The Edmonton SUN newspaper interviewed Coach Paul Wade, Author of The Convict Conditioning Workout. Check out the interview below to hear how and why Paul Wade became so obsessed with bodyweight training and transformed his mind and body in one of the deadliest prisons known to man.
Enjoy....
Being fit and strong wasn’t an option during the 19 years that Paul (Coach) Wade spent in prison.
It was a necessity.
“I needed what I got from my training to stay sane, maybe even stay breathing,” he says in an email interview.
The 53-year-old San Francisco native who now lives near London, England was introduced to the U.S. penal system 31 years ago.
Back then he was a 22-year-old heroin dealer who weighed a stick-thin 150 pounds at six-foot-one.
With his self-professed pipe-cleaner arms, Wade found himself in the notorious San Quentin State Prison in 1979.
“Following some nasty experiences early on, I learned pretty quickly that other prisoners exploit weaknesses like they breathe air; intimidation is the daily currency in the holes I’ve wound up in,” he writes in his book Convict Conditioning, published last year.
“And as I wasn’t planning on being anyone’s bitch, I realized that the safest way to stop being a target was to build myself up, fast.”
Indeed, he got big in the Big House.
Of course, the inmates didn’t have much in the way of weightlifting equipment, so they improvised.
And fortunately for Wade, one of his cellmates early on was a former Navy SEAL who taught him the proper form for basic calisthenics exercises such as pushups, pullups and deep knee-bends.
They trained together daily and Wade packed on some quality muscle over many months.
“The man who trained me in progressive calisthenics in San Quentin was in his 70s and could still do fingertip pushups and pull ups off his two index fingers. I want to be doing that when I’m his age,” says Wade, who goes by his real name but won’t release photos of himself so he can still maintain some anonymity.
Wade, who ultimately was incarcerated in federal prison for transporting controlled substances over a state line, essentially learned to turn his body into a gym.
And that’s the philosophy behind his book.
“The system is based on the way some of the toughest inmates train behind bars. Before the free weights came into prisons, prisoners training in their cells had to rely on advanced bodyweight progressions to build brutal strength and fitness,” he explains. “Some of the athletes behind bars are machines. They have frightening strength and athleticism. I’ve seen inmates snap handcuffs and break hardwood nightsticks with their bare hands.”
These days, Wade is a fit 214 pounds.
He works out four days a week as follows:
Day 1 — hand-balancing work and spine training;
Day 2 — pushups and hanging waist exercises;
Day 3 — various types of pullups and bodyweight leg exercises;
Day 4 — some stamina work, either high reps, supersets, circuit work or burpees.
“I typically throw in some neck and grip work somewhere too, plus some other stuff,” he notes. “I mix things up every few weeks.”
Wade’s regimen has obviously evolved since his days behind bars.
“I used to train for hours throughout the day, especially when I was in lockdown in Angola penitentiary,” he explains. “As the years have gone by, I’ve learnt to train much more efficiently. Training all day is a waste of time and effort. These days I train for powerful joints, functional movement, strength and muscle mass. You only need brief, focused workouts to get these things.”
As for nutrition, Wade still eats the way he did in prison — three square meals a day.
“You don’t need any more than a basic diet to get very strong or lean,” he adds. “All the other stuff people say you need — like high protein — is bull. It’s designed to make money. The magazines promoting high protein and whey powder and shakes and fat-loss pills, they are the people selling that crap!”
Wade points out that fitness is a billion-dollar industry and that it’s easy to get distracted by the barrage of infomercials, latest diets, supplements, machines and “other junk” now available.
“Guys behind bars don’t have to suffer this torrent,” he says. “As a result, they instinctively start in the perfect place — with bodyweight movements.”
Paul’s fitness advice:
If you want to get into shape, start by throwing away all the gadgets you’ve wasted money on; the ab crunch machines, the electronic gizmos, everything. Forget about that gym membership.
Begin learning to use your body against the only force that matters, gravity. Master the basics: pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, leg raises and bridging. Work hard on these total body techniques and in six months the results will be mind-blowing.
