WORKING OUT TOUGH 101

Many of the visitors who come to my website are already familiar with my story. For

those of you who are new readers, I’ll quickly fill you in. I was in prison. For ten years.

I stayed fit, not because I wanted a beautiful body, but because I didn’t want to get

stabbed. Being in shape wasn’t really a question, but a necessity.

After weight-lifting equipment was taken out of California’s prisons, we found low-

budget, unique ways of working out, which allowed us to maximize our potential,

while using little, if any, equipment as possible. If you’ve ever seen any pictures of how

jacked dudes can get in prison, you know there’s something to what they’re doing.

Good news is, it’s not as hard as you think. I’m not saying it’s easy; what I am saying is,

being muscular and fit is not anywhere near as hard a goal to attain as most people

think. You can do it, and I’ll tell show you how.

Commit

Make a promise to yourself which you will not break. This is the biggest hurdle; not

just in working out, but in life. People struggle with commitment when taking on an

endeavor. I can’t stress this quality enough, which is why it’s placed at the top of the

list. If you can’t commit, there’s no point in starting.

No excuses.
Nutrition

I’m not a nutritionist. Let me get that out of the way.

Once you’ve undertaken the task of starting a workout routine, there is a fundamental

importance you must realize and understand: Nutrition is key. 50 percent of the

equation, and some would argue more. All the junk food? Gone. Get rid of it. Crazy

alcohol consumption is another one which is totally counterproductive, especially if

you’re already overweight. Point is, you’re going to want to eat healthy because it

matters.

Try and get as much protein in your diet as possible. This is muscle-food. 1 gram per

pound of body weight is ideal.

What You Don’t Need:

Gym memberships. Fancy equipment. Don’t let anything become an excuse.

What To Start With:

Calisthenics.
 People think you need hundreds of pounds worth of weights in order to get on swole-

status, and I’m here to tell you, that’s simply not the case.

An example? Start a steady pull-up routine. Two/three times a week, really getting it

on the pull-up bar.

You know what’ll happen?

Your whole body will change.

You’ll get that “V” you usually associate with swimmers. Your shoulders and arms

will start blowing up, too. Hell, you even work a little core, if you’re doing your pull-

ups right.

Same with push ups. Incorporate push-ups into your regiment, and really get after it.

You’ll see results in your chest, shoulders, triceps; and it’s all your body weight.

There’s other exercises, such as dips, squats, and lunges, which can also help build a

powerful frame.

Now listen-I know there’s people who’ll want to point out how you can only get so

big with calisthenics, before pursuing a weight-based routine.

I’ll totally agree with that.

However, what we’re talking about here is how you can get sizable with little-to-no

equipment.
I stand by this, as I’m living proof of it. While I’m not a medical doctor or a nutritionist,

I am a living testimony to the workouts I do. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of

the discussion for me.

I’ll briefly touch on kettlebell options, as well. The reason for this is, on the the inside,

we would work out with big bags of dirt and a broomstick, once weights were taken out

of the prison system. Since you have the option of going to a sporting good store and

spending a few bucks on a kettlebell, we don’t need big bags of dirt.

EXERCISES & ROUTINES

Here are a few exercises which I use for the core of my my routines. If I’m at place

where weights are unavailable, I’ll fall back on these staples for maintenance. I’d

recommend working yourself up to four-five days a week, doing 3-5 sets per routine.

When doing your workouts, alternate days based push/pull motions. Since working

your core doesn’t fall into either, pick either push or pull days for when you’ll work

core, and stick with it.

All of these exercises are done to failure, meaning you keep doing the reps until you

can’t do any more.

Pull-up

The pull-up is, in my opinion, the most solid upper-body exercise you can do, from a

calisthenic stand point. You’re hitting so many different muscle groups (biceps, triceps,

shoulders, trapezius), you begin to change the whole way your body looks, by default.

People will begin to comment on your physical appearance.

I remember a CO hitting me up, asking if someone was bring me in some steroids (as

if I’d tell him), because he was surprised by my growth. Another cop asked me what he

should do for back arms.

Results.

If you can’t do a pull-up on your own, see if you can get someone to spot you. In this

instance, they’d stand behind you, with their hands on your latissimus dorsi muscles,

and help you pull yourself up.

