Book: "Convict Conditioning" Have it? What do you think?

jetscreaminagain

I'm one stage away from the end of New Rules of Lifting for Women. I love this program and I love lifting. However, I still don't have my pull up that I was promised (not really). And I think I might want to do something a bit different next time. New Rules got to be some really long work outs in previous stages, but stage 6 was 30 minutes tops. Weird. I like how New Rules seems to be designed to shore up weaknesses, which prevents injuries. There's some discussion in it about the mismatch in girls and boys between the strength of their quads versus their hamstrings. Interestingly, after training and playing soccer, the boys' mismatch is lessened while the girls' mismatch is made more extreme. This concerns me, but I don't know enough to feel confident to design my own program, and would like to address these mismatches.

However, a book called "Convict Conditioning" has caught my eye. All body weight exercises, but the badass ones like pull ups and handstand pushups and stuff like that. The idea is that if you're incarcerated, you don't have access to a Bally's but you can still get crazy fit. (this is actually not true, those guys have access to machines and free weights if they're in minimum custody and they have way more time to devote to fitness than any of us workaday fools, but still. Pretend they're in segregation and this is true). Pretty sure it doesn't start with "do a handstand, now down and up" but appears to work up to those things. So its very intriguing.

Has ANYONE bought this book and read it? Do you like it? What equipment is needed (pull up bar and captain's chair, I assume). Have you tried it? Did it produce results? Bonus points if you're a woman, did it and have a review.

Warning: No one tell me I'm gonna bulk up or that you don't get a chubby from a strong woman because the first part is wrong and the second part is completely uninteresting to me and is information that no one needs to know. I WILL laugh at you in my heart if you don't heed this warning. Others will too. If you are a cardio queen, you go with your bad self. That's fabulous. And isn't what I'm interested in or asking about.

Hendrix7

I have the book and it's a great read, but body weight training just doesn't excite me the way free weights do.

There is no doubt though that you can get excellent results from just body weight training alone, might be something I get into later once I have achieved my other goals.

jetscreaminagain

Thanks for the response. I have the book downloaded and I'm reading it. I haven't gotten real far, but I'm aware that I won't be able to stay away from The Iron for real. I may do New Rules again, but only two days per week, and do Convict Conditioning as well. Perhaps I'll figure out complexes for the non-CC days.

I guess in the early stages it's only 2 days a week for CC. I think I'd start murdering people if I had to stay away from workouts 5 days a week and didn't lift an Oly bar at all. Then I really would need convict conditioning.

hypotrochoid

I've been looking into the Convict Conditioning- have you been using it at all? Like it, dislike it? One armed handstand pushups sound so... fun.

Sorova

Add me to the list of people curious about this program. I heard of it recently and I have always liked the idea of body weight exercises, but I definitely have less experience with them than I do with free weights or machines.

If anyone has done this program I'd be interested in knowing what they feel are the minimum abilities or strength levels one should have going into the program, if any. For example, I don't have fantastic balance right now - would that be a real hindrance given the handstands etc.?

jetscreaminagain

So I bought it and have been doing it.

The first steps for each of the exercises are really pretty easy, so I think you can start where you are. You might not progress very fast, but that's ok. And the balance will build itself.

I find the exercises in the number of reps you do for the early steps to be tiring by the end of the sets, but it isn't a "tough work out". So until I get further into it where the strength is really challenging, I think it will augment my other lifting (New Rules) and running (nearly nonexistent, but I have good intentions). It is cool that you can do it while watching tV with the fam and don't have to go to a gym.

And as much as I love to push heavy weight, I've never been able to ATG in squats. Also couldn't do a similar move when yoga was my thing. But the one legged squat progression has some assisted moves that help you get to proper ATG squat stance without lifting your heels or doing the other weird stuff I have to do to go ATG without the assist. I can tell that the work is getting me more limber and I will soon be able to do them without holding on to something for dear life so as to not topple over. All the way down, back of thighs to calves. Its a good feeling. That alone is worth the effort, in my opinion.