To get your copy of The Convict Conditioning Workout, Click HERE
It is unfortunate that this book started receiving bad press because know one knew who the author was. People were not judging the quality of the information, just the presentation. Those are the type of people who will never make any gains, never improve. They are afraid and need to find excuses for their lack of progress. Asses the information, test it out, only then can you bargain from an informed position. Until then keep your mouth shut and buy the book.
Love the story, but hafta admit I’m skeptical it all went down as he claims. To have done time in e different jurisdictions – San Quinten (Cali) and Angola (Louisiana) *and* a fed pen – is unlikely. Especially the Angola bit, which houses mostly lifers and only state charges. Throw on tip of that an ex-Navy Seal cellie and a 70 yr old who can do fingertip pushups? Not impossible, just extremely unlikely. No disrespect, but brother, if you did time in some no-name warehouse like all the rest of it, that dont make you methods less real. But you gotta just say it like it is, no embellishments needed.
Hi Zach,I was curious about your intervew about Paul Wade,method of workout,I am just 65 year “young” grandfather,at 6’1″ and at 180 lbs for last 30+ years.
I did go to gym on and off,and stil do,BUT,my best results did come from working out without any fancy expensive machines etc,I do beleive that one can get in amazing shape,naturally without any expensive machines and expensive suplement,and save yourself “tons” of money which I use to go to nice vacations…Ivan
http://www.mindstudio.com/greatness.htm
certainly, bw exercises are great, I’m 15 and the last year I gained like 40lbs in 7 months, of course I gained like 15 of fat, but now I’m training with zach’s beasts’ program and I’m getting rid of the excess fat I gained from “bulking” with bw exercises
I don’t think the Seals existed when that guy was young enough to be in them. That would have made him 50 something when he went through BUDS. Maybe one of the predecessor groups to the Seals. Good story though.
Frogmen and UDT (underwater demolition teams) were formed in WW2, and the modern Navy SEAL teams were their progeny. Men like Jesse Ventura, Richard Marcinko who founded SEAL Team Six, and former Sen. Robert Kerrey were SEAL commandos during the Vietnam War…therefore, if Paul Wade got jammed up in 1979, it’s completely likely that a former SEAL from that era jailed with him. I, too, don’t understand all of the bad press and conspiracy theories about his origins and the likelihood of his story. Even if it is embellished, so what? Dragon Door has always thrown plenty of hype and filler into their books, but fortunately for them, the content is dynamite. Kettlebell lifting is the closest to death I’ve come, and the Convict Conditioning workouts are harder than hell, and I’ve got a 600-lb deadlift and a 250-lb overhead press. Not world class, but I sure as hell ain’t a weakling. Most of the other exercises in the Big Six exercises in the book I believe I can master with time, but the more I work on the bridge and handstand pushups, the more I think that a stand-to-stand bridge and a one-armed handstand pushup are utterly out of my league. Sh*t, are they work.
Thanks for the followup comments. I am not sure who Brady Joe is but thanks just the same. I am not questioning the man, or his experience. I know a Seal who was in the 2nd class of Navy Seals, his Father was a legendary commander of UDT, he served in Vietnam, knew Marcinko there, (said he was pure Evil, one of 2 men he met that he knew immediately that they were Evil, and needed to stay far away from. The other guy was in the Randall Knife store in Orlando, and he was picking up knives for Ross Perot’s rescue team.) If the guy was 70 in 1979 or 1989 for that matter, how old was he when he became a Navy Seal?
They are 2 different people. Paul says he met the ex navy seal when he first entered the joint and learned proper form with vollume high rep work with the seal. Then he became friends with the 70 yr old ole school strong man. This man became his mentor. This is where he learned to use body weight exercises to develop old school strong man strength. I hope this clears up the confusion. You could always buy his book so you actually get to hear his story.
Ventura was never a SEAL, he was UDT. Navy SEALs got on him for telling that lie. SEALs saw a lot of combat and took high casualties in Viet Nam while the UDT guys worked on their tans, drank beer in air conditioned hooches and enjoyed barbeques.
I always thought UDT was the name pre SEALs.
The Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) were a special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. … In 1983, after additional SEAL training, the UDTs were re-designated as SEAL Teams or Swimmer Delivery Vehicle Teams (SDVTs).
