seven years I ate at the same table with | | | | going to add five pounds to the bar. And the week |
| them. I dealt cards, pitched washers and, yes, lifted | | | | after that, five more pounds. |
| weights with them. And the one thing I noticed, the one | | | | This method works extremely well with squats, push |
| constant throughout the years was that men get big in | | | | presses, bench presses, dead lifts or any other |
| prison and big men get bigger. | | | | compound movement. And you can continue this |
| So how does it come to be that two almost identical | | | | routine for several weeks but be sure to hit only one |
| gyms--the one in your hometown and the one | | | | body part once a week with twenty reps. |
| surrounded by barbed wire--produces two distinctly | | | | The rest of the week use light to moderate weights. |
| different success ratios? And don’t get me wrong, | | | | 20/20’s can be used with any work out but a |
| I have seen some big, big men in gyms all across this | | | | sample of what I have seen used is as follows: |
| country. And I have seen some remarkable results | | | | Monday: |
| right in my own back yard. But just watch the | | | | - Squats 20 reps |
| membership of your local gym; how many of those | | | | - Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| that join actually get the results they are looking for? | | | | - Military Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| Maybe ten percent of the membership puts on the | | | | - Bent Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| size, or takes off the weight, that they desire. | | | | - Dead lift 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| That’s one in ten. | | | | Tuesday: |
| The results I saw in prison were closer to ninety | | | | - Dead Lift 20 reps |
| percent! That’s nine out of every ten men ending | | | | - Bench Press 20 reps |
| up reaching their goals--and usually in very short order. | | | | - Squats 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| It was not uncommon to see someone gain twenty, | | | | - Bent Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| thirty, sometimes even forty pounds of rock-solid | | | | - Military press 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| muscle in less than a year. In fact, the results were so | | | | Wednesday: |
| astonishing that the Missouri Department of | | | | - Push Press 20 reps |
| Corrections replaced all free weights with machines | | | | - Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| because inmates were becoming too big and too | | | | - Squats 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| strong in too short of a time. Well, we soon found out | | | | - Bent Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| that machines worked just as well. We got just as big | | | | - Dead Lift 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| and just as strong, just as fast. All we needed was | | | | Of course the set and rep schemes can be adjusted |
| progressive resistance and desire. | | | | to fit each individual need. |
| The Mind Set | | | | The Fast Blast |
| The first place visited by a new arrival is the weight | | | | The above routines have put slabs of mass on |
| room. They come because of curiosity or pent-up | | | | countless inmates. But the most remarkable |
| frustration and energy. On many occasions it is due to | | | | transformations seemed to come about by accident. |
| the drastic change of lifestyle; that lifestyle being | | | | Let me explain. |
| dictated by circumstance rather than choice. But the | | | | It seems that the majority of men who arrive at |
| number one reason, so it seems to me, is because of | | | | ’lock-up’ know nothing of weight training other |
| fear. Let’s face it, jail is the last place any of us | | | | than “you gotta lift ’em if you want to get |
| wants to be. Besides, when was the last time you | | | | big.” And with that thought in mind they go about |
| heard a good story about what it was like behind | | | | doing what few exercises they know, and they do |
| ‘The Walls’. There are lots of negative attitudes | | | | them every other day! |
| and plenty of apprehension and no one, I mean no one, | | | | Now I know what you are thinking: Sounds like sheer |
| escapes the feeling of being watched, of being | | | | lunacy. And I would have to agree with you if I had not |
| marked as the next victim. So the survival instinct | | | | seen the end result myself. Everyone, and I do mean |
| takes over, leading the large and the small to desire | | | | everyone, that used this routine gained incredible mass |
| more mass and strength. Hey, everyone is already | | | | in, not months, but weeks! |
| watching, might as well show them there is no free | | | | Remember when I told you earlier that most |
| ride here. | | | | newcomers know only a few basic exercises? Well |
| With that attitude you can understand why heavy | | | | let’s use the two most common, the bench press |
