The prison workout has been around for decades and as long as prisoners want to stay in shape it wont be going anywhere fast. The big benefit of this workout is the fact it doesn’t require anymore room then the height of your body laying on the floor and requires absolutely no workout gear besides yourself.
(Photo: bradleyjames)
[ This is a picture of a prison cell in Alcatraz one of the worlds toughest prisons said to have zero successful escapes in all it's years of operation. Looking at this cell there is just enough room to do a burpee and not much else ]
What is the prison workout?
The movement is called a ” burpee ” and if you were lucky you may have done a few of these in school at some point throughout your life. The movement has you doing a squat thrust into the air then kicking your legs back into the push up position back and forth.
[ I choose this video because he explains the form in a little more detail then others and many people go so hard in the video they lose there form as they get tired.]
Whats your rank?
I recall reading about the prison workout several years ago and the article stated that your ability to do burpees will make the difference between if people are willing to ” mess with you ” or not. The burpee hits nearly the entire body making it strong, quick and the amount you can do is really a testament to your conditioning and ability to defend yourself.
It went something like this:
Prison status is 20 descending sets of burpees. This means you would do 20 burpees in a row then take a few steps or a 10 second break then do 19 in a row until you complete all 20.
If you could complete this you were given respect and had your ” prison status ”
Some inmates could complete 30 to 40 descending sets and these guys were given a lot of respect because they would be very strong mentally and physically.
The burpee will make you strong and burn fat giving you a ripped GQ kind of look without adding a ton of bulky muscle. I’m a big fan of having strong and developed muscles, but adding tons of mass for no reason isn’t what I advise.
Think navy seal these guys are extremely well conditioned, light weight and in all around great shape. It really does depend on your goals, but if your trying to get ” huge ” you will need more then the prison workout to help get you there.
Get started Today – Convict Conditioning
Although the burpee is well known for being a staple in prison systems it’s not the only exercise performed behind bars. Many prisoners have been known to master there bodyweight and perform amazing feats of strength with there training methods.
This is where Convict conditioning comes in to play. It’s written by Paul “Coach” Wade who got his training the hard way ( behind bars ) and I highly recommend it.
Prison workouts can be done anywhere and don’t require any equipment which makes them a necessary piece of the puzzle for my own training.