Jailhouse Strong By Josh Bryant and Adam benShea Jailhouse Strong JoshStrength, LLC and Adam benShea Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved, including file sharing, the right to reproduce this work, in whole or any part, in any form All inquiries must be directed to Josh Bryant and Adam benShea and have approval from both authors WARNING! - Before starting any training program, please consult your doctor or other health care professional You are agreeing to take full responsibility for any potential risk associated with anything put into practice from this book Contents Foreword Introduction I - Why Do Prisoners Get Strong, Lean, and Ripped? II - A Brief History of Jailhouse Strength III - Jailhouse Strength from the Source IV - Bodyweight Strength Training V - Burpees VI - Bodyweight Workout Routines VII - Jailhouse Strong and the Weight Pile VIII - Your Shield, Your Neck IX - Eliminating Kinks in the Armor X - Unarmed Combat (aka Keeping Your Ass Safe) XI - Conclusion: The Jailhouse Strong Five Decrees FOREWORD I’m going to get right to the point, because when it comes to getting Jailhouse Strong, every second counts If the reason you bought this book was to get bigger and stronger in less time using the least amount of equipment possible, then yourself a favor Skip this forward and go right to Chapter I - don’t worry, I won’t be offended in the least — because what you have in your hands is the tool that will help you achieve exactly that But if you’re curious why, then read on When Jailhouse Strong was originally presented to me, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it and wasn’t certain there would be anything for me to learn Throughout my twenty-year career of writing about fitness, I’ve spoken to hundreds of trainers, exercise physiologists, coaches and the like the world over Each had their own fitness philosophy for getting maximum results — but some of them came with their own personal agenda behind their philosophy The individuals that shared their secrets in this book aren’t fitness models motivated by a paycheck They aren’t celebrity trainers pushing the next ‘new’ way to exercise in order to hawk their wares They are men with nothing to gain by sharing their tricks and tips Their only motivation is the pure satisfaction of knowing they’ve imparted what they have learned about building a powerful body as quickly as possible onto someone else But more importantly, they are men driven to be Jailhouse Strong for one specific reason that you and I will hopefully never understand That reason is pure survival As someone that has seen it all in the exercise and fitness world, that is why Jailhouse Strong made such an impression on me, and why I’m certain it will make an impression of you — and your body — as well Before reading this book, I was under the notion — as you may be right now — that the obvious reason many convicts are blessed with amazing strength and bodies that defy belief is that they have nothing but time on their hands to focus on their physiques That might be true, but what I quickly discovered — and what should have been obvious to me from the start — is that despite having all that free time, guys on the inside need to build a better body as quickly as humanly possible That’s because when your incentive is pure survival, finding the shortest route to the greatest results is your only choice — and that’s exactly what Jailhouse Strong has brought together in one package The techniques in this book are proven methods that achieve maximum results in less time using minimal equipment because for guys on the inside, there really isn’t any choice ‘but’ reach your goals under that type of strict criteria It’s a street-smart approach to exercise that proves once-and-for-all that the only thing holding you back from the body you want isn’t not being able to afford the right type of supplements or having access to certain pieces of high-tech gym equipment The only thing holding you back is yourself BenShea and Bryant have pulled together all of the tactics relied on behind bars for survival, so that you can make your mark on the outside Use them wisely, and I confidently say, you’ll stay Jailhouse Strong for life Myatt Murphy, C.S.C.S Fitness expert and author of Ultimate Dumbbell Exercises and Testosterone Transformation Introduction From Jean Valjean in Les Misérables to Mike Tyson, our society is filled with tales of men coming out of the clink broader, bigger, and badder While the idea of sharing an x cell with a violent sex offender may not be inviting, the strength gained from a jailhouse-style training regimen has an obvious allure Anyone who has seen a documentary on prison is familiar with the image of a workout yard filled with jacked cons This picture begs the question: how prisoners get so big and strong, while remaining lean and ripped, year round? There are a number of reasons for the freakishly strong inmate, and once they are understood, anyone from the corporate worker to the elementary school teacher can emulate the physical habits that produce such results Of course, there is one habit you not want to replicate: actually being in jail With that in mind, this book will help you build a physique like prisoners on the inside, while still living and enjoying the freedom of being outside prison walls The benefits of Jailhouse Strong workouts are numerous: They can be done anywhere: in a cell, a basement, or a hotel room They are