Inmate Fitness

I went to prison 10 years ago. There were weights where I was at. Very old school York Barbell, but they had everything basic that you needed for a hardcore dungeon gym. They had a weight pile out on the yard with a roof over it, and then a quite large weight room in the basement. While I can’t say I know every single thing that went on or was available in there, I never heard of any gear available. Guys were making a big deal about smuggling creatine and selling it for ridiculous prices.

In spite of that, there were some really strong guys in there. I would see entire groups of guys benching and they would just keep ramping up, 315, 365, 405, some even 455. If I had to give a rough description of how people tended to work out, and how I did while I was in there, it would be similar to Eastern Europeans who work out for several sessions a day in between naps and laying around. You pretty much have nothing to do but work out and rest. No pump work was usually done, it was all about lifting heavy weights.

People would go work out in the morning, take a nap, come back in the afternoon, then come back in the evening. There was plenty of time to rest. Nutrition isn’t great, you don’t get a lot of quality protein, but there are a lot of starches available and you can get a lot of calories that way by all you can eat oatmeal and grits and such.

Also, you hear a lot of bodybuilders talk about the atmosphere at Gold’s out in LA, or powerlifters talk about the importance of atmosphere and good training partners at a hardcore gym. Now picture the atmosphere lifting in a prison full of aggressive convicts putting heavy weight on the bar and screaming at you to “PUSH THAT SHIT! I AIN’T PULLIN IT OFF YOU! PUSH IT OR ITS GONNA CRUSH YOUR ASS!”, especially when you’re half scared of the monsters screaming it at you.

I’m sure people will still say juice was available in there, but aside from pot and some painkillers and shit being available, it wasn’t really like that. You generally got paid 65 cents a day to work in the kitchen or something, hardly enough to afford cycles, and syringes are really hard to hide. I saw in there that you can get big and strong without perfect nutrition, and you can train frequently with heavy weights provided you get adequate rest and don’t do a lot of bodybuilder type intensity techniques.

Just my experience.

Ive been at one where the commissary only carried tuna and no other meat, well besides the “mystery meat” served at lunch. interestingly this was one of the gyms which had weights, IIRC. Cigarettes and (occassionally) dope were pretty much the only things Ive seen being passed around “freely”, though other drugs do get sold by certain COs, only to get confiscated by certain others. While gear was available at 3 of the places I’ve been in while cooling heels in between diesel therapy (google this one) we didnt even have any idea what we were injecting most of the time. Some of these fuckers are a riot.

That said, I’ve been a “guest” at places with pretty much most equipment you’d ever need to bodybuild. Seen a guy get shanked in his throat while he was repping with 3 plates on the incline bench. The best part is - he survived.

[quote]Lanfair wrote:
While I can’t say I know every single thing that went on or was available in there, I never heard of any gear available. Guys were making a big deal about smuggling creatine and selling it for ridiculous prices.

In spite of that, there were some really strong guys in there. I would see entire groups of guys benching and they would just keep ramping up, 315, 365, 405, some even 455. If I had to give a rough description of how people tended to work out, and how I did while I was in there, it would be similar to Eastern Europeans who work out for several sessions a day in between naps and laying around. You pretty much have nothing to do but work out and rest. No pump work was usually done, it was all about lifting heavy weights. People would go work out in the morning, take a nap, come back in the afternoon, then come back in the evening. There was plenty of time to rest. Nutrition isn’t great, you don’t get a lot of quality protein, but there are a lot of starches available and you can get a lot of calories that way by all you can eat oatmeal and grits and such.

Also, you hear a lot of bodybuilders talk about the atmosphere at Gold’s out in LA, or powerlifters talk about the importance of atmosphere and good training partners at a hardcore gym. Now picture the atmosphere lifting in a prison full of aggressive convicts putting heavy weight on the bar and screaming at you to “PUSH THAT SHIT! I AIN’T PULLIN IT OFF YOU! PUSH IT OR ITS GONNA CRUSH YOUR ASS!”, especially when you’re half scared of the monsters screaming it at you.

I’m sure people will still say juice was available in there, but aside from pot and some painkillers and shit being available, it wasn’t really like that. You generally got paid 65 cents a day to work in the kitchen or something, hardly enough to afford cycles, and syringes are really hard to hide. I saw in there that you can get big and strong without perfect nutrition, and you can train frequently with heavy weights provided you get adequate rest and don’t do a lot of bodybuilder type intensity techniques.

Just my experience.[/quote]

[quote]Lanfair wrote:
I’m sure people will still say juice was available in there, but aside from pot and some painkillers and shit being available, it wasn’t really like that. You generally got paid 65 cents a day to work in the kitchen or something, hardly enough to afford cycles, and syringes are really hard to hide. I saw in there that you can get big and strong without perfect nutrition, and you can train frequently with heavy weights provided you get adequate rest and don’t do a lot of bodybuilder type intensity techniques.

