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Trainieren wie im Knast: Der progressive Ganzkörperplan für Muskeln, Kraft und einen eisernen Willen
Die meisten Fitnessprogramme zielen darauf ab, den Körper zu verschönern oder für
den Sport fit zu halten. Beim Militär verlassen sich die Soldaten heute viel mehr auf ihre
Waffen als auf ihre eigene Körperkraft. In einem Gefängnis jedoch, wo die Einschüchterung der Schwächeren an der Tagesordnung ist, kann bloße Muskelstärke über Leben und Tod entscheiden.
Paul Wade hat dies am eigenen Leib erfahren. 19 Jahre verbrachte der ehemalige Heroindealer hinter Gittern und entwickelte dort sein eigenes Trainingsprogramm. Auf
kleinstem Raum stählte er täglich seinen Körper und wurde so vom eingeschüchterten
Schwächling zu einem allseits respektierten Insassen, der sich gegenüber gefährlichen Mithäftlingen zu behaupten wusste.
Dieses Buch erklärt, wie man sich anhand von sechs kontinuierlich gesteigerten Basisübungen nur mithilfe seines eigenen Körpergewichts und einiger Alltagsgegenstände in Topform bringen kann, und zeigt, dass auch der kleinste Raum genug Platz für ein effektives Training bietet.
den Sport fit zu halten. Beim Militär verlassen sich die Soldaten heute viel mehr auf ihre
Waffen als auf ihre eigene Körperkraft. In einem Gefängnis jedoch, wo die Einschüchterung der Schwächeren an der Tagesordnung ist, kann bloße Muskelstärke über Leben und Tod entscheiden.
Paul Wade hat dies am eigenen Leib erfahren. 19 Jahre verbrachte der ehemalige Heroindealer hinter Gittern und entwickelte dort sein eigenes Trainingsprogramm. Auf
kleinstem Raum stählte er täglich seinen Körper und wurde so vom eingeschüchterten
Schwächling zu einem allseits respektierten Insassen, der sich gegenüber gefährlichen Mithäftlingen zu behaupten wusste.
Dieses Buch erklärt, wie man sich anhand von sechs kontinuierlich gesteigerten Basisübungen nur mithilfe seines eigenen Körpergewichts und einiger Alltagsgegenstände in Topform bringen kann, und zeigt, dass auch der kleinste Raum genug Platz für ein effektives Training bietet.
611 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2010
871 people are currently reading
2662 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
March 13, 2013
It's been a year since I started following the exercise program presented in this book and I thought it only natural and appropriate that I should add it to my database here on Goodreads. This book has changed my life - short and simple. It has made me dedicate and apply myself like no other book, person or whatever it is that inspires people to change something about themselves. I have come to truly appreciate and embrace physical effort where once I shrank away from the slightest exertion. Never in my life have I been healthier or fuller of energy, when I look back at the old weakling me I can only shake my head in contempt and regret that I haven't undertaken something like this sooner.
But it's not just about improving your strength and stamina or trying to have a nice-looking body. It's about realizing, and I mean realizing at the fundamental level, that to truly achieve something in life you need to invest a huge amount of energy and time, and that you should enjoy the process and not think about the end-goal. Because if you can find it in yourself to commit fully, with no regret or second thought, regardless of pain, muscle-ache and gallons of spilled sweat, if you come to embrace this toil willingly, let the mixture of adrenaline and testosterone intoxicate you, then you have already succeeded, and there can be nothing, and I mean nothing that can really put you down after that. When I look at people now, who are too afraid to make even baby steps and instead just wallow in their own inertia I am even more convinced that the no-pain-no-gain-way is the right way.
But it's not just about improving your strength and stamina or trying to have a nice-looking body. It's about realizing, and I mean realizing at the fundamental level, that to truly achieve something in life you need to invest a huge amount of energy and time, and that you should enjoy the process and not think about the end-goal. Because if you can find it in yourself to commit fully, with no regret or second thought, regardless of pain, muscle-ache and gallons of spilled sweat, if you come to embrace this toil willingly, let the mixture of adrenaline and testosterone intoxicate you, then you have already succeeded, and there can be nothing, and I mean nothing that can really put you down after that. When I look at people now, who are too afraid to make even baby steps and instead just wallow in their own inertia I am even more convinced that the no-pain-no-gain-way is the right way.
May 16, 2021
This book is a must. Once again, Dragon Door Publications gives the world a great book. Paul "Coach" Wade gives us a book that needs to be read by everyone out there who is invested in superior and elite physical fitness. I read this and stuck to this regimen when I was deployed. The results were remarkable.
The body: the perfect weight to perform the Big Six functional exercises.
1. The one-armed push-up
2. The one-legged pistol squat
3. The one-armed pull-up
4. The stand-to-stand back bridge
5. The hanging straight leg raise
6. The one-armed handstand push-up
"Coach" Wade gives us insight and the philosophy of becoming the best you can become. His "Lights Out" no nonsense attitude is one of the best.
Recommended: ALL YOU'LL EVER NEED...
1. "Enter the Kettlebell" by Pavel Tsatsouline (book & DVD)
2. "Convict Conditioning" by Paul "Coach" Wade (Book)
3. "Resilient" by Pavel Tsatsouline (DVD)
4. "Viking Warrior Conditioning" by Kenneth Jay (book)
Thanks!
January 21, 2012
This may be the book with the longest and silliest subtitle.
Premise: Strength through progressive calisthenics using body weight as told by a former prison inmate.
Actuality: A body-weight approach to fitness. Very sound tips on injury, great explanation of forms (starting with very beginner (e.g. wall push-ups) to cross-fit games exercises (e.g. hand-stand push-ups.) The prison story? Likely fake given the following disclaimer "names, histories and circumstances have been changed partially or completely."
Quick read, sound advice, and realistic work out schedules (emphasis on going slowly as joints, tendons, and ligaments do not strengthen as quickly as muscles.) For some reason the paper book is outrageously expensive on Amazon but the Kindle price was significantly less. Recommended to me by a Fitocracy pal in the UK. I love it.
(Note, I am 43, female, and a recovering couch potato.)
Unique featureDiscussion and photos of early 20th century strongmen. 6 pack abs before the invention of the "crunch"!
This is likely going to join the pantheon of fitness books that focus on body-weight exercises and/or non-gym training.
Premise: Strength through progressive calisthenics using body weight as told by a former prison inmate.
Actuality: A body-weight approach to fitness. Very sound tips on injury, great explanation of forms (starting with very beginner (e.g. wall push-ups) to cross-fit games exercises (e.g. hand-stand push-ups.) The prison story? Likely fake given the following disclaimer "names, histories and circumstances have been changed partially or completely."
Quick read, sound advice, and realistic work out schedules (emphasis on going slowly as joints, tendons, and ligaments do not strengthen as quickly as muscles.) For some reason the paper book is outrageously expensive on Amazon but the Kindle price was significantly less. Recommended to me by a Fitocracy pal in the UK. I love it.
(Note, I am 43, female, and a recovering couch potato.)
Unique featureDiscussion and photos of early 20th century strongmen. 6 pack abs before the invention of the "crunch"!
This is likely going to join the pantheon of fitness books that focus on body-weight exercises and/or non-gym training.
September 17, 2014
Well, where should I start? I was excited at first. The whole concept made a whole lot of sense to me, but. Some exercises are purely theoretical and not achivable the way Paul describes it. Let me explain. Lets discuss one arm pushup as an example. Extremely strict form is described and Paul specifically emphasize this form in the book. However when readers pointed out the fact that this form is kind of impossible, Paul releases an FAQ list where he is opposing his fans with words like "thats the way we are doing it in a jail and you are just not strong enough". But unfortunatelly as the book is getting more popular Paul decides to squeez few more bucks out of it with brand new video course! And now things are getting interesting. All of the sudden, he reacalls that you actually need to "kind of twist your torso a little bit to do it". The guy in the video having hard time doing single repetition while looking like a question mark on the floor. So much for one hundred one arm pushups, huh Paul? Well this is just one example and a have to say that most of progressions are okay, but even then you will always find more reasonble progressions on the internet and YouTube (where you can see people actually DOING them and not just making tough guys out of themselves).
August 23, 2020
If I had to pick one book to recommend on bodyweight training, this would be it. What
Starting Strength
is for barbell training, Convict Conditioning is for bodyweight training.
