F.A.Q. By Paul Wade

7
CONVICT CONDITIONING: THE SUPER F.A.Q.
PROGRAMMING:
VOLUME, INTENSITY,
FREQUENCY, ROUTINES
I've heard that a lot of prisoners train
in their cells for several hours every
day, but in Convict Conditioning, you
only advise very short workouts. I want
to beef up and gain strength as fast as
possible, so shouldn't I be training for
a lot longer?
Ladies and gents, there's something you need to know if you want your body to adapt by gaining
strength. Strength and endurance are polar opposites. Strength is a short-term thing. The stimulus
for strength only happens over a small space of time. As a result, the stimulus for gaining
strength is not cumulative.
I hear youse guys. You're asking: but Paul, what the hell do you mean when you say that “the
stimulus for strength is not cumulative”? Just that, in training, sets don't have a cumulative effect.
Let me give you an example. If you bench press 500 pounds on one set, then 50 pounds on the
next, the body doesn't think it just bench pressed 550 pounds. Your body will gain the strength it
needs to adapt from the 500 pound stimulus. Since your body is already adapting to the 500
pounds, what was the use of the 50 pounds? There was none. It was wasted.
Bodyweight strength work is really no different. If you want to gain strength and muscle, give it
your all (but not to failure!) over a couple of sets at most. If you're learning coordination for a new
technique, three sets, even four is acceptable. But for gaining maximum strength and muscle, keep
your sets low and your effort high. Work hard and you can gain well on just one set. I usually
advise two “work” sets, just as a belt-and-braces approach.
Back when I was in jail, I often used a lot more sets—sometimes hundreds a day. They increased
my endurance, but did jack shit for my strength. In fact, the more volume I used, the more my raw
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