Just my experience.[/quote]

Thanks for posting…and that is really what I wanted to discuss.

“steroids” seem to be the goto remark when any picture is shown of any guy who is bigger than average.

It doesn’t seem that is the case in reality.

Ten years of training everyday with dedication will lead someone to a place the guy who trained “off and on” can never get to.

[quote]super saiyan wrote:
How many times can one person rehash the same topic?

This isn’t rhetorical. I would like a concrete answer so I can know when the madness will end.[/quote]

Page clicks bruh.

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Anyhoo, the folks in the video don’t look assisted for the most part. But the queston is what they looked like BEFORE they went in.[/quote]

I think that’s the big question. How many people go in, looking more ‘typical’, and come out with a champion caliber physique that really does exceed what most people would expect to be able to develop in a similar situation.

S[/quote]

+1

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Anyhoo, the folks in the video don’t look assisted for the most part. But the queston is what they looked like BEFORE they went in.[/quote]
I think that’s the big question. How many people go in, looking more ‘typical’, and come out with a champion caliber physique that really does exceed what most people would expect to be able to develop in a similar situation.

S[/quote]
+1[/quote]

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Anyhoo, the folks in the video don’t look assisted for the most part. But the queston is what they looked like BEFORE they went in.[/quote]
I think that’s the big question. How many people go in, looking more ‘typical’, and come out with a champion caliber physique that really does exceed what most people would expect to be able to develop in a similar situation.

S[/quote]
+1[/quote]

[/quote]

Your glorious quoting skills are unmatched my man!

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Anyhoo, the folks in the video don’t look assisted for the most part. But the queston is what they looked like BEFORE they went in.[/quote]
I think that’s the big question. How many people go in, looking more ‘typical’, and come out with a champion caliber physique that really does exceed what most people would expect to be able to develop in a similar situation.

S[/quote]
+1[/quote]

[/quote]

The most epic shitstorm is about to commence. 2009 PX versus 2014 PX. Who will prevail?

[quote]Quick Ben wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:
How many times can one person rehash the same topic?

This isn’t rhetorical. I would like a concrete answer so I can know when the madness will end.[/quote]

The madness will end whenever you want it to, dude. Whatever message PX wants to preach, there is no reason for you to keep showing up at the sermon.
[/quote]

And the church says, Amen.

There is also yet another thread about genetics made this week…and not one word was heard about redundancy.

Here’s something for you all to consider though, in the middle of this internet penis waving you all are so inexplicably fond of. If this guy in the video was my training partner or brother or whatever, and didn’t have any youtube videos… and, stay with me here… I posted a picture of him on this forum saying: “this is my bro, he squats 500x15, beltless, ass to grass.”

Is there a chance in hell anyone would believe me? No? There are more freaks of nature out there than you know, on drugs or not…

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
Your glorious quoting skills are unmatched my man![/quote]
Ha, thanks I guess. But that thread was just one of the first to come up when I Googled “prison physique change”.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
Your glorious quoting skills are unmatched my man![/quote]
Ha, thanks I guess. But that thread was just one of the first to come up when I Googled “prison physique change”.
[/quote]

I wonder how many other questions PX could get answers to by going back in time and asking his younger self.

Hey look one of these threads! I feel like I’ll be able to contribute everything I could possibly want to add to this discussion in 1 post.

  1. props to Mr. Colucci. The greatest TNation historian alive today.

  2. I think most of those pictures are of physiques that could be achieved naturally, BUT:

  3. It’s certainly likely that many of those physiques were, in fact, achieved through the use of steroids, either prior to or during incarceration. Just because a physique could have been achieved naturally doesn’t mean it was.

****4. Before and after prison photos would be INFINITELY more interesting than just random pictures that were taken at some point during a prison stay. That would give us something to talk about. Even just a few would be worthwhile. I would love to see photos of a guy come out of an extended prison sentence significantly more muscular than when he went in. Most of the cases I’ve seen have gone the other direction (I’m not saying this is evidence of anything, just my own observation). The photos presented in the video are essentially pointless out of context.

  1. X mentioned Dallas specifically earlier in this thread. There are no state prisons in Dallas. Lew Sterrett is Dallas’s downtown jail, and it’s an awful place, consistently cited for health code violations. They’re also known for essentially losing track of inmate records for weeks at a time, resulting in stays that last significantly longer than the prescribed sentence. I can tell you with absolute certainty (don’t expect me to explain why) that any drug can be purchased in this facility.