functional These workouts are meant to ready your body for the demands of a physical confrontation (making that next trip to your boss’ office or your father-in-law’s house feel like a walk in the park) They require minimal equipment Often, all that is needed is your own body weight Lastly, they are just a hell of a lot of fun This jailhouse workout program is organized by body part (upper body, lower body, core, and total body) and real world, unarmed combat skill training drills To better understand how cons construct their workouts, develop slabs of functional muscle, and produce real results in less than ideal conditions, we sat down with a number of former prisoners, notorious hard men, seasoned street brawlers, and physical freaks We first talked to Angelo “Barefoot Pookie” White, a founding member of the infamous Crips Barefoot is now a minister, serving the law of the Lord, instead of the code of the street However, he looked back with a degree of fondness on his experiences on the LA streets of the 1970s and his three stints behind bars From these memories, he shared stories of heavy lifting as a means to prove one’s worth during the early days of the Crips He also spoke with overt fondness for the initial founder of the Crips, the greatest street fighter in the City of Angels, the late Raymond Washington Dorian Yates is best known as the six-time winner of the prestigious Mr Olympia contest, but a lessknown part of his story is the six months that he spent behind bars In jail, Yates was introduced to serious lifting, and found his passion for the iron Dorian shared the physical routine and mental mindset that he cultivated behind bars, which would continue to serve him during his illustrious bodybuilding career While he does not have the reputation of Dorian Yates, Tyrus Hughes of Metroflex Gym in Plano, Texas is another bodybuilder who shared his training regimen from his time in prison with us Tyrus’ story was interesting because it was in prison that his body went through a complete transition from a post-adolescent kid, small in size and strength, to a developed man, large in bulk and width One up-and-coming IFBB professional bodybuilder who had an intriguing story to tell about his time on the jailhouse weight yard was Cory Mathews He was very open to talking about his apprenticeship in jailhouse-style strength training Another recognizable figure who we were able to talk with was the former president of the Ventura chapter of the notorious Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, George Christie Along with discussing physical training bars, George shared his insights on how to conduct oneself in the potentially violent world of prison politics We also spoke with men who existed on the other side of prison walls The world record-holding powerlifter, Garry Frank, has worked as the athletic director at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for a number of years His understanding of serious lifting, and his close contact with prisoners at the largest maximum security prison in the United States, gave him an understanding of jailhouse strength which was invaluable to this book Mike Knight’s reflections on his time as a guard at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California proved very helpful in providing us with a better understanding of jailhouse strength slang, and the kind of weight that was being lifted by the strongest prisoners To gain insight into the type of mindset and attitude necessary for success in unarmed combat in its rawest form, we were privileged to receive advice from Britain’s legendary doorman and bestselling author, Geoff Thompson We were also fortunate to spend some time talking with former light heavyweight world champion and New Jersey legend, Bobby Czyz As many will remember from his days as a color commentator for Showtime Boxing, Bobby is intelligent, humorous, and very sincere when he shares his thoughts on a wide range of subjects relating to fighting, street smarts, and situational readiness Along with rapping with men from across the pond and over in the Garden State, we were able to get information from some lifting enthusiasts closer to home It was at a local powerlifting gym that we first met James “Fed” Carroll At the time, we were adolescent athletes looking to improve our competitive success through a strength program, and Fed was a bouncer at a local strip club Nonetheless, a bond was formed through our common interest in the iron That connection was reestablished when Fed shared his memories of weight training at the California Institution for Men in Chino, California In our hometown, Enrique “Flea” Perez had a near-legendary status for his ability on the football field However, after some bad decisions while trying to make a Division II football team in Kansas, Perez ended up spending time at correctional facilities in Leavenworth, Kansas; Lompoc, California; and Ft Worth, Texas As a physical trainer and former athlete, his insights on weight training in prison proved to be thoughtful and thorough A common feature of the stories shared by those who trained behind bars was the way in which physical training was the high point of a low point in their lives It is an acknowledgement of the way that strength training improves even the direst situation, and in gratitude for the willingness of these individuals to share their stories, that we write this book Now, it is time to get Jailhouse Strong! Day