Convict Conditioning: How to Bust Free of All Weakness—Using the Lost Secrets of Supreme Survival Strength

I have been weight training for 26 years. Now in my 40's I recently decided to simplify my life and sold off much of my gym equipment (I had a considerable amount) retaining only the basics to do power lifting movements such as: squats, deads, snatch, clean/press, bench, etc. I have had injuries in the past from working out (knee, back, & shoulder), and in the last few months I reinjured my shoulder. The thought occurred to me that I could further simplify my workouts, and reduce the chance of injury, by removing weight training completely. I began researching information on bodyweight training. I researched several books on Amazon & several health/fitness forums. Convict Conditioning was the book I chose based on all the feedback I collected.I purchased the book about two weeks ago and read it in five days. When researching Convict Conditioning the main negative I found was folks complaining about the "prison" aspect of the book. I saw some reviews which commented about how the prison related stories were false and that Coach Wade was most likely a fictitious character. Personally, I dismissed the prison aspects of the book as marketing hype and focused on the training material (these days you need some kind of marketing angle to get your product noticed by the right crowd). The information is excellent. The exercise progression is worth the price of the book (I purchased the Kindle edition for under $20). It starts off with exercises which are very easy on the body (My elderly, overweight, diabetic, triple bypass, high blood pressure, father could follow this program without risk of injury). This was key for me. I am looking to workout with little to no risk of injury...and, hopefully, to strengthen previously injured joints to prevent future injury.I have been following the plan for almost 2 weeks. I am on level 3 of pushups and squats, level 2 of pull-ups, and still on level 1 of leg lifts (my abs are obviously weaker than I realized). Per the recommendation in the book I will hold off on bridges and handstand pushups until I am further along with the other 4 movements.So far I love this workout! I can work out right in my living room, during commercial breaks, for most exercises (except for pull ups). The workouts are short and simple. I am building "functional" strength... as well as "demonstrate-able" strength (In the future I can easily demonstrate my strength by dropping and doing one arm pushups, or pistol squats...I'm certainly not above doing a little showing off.) I no longer have the fear of injury while doing these exercises.I'm looking forward to buying Convict Conditioning 2 (when a Kindle edition is available - Which I hope will be VERY soon.) so, someday, I can start working on doing "Flags" (talk about demonstrate-able strength!!).3/5/13 Update: I've been following the program for over a year and I still love it. I reached the master phase for leg raises about a month ago. As of today I can do 1 hand pushups on the floor, but my feet are not together yet...I am still working on that. I figure I'm still 6 months to a year away from reaching the master phase of squats (due to lack of ankle flexibility) and pull ups (still need to develop more strength). I am probably at least 2 years away from the master phase for bridges and hand stand pushups.I have had no injuries since starting the program. I feel strong and my wife has commented that I have gained muscle mass. The pain I had in my knee, back and shoulder have faded away over the last year (that alone was worth 50 times the price of the book).I love the ongoing challenge of slowly (and safely) working my way through the progression. I purchased Convict Conditioning 2 and read it, but I won't start working on those exercises until I have mastered pushups, pull ups, squats, and leg lifts from the first book.I don't miss weight training. I wish I had a book like this when I was a teenager.9/22/2014 Update: I've been following the program for over 2 years now. I have also begun to incorporate other gymnastics movements into the my routine.Pushups: I have been doing great with 1 arm pushups, but as many others have found, doing them with the feet together seems nearly impossible. Instead I am doing 1 arm/1 leg pushups.Pull Ups: I still haven't mastered 1 arm pull ups. I am still working with one hand on a low towel and archer pull ups.Leg Raises: I mastered the straight leg raises and have moved on to Dragon Flags (not mentioned in the book).Pistol Squats: Due to lack of ankle tendon flexibility I have struggled with pistols. However, I am very close to doing my first pistol squat with my heal on a 1 inch block. I can squat down very slowly, and then give myself a slight push off the floor and stand back up. I expect I will get my first pistol very soon.Bridges: I have stuck with doing bridges for sets of 10 reps (stage 5). I am in no hurry to get to the master phase of this exercise. I will focus on it when I've mastered the core 4 exercises.Hand Stand Push Ups: I am doing handstand pushups regularly. It will be quite a while before I can do a 1 arm hand stand push up.I am still injury free and my joints still feel great (I am 45 years old). The combination of the Paleo/Primal lifestyle and the calisthenic has added a bit more muscle mass in the chest/back/arm/shoulder areas (haven't noticed much gain in the legs).I recently purchased "Complete Calisthenics: The Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Exercise" by Ashley Kalym. This book has similar progressions to Convict Conditioning but includes several gymnastics exercises (Levers, Planche, Human Flag, etc). I am incorporating some of the routines in this book into my weekly schedule.I still don't miss weight training. For me Calisthenics have given me much better results without the injuries/aches and pains.11/5/2015 Brief Update: I am doing freestanding pistol squats (with my heal on a 1/2 block) regularly. I'm still a long way off from doing 1 arm pull ups & 1 arm handstand push ups. I am doing bridges for reps (bridge push ups) with my feet raised 6 inches off the floor (on a bar on the on my power rack) which work the back of the shoulders very well and give me a great back stretch. I can do very high leg raises (touch toes to the bar) at this point, plus I'm doing dragon flags. I am still injury free and feeling great. I am doing a mix of other body weight exercise along with the CC workouts. I am now doing 1 arm push ups with my feet on a 10" block as well as 1 arm/1 leg push ups.6/10/2016 Update: This may be my last update. As my workout routine evolves I continue to expand my routine with new exercises. However, I cannot say enough good things about this book. It was, for the most part, the start of my body weight training journey which I know I will continue for the rest of my life. I will keep working toward 1 arm pull ups. I don't worry about 1 arm handstand push ups. I recommend this book often to people with whom I talk about health and fitness. I'm 47 years old now. I'm lean and strong and will remain this way for a very long time, thanks in part to the information provided in this book. Advice to anyone just starting out: Stick with it. The system works well and will improve your life.10/9/2018 Update: One more quick check in. I will be 50 in approximately 7 months.Pushups: One arm pushups (feet still not together but closer than before) with my feet up on a 18” high bench. Also, one arm one leg pushups.Squats: Freestanding pistol squats while holding a 25 lb. kettlebell out in front of me (helps with balance and adds resistance)Pullups: Archer pullups with a hold at the top and slow lowering down. I can hang from the bar with one hand and curl up about 1/3rd of the way.Leg Raises: Still toes to bar with perfect form and perfect form dragon flags.Bridges: I still don’t have the flexibility to go from standing to a bridge. I do bridge pushups (for the back of the shoulders) as part of my regular routine. I also do 30 second bridge holds, with my legs and arms straight, most nights just for back health and flexibility.Handstand Pushups: I am now doing handstand pushups on my homemade parallette bars so I can go lower than just touching my head to the floor.I am still injury free and feeling strong.3-May-2019: I added some recent pics of me in my profile (click the icon next to my review). I'm turning 50 in about 2 weeks. I'm lean, strong and still injury free.