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
Your glorious quoting skills are unmatched my man![/quote]
Ha, thanks I guess. But that thread was just one of the first to come up when I Googled “prison physique change”.
[/quote]

I wonder how many other questions PX could get answers to by going back in time and asking his younger self.[/quote]

Lol, I don’t recall that earlier thread, but luckily Colucci knows all and sees all. This thread started with the notion that inmates (in general, or at least the ones featured in a video, which can obviously take the subtle opinion of the film maker) develop physiques beyond what many people claim is capable for unassisted trainers. In the 2009 thread, it compares being incarcerated with boot camp, and the illusion that can be created.

[quote] Professor X Wrote: (in 2009)
the idea that bootcamp somehow makes you swole is bullshit. It makes big guys smaller and weaker with MAYBE better conditioning and it gives tiny guys the ability to actually lift their own body weight.

Amazing.

Prison seems to be no different. People just see what they want to see and to the average person, ANY visible muscle mass makes you a monster [/quote]

^This part, IMO applies especially when you’re not worrying about bf%s, coupled with the fact (also covered in the 2009 thread) that this may be the first time that someone has been able to seriously engage in a committed, regular program of serious training.

S

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Anyhoo, the folks in the video don’t look assisted for the most part. But the queston is what they looked like BEFORE they went in.[/quote]
I think that’s the big question. How many people go in, looking more ‘typical’, and come out with a champion caliber physique that really does exceed what most people would expect to be able to develop in a similar situation.

S[/quote]
+1[/quote]

[/quote]

The most epic shitstorm is about to commence. 2009 PX versus 2014 PX. Who will prevail?[/quote]

Two men enter…ONLY ONE MAN LEAVES!!

[quote]Quick Ben wrote:
Here’s something for you all to consider though, in the middle of this internet penis waving you all are so inexplicably fond of. If this guy in the video was my training partner or brother or whatever, and didn’t have any youtube videos… and, stay with me here… I posted a picture of him on this forum saying: “this is my bro, he squats 500x15, beltless, ass to grass.”

Is there a chance in hell anyone would believe me? No? There are more freaks of nature out there than you know, on drugs or not…

[/quote]

Are you being serious here? No one could look at a physique like this and think, “damn, that guy can probably move some serious weight”? Rubish is a monster, and he looks like it too.

Google image ‘pete rubish’, plenty of impressive pics out there. His back is just stupid. I don’t really understand where you’re coming from here.

[quote]flipcollar wrote:

[quote]Quick Ben wrote:
Here’s something for you all to consider though, in the middle of this internet penis waving you all are so inexplicably fond of. If this guy in the video was my training partner or brother or whatever, and didn’t have any youtube videos… and, stay with me here… I posted a picture of him on this forum saying: “this is my bro, he squats 500x15, beltless, ass to grass.”

Is there a chance in hell anyone would believe me? No? There are more freaks of nature out there than you know, on drugs or not…

[/quote]

Are you being serious here? No one could look at a physique like this and think, “damn, that guy can probably move some serious weight”? Rubish is a monster, and he looks like it too.

Google image ‘pete rubish’, plenty of impressive pics out there. His back is just stupid. I don’t really understand where you’re coming from here.[/quote]

I know who he is, and if you didn’t know who he was and I posted that picture… no way anyone who knows anything about bodybuilding would look at those quads and think he could squat 500x15. His pound for pound strength is insane, and you would have to see it to believe it.

Edit: The point is, there are people who can move tons of weight for reps who don’t look the part, and by that same token there are people who can build tons of muscle with way less drugs than you would assume.

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
Your glorious quoting skills are unmatched my man![/quote]
Ha, thanks I guess. But that thread was just one of the first to come up when I Googled “prison physique change”.
[/quote]

I wonder how many other questions PX could get answers to by going back in time and asking his younger self.[/quote]

Uh, this thread has nothing to do with anything stated in that one.

I didn’t ask if they were bigger before they went in.

[quote]flipcollar wrote:

  1. X mentioned Dallas specifically earlier in this thread. There are no state prisons in Dallas. Lew Sterrett is Dallas’s downtown jail, and it’s an awful place, consistently cited for health code violations. They’re also known for essentially losing track of inmate records for weeks at a time, resulting in stays that last significantly longer than the prescribed sentence. I can tell you with absolute certainty (don’t expect me to explain why) that any drug can be purchased in this facility.[/quote]

This is true…along with regular cell searches which is WHY you can’t do a cycle in there easily at all.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]flipcollar wrote:

  1. X mentioned Dallas specifically earlier in this thread. There are no state prisons in Dallas. Lew Sterrett is Dallas’s downtown jail, and it’s an awful place, consistently cited for health code violations. They’re also known for essentially losing track of inmate records for weeks at a time, resulting in stays that last significantly longer than the prescribed sentence. I can tell you with absolute certainty (don’t expect me to explain why) that any drug can be purchased in this facility.[/quote]

This is true…along with regular cell searches which is WHY you can’t do a cycle in there easily at all.[/quote]

I’m sure not being able to cycle properly will keep most of them from taking anything.