Convict Conditioning.

ferike1

Convict conditioning is a fantastic book.

Was my gateway drug into the world of BW training.

Please Kill Me

meijin wrote: »

Don't worry it's easy now, it will get harder

Ah don't scare him off!!! :pac:

But yeah, tis true.

PauloConn

I feel like my pullup and pushup is going in reverse. I'm on half pushups and i was able to work 3 sets of 25 but now i'm barely squeezing out 15 reps per set.
And on the horizontal pulls its the same again although i've been working my way down to a lower angle now its still only to get about 10-12 reps instead of the 18-20 i was able to do before....
But i'll just keep at it, its good fun and defo noticing strength changes on the odd day i do free weights.

dkennedy1001

PauloConn wrote: »

I feel like my pullup and pushup is going in reverse. I'm on half pushups and I was able to work 3 sets of 25 but now i'm barely squeezing out 15 reps per set.

This happened me recently. I was managing 3x15 then all of a sudden it was 1x17 and 2x8. I think what happened me was because I pushed myself to failure on the first set my other sets then suffered as a consequence which the coach advises not to do. He says always keep strength in the bank.

One tip I got on another forum is to always keep your last set as your strongest and to keep strength in the bank for your first two. So in your case I might do 2x23 and then 1x25 and be careful in the first two sets that you arent pushing to your very max. Then next week knowing that you have managed 2 extra in your last set apply those two to the first two sets so the next week do 2x24 and 1x26. I have heard good things about this method so I am giving it a shot at the moment.

PauloConn wrote: »

And on the horizontal pulls its the same again although i've been working my way down to a lower angle now its still only to get about 10-12 reps instead of the 18-20 i was able to do before....
But i'll just keep at it, its good fun and defo noticing strength changes on the odd day i do free weights.

This is just natural with the lowering of the bar. Just realise that even though your reps have decreased your strength will increase further as your reps increase doing the work at this harder height. Also remember that in the FAQ Paul Wade said if you can do 3x30 Horizontal Pullups at sternum height to try to do the next step of Jacknife Pulls and if you can hit the beginner standard of them to move on. There is a lot of debate around the HP exercise and whether he got the bar height wrong as it makes it very hard at hip height and is out of touch with the rest of the steps.

Cheers

Goldigga

I just started Convict Conditioning this week. For someone who is looking for a simple plan, with good progressions and not much equipment needed, it is ticking the right boxes for me.

I have glossed over a lot of Prison story telling hype, but so far so good. Im just wondering how are others who have been following it for a while getting on? What sort of gains have you seen from it?

dkennedy1001

Im slowly making progress and have gotten this far since late June.

Squat step 7, Leg Raise step 4, Pushup step 3, Pullup step 3

In terms of gains I did notice at the beginning I was putting on some muscle but as I am currently trying to get down to 10% body fat so therefore not eating a lot (which is not optimum for muscle growth) so I wouldnt be the best person to ask about gaining a lot of muscle. If you are eating right with enough protein I am sure you can gain a fair amount of muscle with CC. Others on here can probably confirm this.

Cheers

Dr. Greenthumb

Started on CC about three weeks ago and going through the early steps, one thing I've noticed is the pressure on my joints for level 1 of the push ups which made it longer than i thought to achieve the 3 x 50 reps (thought I'd do it in one go!).

On level 2 of the squats (jack knife squat) i can achieve the progression standard but when doing it my heels at the lower position are not touching the ground, off it by 10mm or so. Is this normal or is it an indication my achilles tendon is too tight? Should my foot be flat on the ground all the way down?

dkennedy1001

Yeah your heels must remain on the ground for the whole movement so it may require a bit more strengthening for you to achieve this I'm afraid.

I would try to stick rigidly with CC at the beginning but now I use it more as a guide. I was on step 7 squats but then tried and done a one legged squat so now I am just doing them and have ignored 8 and 9. Without CC I would never have been able to do a pistol though so I am finding it brilliant.