This may sound like it’s funny looking, but who cares? You’re going to get results. If

you try your hardest, every time, you will advance. This week, you can’t do a pull-up

on your own. Two weeks from now? You’ll be able to do a couple, by yourself. Another

week after that? You’ll be able to do a couple more.

Just keep at it.

Push-up

When in comes to exercising, there’s two main motions you go through: pulling and

pushing. It’s no wonder then, if there’s a pull-up, there must be a push-up.

This exercise is another staple of calisthenics, developing chest, shoulders, and tricep

muscles, among others. Make sure when you’re doing this exercise, you keep your back

straight, and go all the way down, and all the way up (this type of moment is referred to

as full range of motion).

Once you’ve been doing push-ups awhile, you can intensify you routine by elevating

your feet, making different parts of your muscles work harder.

Dips

This exercise involves elevating your body off the ground using what are referred to

as dip bars, and your arms. You then lower yourself, to the point where your bicep is

just about parallel to the ground. Great for triceps and chest.

Sit-ups

Just about everyone knows what a sit-up is, but very few realize the importance of a

strong core. Sit-ups are one that can help you get there. Once again, make sure you go

for full range of motion, so you can maximize your gains.

Squats and Lunges

You want to take care of the bottom half, too. One great way to do this is with squats

and lunges. Both exercises involve your quads, which are the upper part of your legs.

Some routines call for a whole day devoted to legs; not necessary, in my opinion, but if

it works for you, great.

Burpees

Ah, how to describe burpees...nightmare comes to mind. If you want to get your

cardio going and work out some muscle groups, try this routine.

Basically, you start from a standing position, quickly fall to a push-up position and do

x amount of push-ups, then, without changing position, do x amount of leg raises, then

stand, repeat.

There are variations of this exercise; please feel free to make your own, especially if

you have workout partners who you’d like to push to the edge.

I always hated burpees. Still do. That being said, at my best with the fellas, we’d do

sets of 100.

When first starting, try going four days per week, alternating between exercises that

push, and exercises that pull. For example, on Day One, you could do push-ups, dips,

squats, and burpees. Day Two, you could do pull-ups, sit-ups, lunges, run. Alternate

back and forth between exercises.

When you do your reps, try going to failure, meaning you can’t do anymore. The

amount of repetitions you complete in a single turn is called a set. Starting out, try
doing three sets of each exercise, then call it a day. After a couple of weeks, you can

bump up to four sets per routine, and maybe even five, down the road.

Once you’re able to afford weights, or you feel you’re able to incorporate them into

your workout, you still don’t need to go overboard-crazy with equipment and different

exercises. Keep it simple. Kettlebells are cool use, but you decide. Basic, time-tested

exercises like curls, upright rows, and tricep extensions will get you pumped. Just

make sure you don’t get ahead of yourself, and you stick to what works.

When selecting a kettlebell, try and curl it. If you can do it more than ten times, go a

little heavier. If you can do it more than three times, but less than ten, that’s perfect. Just

don’t try and over-do it. As long as you choose a weight wisely, It’ll give you room to

grow, both in size and repetitions. Aim for 35-45 lbs. There’s no shame in anything less;

whatever you can do will help you grow.

Four-Day Routine

Day 1:

Pull-ups forward grip 3-5 sets, to failure

Pull-ups reverse grip 3-5 sets, to failure

Sit-ups 3-5 sets, to failure

Walk 10,000 steps

Day 2:

Push-ups 3-5 sets, to failure

Pushups wide 3-5 sets, to failure

Dips 3-5 sets, to failure

Squats and Lunges 3-5 sets, to failure

Walk 10,000 steps

Day 3:

Pull-ups forward it’s reverse grip 3-5 sets, to failure

Burpees 25-100

Walk 10,000 steps

Day 4:

Push-ups shoulder width 3-5 sets, to failure

Pushups wide 3-5 sets, to failure

Dips 3-5 sets, to failure

Walk 10,000 steps

Adding a fifth day to your routine can be a strictly legs day, or a day for burpees.

Stuck with your routine, eat right, and watch your body transform!