The good
1. Progressive bodyweight training
Whereas the other bodyweight training books I've read (You Are Your Own Gym, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy) are primarily long lists of disconnected bodyweight exercises, this book is all about progressive bodyweight training. That is, this book teaches you a way to incrementally and progressively increase the difficulty of bodyweight movements so that you can continue to get stronger and stronger over time, for years. I can't overstate the importance of this focus. Here's why:
Almost any new exercise routine can work for a few weeks or months, merely because it exposes your body to something new, but after that initial phase, your body adapts, and you stop making progress. As a result, results are limited, and most people give up.
The way you solve this problem with barbell training is to progressively increase the resistance. This is easy to do with barbells: you just add a few pounds to the bar each work out. If you keep increasing resistance and rest enough in between workouts, barbells allow you to keep getting strong for years due to supercompensation (brief overview here).
Accomplishing the same with bodyweight training is a lot harder. When you're using your body for resistance, you can't just "add a few pounds" to each workout! Adding more reps only works up to a point: beyond 10-15 reps, you're training endurance or conditioning, rather than strength. So most people who do bodyweight training run into a dilemma: you start some exercise, such as push-ups, get good at it, work up to 15 reps, and now what? How do you keep getting stronger?
What's brilliant about this book is that it focuses on just 6 exercises (more on this later) and 10 levels for each exercise, with level 1 being a very easy version of the exercise almost anyone can do, and level 10 being an extremely hard version of the exercise that will take you years to work up to (if you ever get there). For example, level 1 of push-ups is doing a wall push-up while standing up. Once you can do a certain number of sets/reps of those, you can move on to level 2, which is an incline push-up. When you can do a certain number of sets/reps of those, you move on to level 3, and so on. You progressively make the push-up motion harder and harder, until you get to level 10, which is doing multiple sets/reps of one-handed push-ups.
Going through these 10 levels for each exercise allows you to keep getting stronger and stronger for a very long time. Level 10 of some of these exercises are incredibly tough (e.g., one-handed pull-ups, one-arm handstand push-ups), so for most people, this will be a routine they can follow for years. Moreover, having so many levels makes the program accessible to just about all trainees, no matter what shape you're in now, and going through these levels one by one provides a gradual and safe way to improve your flexibility, mobility, and the strength of your muscles, joints, and tendons in preparation for the harder versions.
2. A routine with just 6 exercises
There are thousands of exercises out there that you could do, but since most of us have limited time to train (and recover), it's essential to pick the exercises that offer the biggest bang-for-the-buck. In general, you'll get a more effective workout from getting really good at a small number of functional, multi-joint, compound exercises that move a lot of weight rather than being mediocre at a large number of lighter, single-joint, isolation exercises. Just as Starting Strength provides an effective routine that uses just 5 barbell movements (squat, deadlift, clean, overhead press, bench press), Convict Conditioning provides an effective routine that uses just 6 bodyweight movements, each with a 10-level progression:
- Squat (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-legged squat)
- Push-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm push-up)
- Pull-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm pull-up)
- Bridge (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the stand-to-stand bridge)
- Leg raises (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the hanging straight leg raise)
- Wall handstand push-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm wall handstand push-up)
The book offers a few routines you can use to work through these progressions, most of which have you train 2-4 days per week, 30-60 minutes per day, starting with level 1 on each exercise, and each time you meet the standard for a level, moving up to the next. It's very easy to follow the routines and progressions, and if you manage to get to level 10 on each of these 6 exercises (which for most people will take years, if ever), you will be exceptionally fit.
3. Other useful tips
The book has a variety of other useful advice throughout:
- As implied by the title of the book, the book shares lots of tips and tricks on how to train in conditions where you have little-to-no equipment available and limited space, such as in prison. The 6 core exercises in the book require almost no equipment and some of the progressions make clever use of household items (e.g., chairs, basketballs, etc). I'm not in prison, but being trapped indoors due to COVID-19, I found some of the tips and tricks quite useful.
- The book points out that whereas barbell training teaches you to move an external object, bodyweight training teaches you to move your own body. The latter is likely more useful in most sports, fighting, and for overall health.
The not so good
- The subtitle of the book is silly. Ignore it.
- The writing isn't very good and has a lot of unnecessary tough-guy talk. Ignore it.
- The book has weird, perhaps broken typography. Ignore it.
- The 6 exercises the book focuses on are great, but they feel incomplete to me. In particular, as is often the case with bodyweight training routines, the focus is primarily on the upper body, and the lower back and legs don't get nearly enough attention, despite the fact that these parts of the body tend to matter far more in most real-world activities (playing sports, moving furniture, surviving a fight, etc). There's also a lack of horizontal rowing, which tends to be important for keeping the shoulders healthy and balanced with all the pushing motions. I don't recommend modifying the routine too much, but you may want to add 1-2 more lower body exercises (e.g., hyper extensions, reverse hyper extensions, broad jump, vertical jump, deadlift) and a rowing exercise (e.g., do a progression to work up to 1-arm horizontal rows).
- Level 10 varies wildly in difficulty across the 6 exercises. Level 10 of push-ups and squats, the one-arm push-up and one-legged squat, respectively, can be accomplished by the vast majority of people who train for them. On the other hand, relatively few people will get to level 10 of pull-ups, the one-arm pull-up, and I suspect virtually no one will get to level 10 of handstand push-ups, the one-arm handstand push-up. This isn't a huge problem, though it does mean that if you work at it for a few years, you'll get to the end of the progressions for some of these exercises much sooner than others, and will have to figure out new things to work on.
- The intro chapters try to make the case for why bodyweight training is superior and how the strongman of the past, who primarily used bodyweight training, were stronger than those of today, but this feels a bit silly to me. Bodyweight training has lots of advantages and drawbacks; so does barbell training. To claim one or the other is unilaterally better might help sell books, but that doesn't make it true. As for the strongmen, it's quite easy to see that modern strongmen have shattered just about every record from the past; the same goes for modern athletes in most sports; some of that is undoubtedly due to steroids, but training techniques have gotten better over time, and while we shouldn't forget the past, we shouldn't always assume it's better than the present.
The good
1. Progressive bodyweight training
Whereas the other bodyweight training books I've read (You Are Your Own Gym, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy) are primarily long lists of disconnected bodyweight exercises, this book is all about progressive bodyweight training. That is, this book teaches you a way to incrementally and progressively increase the difficulty of bodyweight movements so that you can continue to get stronger and stronger over time, for years. I can't overstate the importance of this focus. Here's why:
Almost any new exercise routine can work for a few weeks or months, merely because it exposes your body to something new, but after that initial phase, your body adapts, and you stop making progress. As a result, results are limited, and most people give up.
The way you solve this problem with barbell training is to progressively increase the resistance. This is easy to do with barbells: you just add a few pounds to the bar each work out. If you keep increasing resistance and rest enough in between workouts, barbells allow you to keep getting strong for years due to supercompensation (brief overview here).
Accomplishing the same with bodyweight training is a lot harder. When you're using your body for resistance, you can't just "add a few pounds" to each workout! Adding more reps only works up to a point: beyond 10-15 reps, you're training endurance or conditioning, rather than strength. So most people who do bodyweight training run into a dilemma: you start some exercise, such as push-ups, get good at it, work up to 15 reps, and now what? How do you keep getting stronger?
What's brilliant about this book is that it focuses on just 6 exercises (more on this later) and 10 levels for each exercise, with level 1 being a very easy version of the exercise almost anyone can do, and level 10 being an extremely hard version of the exercise that will take you years to work up to (if you ever get there). For example, level 1 of push-ups is doing a wall push-up while standing up. Once you can do a certain number of sets/reps of those, you can move on to level 2, which is an incline push-up. When you can do a certain number of sets/reps of those, you move on to level 3, and so on. You progressively make the push-up motion harder and harder, until you get to level 10, which is doing multiple sets/reps of one-handed push-ups.
Going through these 10 levels for each exercise allows you to keep getting stronger and stronger for a very long time. Level 10 of some of these exercises are incredibly tough (e.g., one-handed pull-ups, one-arm handstand push-ups), so for most people, this will be a routine they can follow for years. Moreover, having so many levels makes the program accessible to just about all trainees, no matter what shape you're in now, and going through these levels one by one provides a gradual and safe way to improve your flexibility, mobility, and the strength of your muscles, joints, and tendons in preparation for the harder versions.