Day Day Day Guidelines These routines are extremely intense The average trainee will not be able to complete them Do each routine for six weeks, and not attempt another specialization routine for at least six weeks Specified weights are starting weights Add weight weekly on exercises If you are not increasing the weight, you are maintaining Maintaining is not growing Eat a minimum of 20 calories per pound of bodyweight (when you are looking to grow muscle, you want to be in a caloric surplus) Eat a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight (this is more than recommended by some experts, but this is a heavy workload) Supplement with Branched Chain Amino Acids Practical Application Here are some other ways to bring up lagging body parts that are not quite as demanding as the previous routines Let’s say your back arms are behind in development Current training split is as follows: Monday-Chest Tues-Arms Thurs-Back Friday-Shoulders Saturday-Legs On Monday/Saturday, in a separate session or mixed in your workout (if you cannot train twice a day), Band Triceps Pushdowns for sets of 15-20 reps at 70 percent intensity (70 percent of your max for 15-20 reps), Rolling Dumbbell Triceps Extensions for sets of 12 reps at 60 percent intensity, and Overhead Dumbbell Extensions for sets of 10 reps at 60 percent intensity Over the course of weeks, instead of working your triceps times, you have worked them 24 times In the process, you have not fatigued your Central Nervous System, or sacrificed other workouts In the ‘science lab,’ folks in lab coats say that it takes 48 hours for a muscle group to recover This discounts the specifics of different levels of workout intensity If your leg workout is 15 bodyweight squats a day, the recovery is less than a Tom Platz leg workout where your last rep is until muscle failure Final Thoughts Consider giving submaximal, high-frequency training a shot to bring up a lagging body part If you not have time to train twice a day, no problem! Hit the lagging body part as part of a ‘staggered set.’ That is, between sets of your primary movement, hit a smaller lagging muscle group For example, hit band push-downs between sets of squats Like a convict with limited yard time at the weight pile, you put in extra work, but not add additional minutes to your workout To add bulk to lagging body parts, use increased frequency training to add jailhouse strength “Many of them concentrate just on pumping and forget the strength part As I’ve trained and developed power for my strength feats, I’ve found that my development of size has kept pace with strength increases Simple, but true If you want more size, then go for strength.” - Chuck Sipes X - Unarmed Combat (aka Keeping Your Ass Safe) The cramped quarters of a jail cell, or most living rooms, inhibit traditional means of cardio training Similarly, time constraints caused by limited yard time, or long working hours, make long runs an unattainable experience For these reasons, shorter, more intense interval training offers the best form of heart-raising and metabolism-boosting training To add function to workouts, the Jailhouse Strong program utilizes no-nonsense fighting techniques routines in interval training This is not a backyard slapping match with your baby brother, or even a Marquess of Queensberry rules test of pugilistic skill at the local veteran’s administration building This is no rules fighting, which means it will be “nasty, brutish, and short” (to quote philosopher Thomas Hobbes) With that in mind, you need to train for this brutal reality Generally, street fights occur at three ranges: striking, trapping, and grappling (long-range, mid-range, and close-range) On the prison yard or at a Shell station at three in the morning, the disadvantage of grappling is that you never know who may come along to boot-stomp your head or vulnerable organs While most fights start at the striking range, the weapons at the disposal of the minimally trained combatant are limited Without proper understanding, kicks can be hard to utilize effectively While traditional boxing punches (jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, etc.) may be effectively implemented by the skilled pug, a bare fist to a hard skull does not always end well for your mitts (think broken hand) Working from the trapping range is similar to other styles of unorthodox fighting that have shown their effectiveness in some of the most real situations possible In MMA, this style of controlling the clinch and trapping range has been referred to as Dirty Boxing It is implemented through the use of GrecoRoman wrestling body position, the Muay Thai clinch, and tight elbow strikes and punches Some of its more well-known practitioners include former UFC champions Randy Couture and Dan Henderson Well before the advent of UFC and Mixed Martial Arts, there emerged within certain penal institutions a somewhat similar style of trapping or clinch fighting that is known as Jailhouse Rock, or, more recently, 52 Blocks An almost mythical form of unarmed combat, Jailhouse Rock’s existence has been confirmed by boxing champion Mike Tyson, and is mentioned in music by the Wu Tang Clan Although it has been said that its techniques can be traced to seventeenth-century slave communities in the South and among the Sea Islands of the Eastern seaboard, its history is shrouded in mystery Nonetheless, the basic premise of Jailhouse Rock remains accessible and relevant