Bulk Up Like A Convict
Ever wondered why prisoners are so fit and how Sanjay Dutt has lost so much weight staying in jail? FHM did too.
The expert: Trey Teufel, author of Felon Fitness, all around good guy.
Play different sports
“Prisoners do a variety of exercises as well as play different sports. Their routines vary given their age, weight and other factors. Some inmates prefer to do more aerobic exercise (running and burpees) while others enjoy lifting homemade weights in order to develop strength and size.”
Make a dumbbell out of FHM copies
“30 magazines make for 6.8 kilos. You have to be creative when you are exercising like a convict. Though inmates are provided with pull-up bars and tracks to run, they are innovative in making weights by using the bed mattress, laundry bags and magazines.”
Do more reps
“The number of repetitions these men perform is incredible. Prisoners can always tell when a fellow convict has been released from the solitary confinement because they are always incredibly lean and look strong. In the SHU, they have plenty of time to lose weight by doing burpees, push-ups and other bodyweight exercises.”
Eat right
“The inmates are served awful food. If they can get fit with the junk provided to them, there is no way people on the outside shouldn’t be able to eat well and be fit. It’s that simple.”
Perform exercises that don’t need fancy gyms
“Invest in consistency, not in equipment. The exercises inmates perform without equipment include push-ups, burpees, squats, lunges, chain breakers, cherry pickers, all abdominal exercises (except hanging leg raises), calf raises, butterflies, handstand push-ups, back-arm presses, pull-ups, and dips. If you have the motivation and consistency, you will get fit on your own. Felon Fitness routines – our workouts use old-fashioned bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges pull-ups and more. Don’t be afraid to exercise away from a gym – use parks, your apartment etc.”
Do something, if nothing at all
“Doing a few exercises is a lot better than doing nothing. If you can’t fit in a full routine, do something to get your heart beating.”
Fitness is a do or die situation
“The necessity of staying fit in prison to fend off attacks makes it easier to stay fit in jail. In California, four gangs rule the prison system: The Mexican Mafia, The Aryan Brotherhood, The Bloods, and The Crypts. Their presence makes it absolutely necessary to stay fit.”
The workout
- Bar dips: Three times a week, 4 sets of as many reps as you can do.
- Step-up: Do it regularly and as much as you can to gain flexibility.
- Cherry pickers: 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Do it daily.
- Pull-ups: Three times a week, 4 sets of as many reps as you can do.
- Handstand push-up: Anywhere between three to 20 should be good.
- Squat: Three sets of 12 repetitions to be done daily.
- Side buster: Three to four sets of 12 repetitions to be done daily.
- Cellmate push-ups: Twice a week, 4 sets of 3-6 repetitions.
From the February 2014 issue of FHM India.
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