2. A routine with just 6 exercises
There are thousands of exercises out there that you could do, but since most of us have limited time to train (and recover), it's essential to pick the exercises that offer the biggest bang-for-the-buck. In general, you'll get a more effective workout from getting really good at a small number of functional, multi-joint, compound exercises that move a lot of weight rather than being mediocre at a large number of lighter, single-joint, isolation exercises. Just as Starting Strength provides an effective routine that uses just 5 barbell movements (squat, deadlift, clean, overhead press, bench press), Convict Conditioning provides an effective routine that uses just 6 bodyweight movements, each with a 10-level progression:
- Squat (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-legged squat)
- Push-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm push-up)
- Pull-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm pull-up)
- Bridge (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the stand-to-stand bridge)
- Leg raises (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the hanging straight leg raise)
- Wall handstand push-up (level 10 is multiple reps/sets of the one-arm wall handstand push-up)
The book offers a few routines you can use to work through these progressions, most of which have you train 2-4 days per week, 30-60 minutes per day, starting with level 1 on each exercise, and each time you meet the standard for a level, moving up to the next. It's very easy to follow the routines and progressions, and if you manage to get to level 10 on each of these 6 exercises (which for most people will take years, if ever), you will be exceptionally fit.
3. Other useful tips
The book has a variety of other useful advice throughout:
- As implied by the title of the book, the book shares lots of tips and tricks on how to train in conditions where you have little-to-no equipment available and limited space, such as in prison. The 6 core exercises in the book require almost no equipment and some of the progressions make clever use of household items (e.g., chairs, basketballs, etc). I'm not in prison, but being trapped indoors due to COVID-19, I found some of the tips and tricks quite useful.
- The book points out that whereas barbell training teaches you to move an external object, bodyweight training teaches you to move your own body. The latter is likely more useful in most sports, fighting, and for overall health.
The not so good
- The subtitle of the book is silly. Ignore it.
- The writing isn't very good and has a lot of unnecessary tough-guy talk. Ignore it.
- The book has weird, perhaps broken typography. Ignore it.
- The 6 exercises the book focuses on are great, but they feel incomplete to me. In particular, as is often the case with bodyweight training routines, the focus is primarily on the upper body, and the lower back and legs don't get nearly enough attention, despite the fact that these parts of the body tend to matter far more in most real-world activities (playing sports, moving furniture, surviving a fight, etc). There's also a lack of horizontal rowing, which tends to be important for keeping the shoulders healthy and balanced with all the pushing motions. I don't recommend modifying the routine too much, but you may want to add 1-2 more lower body exercises (e.g., hyper extensions, reverse hyper extensions, broad jump, vertical jump, deadlift) and a rowing exercise (e.g., do a progression to work up to 1-arm horizontal rows).
- Level 10 varies wildly in difficulty across the 6 exercises. Level 10 of push-ups and squats, the one-arm push-up and one-legged squat, respectively, can be accomplished by the vast majority of people who train for them. On the other hand, relatively few people will get to level 10 of pull-ups, the one-arm pull-up, and I suspect virtually no one will get to level 10 of handstand push-ups, the one-arm handstand push-up. This isn't a huge problem, though it does mean that if you work at it for a few years, you'll get to the end of the progressions for some of these exercises much sooner than others, and will have to figure out new things to work on.
- The intro chapters try to make the case for why bodyweight training is superior and how the strongman of the past, who primarily used bodyweight training, were stronger than those of today, but this feels a bit silly to me. Bodyweight training has lots of advantages and drawbacks; so does barbell training. To claim one or the other is unilaterally better might help sell books, but that doesn't make it true. As for the strongmen, it's quite easy to see that modern strongmen have shattered just about every record from the past; the same goes for modern athletes in most sports; some of that is undoubtedly due to steroids, but training techniques have gotten better over time, and while we shouldn't forget the past, we shouldn't always assume it's better than the present.
April 22, 2020
3.5 ★
Life changing! But still this book (like almost every other book on calisthenics and workout in general) fails to provide the reader with adequate amount of information on diet and nutrition.
Life changing! But still this book (like almost every other book on calisthenics and workout in general) fails to provide the reader with adequate amount of information on diet and nutrition.
January 23, 2015
Convict conditioning is a workout program based around six very difficult body weight exercises. Basically you start with an easy movement (e.g. wall push up), and move through a 10-step progression until you end up at the master step (e.g. one arm push up).
The science of this program seems solid to me, and as an ex-gymnast I know that calisthenics is a legit way to get a strong and muscular body. The movements outlined in this text are natural for the human body, and the gentle progressions will allow the muscles and joints time to adjust.
One issue I had with this text is how Wade never admits that some people are pleased with the results they get from weight training. He makes it sound like everyone who weight trains is either (i) on steroids or (ii) not making any progress. I know quite a few people who would disagree with that!
I'm going to try this program for awhile, I'm hoping it will increase my strength for martial arts.
The science of this program seems solid to me, and as an ex-gymnast I know that calisthenics is a legit way to get a strong and muscular body. The movements outlined in this text are natural for the human body, and the gentle progressions will allow the muscles and joints time to adjust.
One issue I had with this text is how Wade never admits that some people are pleased with the results they get from weight training. He makes it sound like everyone who weight trains is either (i) on steroids or (ii) not making any progress. I know quite a few people who would disagree with that!
I'm going to try this program for awhile, I'm hoping it will increase my strength for martial arts.
April 16, 2017
My nephew turned me on to this book, written by a man who spent over 20 years in federal prisons and compiled an awesome amount of research into bodyweight training (calisthenics if you insist), the history and the benefits. Actually, it's debated that Wade may in fact be fraudulent in claiming this prison background, but whoever the author is, he's obviously done his research. It's a pitiful attempt to try summarizing this book, but let me hit the key points. Very, very few workout enthusiasts today give any credence to calisthenics as anything other than a supplement for weight resistance or for toning and developing endurance. You DON'T use calisthenics for building strength or adding muscle mass. Right?
This very persuasive book tells how this has only been the case for the past 50 years. Gyms have marketed very well and since the invention of the adjustable barbell and then Nautilus machines have all but removed from memory that for thousands of years, the ONLY way people trained were with their own body weight. Look at the ancient Greek statues. Those models came from real people - people trained in calisthenics. Look at the Spartans, mighty warriors who had no equal - all trained in intense bodyweight training.
Paul Wade's book teaches correct form that leads you through 10 steps of 6 different exercises, leading to very difficult master steps such as a one-arm pushup, a one-leg squat, a one-arm pull-up, a stand to stand bridge, a hanging leg raise and a one-arm handstand pushup. These are exercises that will give you strength, muscle, and endurance. Unlike weight training, it will also strengthen the tendons and the joints. The exercises also greatly increase flexibility and agility. In fact, many of the exercises are used by gymnasts. I weigh 151. If I could do a proper handstand pushup with two arms, it would be like lifting someone my size over my head. My dance partner is decidedly less than 151. But my goal is a one-arm handstand pushup, and that would be like lifting over 300 pounds over my head.
The detail of instruction as to correct form (there's so much I never knew about regular pushups), workout schedule, how to progress is meticulous. I've begun at the beginning, doing the "baby" steps that should be too easy for me, and yet - focusing on absolute perfect form, I am getting one heck of a workout. I am feeling total body strength that I haven't had for a while. This book is very inspirational. I know I can't rest until I can do all those master steps, even if it takes me 10 years to get there.
This very persuasive book tells how this has only been the case for the past 50 years. Gyms have marketed very well and since the invention of the adjustable barbell and then Nautilus machines have all but removed from memory that for thousands of years, the ONLY way people trained were with their own body weight. Look at the ancient Greek statues. Those models came from real people - people trained in calisthenics. Look at the Spartans, mighty warriors who had no equal - all trained in intense bodyweight training.
Paul Wade's book teaches correct form that leads you through 10 steps of 6 different exercises, leading to very difficult master steps such as a one-arm pushup, a one-leg squat, a one-arm pull-up, a stand to stand bridge, a hanging leg raise and a one-arm handstand pushup. These are exercises that will give you strength, muscle, and endurance. Unlike weight training, it will also strengthen the tendons and the joints. The exercises also greatly increase flexibility and agility. In fact, many of the exercises are used by gymnasts. I weigh 151. If I could do a proper handstand pushup with two arms, it would be like lifting someone my size over my head. My dance partner is decidedly less than 151. But my goal is a one-arm handstand pushup, and that would be like lifting over 300 pounds over my head.
