What Is Convict Conditioning All About?

Convict Conditioning is a book that teaches you the art of calisthenics. Calisthenics is bodyweight training and this book uses 6 of these exercises, and they are known as the big 6. The big 6 are pushups, pull-ups, squats, handstand pushups, bridges and leg raises.

From these exercises come the master step. The master steps are one arm pushups, one arm pull-ups, 1 legged squats, 1 arm handstand pushups, stand to stand bridges and hanging leg raises. The book has a 10 step progression system for each exercise. It teaches you how to go from the easiest variation of the exercise, and advances you all the way to the master step as you get stronger.

Convict Conditioning Background

As the name inplies, Convict Conditioning was born from the confines of the prison system. Paul Wade the author was incarcerated for over 20 years and when he went into prison he was an average sized guy, with ordinary strength. Fearing for his life in this dangerous prison system, Wade took it upon himself to learn anything and everything about physical training and how to develop functional strength. He picked up knowledge and applied it to himself and due to his warrior like training transformed his body into a pillar of power and became well known in prison for his incredible strength and knowledge of progressive exercises.

Paul continued training, getting bigger and stronger and naturally, other prisoners started seeking training advice from him. Because of all this advice he became known as "Coach" and schooled hundreds of prisoners just like him when he first entered to eliminate any fears and weaknesses. Training others gave Wade experience that his own training alone just could not provide. This coaching experience, helped him hone his skills and training methods into a flexible and powerful training system. This is now known as Convict Conditioning and has helped many people like myself to become stronger and fitter.

What's Inside Convict Conditioning?

Well after the foreword which just expands the story I just told you, the book divides into 3 main sections. The first part is the preliminaries which presents the basic ideas and background behind the system. The second part goes into detail about the big 6 exercises. Here he presents the theory, the philosophy, exercises and training that make up the system. The third part shows you how to structure these big 6 movements into a weekly routine for optimal progress.

Part I: Preliminaries (Chapters 1 - 4)

Chapter 1 provides an intro to the forgotten art of bodyweight training or old school calisthenics. With calistenics, you rely on gravity and your own body to build strength and stamina.

People often mistake calisthenics for just being basic bodyweight stuff like pushups, burpees, pull-ups etc and although these comprise calistenics, there is just so much more to it. People master pushups easily and scratch their heads where to progress from there. They wind up just doing more and building up endurance instead of pure strength.

Wade emphasises the right type of calisthenics to develop athletic strength, the kind that is required to do unilateral movements and even bend backwards to touch the floor. The key to doing this is using a proper progression system.

Progressive calisthenics was used by ancient warriors and athletes to build their powerful bodies. Barbells, dumbbells and machines didn't exist in those times. This knowledge was lost from the public view, having been pushed aside by modern trends. The new generation of men are bigger but lack strength, as they are simply building the mirror muscles.

Wade explains he rediscovered old school calisthenics in one place where it still thrives, the peniteniary system. He later gives many convincing reasons why modern day calisthenics and weight lifting programs do not produce the same level of functional strength that the old school classic methods give.

In chapter 2 he explains that Convict Conditioning is an advanced form of calisthenics designed to maximise power and athletic ability. More details are spilled about old school calisthenics and he gives a brief history about it. He points out that old time bodybuilders used old school calisthenics to enhance their strength and athletic ability. This list includes Eugen Sandow, Doug Hepburn and John Grimek.

Coach Paul Wade in chapter 3 reveals why he beleives the world of physical culture has a reached a low in recent years. He argues modern day training programs are over rated due to fitness scams and commercial interests and poorly understood by the general public. What often happens is people sign up for a gym and quit pretty soon due to a lack of results.

As an alternative to gym based training, Wade emphasises the positives of his system. It requires very little equipment, develops useful and functional abilities, maximises strengths, develops the joints and ligaments, develops the physique to perfection and regulates body fat levels.

Chapter 4 introduces you to the big 6. The key to building world-class strength, says the author, is to systematically progress from the simplest form of each Big Six exercise to The Master Step. In the Convict Conditioning system, this is accomplished by following "The 10 Steps" progression method, also introduced in Chapter 4. The 10 Steps approach, says Wade, will allow nearly any student of physical culture to move up the strength ladder in progressive and manageable increments.

Part 2: The Big Six: Power Moves (Chapters 5 - 10)

In these chapters, Paul Wade explains why these big 6 movements are better than their weighted complements. For example the pushup he argues is better than the bench press. He then discusses how to do the pushup for great results. He covers proper exercise style, proper tempo and speed for strength, how to use common objects like tennis balls and a basketball to enhance effectiveness of the move. Convict-style Pushups, says the author, build a massive chest, huge triceps, and teach various muscles of the body to work together in harmony. In the subsequent chapters he does what I just told you about the pushup to the other big 5 exercises.

Part 3: Self Coaching (Chapters 11 and 12)

In this last part of the book, Wade teaches you how to fish instead of just feeding you. He teaches you the art of self coaching. He lets you know how to warm up properly, he discusses how intensely you should train and how to progress most effectively from each step. He also helps you get over any roadblocks you may come across and how to drive right through them.

He later discusses how many sets you should do, how much rest you should take and how to write an effective journal to track your progress.
 
