These workouts are based on the kind of bodyweight workouts convicts perform to build total body strength and extra upper body size. They are intended for athletes with some experience in calisthenics. If you need easier – or harder – techniques to make this program work for you, refer to the Convict Conditioning manual for plenty of choices and progressions.
Warm up before training, and feel free to perform extra warm ups if you need to. If you are working out with your bodyweight, use bodyweight techniques to warm up – just find something easier than you are using for your work sets. I’m not a huge fan of rushing from set to set. To gain strength, rest as long as you need to between sets, even if you are performing alternating exercises (i.e., supersets). This is as true for bodyweight strength as it is for lifting heavy weights.
Bodyweight training gives awesome results, but you have to push hard and use strict form – at least, most of the time. That doesn’t mean you should push to failure, however, especially if you are hanging above the ground! So when I tell you to perform max reps, push as hard as you can, while keeping a rep or two in the bank for safety’s sake.
You don’t need to cool down after these workouts – the idea of a cool down is a myth. When I trained in prison, I’d finish sessions by sitting on my bunk and deep breathing for 2-3 minutes, so that’s what I advise here. This will help you relax after your efforts, as well as giving your lungs and ribcage some training.
To learn more about Paul, read an excerpt from Convict Conditioning:
How I Learned My Craft: Doing Time
The Forgotten Art of Bodyweight Training
Old School vs. New School Calisthenics
Workout – Week 2, Day 1
UPPER BODY 1: Horizontal pushing and pulling
Arm circles: 30 reps each way
Perform the next two exercises in superset fashion:
Pushups: 3 x 10
Horizontal pullups: 3 x 10
Shake the arms loose for a couple of minutes, and move to:
Dips: (feet raised or parallel bars) 2 x max perfect reps
Deep breathing: 2-3 minutes