The Jailhouse Rock practitioner looks to implement the techniques that would be most devastating for use in the cramped quarters of a stairwell or a jail cell The underlying mantra in Jailhouse Rock is to consider “if I were in a phone booth, how could I deliver the most damage to my opponent?” With this in mind, Jailhouse Rock often works from the trapping range to deliver devastating elbows, rather than long jabs and looping hooks Bottom line, this is the type of fighting that will serve your interests of selfpreservation in the harsh confines of a jail cell, a dark alley, or even a Starbucks bathroom With the precedence of Jailhouse Rock and Dirty Boxing in place, it is at the trapping range that someone with correct intention (a violent one) can quickly learn the skills to dominate the fight To this, you will make use of your body’s four natural and greatest weapons: two elbows, and two knees To deliver these weapons most effectively, take a staggered stance with your power leg back If you’re right-handed, put your right leg back If you are left-handed, then your left leg is back You will want your body as minimally squared as possible, to reduce the size of your body as a target For defense, place your open palms against your face (near where your jaw meets your ear) To guard your chin, tuck it into your leading shoulder Lastly, to protect your body and internal organs, bring you bent elbows tight against your ribs Now that you have the basic defensive stance, you will want to develop your attack options The elbow strike can end a physical confrontation through blunt force trauma, and its ability to open up bloody cuts In regard to an elbow strike delivered to the face, remember that facial cuts will often bleed excessively, and give the impression that the wound is worse than it actually is The advantage of a well-delivered elbow strike is that a steady stream of blood flowing from your adversary’s face will be psychologically detrimental to him, but can be psychologically empowering to you (an apology goes out to the more squeamish reader if this comes across as offensive, but you must remember that we are discussing the brutal reality of unarmed combat in its most raw form) Three elbow strike techniques may be learned relatively easily and delivered with brutal efficiency The first strike is the “slashing elbow.” The primary targets of the slashing elbow are the upper parts of the face; the forehead, nose, and eyes A correctly delivered elbow to these parts of the face can easily open up serious lacerations To deliver this elbow strike variation, start in the fighting stance described above, and bend the elbow closely against the arm Then, twist your shoulder and pivot off your foot (on the same side of the elbow being thrown) to turn your hips in the direction of the strike The elbow should swing downward diagonally in a 45-degree angle The second strike is the “horizontal elbow.” Rather than looking to cause a cut, the horizontal elbow is generally used to deliver blunt trauma to the jaw or chin (and, in some instances, the ribs) Begin in your fighting stance, and then bend your elbow against your arm Then, throw the strike with the elbow parallel to the floor Usually, this strike is thrown from the back, or power side, and the strength for the strike is generated by twisting the hips and pivoting on the back foot The third strike is the “uppercut elbow.” Like the uppercut in boxing, much of the power for this strike is generated from the legs, and the target is usually the chin This technique is usually delivered from the front foot, and is initiated by bending both legs Then, push up through your legs, allowing your fist to pass the target, and have your bent elbow deliver the strike This technique is slightly more difficult than the horizontal and slashing elbows Along with the three elbow strikes described above, the forward knee strike can be learned relatively easily, and then delivered with a high degree of efficiency As with the elbows, the power for the knee strike should be generated from the hips When throwing a knee, focus on thrusting the hips forward with the strike The target of the knee may be the torso or the face To deliver a knee to the face, place one hand on top of the other (do not interlock your fingers because of the possibility of broken fingers) behind your opponent’s head, cinch your elbows tightly together, and pull his face down toward your intended knee strike For the well-trained fighter, there can be advantages in moving laterally, and even in some instances, backward But, the individual who is using the most readily available weapons of his body for quickly resolving a physical confrontation will want to focus on gathering the will to strike with bad intentions, while moving forward with unabated hostility The sheer aggression of continued forward movement in a street fight can be a valuable weapon that one should wield along with his actual strikes You don’t want to be a back-peddling, counter-puncher because yards fights, cafeteria conflicts, and back alley altercations all happen quickly So, to quote Crips co-founder Angelo “Barefoot Pookie” White, “Always throw the first punch, be aggressive, and move forward.” By his own estimation, Barefoot Pookie is a veteran of over 200 street fights, but has lost less than a dozen His general philosophy behind this aggressive style of street fighting was influenced by his friendship with another Crips