Heathen

Hate to dig up an old thread (well only 2 months or so)

Started reading CC tonight... after finding this thread linked from the Calisthenics thread, really liking it :-)

looking forward to reading the rest of it and trying out the steps in it..

Cheers

Please Kill Me

Heathen wrote: »

Hate to dig up an old thread (well only 2 months or so)

Started reading CC tonight... after finding this thread linked from the Calisthenics thread, really liking it :-)

looking forward to reading the rest of it and trying out the steps in it..

Cheers

Best of luck with it.

dastardly00

Hey everyone,

I've reached Step 7: Uneven Squats in the Squats section. Steps 1-6 have gone ok, and I've reached the progression standard in each one without too much difficulty.
However I'm finding uneven squats very tough. So much so that I find Step 8 (1/2 one-leg squats) easier to attempt.
Does anyone who has progressed past Step 7 in the Squats section have any tips/advice?

dkennedy1001

Just skip the step if you find the next step easier to manage as they are just a guide to reach the master step. I went from step 6 to 10 as I found the basketball stuff quite difficult so I just attempted a full one legged squat and pulled it off so I just continued on with them.

Johnny Drama_11

any chance of the link?

Thanks,

JD

hurlsey

Just picked this up online, how long should it take to master the 6 movements and then once you have what happens?? i know this is a ways off, as i havnt even taken delivery of the book, i wanted to do some BW stuff was told this was a good place to start?

Mellor

hurlsey wrote: »

Just picked this up online, how long should it take to master the 6 movements and then once you have what happens?? i know this is a ways off, as i havnt even taken delivery of the book, i wanted to do some BW stuff was told this was a good place to start?

Impossible to answer.
Not everyone is starting from the same point. I was able to get straight through the first couple of levels as I was already strong enough to do multiple press-ups etc.

Also each of the master steps aren't equal in terms terms of ability required some some can achieve easily, others take a lot of work to reach. In fact, at least one of the master steps is unachievable, its never been done. (the pics in the book were set up)

hurlsey

Mellor wrote: »

Impossible to answer.
Not everyone is starting from the same point. I was able to get straight through the first couple of levels as I was already strong enough to do multiple press-ups etc.

Also each of the master steps aren't equal in terms terms of ability required some some can achieve easily, others take a lot of work to reach. In fact, at least one of the master steps is unachievable, its never been done. (the pics in the book were set up)

Ha which one is that Mellor?, so i dont get my hopes up when it gets here

Mellor

hurlsey wrote: »

Ha which one is that Mellor?, so i dont get my hopes up when it gets here

Should be easy enough to guess. Have a look at the 6 mastersteps.
The one that looks ridiculously hard.

PauloConn

1 armed handstand pushups?
You mean i'll never achieve this?

Mellor

PauloConn wrote: »

1 armed handstand pushups?
You mean i'll never achieve this?

Bingo!

hurlsey

Mellor wrote: »

Bingo!

I a one arm handstand push-up unattainable? As I look at the question I'm thinking its a yes but surely somebody somewhere has done 1?

Just did a quick google, disregard that above^^^

PauloConn

Mellor wrote: »

Bingo!

Gutted......

Hi convicts. Recently heard of this program and have read the thread here, would love to give it a bash. I did a bit of googling there to no avail, is there anyone who could help me with a link to get me started? (Please not one to the amazon page where the book is £38:o)

DBCyc

Very interested in trying this myself also. Could I get a link by PM please?

Mr. Manager

Just Google "convict conditioning .pdf"

Couldn't be any easier.

Cereal Rapist

Cereal Rapist wrote: »

Just Google "convict conditioning .pdf"

Couldn't be any easier.