The detail of instruction as to correct form (there's so much I never knew about regular pushups), workout schedule, how to progress is meticulous. I've begun at the beginning, doing the "baby" steps that should be too easy for me, and yet - focusing on absolute perfect form, I am getting one heck of a workout. I am feeling total body strength that I haven't had for a while. This book is very inspirational. I know I can't rest until I can do all those master steps, even if it takes me 10 years to get there.
April 30, 2015
Sorry folks, the emperor has no clothes. A mediocre calisthenics program cloaked in a fictional convict storyline, designed to draw in the naive or wannabe tough guys.
October 21, 2014
I don't even know where to start with this book. I am a little embarrassed I bought into the marketing. First off, three weeks into this program I started losing strength. In hindsight, this isn't surprising, as doing the volume/weekly load as recommended in the book contradicts a lot of well known strength training principles.
Second, one of the exercises to strive for in the book is multiple one handed handstand push-up. There seems to be no one who can actually accomplish this feat that we know of, 'Paul Wade' included.
Third, the whole 'ancient prison training secrets' thing is ridiculous. There is no codified secret training doctrine being passed down generation to generation in our penitentiary by wise old genius convicts. Sorry folks, the emperor has no clothes. It's a fun little story and probably motivates younger impressionable guys that buy into the whole schtick. Plus, if you read the book, you won't learn any magical secrets. When you strip it of the hype and marketing, what's left is a pretty mediocre bodyweight progression.
I would love to see one professional or reputable athlete tell us he got strong using this book. Somehow I don't think gymnasts, NFL players or Olympians are using the 'secret techniques' in convict conditioning. Sorry, but I'm going to call a spade a spade here. There are far better calisthenics training programs out there that aren't fictional, especially with the outrageous price tag on this one.
Second, one of the exercises to strive for in the book is multiple one handed handstand push-up. There seems to be no one who can actually accomplish this feat that we know of, 'Paul Wade' included.
Third, the whole 'ancient prison training secrets' thing is ridiculous. There is no codified secret training doctrine being passed down generation to generation in our penitentiary by wise old genius convicts. Sorry folks, the emperor has no clothes. It's a fun little story and probably motivates younger impressionable guys that buy into the whole schtick. Plus, if you read the book, you won't learn any magical secrets. When you strip it of the hype and marketing, what's left is a pretty mediocre bodyweight progression.
I would love to see one professional or reputable athlete tell us he got strong using this book. Somehow I don't think gymnasts, NFL players or Olympians are using the 'secret techniques' in convict conditioning. Sorry, but I'm going to call a spade a spade here. There are far better calisthenics training programs out there that aren't fictional, especially with the outrageous price tag on this one.
December 2, 2012
Presents 6 "ultimate" body-weight exercises, ranging in difficulty from 'you might already be able to do this' (one-legged pistol squats and hanging straight leg raises) to 'nobody has ever done this before, or at least posted a video to prove it on YouTube' (one-arm handstand pushups). The other 3 exercises are one-arm pushup (keeping the arm in and feet close together, this is really difficult), one-arm chinup, and stand-to-stand back bridges (hard in any case, but much harder with your feet close together). For each of these 6 exercises, he presents 10 progressive steps to build up to them.
The 10 progressive exercises are often really good, though sometimes I've found better ones on the web, especially for the more popular ones (one-arm chinup, pistol squat, and one-arm pushup). I followed the book pretty strictly for about 10 months, until I dislocated my shoulder rock-climbing. I'm recovered and back to the exercises now, in principle, but I don't follow the book anymore. I've got my own progressions and modifications I've made up or gotten from other sources.
I think the stand-to-stand back bridge is the most unique contribution of the book -- I've never seen it presented before as a strength-training exercise, but it's really good. I think the 6 exercise types make a nice set for a workout.
I found the book a lot of fun, and pretty motivational, especially if you like the idea of strength training without a gym. The premise of the book is that the author, "Paul Wade", learned the 'lost art of calisthenics' while in prison... and there's a lot of talk about how the guys do it in the slammer/joint/etc. Some people find the conceit annoying, but I find it kind of amusing. There's huge debate on the web about whether Paul Wade 'the prisoner' is actually a real person. I say, whatever ;) Ok, that's a total lie. I'm really into this question myself...
The book gives very strict guidelines for 'proper form', along the lines of what constitutes a legitimate rep of each of these exercises. Also gives some good pointers on how to keep the exercises safe...
But there's another book, "Naked Warrior" by Pavel Tsatsouline, which is an order of magnitude better on describing technique for the pistol squat and the one-arm pushup (in fact, the whole book is just on those two exercises).
The 10 progressive exercises are often really good, though sometimes I've found better ones on the web, especially for the more popular ones (one-arm chinup, pistol squat, and one-arm pushup). I followed the book pretty strictly for about 10 months, until I dislocated my shoulder rock-climbing. I'm recovered and back to the exercises now, in principle, but I don't follow the book anymore. I've got my own progressions and modifications I've made up or gotten from other sources.
I think the stand-to-stand back bridge is the most unique contribution of the book -- I've never seen it presented before as a strength-training exercise, but it's really good. I think the 6 exercise types make a nice set for a workout.
I found the book a lot of fun, and pretty motivational, especially if you like the idea of strength training without a gym. The premise of the book is that the author, "Paul Wade", learned the 'lost art of calisthenics' while in prison... and there's a lot of talk about how the guys do it in the slammer/joint/etc. Some people find the conceit annoying, but I find it kind of amusing. There's huge debate on the web about whether Paul Wade 'the prisoner' is actually a real person. I say, whatever ;) Ok, that's a total lie. I'm really into this question myself...
The book gives very strict guidelines for 'proper form', along the lines of what constitutes a legitimate rep of each of these exercises. Also gives some good pointers on how to keep the exercises safe...
But there's another book, "Naked Warrior" by Pavel Tsatsouline, which is an order of magnitude better on describing technique for the pistol squat and the one-arm pushup (in fact, the whole book is just on those two exercises).
November 18, 2025
Como todos los libros de esta editorial, tiene un primer capítulo que es absolutamente prescindible donde el autor nos cuenta sobre los trozs de su vida que ha pasado en prisión, lo duro que es, y cómo el entrenamiento de los HOMBRES HOMBRES es el entrenamiento con peso corporal. Totalmente ignorable.
El resto del libro es, simplemente, excelente.
El autor se pronuncia por 6 ejercicios que cubren todos los músculos del cuerpo, y crea una progresión en 10 pasos para dominar las variantes más difíciles de cada uno: de este modo, si haces flexiones acabas haciendo flexiones con 1 brazo, sentadillas con 1 pierna, dominadas con un brazo y así. La progresión está claramente estructurada en 10 pasos, desde la versión más fácil de cada ejercicio hasta la más dura, e incluye diferentes programas sencillos de seguir y claramente estructurados para llegar a dominar cada uno de los ejercicios.
Tras la descripción de los ejercicios, viene un capítulo interesante sobre conceptos a tener en cuenta a la hora de entrenar (calentamiento, progresión, descansos, etc) y los programas propiamente dichos, desde el más novato hasta uno que llama Supermax que es una locura.
Así que comparando con You Are Your Own Gym (la biblia de ejercicios de peso corporal):
- Pros: hay muchos menos ejercicios y las progresiones están claramente estructuradas. Al ser rutinas más sencillas son más fáciles de seguir. Estructurar cada ejercicio en una progresión de 10 pasos hace que obtengas una clara sensación de logro conforme dominas cada uno. Los ejercicios están explicados en exquisito detalle. Para un completo novato, la progresión inicial es más sencilla, conozco gente que ha intentado los programas más básicos del libro de Lauren y no han podido.
- Los contras: si te gusta la variedad, aquí hay mucha menos. Está centrado fundamentalmente en desarrollar fuerza, no todas las cualidades físicas como el libro de Mark Lauren (aunque algunos de los programas son más de resistencia que otra cosa). El estilo de macho man a veces es muy muy cansino.