Nickname(s): UDT, Frogmen
I own Convict Conditioning and love it! The brutal simplicity of the book and the insights into “old time” training philosphy make it enjoyable to read. I really enjoyed how your whole body can basically be trained to any level you aspire to with 6 basic bodyweight movements. I always enjoy reading about Paul Wade!
Convict Conditioning is a must have in the library. I will take a complete month every once in a while and do nothing but bodyweight exercise for high reps and sets. The basics, push ups, squats, pullups, situps etc. The book is a classic.
Wade says prisons don’t really have TV/movie barbell gyms and access to what they do have is politically limited. He says prisons were not where progressive calisthenics were invented but rather the only place they could survive the onslaught of post-barbell advertising for machines. Now how are you going to start a gym business on loans if you don’t buy machines? That would be like a farmer taking loans without buying crop insurance and chemicals and genmod terminator seeds. You have to go underground to save progressive calisthenics and even to drop a barbell on the floor.
In public school K12 I got the idea that calisthenics workouts were the same every time and no progressive concept other than aim to do more reps. The key to Paul Wade’s concept is to have an array of harder and harder variations and progress students through maybe ten variations. That’s fun and interesting and further motivating due to the fact that it works. Also nobody can stop us, like with Zach’s way of looking at picnic tables differently.
Guys, GREAT points!
– Were there Navy SEALs that long ago?
– Did he do time in all these prisons?
– Is Coach Paul Wade even REAL, or is this journalist posting a fabricated interview?
To be honest, I am NOT sure, but I agree with what Trevor said, we should not dismiss the power of the book and the programs inside of it.
I let one of my wrestlers borrow his book, he wrestles at 132 lbs and off season has benched 265 for 3 reps.
The kid just won the county tournament and pound for pound is one of the strongest kids I have at my gym.
At home he practices the off set handstand push ups and pull ups.
Here is an off season video of the kid taken in late September
Bottom line:
the book is GREAT, and this is why I share it w/you guys, I don’t promo or affiliate with a program unless I KNOW it is great and I personally use it
http://ConvictConditioningWorkout.com
–z–
I really enjoyed the book. There was a lot of great information and things that I could apply to my training.
It is a good reminder that a lot of times we try to over-complicate things and think that the secret to getting stronger can’t be as simple as it really is.
Focus on getting great at the fundamentals.
Thanks for sharing this Zach!
Tony
Love hearing more praise for this book! I got my hands on a copy and did nothing but BW for a solid month as a “light” workout. By the end of that month my Mt. biking was far stronger than ever and I finally had shoulders to be proud of. Since then my entire strength routine has been based on BWT.
Thats coach!
The great thing about BWT is that it can be done anywhere. You can just drop and do 50 push ups.You can hang on a door frame or stairs and do a few chins. You do these execcises, even outwith your actual strength training and they will aid your progress.
People are hung up on the Gym and big warm ups for everything. As a lot of the guys have pointed out, a return to a more natural training protocol, more as life requires you to function is whats needed. Real life doesnt always let you warm up.
Great post Zach–as ever!
I love CC. Just a couple of quick points.
First, the interviewer is quoting the book wrong. Paul says he learned his FIRST cal from a Navy SEAL–only AFTER that did he learn from an older inmate.
Second, going from a State prison to a Fed prison is not uncommon at all–where drugs are involved. Your average pusher is breaking state law. If he moves up the chain and starts to ‘traffic’ he breaks federal law. Where you get CAUGHT during your trafficking is often where you wind up. People who don’t understand prisons don’t seem to get this!
Just thought I’d point it out.
Long time reader–you’re awesome man, keep posting this hi quality stuff!
Zach,
I think in this day and age of folks fluffing up stories, blogs, articles, etc…. some of your blog followers probably show skepticism and look for the negative in something first, rather than look at the positive first. It just seems what folks do these days. Even I find myself looking at negative things in the fitness industry, rather than look at the good stuff.
Now, on the Navy Seal comments above, I think folks misread two areas. This Paul Wade was conveying two different times, the first guy he was cell mates early on was the SEAL, which if Wade was in his early 20’s, that first cell mate would have been around 1979-1980, which makes it plausible the first cell mate was a SEAL.
