Absolute MUST Read: "Convict Conditioning"

[dropthebeats]

Curious to know how everyone else is doing?!?!?

Did my first CC workout saturday evening waiting for my wife to get ready. Level 1 for pushups, pullups, squats and abs. Did 2 sets of 10. Pretty easy but I will take my time and build up slowly, gradually, patiently... I am aiming for 1 CC workout / week, doing all those 4 exercises. I will wait untill I reach the recommanded progression to add handstand pushups and bridges.

Dispite the shortenest and the low difficulty of those 8 sets I did, I felt pumped Not roids rage veins poping face red, but still I could felt the work done. I perform all the sets back to back without pause, 2 seconds concentric, 0 sec pause, 2 seconds excentric.

That's the way to do it. Nice and slow. I got the book about a month ago, and still haven't tried anything yet. I'm trying to figure out how to add it into my current workout schedule.

[mikej26]

Curious to know how everyone else is doing?!?!?

I'm still utilizing the CC movements, however I recently started lifting again instead of doing CC exclusively. Felt like I needed to ad some more intensity to my training.

Ended up building 2 workouts around the CC movements and doing circuit type lifting focusing on total weight lifted in the shortest time for one and making the other a weak point training day with full rest between sets. Doing a mon,tues,thurs,fri, split with them.

Workouts as follows:

Mon/thurs:

Single legged squats 2xfail or close

full rest

Barbbell squat 3x20
Hanging straight leg raises 3xfail or close
pull ups 3xfail or close

Three moves done as circuit with as close to 1 min or less rest between rounds

One arm dumbbell rows 3x10
push ups 3xfail or close

super set with as close to 1 min or less rest as possible

I start timing beginning with the start of the first circuit. Todays efforts took 19 min a 35 secs. Down from the 21 min 25 secs it took me on thurs. Its an ass kicker. For me at least


Tues/fri:

Handstand push up 2xfail o close

Olympic bar in corner kneeling one arm shoulder press 3x12

Olympic bar in corner kneeling both hands on bar pressing
from sternum up overhead 3x10

Dumbbell side lateral raise 3x10-12

Dumbbell rear lateral raise 3x10-12

Dumbbell hammer curl 2-3x10-15

Wall walking bridge 2x10

standing calf raise 3x10-15

Full rest between all sets, but still fast paced.

The onlookers unfamiliar with CC most likely think the CC moves I'm doing are my warmups, but in reality they are the most demanding of the movements in terms of total resistance. The rest was just added to bump up the conditioning and to bring up what I feel are my weak points from an aesthetic perspective.

This has been working very well for me for the past two weeks. First two of the squat workouts had me on the brink of vomiting, but I'm since starting to adapt. Planning on running this for another 4 weeks to get my conditioning up before taking a week off and starting my first BP run. Probably a 3.0 run or meteoric if it's available by then.

[RobRegish]

Curious to know how everyone else is doing?!?!?

Did my first CC workout saturday evening waiting for my wife to get ready. Level 1 for pushups, pullups, squats and abs. Did 2 sets of 10. Pretty easy but I will take my time and build up slowly, gradually, patiently... I am aiming for 1 CC workout / week, doing all those 4 exercises. I will wait untill I reach the recommanded progression to add handstand pushups and bridges.

Dispite the shortenest and the low difficulty of those 8 sets I did, I felt pumped Not roids rage veins poping face red, but still I could felt the work done. I perform all the sets back to back without pause, 2 seconds concentric, 0 sec pause, 2 seconds excentric.

That's the way to do it. Nice and slow. I got the book about a month ago, and still haven't tried anything yet. I'm trying to figure out how to add it into my current workout schedule.

Yep, don't be fooled - this is INTENSE stuff. Very deceiving on paper, you'll be huffing and puffing for sure. Did some one legged squats this morning, brutal.

1 arm chinups await me, next week....

[cogrick2]

Any comments on how "Convict Conditioning" compares to Brooks Kubik's "Dinosaur Body Training"?

I like the idea of a planned progression for improving such that one can eventually do multiple one-arm push-ups and one-arm chin-ups, for example. However, I have heard Brooks often on Superhuman Radio so towards him is where I lean.

Heck, I'll email Brooks now to see if he has progression plans in his book.

[bigjoe]

Please post back what you hear from Brooks. I'm convinced to give either one a try.

[cogrick2]

Please post back what you hear from Brooks. I'm convinced to give either one a try.

Thank you for reminding me.

Brooks wrote that his book does not teach one hand pushups or chins, but the exercises would build related strength, especially for the one hand chins.

I hope he would not mind me also sharing that he called Convict Conditioning and Convict Conditioning II good books, hence his writing the foreword for the second.

[bigjoe]

Thanks for getting back to us all. Looks like I'll get CC #1 and give that a shot. If Rob has beening using just this for several months and is still gaining I think it'd be foolish not to try it.

[RobRegish]

Thanks for getting back to us all. Looks like I'll get CC #1 and give that a shot. If Rob has beening using just this for several months and is still gaining I think it'd be foolish not to try it.

I'm working through CC now and LOVING it!

Brook's book is next, and I can guarandamntee it'll have gems you can pull out of it, to make you THAT much bigger, better and BADDER.

Get both!

[bigjoe]

Finally pulled the trigger on CC. Wow, what a well written book. Full of great info why the "big 6" are so important and the 10 stage progressions on each one is just plain awesome.

Almost done reading it, just no time to "reset" and start at stage one for each one.

I picked it up on the Kindle and it was only $18. Makes it that much easier to put that saved money into the next BP or into the book by Brooks.