Incluso si tienes You Are Your Own Gym, este libro es una adición más que recomendable, sobre todo si estás atascado en algún ejercicio particular.
El resto del libro es, simplemente, excelente.
El autor se pronuncia por 6 ejercicios que cubren todos los músculos del cuerpo, y crea una progresión en 10 pasos para dominar las variantes más difíciles de cada uno: de este modo, si haces flexiones acabas haciendo flexiones con 1 brazo, sentadillas con 1 pierna, dominadas con un brazo y así. La progresión está claramente estructurada en 10 pasos, desde la versión más fácil de cada ejercicio hasta la más dura, e incluye diferentes programas sencillos de seguir y claramente estructurados para llegar a dominar cada uno de los ejercicios.
Tras la descripción de los ejercicios, viene un capítulo interesante sobre conceptos a tener en cuenta a la hora de entrenar (calentamiento, progresión, descansos, etc) y los programas propiamente dichos, desde el más novato hasta uno que llama Supermax que es una locura.
Así que comparando con You Are Your Own Gym (la biblia de ejercicios de peso corporal):
- Pros: hay muchos menos ejercicios y las progresiones están claramente estructuradas. Al ser rutinas más sencillas son más fáciles de seguir. Estructurar cada ejercicio en una progresión de 10 pasos hace que obtengas una clara sensación de logro conforme dominas cada uno. Los ejercicios están explicados en exquisito detalle. Para un completo novato, la progresión inicial es más sencilla, conozco gente que ha intentado los programas más básicos del libro de Lauren y no han podido.
- Los contras: si te gusta la variedad, aquí hay mucha menos. Está centrado fundamentalmente en desarrollar fuerza, no todas las cualidades físicas como el libro de Mark Lauren (aunque algunos de los programas son más de resistencia que otra cosa). El estilo de macho man a veces es muy muy cansino.
Incluso si tienes You Are Your Own Gym, este libro es una adición más que recomendable, sobre todo si estás atascado en algún ejercicio particular.
September 14, 2014
I really like the progressions and exercises planning that's laid out here. Definitely a must-have if you're into bodyweight training. Awesome workouts and training, and great step by step instructions.
Negatives: the book came off a little schlocky with the whole 'ancient prison knowledge' and secret squirrel prison techniques. My cousin is a jail guard in a federal pentitentiary and he told me it's a bunch of BS. Most inmates hit the bench press and don't really know what they're doing. There's no 'ancient preserved prison knowledge'. I mean for the most part these guys are losers and don't have the discipline to hold a job, never mind impart ancient training wisdom. But it's obviously an effective marketing tool. And the knowledge itself is very useful so who cares.
This book is now part of my regular training. I do 3 months of barbell training (Tactical Barbell) followed by 2 months of CC and rotate between the two. My results have been awesome.
Bottom line - highly recommended. Just ignore the hokey prison secrets premise.
Negatives: the book came off a little schlocky with the whole 'ancient prison knowledge' and secret squirrel prison techniques. My cousin is a jail guard in a federal pentitentiary and he told me it's a bunch of BS. Most inmates hit the bench press and don't really know what they're doing. There's no 'ancient preserved prison knowledge'. I mean for the most part these guys are losers and don't have the discipline to hold a job, never mind impart ancient training wisdom. But it's obviously an effective marketing tool. And the knowledge itself is very useful so who cares.
This book is now part of my regular training. I do 3 months of barbell training (Tactical Barbell) followed by 2 months of CC and rotate between the two. My results have been awesome.
Bottom line - highly recommended. Just ignore the hokey prison secrets premise.
February 23, 2013
It's somewhat overly bold and cliche to say "This book will change your life," but this book really will change your life. If you apply the principles in this book, you will never need to buy another weight, spend another dollar on gym equipment or gym fees, or complain that you don't have the time or space to workout today. Paul Wade (assuming he actually exists, which I don't think he does) demonstrates a number of principles that take the centuries-old technique of "body-weight training" and puts it into a systematic fashion designed for growth.
Wade takes six exercises (or power moves) and gently walks the trainee through each of them. For example, the goal for working out the back is obviously pull ups, and the super move is "one-handed pull ups." Few humans can do that, so Wade starts you off at "baby moves" and once you complete a certain progression standard (x sets at y number of reps) you go to the next phase (labeled 1-6). This takes time and the willingness to fail. Most people who have some strength training experience can usually start off at phase 3 or 5.
His technique "works," plain and simple (though I have some problems with some of his suggestions, which I will list below). Body-weight training makes the body move against resistance in exactly the way God designed it to work. As a result, you got stronger at a faster rate. But you don't simply get "stronger" or "bigger muscles," though that certainly happens. Because you are training in a way that the greatest athletes and warriors have trained for the past five thousand years, you also grow in joint strength, tendon strength and even neurological strength (your nervous system will get stronger on the "bridge" and "stomach" workouts. You are forcing your mind to work in harmony with your body on moves that you really do not believe are possible, buy you to do them anyway). Weight lifting can only give you a fraction of that kind of strength.
Pros
Even the most insane workout regimen in this book can be completed in under thirty minutes and most under fifteen. For example, I have decent stomach muscles but I never really worked out my "abs" because I got bored doing the "Arnold" workout (4 x 25 crunches). Wade explains with body weight ab moves, you don't need to do an insane amount of reps. A sufficient number will do because these moves will simultaneously work out the lower back, hips, and lower abs. (Getting a "ripped" six pack has more to do with diet and aerobics than reps).
For the first few months, bodyweight training has a "multiplier effect" on your strength. Because each phase is categorically more difficult than the last, the body is forced to move to new heights. Think about it: if on week one you can barely do 5 reps of one-half handstand should presses, think of how strong (and muscled) you will be weeks later when you can do 2 sets of 20 reps of full handstand shoulder presses! And he has a gentle, but consistent plan to get you there.
Cons
I really have questions on his urging us to do one-arm chin ups. Yes, it will mean you are insanely strong, but it also places an inordinate amount of strain on the forearms and for most people this will mean they have to lay off of workouts for a few weeks. I really believe that one can get similar gains doing weighted chin ups (with a kettlebell; this way you don't have to touch a weight!) which will also build forearm strength and eventually allow you to do one arm chin ups.
Conclusion
How will this book change your life? Let's be honest: the workout moves in this book are brutal. After you have punished your body like this, why would you ruin what you have accomplished by going and gorging on junk food? Even someone with modest discipline levels knows better than this? Further, since you are lifting your body in these moves, you need to keep your weight under control. See what just happened: this is a cut-and-dry plan for losing weight, getting in shape, and gaining more energy without having to do a metrosexual workout plan or buying some snake oil product.
Wade takes six exercises (or power moves) and gently walks the trainee through each of them. For example, the goal for working out the back is obviously pull ups, and the super move is "one-handed pull ups." Few humans can do that, so Wade starts you off at "baby moves" and once you complete a certain progression standard (x sets at y number of reps) you go to the next phase (labeled 1-6). This takes time and the willingness to fail. Most people who have some strength training experience can usually start off at phase 3 or 5.
His technique "works," plain and simple (though I have some problems with some of his suggestions, which I will list below). Body-weight training makes the body move against resistance in exactly the way God designed it to work. As a result, you got stronger at a faster rate. But you don't simply get "stronger" or "bigger muscles," though that certainly happens. Because you are training in a way that the greatest athletes and warriors have trained for the past five thousand years, you also grow in joint strength, tendon strength and even neurological strength (your nervous system will get stronger on the "bridge" and "stomach" workouts. You are forcing your mind to work in harmony with your body on moves that you really do not believe are possible, buy you to do them anyway). Weight lifting can only give you a fraction of that kind of strength.
Pros
Even the most insane workout regimen in this book can be completed in under thirty minutes and most under fifteen. For example, I have decent stomach muscles but I never really worked out my "abs" because I got bored doing the "Arnold" workout (4 x 25 crunches). Wade explains with body weight ab moves, you don't need to do an insane amount of reps. A sufficient number will do because these moves will simultaneously work out the lower back, hips, and lower abs. (Getting a "ripped" six pack has more to do with diet and aerobics than reps).
For the first few months, bodyweight training has a "multiplier effect" on your strength. Because each phase is categorically more difficult than the last, the body is forced to move to new heights. Think about it: if on week one you can barely do 5 reps of one-half handstand should presses, think of how strong (and muscled) you will be weeks later when you can do 2 sets of 20 reps of full handstand shoulder presses! And he has a gentle, but consistent plan to get you there.