The other cell mate in San Quentin was the 70yr old, not the SEAL guy.
What I did get out of this blog Zach, was something similiar to your previous blog on INTEGRITY. I think since you really care about your own integrity, you should also be careful what things you support, whether it’s a book, product, or fellow fitness professional. Although you may like the content, what if the source of the content is a liar, cheater, thief, or all around scammer?
One of my military leaership principles that was always preach to me was INTEGRITY, but it was also preached to me to not surround yourself with folks that lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those that do….if it doesn’t align up with your own values, then you need to get rid of those folks or things that don’t fit in with your own morals or values.
It’s kind of like what I have heard you write or talk about when accepting certains kids into your gym. You only want folks that are going to kill it and be disciplined enough to stick with it. You don’t want the slackers, quiters, or folks that are not aligned with your philosophy. I look at that as the same as you don’t want to as a businessman, to align yourself with folks that mislead the public or do things that if you are associated with, can come back and shed a bad light on your own business or give others the perception that is what you believe.
Not saying this book or Mr. Wade is like this, but what I am saying is, not matter how good the fitness program or design is, if the source it’s coming from can viewed by the public as somewhat iffy or they question it, you might think twice before endorsing that product, service, or person.
Regards,
Tom
Sorry, I didn’t see what Henry wrote. He already stated what I stated about the two different cellmates, sorry I missed that and restated it again.
@Tom, solid points brutha, I’m not sure if we’ll ever get to the bottom of this being a real person or not, heck, the journalist may have fabricated all this, I seriously have NO clue.
My goal as a strength coach is to find info on how to better help those I train, and, if this is coming from someone who was locked up I’m not going to turn away the info.
Remember, this is my passion, I spent 4 hours or so inside a NJ State Prison several years ago interviewing some of the inmates on their training regimes.
These guys were “Lifers” and I was told why they were locked up and it is BIG time unfortunate, if the situation happened today they woulda been out of prison.
I don’t wanna post details on my blog though, they were basically young teens who hung out w/the wrong crowd and were found guilty by association, locked up for life.
Always appreciate everyone’s comments, especially when you guys take the time to state both good AND bad rather than bashing things, I really respect that 🙂
Peace Bros
–Z–
Sorry to be late catching the boat on this one, I know it’s already sailed! 😀
I just couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t post a comment here; in particular, regarding the democratic response to Tom’s points, above.
I have read CC, and used it for a period. It brought excellent results (although I missed the weights and started adding them back.) The book does not glamorize crime.
I have read your posts on integrity, Zach, and was touched by them, actually. I agree with Tom that no decent man should ally himself with liars, crooks or thieves. But I would also point out that, to a man with integrity, EVERY other free man is innocent until proven guilty.
How long has cc been out? Two years? And despite all the “claims”, nobody has put forward a single piece of real evidence that the author or the book is fake. The book has been endorsed by many respectable people including Pavel, Dragondoor, a reputable, respectable business.
Refusing to listen to idle gossip, having faith in a simple man’s simple story, and promoting a book which has helped (and is helping!) thousands of men and women become better athletes…
…to me, Zach, THAT is integrity!
Keep it up, my brother. —JOHN
All i know is.. ive been doing these exercises and its been helping like MAD.
Love CC 1 and 2. I just wish the next two volumes mentioned in CC 2 were already out. Paul Wade sounds like a real person and his insights into kinesiology are very impressive. I agree with the choice of title for the books. There’s always been a fascination with workout methods in prison. I’ve been working out for 35 years and Coach Wade has completely changed my method and routine. Halleluyah!
As someone who has been lifting weights for a long time I dont know if i ever will go back to them again.This book has completely changed my training life.Not only has my bad back never felt better in years but i cant believe how flexable i am alread.Mind you i will be 51 years old in a month. I started my training life many years ago doing pushups and situps.Its a pleasure to get back to the oldest way of training known to man. What a challenge it is to look forward to one arm push ups,chins, and handstand push ups.I have alot of work ahead. thank you coach Wade!