The book is well-organized and very well-written, except for a few copy-editing glitches, such as using the word "effect" when "affect" would've been the proper word. It's tone is very frank and its delivery straightforward and clear. It also is well-indexed, a great benefit for a training manual since readers will necessarily have to refer to topics over and over as they progress through the steps of the program it describes.I'm now 70 years old and've been training for well over five decades---everything from gymnastics to triathlons---and I also read lots of books having to do with diet and exercise. This book is hands-down the best I've ever seen on a specific physical-culture discipline---in this case bodyweight training. Having finally grown weary after years of trekking to the gym three days a week and dealing with weightlifting injuries, I recently began casting about for another way to train and as a result became interested in the notion of progressive calisthenics as an option.The program described in this book is so well-reasoned, well-researched, accessible and simple it has renewed my interest in working out. And while it is a great guide for a beginner in strength training, I assure you the program outlined within it will also challenge athletes at any level. Well done. I highly recommend it.

I am a 26 yr old female, and not overweight, but in very poor physical condition. I have tried weight lifting routines/ etc, and all seem to put too much strain on my body. My husband actually bought this book for himself and I started reading it and couldn't stop. This was exactly the kind of strength I wanted to build and the book gave step by step progression of how to master each exercise. I am so excited about this. I imagine it will take me 2-3 years to master most moves...and I think this will be a lifelong endeavor. Each move is explained very clearly with pictures and text. The book is very well written. I am at about week 6 or 7 of doing the exercises. I have only progressed on a few, and I can tell that some are going to take more than the recommended 1-month per exercise before progressing to the next move. But that's ok. I can't wait to be more strong and fit. I think I will update this review every year or so. Definitely recommend.

As a 62 year old man who has never done a pullup, thanks to this book an my Bullworker X5 I have progressed so much just in 5 months.I really recommend this book, you can train at home without expensive equipment.Also the writer explain everything very well. Just be patient and sometimes work around some of the levels, because you do need to do some stretching, specially if you are like me with less perfect spine etc. But I do improve, some of the 6 movements I progress faster, some much slower. But the joy of getting stronger is huge.You need to also look into ketogenic diet and IF intermediate fasting if you like me need to loose bodyfat.Fantastic book, so glad I bought it.

So, I've read through the big six. Very well laid out. I've been working out at gyms for several years and have gotten stronger and bigger. But, as I'm getting older (39) I'm really starting to investigate and appreciate body weight exercises and calisthenics. I'm less interested in "getting huge" and more into just plain getting strong as sh#t. It's becoming my opinion that doing these types of exercises are not only better on your body, but will make you stronger than throwing weight around at the gym. I also spent almost four years in our wonderful federal prison system. I was lucky enough to have a weight pile, but I kinda wish I'd found this book during that time. Better late than never. These exercises will take serious time and effort, but I'm looking forward to it. I may post more after a bit.