Cons
I really have questions on his urging us to do one-arm chin ups. Yes, it will mean you are insanely strong, but it also places an inordinate amount of strain on the forearms and for most people this will mean they have to lay off of workouts for a few weeks. I really believe that one can get similar gains doing weighted chin ups (with a kettlebell; this way you don't have to touch a weight!) which will also build forearm strength and eventually allow you to do one arm chin ups.
Conclusion
How will this book change your life? Let's be honest: the workout moves in this book are brutal. After you have punished your body like this, why would you ruin what you have accomplished by going and gorging on junk food? Even someone with modest discipline levels knows better than this? Further, since you are lifting your body in these moves, you need to keep your weight under control. See what just happened: this is a cut-and-dry plan for losing weight, getting in shape, and gaining more energy without having to do a metrosexual workout plan or buying some snake oil product.
November 3, 2016
My brother got me onto this book and I must thank him greatly for it.
I have been a follower of Pavel's Naked Warrior philosophy and exercises for about 10 years now and have gotten a great deal out of them....but, there have always been things about Pavel's style of writing that have bothered me. First off, his train of thought is never linear when he has an idea/concept to get across and he doesn't "lead in" to hard exercises, with easier ones in a logical or progressive way, it's much more of a mishmash kind of style. That said, most of the concepts he proposes are downright fantastic and the Naked Warrior is revolutionary in it's vision, I recommend it for the concepts he voices alone.
Now onto Coach Wades book.
It is simply better than any other book on the subject of calisthenics training I have ever read. For sure, some people are going to get turned off by the title, so be it, others will be bothered by the manner of speech that is used from time to time to sell his idea over others, I get that too (there is plenty of good tongue-in-cheek macho quotes in there though), some may even rebel at the training philosophy as it heavily contradicts accepted modern gym philosophy but hey, sorry folks, that is a good thing and it is about time it started to get said. But, I would find it hard to believe, very hard to believe, that people could find the content weak/lacking, or not explained clearly or that they found the program was ill structured. If some did, my immediate thoughts on hearing that would be that they simply missed something in the reading of the book (no disrespect intended to anyone).
The concept/format put forward has a few things in it that are simply brilliant; it's choice of exercises (The Big Six) are brilliant, it's progressive program structure (the 10 steps) makes life easier, it's focus on form over everything else (performance, exercise x-ray, perfecting your technique and training goals) just makes perfect sense, it's insistence on patience at all costs is again, solid advice. There are also lists of alternatives within The Big Six format as well as a few ideas given in a part called; "going beyond" in each of the sections, for those looking for something even harder (if any of us ever get to the even harder part, they can easily be used as strength games on boring days though), there is also a lot of historical, anatomical, and fun facts relating to each of the chosen exercises and why the alternatives weren't chosen. Like I said, logical and structured.
I would recommend this book to those who wish to continue training with, or after, an injury, people that are less strong for one reason or another, athletes that are dead serious about strength (climbers, gymnasts, rowers, sprinters, footy/rugby players etc.) martial arts of all styles, firemen, police, soldiers or just plain old Joe soaps, pretty much anyone that would like to condition themselves, a little or a lot (it's up to the individual how far they wish to take it), without the cost of a gym.
Quote from the book: "The fitness industry has duped the whole world into thinking it can't get
by without all this equipment; equipment it then sells to the mark, or rents out at exorbitant prices
(in the case of gym membership).....I admire the con trick for what it is-a perfect grift.
I hope this review helps somebody out there to make a choice one way or the other, respect.
I have been a follower of Pavel's Naked Warrior philosophy and exercises for about 10 years now and have gotten a great deal out of them....but, there have always been things about Pavel's style of writing that have bothered me. First off, his train of thought is never linear when he has an idea/concept to get across and he doesn't "lead in" to hard exercises, with easier ones in a logical or progressive way, it's much more of a mishmash kind of style. That said, most of the concepts he proposes are downright fantastic and the Naked Warrior is revolutionary in it's vision, I recommend it for the concepts he voices alone.
Now onto Coach Wades book.
It is simply better than any other book on the subject of calisthenics training I have ever read. For sure, some people are going to get turned off by the title, so be it, others will be bothered by the manner of speech that is used from time to time to sell his idea over others, I get that too (there is plenty of good tongue-in-cheek macho quotes in there though), some may even rebel at the training philosophy as it heavily contradicts accepted modern gym philosophy but hey, sorry folks, that is a good thing and it is about time it started to get said. But, I would find it hard to believe, very hard to believe, that people could find the content weak/lacking, or not explained clearly or that they found the program was ill structured. If some did, my immediate thoughts on hearing that would be that they simply missed something in the reading of the book (no disrespect intended to anyone).
The concept/format put forward has a few things in it that are simply brilliant; it's choice of exercises (The Big Six) are brilliant, it's progressive program structure (the 10 steps) makes life easier, it's focus on form over everything else (performance, exercise x-ray, perfecting your technique and training goals) just makes perfect sense, it's insistence on patience at all costs is again, solid advice. There are also lists of alternatives within The Big Six format as well as a few ideas given in a part called; "going beyond" in each of the sections, for those looking for something even harder (if any of us ever get to the even harder part, they can easily be used as strength games on boring days though), there is also a lot of historical, anatomical, and fun facts relating to each of the chosen exercises and why the alternatives weren't chosen. Like I said, logical and structured.
I would recommend this book to those who wish to continue training with, or after, an injury, people that are less strong for one reason or another, athletes that are dead serious about strength (climbers, gymnasts, rowers, sprinters, footy/rugby players etc.) martial arts of all styles, firemen, police, soldiers or just plain old Joe soaps, pretty much anyone that would like to condition themselves, a little or a lot (it's up to the individual how far they wish to take it), without the cost of a gym.
Quote from the book: "The fitness industry has duped the whole world into thinking it can't get
by without all this equipment; equipment it then sells to the mark, or rents out at exorbitant prices
(in the case of gym membership).....I admire the con trick for what it is-a perfect grift.
I hope this review helps somebody out there to make a choice one way or the other, respect.
September 18, 2014
The actual program is okay, but there's far better out there. The marketing and "convict" premise of this book really turned me off. Reminds me of those old ads in the back of magazines promising to "turn you into a killing machine in 30 minutes with secret green beret techniques" or some such nonsense.
I also think the author is a figment of Dragondoor's imagination, and an ingenious marketing ploy - which is fine - if the information is good. Dragondoor really went downhill after losing Pavel, and they seem to be desperately trying to make a quick buck by putting repackaged low quality concepts out every few months. They appear to be grooming graduates of their various 'certs' to be gurus, and sadly, these new 'gurus' are buying into their own legends after a weekend of training.
There are a few decent progression tips, but I would skip this one and look into Naked Warrior (another overpriced dragondoor product - but will translate into results - so worth it imo), and Overcoming Gravity.
I also think the author is a figment of Dragondoor's imagination, and an ingenious marketing ploy - which is fine - if the information is good. Dragondoor really went downhill after losing Pavel, and they seem to be desperately trying to make a quick buck by putting repackaged low quality concepts out every few months. They appear to be grooming graduates of their various 'certs' to be gurus, and sadly, these new 'gurus' are buying into their own legends after a weekend of training.
There are a few decent progression tips, but I would skip this one and look into Naked Warrior (another overpriced dragondoor product - but will translate into results - so worth it imo), and Overcoming Gravity.
June 13, 2012
Wonderful book for the most part and rather entertaining as it puts the beat down on weight lifting. The big 6 is a wonderful start with each exercise having a 10 step progression with the last being the master step. The problem with the book is in part the huge jump of progression with much much struggling. I have read the CC2 and his FAQ books and in I believe his FAQ book he said that he actually did more progressions to get to the point of doing some of the one handed stuff. I think it would have been a better book if he included some more of that information. Naked Warrior a book by Pavel Tsatsouline really helped fill in the gaps this book left and when coupled together give a more rounded workout program of the BIG 6 movements.
December 18, 2011
This is such a great book for someone who wants to get in great shape in their own time. All of the exercises are completely charged by your own body weight, so no need to fight for a lot of equipment at the gym. The author really takes time to explain his rational for the six exercises he advocates, and even more time describing how to do them properly. This will be part of my new workout regimen for the new year.