I spent a good half hour googling it but couldn't find a genuine link to download, the fact I'm on mac might have part to play. Anyway it is something that I want to pursue so I don't mind buying it, just that means the difference of a few weeks. Hope to be posting some results/opinions in here soon...

atilladehun

I started reading this after the thread popped up recently. The exercises look great. I might give it a go. I love working out at home. I was just wondering though I know he doesn't seem to talk too much about diet and anyone who is doing this program should follow the advice available in this forum to help their progression but I began to think about convicts.

They don't get to pick their food or control their diet. In fact I would presume the food they eat is very very poor quality. i.e. their spuds aren't spuds and their soup is stock water.

Yet the get big and ripped....

(I don't not believe the food information, it's just something I have noticed. I presume it's all down to the sheer amount of work they can do.)

theSHU

stankratz wrote: »

I spent a good half hour googling it but couldn't find a genuine link to download, the fact I'm on mac might have part to play. Anyway it is something that I want to pursue so I don't mind buying it, just that means the difference of a few weeks. Hope to be posting some results/opinions in here soon...

http://www.google.ie/#rlz=1C2_____en-GBIE462IE462&sclient=psy-ab&q=filetype:pdf+%22convict+conditioning%22+&oq=filetype:pdf+%22convict+conditioning%22+&gs_l=serp.3...376849.376849.1.377166.1.1.0.0.0.0.194.194.0j1.1.0....0...1c.1.23.serp..1.0.0.g0PWTFyk1yo&psj=1&fp=c520d27872bc6c5a&biw=1163&bih=640&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&cad=b&bvm=pv.xjs.s.en_US.seW1cfrvSKg.O

Dr. Greenthumb

I was wondering how many people have kept this program up? Myself, I've been doing it since December 2012 and my current progression is as follows.

Pull ups - Level 5
Leg Raises - Level 5
Suqats - Level 6
Push ups - Level 7
Bridges - Level 4
Handstand Push ups - Level 3

Currently at progression standard for squats level 6 but staying put and trying to loosen my leg muscles as the uneven squat is unachievable at the moment due to flexibility I think.

I've taken a step back on various exercises once or twice just to slow the movement down and have been taking my time on some also as I feel I need to perfect the form. Enjoying the program though and can fit it nicely into my daily routine and around my other commitments.

Anyone got any advice on how to increase my handstand duration? I have been hovering around the minute mark for months, current best is a minute ten but progress on this one is painfully slow.

Mellor

Dr. Greenthumb wrote: »

I was wondering how many people have kept this program up? Myself, I've been doing it since December 2012 and my current progression is as follows.

Pull ups - Level 5
Leg Raises - Level 5
Suqats - Level 6
Push ups - Level 7
Bridges - Level 4
Handstand Push ups - Level 3

I did it for a bit when traveling, I sometimes jump back into for a set or two.
I'm not certain but I think I'm was at level 7 for most (I hit 15 full bridges last night) with the exception of handstand push ups. That's definitely the toughest progression.

Currently at progression standard for squats level 6 but staying put and trying to loosen my leg muscles as the uneven squat is unachievable at the moment due to flexibility I think.

Ditto. I've progressed to level 7, but I won;t be going anywhere soon.

Anyone got any advice on how to increase my handstand duration? I have been hovering around the minute mark for months, current best is a minute ten but progress on this one is painfully slow.

I stagnated for a minute for ages. Could get to 60 seconds no bother, then it'd fall apart within 10 seconds.
After a few weeks I randomly hit 90 seconds, and then the following I hit 2 mins, was very tough, but I rode it out.

Which way do you face? Towards the wall or away?
I started off kicking up into position, so facing away. But then I started walking my feet up the wall, so I was facing the wall. I found it more stable, which allowed me to focus on loading the shoulder and not waste energy trying to keep steady.

Mickery

I skipped Squat level 7. I found it ridiculously hard to balance.

Levels 8 and 9 on one leg were doable using a door handle as assistance.

I'm progressing by using less and less assistance. My balance and leg strength are improving.