founder, Raymond Washington Raymond was arguably the greatest street fighter in the history of the City of Angels Barefoot Pookie says that in over 250 no-rules fights, Raymond was never put down To ensure that your reaction time is at its peak and that your strikes are deadly fast, drill your techniques with the included workout Added to this workout, along with elbow and knee strikes, are burpees, because of their functionality to sprawling (or defending) a takedown attempt in a real fight Also, one of the many benefits of up-downs is that they cause the body to simultaneously send blood flow to the upper and lower parts of the body, because up-downs mimic the way that a drag-out fight causes you to quickly fluctuate between standing, sprawling, squatting, thrusting, and pushing If you get to the point where you can throw these hard and fast on air, you will feel polished against potential assailants and predators Along with preparing you for real combat, this workout will shred your body into a patchwork of lean, functional muscle Lastly, these workouts are short in duration because they are meant to prepare you for the fast-paced, explosive type of endurance that is needed for a street fight While you will not want to run out of gas in a real fight, most fights are fast and brutal Training in the traditional fashion of long and slow aerobic movements can actually be detrimental in a real fight, and may leave you doubled over and gasping for air while you are getting pummeled in your retro “Dolfin” running shorts and neon sweat band Unarmed combat training: Warm-up: minute walk in place 50 elbow strikes 50 knee strikes Workout (rest 30 seconds between rounds): Perform elbow strikes, knee strikes, and burpee as many times as possible in minute Perform elbow strikes, knee strikes, and burpee as many times as possible in minutes Perform elbow strikes, knee strikes, and burpees as many times as possible in minutes Perform elbow strikes, knee strikes, and burpee as many times as possible in minutes Perform elbow strikes, knee strikes, and burpee as many times as possible in minute Perform as many burpees as possible in minute Cool-down: 50 elbow strikes 50 knee strikes minute walk in place XI - Conclusion: The Jailhouse Strong Five Decrees Courtesy of Cory Mathews You now have the roadmap for getting Jailhouse Strong To illuminate your path, follow the Jailhouse Strong Five Decrees On your journey toward acquiring new-found strength, remember these rules, and use them as a guide for staying the Jailhouse Strong course A close adherence to these directives offers a way to achieve new-found levels of strength, confidence, and physical presence Get excited about training In a jail, time can go real slow There are no women, no night clubs, no beach … you get the idea So, you need something to excite you For many, hardcore training offers a vessel to receive all their energy, intensity, and attention They plan workouts and are constantly creative in constructing new ways to strengthen their bodies In addition, they let nothing stand in the way of training It becomes the primary focus of their life As a consequence, it offers a source of therapy, a means to develop a hardened body, and a tool for bettering themselves Get plenty of rest Inmates sleep a lot, and on a regular basis Their bodies become accustomed to the routine of sleeping at a specific time This allows for recovery from training Also, prison life offers an escape from many of the stresses associated with life on the outside (e.g a hectic work schedule, a mortgage, traffic, etc.) The increase in rest and decrease in stress raises testosterone levels and accelerates recovery Eat meals at regular intervals, The body thrives on a routine While the calories consumed by prisoners are not of the first order, they are consumed on a regular basis, and at a regular time This allows for the body to depend on receiving muscle-building nourishment at a specific time Stick to the training basics If there is one thing that you can take away from this book, it is this: you are born with everything you need to become Jailhouse Strong By using bodyweight exercises, you can get broad, strong, and lean without equipment If you have access to a weight pile, train the core lifts When conflict is unavoidable, strike first In most circumstances, respect is received when respect is given If you carry yourself well, you can usually avoid trouble Sometimes, trouble comes looking for a victim In those instances, you must not act like one Strike first, move forward, be aggressive, and not stop until your statement is clearly made After that, get out of there Let someone else handle the cleanup You now have the Jailhouse Strong plan But you must provide the work ethic to follow its precepts If you have the perseverance to follow this program, you will become Jailhouse Strong Courtesy of Tyrus Hughes .. .Jailhouse Strong By Josh Bryant and Adam benShea Jailhouse Strong JoshStrength, LLC and Adam benShea Copyright © 2 013 All rights reserved, including file sharing,... As he aged, this incredible strength stayed with Lowe In 2007, at the age of 52, the Beetle competed in a powerlifting meet and squatted 865 pounds, bench pressed 460 pounds, and deadlifted 820... uninterrupted sleep is recommended, along with taking naps as often as possible A recent study conducted by the University of Chicago Medical School, and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine,