Prison swole?

[jmhester]

I just heard on TV that where O.J. is going to prison, each prisoner gets 2800 cal/day. I assume they have a hard time getting supps, too. If they aren't getting the 1g/lb. of protein and only 2800 cal, how are those guys getting so huge? I assume they also have limited time to workout. Anybody worked in the corrections system that can clear this up?

[AK56]

They can buy additional food.

[uncleroman]

i would be willing to bet that the ones that are really big were lifting before the pokey. and i would think there is a small % that are big. just like in the world.

[sactown]

Now..........weights are not allowed in Prison. In CA, anyway.

Back in the day, there were benches and squat racks and free weights.

When all you had to look forward to was to lift...........man, brothas got BIG!

When I was back in GA, and one of our friends we hadn't seen in aminute popped up all yoked-up, first question was when they got out, then, what they were in for.

I recently was with one of my podnahs and he showed me pics of his cousin. He was braggin about how big he was, but the man was a QB..........anyway............now, dudes can get cut (IE pushups, pullups, and situps) but no more weights.

[Tallgntlmn]

Totally different kind of specimen, but wasn't Ray Lewis known for doing something like 1500 pushups and 500 situps before bed when he was in the pokey in Atlanta?

FWIW, a buddy of mine works at Talladega FCI and said they got rid of all the weights so they wouldn't be building stronger criminals. I think the same has been done in a lot of states, but not sure.

[mridgley]

Interesting topic - here is a quote that I found on a different site.

"I work at a prison, so I guess I am kinda the expert in this area. OK first not all places will have the same rules for what they could buy. No offense to your cousin, but most thugs are full of sh it. If they were right they could all lift 500lbs for reps. They can get a high protien diet, but it will not be clean. Can buy only mita-vitamins. Some thugs steal lots of milk, and eggs, and meat from the kitchen. Most of the meat is nasty, low protein, high fat. They all work out different than we do. They do anwhere from 10-30 reps for Any exercise. There is one thug he is 5'10 185ish, about 3-4% bf. He does pushups, pullups, and dips. But he does no kidding about 1000 of each a day. He does not use iron. I have seen other inmates challenge him, and he has benched 315 for reps, I have seen him CURL 225X3. So I think most of this stuff has to do with genetics. So They get alot of protein, fat, carbs. And thats it. Plus they have the survival of the fittest mentality"

[black_socks]

I did 110 months in a FED prison in TEXAS... And my perspective is slightly different.

I saw some very strong guys that were very NATURAL and they did it on crap food. I routinely saw guys rep 500+ pound for 5 sets of 10.

At the FCI I was at there were 2300 inmates who shared 5 bench 5 bars and about 2000 lbs of weights. It was common to wait 1 hour to get on a bench. You did not throw weights around because when they broke the weights did not get replaced..


Rule of thumb was you did not go to the weight pile unless you could carry yourself on the pullup, pushup, and dips.. if you could not bench at least 150% of your weight stay clear and do you work on the body weight exercises. if you could not do 30 pushups and 20+ dips then don't even go to the pile.

True inmates steal food but that is to balance a very poor diet provided by the programs.. I don't condone it but that is way things are in prison.

On one positive note, i think it is a testament to some of the guys in there as to how fit they are with the diet.. True some are genetically gifted but there are some hard working body builders in there and they are good examples that you don't need tons of SUPS to get "swole".

[sactown]

I'm just differentiating between before and after.....there are no weights at his facility. He has serratus for days, but no size

Size is relative, as is strength.............

Interesting topic - here is a quote that I found on a different site.

"I work at a prison, so I guess I am kinda the expert in this area. OK first not all places will have the same rules for what they could buy. No offense to your cousin, but most thugs are full of sh it. If they were right they could all lift 500lbs for reps. They can get a high protien diet, but it will not be clean. Can buy only mita-vitamins. Some thugs steal lots of milk, and eggs, and meat from the kitchen. Most of the meat is nasty, low protein, high fat. They all work out different than we do. They do anwhere from 10-30 reps for Any exercise. There is one thug he is 5'10 185ish, about 3-4% bf. He does pushups, pullups, and dips. But he does no kidding about 1000 of each a day. He does not use iron. I have seen other inmates challenge him, and he has benched 315 for reps, I have seen him CURL 225X3. So I think most of this stuff has to do with genetics. So They get alot of protein, fat, carbs. And thats it. Plus they have the survival of the fittest mentality"

[fmartin685]

Hey Sactown, you are absolutely right about CDC. Weights were taken away from them quite a few years ago. Don't know about other states, though.

[sickonstorm]

I'm just differentiating between before and after.....there are no weights at his facility. He has serratus for days, but no size

Size is relative, as is strength.............

what is a seratus?

[fmartin685]

what is a seratus?

The serratus anterior is occasionally called the "boxer's muscle" because it is largely responsible for the protraction of the scapula?that is, the pulling of the scapula forward and around the rib cage that occurs when someone throws a punch.


(???) The answer just brings more questions.

[Jimislash]

I saw some very strong guys that were very NATURAL and they did it on crap food. I routinely saw guys rep 500+ pound for 5 sets of 10.

I find this pretty hard to believe. 5 sets of 10 at 500+? I have never even heard of this kind of strength. Are you talking about bench press? Or leg press? That would be an insane squat workout much less a bench press routine. And it was routine at the prison? For NATURAL guys?

[Reality_Check]

I don't know about the American prison system but in Australia (NSW) where I was a corrective services officer for a year (16 years ago now) they could buy tubs of protein powder and other supps, plus the meals where pretty decent (but there were only 3). They had weights too until one day they were used to throw at a guard in the tower while a couple of guys were climibing the wall (ladder made up of bed ends)-still shot one in the leg but - after that no weights (and the guys were all recaptured months later).

[boathead]

most if not all jails now ban free weights.

jailhouse workout routines are silly. you see guys filling bags with water, etc...and then the guards raid the cells and take them away.

diet is poor. you get your 3 lousy meals. you can buy from the canteen, but it is VERY expensive over time, and the options are limited.

hard boiled eggs are traded like contraban.

i personally never saw a single in shape big guy. and that was with two bids, one in the fed and one state.

maybe in the day of tookie, they were big. no longer.

[tatdawg]

i did 8 years in the ga system and they pulled the weights in about 95. there were no supps or real food you could buy. only chips and junk like that. you could get cup of raemon noodles and a jar of peanut butter which i mixed together and ate daily.

as for workouts it was massive amounts of callisthenics. i was doing 1,000 pushups a day every day while i was close security. as i moved thru the system and could get around more i lowered that number and added pullups and dips off of whatever i could find and ran in the yard and did bodyweight squats. their plan was to soften us up by taking the weights but it created some of the most fit people i have ever seen.

what amazed me is it kinda changed my thoughts on overtraining and supps. i worked out pretty good before i went in but changed up and went full bore inside with bodyweight exercises and got into the best shape of my life. i have not took a supp since i got out and still go back to my prison style workout a couple of times a year with no thought of overtraining.

[Stevelegh]

All this does beg the question of whether supps are a help or a hindrance.

I'm sure there's a lot of peeps here who think they have to take their creatine / NoX supp preworkout and don't feel they can work as hard if they don't. I've been suckered into this and missed workouts because I didn't take my preworkout supps or missed a meal.

I've got a buddy who I mentioned here once. He eats twice a day, occasionally has Mc D's, takes protein when he remembers and doesn't do multi's or creatine or any other supp (apart from the time I gave him some mono pills I wasn't using).

What he does do is go to the gym. He takes his kid weekends and wednesdays and doesn't have finances for any other interest, so he works and hits the gym Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri.

People are now accusing him or 'roiding'.

He's not. He's just doing what most people can't or don't do. He hits the gym religiously and works with full intensity. Oh yeah, and the bastard has amazing genetics.

Food and supps are part of the equation, but it's still very possible to do well without.

[blopid]

Sorry to throw in a wrench here, but I have different views on this subject. I know this wasn't the original comment, but I feel very strongly about it... I detest the idea that prison inmates even have access to any kind of training equipment. No offense to anyone, but if you make it into prison, you should be there to serve your punishment for whatever you did. I don't think they should have the luxury of being able to use exercise equipment of any kind. That said... I imagine there isn't too much else to do there, so why not exercise in some way... Sorry for the downer, but I felt the need to vent...


Peace...

[Stevelegh]

Sorry for the downer, but I felt the need to vent...


Peace...

And so you did........

[TBW]

some of my mates do stints in prison to train away from distractions. Obviously its different rules over here to over there. And it varies to each prison over here. But they get gym time, they can order supplements, steroids can be obtained like other drugs in the prison. They train hard, eat ( can buy additional food) hard. and they get enough sleep a night to grow.

They come out big soon as they are out they start slacking again with booze, drugs and girls, end up back in prison and repeat.

[dbx]

....I detest the idea that prison inmates even have access to any kind of training equipment. No offense to anyone, but if you make it into prison, you should be there to serve your punishment for whatever you did. I don't think they should have the luxury of being able to use exercise equipment of any kind. That said... I imagine there isn't too much else to do there, so why not exercise in some way...