[bigpelo]

I started CC 3 weeks ago while still doing turbulence training. Then I finish TT and did exclusively CC for the last 10 days or so. I needed 6 workouts to produced the progression standard level 1 on the first 4. Pushups and pullups where easy. Shoulder stand squat was hard to stay balanced at first but still manageable by the end despite doing 3x50 reps with 1 minutes or less of rest. My nemesis as been knee tuck. Damn, it took me all my will to complete those last reps. 120 reps in 10 minutes (3x40) pausing 1 seconds at top contraction was painful. That was Saturday afternoon, this morning I am sore (top of legs and groin).

I will probably start level 2 tomorrow.

[dropthebeats]

My nemesis as been knee tuck.

I totally agree. Maybe if we had little chicken legs they would be easier.

[bigpelo]

Maybe if we had little chicken legs they would be easier.

+1!

[RobRegish]

I started CC 3 weeks ago while still doing turbulence training. Then I finish TT and did exclusively CC for the last 10 days or so. I needed 6 workouts to produced the progression standard level 1 on the first 4. Pushups and pullups where easy. Shoulder stand squat was hard to stay balanced at first but still manageable by the end despite doing 3x50 reps with 1 minutes or less of rest. My nemesis as been knee tuck. Damn, it took me all my will to complete those last reps. 120 reps in 10 minutes (3x40) pausing 1 seconds at top contraction was painful. That was Saturday afternoon, this morning I am sore (top of legs and groin).

I will probably start level 2 tomorrow.

Wait until you get to 1 legged squats man! BRUTAL!!!

I'm getting into steps 8, 9 and the master steps on a few of these moves. Words can't describe how difficult (yet gratifying) they are. I've been using CC almost exclusively since December (with 2 periodic Famine's). Here are my cliff notes!

SUMMARY

1.) I've progressed rapidly on the pushup series (just started the master step), leg raises (just started master step), and pullups (just finished uneven chins). Single legged squats have been difficult from the floor, but I can crank out 15-20 off a cinderblock.

2.) Still struggling with handstand holds for 2min. However, I'm REAL close and can perform a full handstand pushup. Nevertheless, I'll have that 2min. hold down within a week, and still plan to work through the half handstand pushups before launching into the full ones.

3.) The bridging I'm still on step 3. I got overly aggressive with these, hurting my back on step 4 (L4/L5 injury). I've since fixed that, and went back a step to check my ego and do it RIGHT.

4.) Joint pains in knees, elbows etc. have VANISHED!

5.) Muscle growth, fullness and STRENGTH have been realized.

6.) Without consciously dieting, I've shaved 3"+ from my waist, and dropped over 20 f'n pounds! My arms, legs etc. haven't lost a LICK of size. In fact, I've gained slightly in some areas!

7.) The reduction in bodyweight has been gratifying. This is counter to everything I've chased prior (my ego was tied to being "big"/taking up lots of space, LOL). The hell with that. The only "size" I've lost is in the waist!

8.) As you lose fat (even 1lb!), it makes your progress SKYROCKET. CC is about moving your bodyweight through space. This is incredibly efficient insofar as growing muscle, as whenever you move the body/weight through space the CNS/brain is at a MUCH higher activation level. It makes progress THAT much easier.

9.) The only weights I've lifted during these 5 months or so? Reverse hypers, given they're therapeutic/something I can do to work my lower back, while it was injured. That and static holds for my calves. This is one muscle group I NEED to work/overload with SCT holds, given it's one of the FEW things my ectomorphic flamingo calves respond to. Single legged squats work the HELL out of them too, but I find they need this "finishing touch", to stay round, full and hard/cut.

I have "tested" my barbell strength 3 times: On the 1arm BB jammer press and top range rack pull.

Results?

I was STRONGER on both, pulling 945lbs on the top range rack pull, with a 5 second hold! That sealed it for me...

10.) People are noticing the RESULTS...

Finally, allow me to say this: BP + CC goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Don't underestimate the intensity of it - I've had to take 10 days off every 6 weeks or so, in order to give my body the TIME to super-compensate and grow larger/stronger.

EVERY time I've done so, I came back a LOT stronger. I'm not the only one. The guy that turned me on to CC followed my lead here - he reported the EXACT same thing!

Whether you decide to forgo the weights altogether or mix and match, you can't go wrong with this stuff. I can't WAIT to add Synthagen to this diabolical plan, because paired with The Warrior Diet/IF, it's a superb alternative to traditional weight training. Get on this stuff NOW. If you're young and don't think you need it - some day you WILL! Take a tip from an old geezer - you'll want to familiarize yourself with CC, as another arrow in your quiver.

Go for it, you won't regret it!!!

[beefcake66]

Do like. Very considering BP+CC.

I have to drop about 30lbs and regain all my lost strength. I've had wayyy too much downtime/sickness/injury.

When I was doing a bit, I had to start squats on level 3 because the other 2 were too awkward for me (hurt my upper body on step 1, and step 2 I don't have a good sized bench or just found it too awkward). Step 1 on pushups... I was able to do step 1 on handstand pushups but I've decided to not touch those until I get my pushups up and lose the weight. Bridging I was able to do level 1 completely and progressed to level 2... pullups I'll be at level 1 to 2 for a while more.. forget where I left off but I'm not strong in vertical pulling. Knee raises level 1 as well.

This stuff makes me feel like suuuuccchhh a newb. lol
But it's super important to start at the beginning and do it all right... especially since I'm comin off some major injuries.