December 13, 2014
Not the first book I'd recommend in this category. Overcoming Gravity, Never Gymless and Naked Warrior will give you far better results; minus the rivetting fictional convict backstory. Honestly, in addition to superhuman convicts this book even incorporates Navy Seals - all the elements required to hook the minds of young impressionable wannabe warriors typically found on the dragondoor forums.
May 30, 2017
This Book will Take you away from your Gym forever.
The Author explains ..how 6 simple exercises are all , that takes to build a rock solid body. The Book combines with logic and steps for someone who has never worked out , to train him to most difficult workout that can be possible for any human to do.
I am convinced ...and i am sure .. after you read this , you will be too....
The Author explains ..how 6 simple exercises are all , that takes to build a rock solid body. The Book combines with logic and steps for someone who has never worked out , to train him to most difficult workout that can be possible for any human to do.
I am convinced ...and i am sure .. after you read this , you will be too....
June 15, 2021
TAKEAWAY: UNSCIENTIFIC
THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE REAL STRENGTH IS TO BE A BEAR
RATINGS:
TASTE - 2/5
TEXTURE - 2/5
MOUTHFEEL - 3/5
BOOK - 2/5
FINAL SCORE - 2/5
THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE REAL STRENGTH IS TO BE A BEAR
RATINGS:
TASTE - 2/5
TEXTURE - 2/5
MOUTHFEEL - 3/5
BOOK - 2/5
FINAL SCORE - 2/5
February 25, 2021
I initially went into this book looking for a simple guide to basic calisthenics. I initially tried reading "Overcoming Gravity" by Steven Low, although found it too technical to understand. So I picked up Convict Conditioning because it seemed to get a lot of online praise from calisthenics enthusiasts. The concept of a convict giving calisthenics advice sounded a bit silly. However I admit that I at least liked the theme that was initially presented; that being freedom of body and mind:
"And the central message needs to stand: there IS a freedom that cannot be taken from you ... that's the freedom to cultivate the magnificence of your own body and mind, regardless of external environment" (forward)
And I think that's an important message for calisthenics in general. However the author, Paul Wade, almost immediately loses credibility in Chapter 1 by making the accusation that anyone who isn't doing calisthenics is a (i.e. using machines / weight lifting) is immediately a fraud and probably a steroid abuser. This is literally the first sentence of the first chapter:
"Walk into virtually any gym in the world and you will find any number of pumped up steroid users who think they are 'strong' men because they have eighteen-inch arms, cam bench press a heavy bar, or look big in a tank top or T-shirt." (Chapter 1)
And not only does he accuse people of who weight train as steroid abusers, he immediately follows this by claiming you don't gain "real power" from weight lifting:
"But how many of them are truly powerful? ... The answer is: Almost none. (Chapter 1)
It leaves such a bad first impression to make an accusation that is so blatantly untrue. He could have said there are advantages to calisthenics over weight training, such as being less prone to injury or being able to exercise anywhere. But Paul Wade instead chooses to frame weight training as a modern mistake rather than an alternative that has it's own pros and cons. It makes it feel like Wade is trying to sell calisthenics rather than present it honestly.
I get that "Paul Wade" is probably a fictional character. I knew that before reading Convict Conditioning and was willing to forgo that as long as there were truth in the messages of the book. I initially thought the author created this fictional convict character to make the reading more engaging, but it honestly seems to be used more to push an agenda that going to the gym is bad. It seems to prey on insecurities of men who are anxious to go to gyms, and creates this narrative that people who gain success through gyms are cheats:
"Somehow, in commercial gyms, this hard-earned traditional knowledge has gotten lost or been smothered in favor of gadgets, gimmicks, and new systems that aren't worth a dime unless you are all jacked up on steroids." (Chapter 4)
I would be willing to turn a blind eye on this if it were only presented in the first Chapter, but the quote above is from Chapter 4, one third through the book! The first four chapters are a bunch of "anecdotes" about how calisthenics was the standard form of bodybuilding, and that weight machines are modern inventions that can't be trusted for good results. It was so obnoxious that I didn't feel confident about using the rest of the book as a reliable source.
Fortunately the rest of the book seems to be focused solely on the exercises. Part II has 6 chapters dedicated to individual exercises, and includes variants of each exercise that you can work up to achieving (i.e. wall pushups -> knee pushups -> regular pushups -> one-handed pushups). It explains which parts of the body benefit from these exercises and shows how to do the movement properly. Part III includes recommended training schedules, and emphasizes that it's important to develop strength in a variety of muscles instead of focusing on just one exercise.
I think this is all pretty sound advice, and I can understand why people praise this aspect of the book. However the way this book presents itself gives me little faith to follow these exercises, because the first four chapters felt like I was being sold snake oil. And honestly you could find most of the information in Part II / Part III of the book online, with additional information such as nutrition recommendations which is completely absent from this book despite being a critical part to gaining muscle mass.
"A lot of guys inside are gonna be pretty pissed at me that this system - given complete - is now 'out there,' in the public domain." (Chapter 4)
Sure Paul Wade.
"And the central message needs to stand: there IS a freedom that cannot be taken from you ... that's the freedom to cultivate the magnificence of your own body and mind, regardless of external environment" (forward)
And I think that's an important message for calisthenics in general. However the author, Paul Wade, almost immediately loses credibility in Chapter 1 by making the accusation that anyone who isn't doing calisthenics is a (i.e. using machines / weight lifting) is immediately a fraud and probably a steroid abuser. This is literally the first sentence of the first chapter:
"Walk into virtually any gym in the world and you will find any number of pumped up steroid users who think they are 'strong' men because they have eighteen-inch arms, cam bench press a heavy bar, or look big in a tank top or T-shirt." (Chapter 1)
And not only does he accuse people of who weight train as steroid abusers, he immediately follows this by claiming you don't gain "real power" from weight lifting:
"But how many of them are truly powerful? ... The answer is: Almost none. (Chapter 1)
It leaves such a bad first impression to make an accusation that is so blatantly untrue. He could have said there are advantages to calisthenics over weight training, such as being less prone to injury or being able to exercise anywhere. But Paul Wade instead chooses to frame weight training as a modern mistake rather than an alternative that has it's own pros and cons. It makes it feel like Wade is trying to sell calisthenics rather than present it honestly.
I get that "Paul Wade" is probably a fictional character. I knew that before reading Convict Conditioning and was willing to forgo that as long as there were truth in the messages of the book. I initially thought the author created this fictional convict character to make the reading more engaging, but it honestly seems to be used more to push an agenda that going to the gym is bad. It seems to prey on insecurities of men who are anxious to go to gyms, and creates this narrative that people who gain success through gyms are cheats:
"Somehow, in commercial gyms, this hard-earned traditional knowledge has gotten lost or been smothered in favor of gadgets, gimmicks, and new systems that aren't worth a dime unless you are all jacked up on steroids." (Chapter 4)
I would be willing to turn a blind eye on this if it were only presented in the first Chapter, but the quote above is from Chapter 4, one third through the book! The first four chapters are a bunch of "anecdotes" about how calisthenics was the standard form of bodybuilding, and that weight machines are modern inventions that can't be trusted for good results. It was so obnoxious that I didn't feel confident about using the rest of the book as a reliable source.
Fortunately the rest of the book seems to be focused solely on the exercises. Part II has 6 chapters dedicated to individual exercises, and includes variants of each exercise that you can work up to achieving (i.e. wall pushups -> knee pushups -> regular pushups -> one-handed pushups). It explains which parts of the body benefit from these exercises and shows how to do the movement properly. Part III includes recommended training schedules, and emphasizes that it's important to develop strength in a variety of muscles instead of focusing on just one exercise.
I think this is all pretty sound advice, and I can understand why people praise this aspect of the book. However the way this book presents itself gives me little faith to follow these exercises, because the first four chapters felt like I was being sold snake oil. And honestly you could find most of the information in Part II / Part III of the book online, with additional information such as nutrition recommendations which is completely absent from this book despite being a critical part to gaining muscle mass.
"A lot of guys inside are gonna be pretty pissed at me that this system - given complete - is now 'out there,' in the public domain." (Chapter 4)
Sure Paul Wade.
December 23, 2020
For anyone looking to build strength with zero equipment or starting strength, this book is a great starting point.