In the last chapter, he outlines 5 training programs. In order of difficulty these are New Blood, Good Behaviour, Veterano, Solitary Confinement and supermax.

New Blood is recommended to new comers to old school calisthenics and those who are new to any form of physical training. t involves only four exercises, and it requires just two short workout sessions a week. However, despite its simplicity, it provides a good foundation for the more advanced routines to come.

Good behaviour involves all 6 movements and is done 3 times a week. Wade says, "This is perhaps the best basic bodyweight training program that exists." He also says, "This program can (and should) be used by any athlete to achieve solid strength gains - no matter how advanced they are."

For anybody who has used Convict Conditioning for a few months, an alternative routine is offered which he calls the Veterano. This workout involves training six days a week, but only one exercise is done per session. Wade says that an individual session can often be completed in six or seven minutes! It is therefore recommended for advanced students who have limited time for training.

For the super dedicated and more advanced follower of Convict Conditioning, the Solitary Confinement routine can be used. This workout plan involves performing three exercises per session and training six days per week. It is designed to provide additional conditioning and fitness benefits, and to provide extra work for the grip, neck, and calves. It is a very advanced routine, and Wade stresses that it should be attempted only by experienced folks who have a very good recovery ability.

If you are looking for "inhuman" endurance and stamina, and if you have more than a few years of training behind you, then the Supermax routine may be just what you need. This workout program involves performing two exercises per session, and it is based on long endurance-driven workouts. It also involves training six days per week.

So that is all their is to the book...

What Did I Like About Convict Conditioning?

Well for a start I do love bodyweight exercises as they can pretty much be performed anywhere at anytime. No equipment is needed so once I paid for the book, I didnt have to buy any fancy equipment, I paid my one time fee and that was it. I love the progression system of this book, and is something I had never come across before, people who usually cant do a pull up for example are taught to use the lat pulldown machine but this book has its bases covered with simpler easy variations. In this case step 1 is wall pulls which anyone can do.

The first 3 steps of each exercise are prehab exercises, and have often come in handy when I have picked up injuries. They have really helped me recover quicker. For example an elbow injury I had, I just done wall pushups to get blood flow into the area and I recovered pretty quickly.

It is a book that everyone can benefit from. It is not just a training book, but you get hooked into the authors prison story and want to keep reading it. When I got it, I finished it in a night I was so gripped. I learnt a ton of new information about exercises I took for granted and discovered the bridge which I beleive is a cure for a bad back. I have actually grown an inch since my back straightened out and my back problems remain no more. The handstand pushups also helped my back out with inversion therapy and getting a fresh dose of blood to the brain is refreshing.

I also like how he addressed how the mainstream has its tentacles in the fitness industry propagating bullshit and taking your hard earned money in the process. Readers of my blog will know I go against the bullshit advice.

What I Didn't Like About Convict Conditioning?

I really shouldn't say this while trying to make a sale to you, but the book does come with a few flaws in my opinion. I personally didn't like the way he criticized weight training so much. He claims that bodyweight training strengthens your joints while weights destroy them but if you have ever known any gymnasts they suffer wrecked joints more often than not to and they use mainly bodyweight.

Coach Paul Wade makes out that his system is all natural, and that weights go against nature. I beg to differ because I have never known handstands to be part of nature and not lifting weights is bullshit. I am sure hunter gatherers had to drag their prey back to camp, lift boulders, build houses etc.

I also didn't really like the workout routines, having read strong man books by Pavel who was a former Soviet Union trainer, I use his methods with the big 6. In his naked warrior and power to the people he discusses grease the groove which is an effective method for getting stronger. I have used this succesfully over and over and I think Paul Wade could have touched on this.

In the last chapters, it says neck workouts and calfs, but doesn't elaborate. This is cleared up now in Convict Conditioning 2 but because I bought this book early on I had no idea how to go about training my neck effectively. The book also lacks a proper diet section, but check out my Eat Stop Eat Review if you want a solid diet plan to go with this.

My final criticism is the author is in question. We never see his face, he doesn't demonstrate the exercises, and for any of my readers, you know I don't write about something unless I have first hand experience with it. He claims it is to protect his identity as he wants to be left alone, but who knows, I do like to know the writer and that was a sour point.

Having said all that I do think the book is worth reading.  You do not have to swallow the dogma of the author, but you can use the exercises, progressions & ideas in your training!  Plus let’s face it, doing a one arm chin, a planché push-up or walking on your hands does look pretty cool to most people! The book is packed full of quality information and is well worth the price as you go back to it over an over again.

Who Should Use Convict Conditioning?

YOU should. Seriously you should, even if you come from a weights background like me you can incorporate these big 6 exercises into your routine. Every one knows I am a huge fan of Visual Impact Muscle Building and what I do is since Visual Impact is a principles program I put the exercises in and use the recommended rest and sets scheme of Visual impact.

If you want to perform gymnastics like feats using only your body weight this book is for you.  Anyone who wants to get in shape with little equipment and little space this book is for YOU. Grab a copy of Convict Conditioning as your go-to source on bodyweight training.  Whether you’re a beginner or advanced exerciser, you’ll learn something and be challenged.

Convict Conditioning Review Summary

Ease Of Use

9/10

Quality Of Information

8/10

Value For Money

10/10