I’m sure you’ve may of seen some of the guys within some of the prisons…
There’s some strong and jacked up dudes in the pen…
Shoot, if all I had was time and I was stuck in jail, I would be trying to get as jacked up, strong, and ripped as possible!
What’s crazy about some of these guys is that they don’t have access to any weights, but they still manage to get themselves beasted out!
How is this so? Bodyweight Training!
So, I took this “prison style workout” concept from my boy Zach Even-Esh. I’ve also seen this style of training scheme used by Johnny Hinds of the Monkey Bar Gym.
Zach uses this within his Bodyweight Bodybuilding Secrets workout manual in a few of the different phases and the way it works is basically just like a descending ladder rep scheme would work only you would use a combination or circuit of movements.
For example, if you were doing push ups, squats, and pull ups in a circuit, you would start with 10 reps for each movement. After you hit each movement x 10 reps, you would then go down to 9, then 8, then 7 and so on…
This is a great way to limit your rest and push your conditioning to the next level while also working on getting stronger with just bodyweight. Not no mention, these descending ladder sets will build up some serious mental toughness as well.
The two movements I went with for this Throwdown were bar muscle ups and speed squat jumps. These two movement blended in well with the rest of my training session which looked like this:
1A) Power Snatch from Blocks 5 x 2
2A) Front Squats 2 x 5, 3 x 3
3A) The “Prison Workout” Throwdown Finisher
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1) Bar Muscle Up 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
2) Speed Squat Jump 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
As always, use progressions. If you can’t bang out a bar muscle up, regress it down to chest to bar pull ups and dips.
As you can see I’ve blended both weights and bodyweight together in the same training session which isn’t new and is what I do pretty much in all of my sessions.
To me, bodyweight training is that important, not only because it’s a huge component in keeping me athletic and mobile, but because it’s an essential piece within strength training.
What I love about bodyweight training the most is that it keeps me one with myself and always manages to humble me as some of the toughest workouts I’ve done are bodyweight only.
I’m always trying to get better and stronger with my own bodyweight and I’ve always believed in the fact that you can never be strong enough in this category. You can always improve on your strength and conditioning, especially when it comes to bodyweight training.
Since I’m always in the pursuit of more strength, I’m quick to invest into other programs, especially when it’s coming from a proven and creditable source. For bodyweight training, there are many sources out there you can use to better your craft.
One of my favorite resources is Zach Even Esh’s Bodyweight Bodybuilding Secrets and as I 
mentioned above, I’ve taken some of the concepts he’s uses within his manual and have applied them to my own methods of training.
This Prison Style Workout is just one of many powerful methods Zach uses within his Bodyweight Bodybuilding Secrets manual and right now until this Friday, he’s having a KILLER 50% OFF sale on this great resource!
Either way you look at it, bodyweight training is extremely powerful and should NOT be overlooked.
Mix it into your training one way or another.
Make sure to hit this week’s Throwdown up! Even if you have to regress your movements, attack it and post up your results in the comments below! Also, drop off any questions you may have as well.
Live and Train Aggressive!