Some background on my experience: I've been lifting seriously for about two years, and then switched to cycling at the beginning of quarantine since I don't have access to a gym any more. I've never seriously trained calisthenics, and I read this book in an attempt to recover some of the strength I've lost since losing access to the gym.
The first section of this book discussing the "hidden power" of calisthenics can be safely discarded as BS. Wade is a die-hard calisthenics guru, and hates any weighted exercise. His claims that people were stronger and hotter back before barbells were invented are provably false, but I also understand that the book needed some kind of filler to make it marketable; I don't think it detracts from the quality of the advice on calisthenics training.
The training progressions listed in the middle of the book are remarkably beginner-friendly. With a title like "Convict Conditioning" I was expecting macho BS starting with high reps of hard work. Wade is very conservative and repeatedly recommends a slow, deliberate training philosophy. His "Big Six" exercises cover all muscle groups and progression is mostly good between steps.
My biggest complaint about the actual training is that in trying to make the system consistent, some progression jumps are larger than others. He commits to each exercise having 10 progression steps because it's clean and neat, but some (like pushups) realistically need less than others (Handstand pushups). This results in inconsistent gaps between steps, but overall isn't a huge issue. The largest gaps are still manageable in my opinion.
I think this is probably one of the best at-home workout regimens I've come across. The training philosophy is solid, even if some of the opinions on weight training are not. It's not a particularly fun book to read, but it doesn't really need to be. 3/5
Some background on my experience: I've been lifting seriously for about two years, and then switched to cycling at the beginning of quarantine since I don't have access to a gym any more. I've never seriously trained calisthenics, and I read this book in an attempt to recover some of the strength I've lost since losing access to the gym.
The first section of this book discussing the "hidden power" of calisthenics can be safely discarded as BS. Wade is a die-hard calisthenics guru, and hates any weighted exercise. His claims that people were stronger and hotter back before barbells were invented are provably false, but I also understand that the book needed some kind of filler to make it marketable; I don't think it detracts from the quality of the advice on calisthenics training.
The training progressions listed in the middle of the book are remarkably beginner-friendly. With a title like "Convict Conditioning" I was expecting macho BS starting with high reps of hard work. Wade is very conservative and repeatedly recommends a slow, deliberate training philosophy. His "Big Six" exercises cover all muscle groups and progression is mostly good between steps.
My biggest complaint about the actual training is that in trying to make the system consistent, some progression jumps are larger than others. He commits to each exercise having 10 progression steps because it's clean and neat, but some (like pushups) realistically need less than others (Handstand pushups). This results in inconsistent gaps between steps, but overall isn't a huge issue. The largest gaps are still manageable in my opinion.
I think this is probably one of the best at-home workout regimens I've come across. The training philosophy is solid, even if some of the opinions on weight training are not. It's not a particularly fun book to read, but it doesn't really need to be. 3/5
June 3, 2023
As an experienced fitness enthusiast with a decade of workouts under my belt, it's not every day that I find a book which revolutionizes my approach to exercise. Yet, "Convict Conditioning" has managed to do just that. This book has been a beacon of knowledge, serving as a perfect guide for my newly adopted digital nomad lifestyle.
The shift from traditional gym workouts to a more flexible and adaptable routine has been quite a transition. Frequently, I've found myself in rural villages where the only gym around is either non-existent or exorbitantly priced. In these moments, "Convict Conditioning" has proven to be a reliable companion.
What I truly appreciate about this book is its focus on the basics. It's an excellent introduction to bodyweight exercises that don't require any equipment. The book strips fitness down to its core, reminding us that all we need for a comprehensive workout is our own body. The detailed instructions and well-illustrated guides make the workouts accessible, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro.
"Convict Conditioning" doesn't just provide a workout plan; it fosters a different perspective on fitness. It emphasizes the importance of functionality and strength over aesthetic appeal, a concept often overlooked in our gym-centric culture.
The workouts are versatile and can be done anywhere, making it ideal for a nomadic lifestyle. From the remote countryside to a bustling city park, this book transforms any setting into your personal gym.
Overall, "Convict Conditioning" has been an invaluable addition to my fitness journey. It's not just a book, but a complete shift in mindset about what it means to stay fit. If you're on the road or just looking for a way to enhance your workouts without the need for expensive equipment, this book is a must-read.
Whether you're a digital nomad like me, or someone who simply seeks the freedom of equipment-free workouts, "Convict Conditioning" is the perfect guide to help you achieve your fitness goals, wherever your journey might take you.
The shift from traditional gym workouts to a more flexible and adaptable routine has been quite a transition. Frequently, I've found myself in rural villages where the only gym around is either non-existent or exorbitantly priced. In these moments, "Convict Conditioning" has proven to be a reliable companion.
What I truly appreciate about this book is its focus on the basics. It's an excellent introduction to bodyweight exercises that don't require any equipment. The book strips fitness down to its core, reminding us that all we need for a comprehensive workout is our own body. The detailed instructions and well-illustrated guides make the workouts accessible, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro.
"Convict Conditioning" doesn't just provide a workout plan; it fosters a different perspective on fitness. It emphasizes the importance of functionality and strength over aesthetic appeal, a concept often overlooked in our gym-centric culture.
The workouts are versatile and can be done anywhere, making it ideal for a nomadic lifestyle. From the remote countryside to a bustling city park, this book transforms any setting into your personal gym.
Overall, "Convict Conditioning" has been an invaluable addition to my fitness journey. It's not just a book, but a complete shift in mindset about what it means to stay fit. If you're on the road or just looking for a way to enhance your workouts without the need for expensive equipment, this book is a must-read.
Whether you're a digital nomad like me, or someone who simply seeks the freedom of equipment-free workouts, "Convict Conditioning" is the perfect guide to help you achieve your fitness goals, wherever your journey might take you.
February 27, 2025
My first encounter with this book was at the age of eleven when my father gave it to us to start drawing my ambitions and the dreamy result of the strength I would have after training!
Of course, I quickly got bored of the slow pace of training, and I would return to it every now and then.
Until 2023, when I decided to read it carefully and apply the exercises with prior knowledge of the book's vision.
This old school of training is what a person really needs. Modern athletes’ disasters require deep education, which is what the book provides.
Its impact is very profound on my training mentality, and I highly recommend it without a doubt.
Of course, I quickly got bored of the slow pace of training, and I would return to it every now and then.
Until 2023, when I decided to read it carefully and apply the exercises with prior knowledge of the book's vision.
This old school of training is what a person really needs. Modern athletes’ disasters require deep education, which is what the book provides.
Its impact is very profound on my training mentality, and I highly recommend it without a doubt.
June 7, 2025
книга достойна внимания. говорится о том, как тренажерки обманывают нас, как люди в качалке калечатся поднимая огромные веса и все такое
так же тут говорит автор, что тело это идеально сбалансированный вес для тренировки, доп веса не нужны
еще хочу сказать что эта книга очень практичная, просто читаешь и повторяешь, не думая.
я сейчас начал по ней тренироваться с самого первого уровня, постараюсь набраться терпения и постепенно переходить с уровня на уровень, выше и выше
так же тут говорит автор, что тело это идеально сбалансированный вес для тренировки, доп веса не нужны
еще хочу сказать что эта книга очень практичная, просто читаешь и повторяешь, не думая.
я сейчас начал по ней тренироваться с самого первого уровня, постараюсь набраться терпения и постепенно переходить с уровня на уровень, выше и выше
October 18, 2017
Такие книги по-хорошему, такие книги надо оценивать как тренера: есть результат или нет.
Мой результат - начал заниматься по описанной программе:) Посмотрим, как скоро начну подтягиваться на одной руке.
Хорошая книга, рекомендую.
Мой результат - начал заниматься по описанной программе:) Посмотрим, как скоро начну подтягиваться на одной руке.
Хорошая книга, рекомендую.
April 26, 2023
作者曾經在獄中發展出的一套徒手健身，徒手即不使用任何器材，因為監獄中沒有247。
我就快完gym plan，所以了解一下無器材健身。
Rate: 4.5/5
我就快完gym plan，所以了解一下無器材健身。
Rate: 4.5/5
December 26, 2021
Best workout book on the planet.
December 25, 2022
Zdecydowanie nie żałuję że się do niej przekonałam 😍😍😍
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