| weights are used almost exclusively. Sweat, guts and | | | | and the bicep curl, because those are the ones that I |
| glory amount to absolutely nothing unless they are left | | | | saw used most often. |
| on the gym floor. Nothing is taken back to the cell | | | | The formula from here on out is very simple: Lift |
| block. Nothing. If the man next to you cleans 300 | | | | heavy and lift every other day. No excuses, no pain, |
| pounds then you do your best to clean 305. And | | | | no wimping out. Just keep the pressure on for three to |
| everyone at ‘the iron pile’ is a competitor; they | | | | four weeks then move on to two other body parts - |
| do not care what you lifted yesterday. It’s all about | | | | such as back and triceps. Then after three or four |
| what you do today. | | | | weeks, move on to squats and dead lifts. Then back |
| I use that same mindset even today. The competition | | | | to bench presses and bicep curls. |
| may not be as intense in the local gym but if I can get | | | | The pattern usually looks like this: |
| just one more rep or one more pound then I am a | | | | Weeks 1-3: |
| better man than I was the day before. | | | | Mon., Wed., Fri. |
| A few favorites from ‘the inside’ | | | | - Bench Press 5 sets X 6-10 reps |
| Now that you know what goes on inside an inmates | | | | - Bicep curls 5 sets X 6-10 reps |
| mind -- twenty four hours a day! -- you can probably | | | | Weeks 4-6: |
| imagine the level of intensity he uses to rip those | | | | Mon., Wed., Fri. |
| poundage’s free from gravity. | | | | - Bent Rows 5 sets x 6-10 reps |
| And if you use that same intensity -- that deep-down, | | | | - Close-grip Bench 5 sets x 6-10 reps |
| raw instinct that refuses to give way to failure -- then I | | | | Weeks 7-9 |
| guarantee you too will make terrific gains using one or | | | | Mon., Wed., Fri. |
| all of these programs. | | | | - Squats 5 sets x 6-10 reps |
| 1 ) The full-body work out | | | | - Dead Lifts 5 sets x 6-10 reps |
| I do not believe that I need to emphasize the | | | | Weeks 10-12 you will start over with Bench Presses |
| importance of the full-body workout because just | | | | and Bicep Curls. |
| about every bodybuilder knows that you must have a | | | | The consecutive weeks that body parts are worked |
| solid foundation to build on. I have always | | | | can be varied in accordance with how each body part |
| recommended this and I always will. | | | | responds and recovers. If your chest starts growing to |
| And the only reason I mention it now is that nearly | | | | the point of ripping your t-shirt or you feel that your |
| every one who steps into ’the iron pile’ starts | | | | recovery is starting to lag (excessive soreness, |
| with the basics, i.e. bench press, squats, and military | | | | weakness, joint pain) then move on to the next three |
| press. That is because of: One, if they are intermediate | | | | week cycle. And don’t worry that your biceps are |
| or advanced lifters they know that is the best and | | | | not as far along as you think they should be because |
| fastest way to slam on some mass and to display | | | | they are going to get plenty of indirect work from bent |
| their strength and, two, if they happen to be a beginner | | | | rows. The same goes for just about every body part |
| those are about the only exercises they know, other | | | | in this routine; no body part is left idle for very long. |
| than a few different ways to do bicep curls. | | | | Those are just a few of the basic work outs used in |
| Regardless of the reason, the results are equal: Muscle | | | | the jailhouse gym. Of course there are many who |
| is built and strength is increased. | | | | start off with these routines and then move on to |
| Most of those who attack the full-body workout in | | | | more traditional set and rep schemes, such as five |
| prison, workout no less than three days a week on | | | | day splits and double splits. But eventually they all |
| non-consecutive days. And the routines are basic, as | | | | return to the routines that produced the best and |
| follows: | | | | fastest results - the full body workout, 20/20’s and |
| - Squats 3 sets x 10-12 reps. | | | | fast blast. |
| - Bench Press 3 x 10-12 | | | | Understand that I am not suggesting that the above |
| - Military Press 3 x 10-12 | | | | routines are the only way to make great gains in size |
| - Bent Rows 3 x 10-12 | | | | and strength. Each individual is different and each |
| - Dead lift 3 x 10-12 | | | | individual must tailor their workout to their specific |
| And after a few months of the above routine you can | | | | needs. But in prison every day in the gym will either |
| add a serious twist to your workout by doing 20 | | | | work for you or against you, therefore, you lift like your |
| 20’s. | | | | life depends on it - because that may very well be the |
| 20/20’s should only be done if your are absolutely | | | | case. |