BLOG 55 PRISONERS & EXERCISE

BLOG 55 PRISONERS AND EXERCISE

Prisoners have mastered the art of body weight workouts. We may not be jealous of the predicament they are in, but they certainly have found a body transforming way to pass the time. They aren’t featured in magazines or workout videos, but as a trainer myself, they have made the most of what they have and used it well. My mother-in-law, Darcel McCullough, helped me in writing this Blog. She is a LVN nurse at Centinela State Prison in Imperial, CA.

Darcel is nothing but impressed by what the men at her prison do to workout. Although she works a men’s prison, I’m sure female prisoners have developed these routines as well or versions very similar to them. Clearly, I would be the queen of burpees (totally kidding). She said she sees the most creative techniques, but when inmates come in they definitely leave stronger and more fit. Of course they have no loose equipment such as free weights or weight benches inside or outside the building. There are pull up bars, dip bars, and push up handles. Centinela has a track and basketball court as well. Men can also sometimes play horse shoes and baseball. And then the men have all the time in cells to workout. Darcel said the men use each other for resistance, meaning they carry each other on their backs when they run or do squats.

 Inmates are given time outside their cells twice per day by law. However, given a man’s level of security this might affect his access to the outside. It is a privilege to go outside. Requirements include being productive on the inside like having a job or going to school. So if you do neither, you might not get to outside weekends or a second time per day. Everything is also segregated by race, which is the protocol the men have developed. If the Mexicans are on the dip bars that means the Samoans are far away from that area. Other circumstances might include if you are on administrative watch you get sent to an area similar to a “dog run” then go right back into the hole.   Inside their cells men do sits ups, burpees, and pushups. The men on the top bunks hang their feet in the bars and do free fall sit ups.

Exercise goes much beyond the scope of the just the physical outlet in prisons. To summarize, “Generally exercise is considered as much more than a way of burning calories and keeping fit in prison. Exercise provides an outlet for aggression, stress and anger and can act as a much needed release from the daily routine of prison life. Getting fit and becoming mentally and physically stronger gives offenders a sense of achievement, nurtures ambition and instils a desire for progress. Almost all prisons have gymnasium and outdoor exercise facilities. Sport can also help to teach valuable life skills such as learning to lose, working as part of a team and respecting other people” (http://www.fpe.org.uk/health-in-prison/). I think the environment is high in testosterone and it’s survival of the fittest. Having a strong appearance deters signs of weakness.

Well, don’t wait until you are incarcerated to start your fitness journey haha. But again, this is a great example of how exercise can be a productive and positive outlet for anyone. Positive endorphins are released and finding routine and regularity with exercise can also provide direction and structure each day. I wanted to find much more information on the topic, but most research came up with “prisoner workouts” which were short videos of what ex-incarcerated men have shown to people what they did while locked up or trying to pitch what bodyweight exercises are the best based on what prisoners do. Special thank you to my mother-in-law, Darcel, for helping me write this Blog. I laughed when she said she has to tell some of the men that doing 500 burpees is what probably caused their back to hurt.