Jailhouse Strong

Josh Bryant and Adam BenShea have extended the prison strength books series with an excellent addition. They found champion strong men (inmates Angelo White of Crips, Dorian Yates, Tyson Hughes, George Christie, Cory Matthews and others and guards Mike Knight, Garry Frank and others) who have actually spent time behind bars and interviewed them to determine just what about prison workouts enabled them to grow big and strong. They merged the answers into a series of workouts and suggestions that worked. These men "built a physique that screams alpha male physical prowess, and drips with masculine virility." (page 1) These men built, not huge biceps and narrow waists, but "neck, traps, forearms and your back (the places where workout-hardened muscles coil into combat-ready weapons)." (page 1) These men not only were extremely strong, but appeared formidable. The book includes pictures to prove this. Reference is made several times to the California Youth Authority which the authors state helped many young gang members grow big. The change in Mike Tyson's physique from before and after his 3 years in prison is discussed.The workouts included are built on basic exercises: squat, overhead press, bench press and deadlift with lots of both body weight and free weight additions. These are not fancy workouts, but very focused workouts. The programs are explicit and well laid out. The suggestions for mixing it up with carefully chosen additions and approaches are excellent. Included, among other suggestions are several: 20 minute challenges, "month in the hole" reverse pyramids, 100 rep pyramids, deck of pain, Juaraez Valley workouts, tabatas, extreme circuits, burpee challenge, rest-pause lifting. The sections on the various body parts development are outstanding, straight forward. The emphasis is on consistency and progressions of both body weight exercises and adding weights to the bar. The weights are heavy. The reps are both high and low counts. The sets are numerous. All as befits muscle growth for size and strength, the goals of the program. There are brief discussions of the 4 major body weapons - two knees and two elbows - and their use.Diet is DE-emphasised as the inmates had no control. The times and contents of the meals were uniform and consistent, which the authors state is important.The authors repeatedly state this is not a book for body builders, who want to compete in the body building competitions, (Who are carefully not dissed, but differentiated.). This book is for "building physical armor to show that you have prepared your body for the realities of no rules combat." (page 1)So, if you want to be really strong, and look really formidable, this is the go-to book.

Great ideas for training. Kind of mix of conjugate style with rotating lifts on a Wendler esque plan. Nothing new or groundbreaking as everything is really already done but great still. Love this series.

Their is no surprise I’m a huge fan of Josh Bryant’s work. Josh Bryant is dedicated to providing athletes all the tools they need to get to the next level. At the young age of 22 years old, Josh was the youngest person in powerlifting history to bench 600 pounds raw. Through Joshstrength, Josh has trained numerous powerlifters with astounding breaking numbers. When Josh speaks you listen.Jailhouse Strong is a training book by Josh Bryant and Adam benShea.Josh and Adam cover the topics as why prisoners get strong an lean. This book covers functional strength training for people with limited resources (behind bars).The book offers body weight routines along with its progressions. The authors also dive into barbell training, and different ways of avoiding sticking points (Rest-Pause Method, Frequency etc). Josh and Adam lay out numerous programs for people to try. Its all laid out for you and offers substitutions of exercises if needed.Topics you will learn: You can get big and strong anywhere with limited resources. Rest! Sleep leads to the greatest recovery and muscular growth. Prisoners get plenty of rest, this not only helps their muscle repair but keeps them mentally sharp. Importance of motivation. These guys push themselves day in and day out, always striving to be better then before. Get excited about training! Increased Frequency of Training. Josh and Adam talk about the importance of training frequency and why deloads are needed to repair our CNS. Stick to basic training. Nowadays too many coaches try to find the new “fad”, stick to the basics and constantly push yourself and you will see results. Big compound lifts=Big results.The book is no non-sense attitude, with a focus on progression, strength and frequency. You will find many written programs of strength, arm specialization, circuits, body weight training etc.This is a great book for anyone looking for functional strength, mass or someone with limited resources.Too many people are looking for fancy ways of getting strong, when all you need is the right attitude and drive to be the best, its time everyone gets, Jailhouse Strong.

I liked Jailhouse Strong! This was a great book to read. It was constantly on my radar "Great Calisthenics Books" to read and I just never pulled the trigger to buy it till now. I am glad I did! Jailhouse Strong is chalk full of knowledge for those that train in Calisthenics or Weight-Training. You really can't go wrong. I certainly will take concepts from this book and incorporate it with my Convict Conditioning workouts too...

Jailhouse Strong is a straightforward, no crap kind of book. It is easy and quick to read and contains a wealth of knowledge that is applicable to every reader, regardless of fitness level. This is not a scholarly written publication. There are typos and grammatical errors, but do not let that put you off from the genius in this book. This is real life, practical fitness that fits any schedule and any set of needs. I am a competitive powerlifter, but also have a work/life schedule that often cuts into my training. I was able to take notes from this book and apply it to my training to make the most out of my longer workouts, optimize my workouts when on a time crunch, and find ways to exercise even when life keeps me from getting into the gym. Do yourself a favor and read this book.Also, follow Josh on YouTube and Instagram. I did after reading this book, and the sheer amount of free material he puts out is staggering. So far I have read 4 of Josh's books, watched countless YouTubes videos on his channel, and can honestly say I have benefitted greatly as an athlete from doing so.

Simply the best.

A vous de faire votre choix parmi tout les trainings proposé. C'est simple mais efficace. Un bon livre a recommandé

This I a great book which offers a new perspective to fitness and also the two training types it talks about

Great training philosophy. Content very useful.

There are many training systems that get bandied around purportedly revealing the secrets of an archetypal group well known for being big/strong/fit, many of them turn out to be a bit disappointing or simply a skin on something fairly typical.Jailhouse Strong is actually very satisfying, it’s complete in its context, enjoyable to read & therefore extremely likeable. The language, font.. everything reminded me of those old school bodybuilding magazines that fired me up as a kid.There’s a variety of programs to try out, both bodyweight programs that could be your lockdown protocol & proper gym based programs. I don’t think anyone drawn to the idea would have a reason to be disappointed even if some elements of the advice don’t quite match modern science based approaches. But that’s totally not the point and you’d be a pedant to take issue with that.Keen now to check out some of their other books.