What most of society fails to grasp; confining a human being for any appreciable length of time is far more punishment than the average person can comprehend. Luxury? Luxury is being able to lay in your own bed, or to simply look at the sky when you want to. Respectfully, blopid, your definition of what luxury is, would become unrecognizable in a matter of days, let alone, months or years.

[Skidmarx]

How long until prison training become the next fitness craze?

[FlyingDan]

How long until prison training become the next fitness craze?

And they make it a reality show!

[jmhester]

OK. Back on track. :-)
So the stereotype of prisoners being these huge muscle monsters is just false? That the truth is that they are fit due to being creative in their workouts and the need to survive in a violent environment? Your average prisoner would be more ripped than massive?

[Marius_Ursus]

I just heard on TV that where O.J. is going to prison, each prisoner gets 2800 cal/day. I assume they have a hard time getting supps, too. If they aren't getting the 1g/lb. of protein and only 2800 cal, how are those guys getting so huge? I assume they also have limited time to workout. Anybody worked in the corrections system that can clear this up?

Go to T-nation and look up "prison training". They covered this topic exhaustively about a year ago...very, very interesting information.

[edit]Prison documentaries cover this a lot, too. Check out the Lockup! series on CNBC.[/edit]

[Tallgntlmn]

How long until prison training become the next fitness craze?

And they make it a reality show!

Mostly OT, but did you see where NBC is putting Leno on 5 days a week at 10pm? Maybe your ideas are something to be proposed to a network as a reality show. They're all in trouble. LOL!

After reading more of the thoughts on here, it is becoming apparent that running and bodyweight exercises are incorporated a lot more than weights and proper diet. I think it has been said (not sure I believe it) that Herschel Walker never touched weights. He wasn't in bad shape at all if that is true.

[Luke Whippo]

What most of society fails to grasp; confining a human being for any appreciable length of time is far more punishment than the average person can comprehend. Luxury? Luxury is being able to lay in your own bed, or to simply look at the sky when you want to. Respectfully, blopid, your definition of what luxury is, would become unrecognizable in a matter of days, let alone, months or years.

well how about a guy who really just doesn't give a hoot, these are guys who really think that it's "their cell", "their bed", ect. the lowest of the low, I've seen guys come back to the area after doing 5years, they come back and it seems like they want to go right back by the way they act.

....and they talk about lifting inside.

I have changed my views on this though, as I know a guy who works in the PA prison he is also a coach for this prisons powerlifting team, (which btw is very strict to get into) he has brought up good points, lifting can take the inmates minds off of hurting staff, (the staff don't make the rules and laws in prison, and they don't make the prison comfy, the system does that, but they still work there), also not everyone in prison is an animal, and the system wants to rehab, fact is some people really understand they made a mistake.

[dbx]

I have changed my views on this though,

Most people will if they take 10 mins to think about penology.

.as I know a guy who works in the PA prison he is also a coach for this prisons powerlifting team, he has brought up good points, lifting can take the inmates minds off of hurting staff,

Um...yes, that's why it was allowed to begin with

..also not everyone in prison is an animal, and the system wants to rehab, fact is some people really understand they made a mistake.

Ya think?

[Minotaur]

Most people will if they take 10 mins to think about penology.

That comment could bring out the artist in me.

Moving along...

[tatdawg]

What most of society fails to grasp; confining a human being for any appreciable length of time is far more punishment than the average person can comprehend. Luxury? Luxury is being able to lay in your own bed, or to simply look at the sky when you want to. Respectfully, blopid, your definition of what luxury is, would become unrecognizable in a matter of days, let alone, months or years.

well said dbx and like i said ga removed all weights and machines in 95 so blopid can rest easy. as for pushups and such there is no way anyone can stop a man in a 7'x9' locked cell from doing callisthenics short of chaining them to a bed 24-7.

OK. Back on track. :-)
So the stereotype of prisoners being these huge muscle monsters is just false? That the truth is that they are fit due to being creative in their workouts and the need to survive in a violent environment? Your average prisoner would be more ripped than massive?

you are correct sir at least from my time in the ga system

[Minotaur]

I don't understand the rationale of "weightlifting makes stronger criminals". Strong or not, once an inmate is released, it's assumed he's rehabilitated. Is he going to take this new-found strength and think he can get away with anything or beat the system?

Are we concerned that big strong inmates will overpower co's? I've heard some smaller sized cops say "I've got some skills, don't worry about it" when asked how they'd take down a bigger person. I'm sure co's are trained at least as well. Inmates have been rioting for centuries, barbells or not.

I would think that weightlifting would give an inmate a sense of accomplishment that maybe he didn't have on the outside. Isn't it true that a lot of inmates are there for stupid mistakes? The truly dangerous ones are deprived of everything. Well, I don't know... I could be totally off-base, but I just don't see the rationale.