Now that I've had some more time incorporating weights into a routine with Convict Conditioning, I've settled on the routine below.

At first, I was just doing parts of the Serge Nubret routine, but feeling myself get stronger made me curious as to how much my numbers had improved. I was pleasantly surprised to find my numbers at or above what they were towards the end of the time I was doing StrongLifts 5x5.

I always liked workouts like PHAT, which incorporated both heavy lifting and high volume, so I decided to make my own hybrid/powerbuilding routine. It follows A/B, but with periodization. Maybe A1/B1/A2/B2 is more appropriate. When describing the Convict Conditioning exercises, I will use "X" as the level I'm currently on, trying to reach the progression standards given here.

For determining weight, starting with something comfortable and progressing in 5 lb. increments like StrongLifts does is what I did for Power days. This allowed me to work on form while I get to an adequate difficult (which happens quickly when progressing at this rate). For Hypertrophy days, I like the Serge Nubret suggestion of finding my 20 rep max and using that as the weight for my 12 rep sets. I always strive for good form, and keep the tempo Paul Wade suggests in Convict Conditioning: 2 seconds down, 1 second pause, 2 seconds up, 1 second pause, repeat (even on the weight lifting exercises).

A1: Chest, Abs, and Shoulders Power

1. Chest
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of pushups level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of pushups level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of pushups level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Power: 5 sets of 5 bench press reps
2. Abs
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of leg raises level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of leg raises level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of leg raises level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Because of how much of a workout the core gets on the next day, I chose not to do weighted ab exercises. Sometimes I will add some sets of sit-ups if I feel like I need more ab work.
3. Shoulders
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of handstands level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of handstands level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of handstands level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Power: 5 sets of 5 overhead press reps

A2: Legs, Upper Back, and Lower Back Power

1. Legs
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of squats level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of squats level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of squats level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Power: 5 sets of 5 barbell squat reps
2. Upper Back
   
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of pull-ups level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of pull-ups level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of pull-ups level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Power: 5 sets of 5 bent over barbell row reps
3. Lower Back
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of bridges level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of bridges level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of bridges level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Power: 1 set of 5 deadlift reps (I know this is technically legs too, but I put it here so I would have some rest between the squats and the deadlift exercises)

B1: Chest, Abs, and Shoulders Hypertrophy

1. Chest
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of pushups level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of pushups level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of pushups level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 8 sets of 12 bench press reps
2. Abs
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of leg raises level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of leg raises level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of leg raises level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 6 sets of sit-ups. My rep ranges vary, but usually it's around 40-50. I'm considering adding weight and doing 6 sets of 12 reps when this number gets higher.
3. Shoulders
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of handstands level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of handstands level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of handstands level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 6 sets of 12 overhead press reps

B2: Legs, Upper Back, and Lower Back Power

1. Legs
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of squats level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of squats level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of squats level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 8 sets of 12 barbell squat reps
2. Upper Back
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of pull-ups level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of pull-ups level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of pull-ups level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 6 sets of 12 bent over barbell row reps
3. Lower Back
   1. First warm-up set: one intermediate set of bridges level X-2
   2. Second warm-up set: one intermediate set of bridges level X-1
   3. Work sets: 2 sets of bridges level X, moving on to level X+1 if able to complete 2 sets
   4. Hypertrophy: 6 sets of 12 deadlift reps

So far this has worked pretty well. I haven't had any issues with recovery, but I give myself the option to add a rest day between the "A" and "B" workouts if I need it.

Hello brothers.

My landlord was recently doing some work on the house and I wasn't able to lift. I have a home gym (power rack, adjustable bench, barbell, ez-curl bar, olympic dumbbell handles) that needed to be stored for about a week. I was previously doing the Serge Nubret workout, which can be found here.

I decided to do Paul Wade's Convict Conditioning until he completed the housework. I encourage everyone to read the actual book, but the basic exercises can be found on here.

Below is the quick breakdown of what I've been doing as far as a routine. The book suggests a few workouts, but doesn't really explain them.

Where to start:

The book recommends to start at step 2 of each exercise, no matter how strong you are. Like StrongLifts 5X5, I think this is a good idea. You'll be able to progress quickly even if you start at level 1.

He also recommends you not start on the handstand or bridge exercises until you can do the rest at step 6, but I ignored that advice.

Warmups:

Do one intermediate set of each of the two preceding steps of the exercise. For example, if you're on step 5 of pushups (Full Pushups), do a set of 25 Kneeling Pushups (step 3), a set of 12 Half Pushups (step 4), and then try to do the progression standard of step 5 (2 sets of 20).

If you 're starting out, and you start at step 2, you can do 2 sets of step 1's intermediate level to warm up before trying the progression standard of step 2.

When to move on:

This is easy. move on once you can do the progression standard. If you can't, keep at it and you will be able to eventually. If you have a lot of trouble, there are some alternatives in the book that might help.

Form:

This is huge. Because these exercises will be easy at first, you have the luxury to perfect form. In general, you have two seconds of movement, a one second stop halfway, two seconds of movement in the opposite direction, another one second pause, and repeat. For me it varies. I will take more than 2 seconds on some movements to ensure that I am fully in control and not letting gravity or momentum help me.

Make sure to breathe in on the negative portion of the exercise (the easier one where gravity is on your side), and breathe out on the positive (the hard part). This also helps control pace. Try to fill/empty your lungs in the time it takes you to complete the respective half movement.

Routine:

There are several routines in the book, but none of them were good enough for me. I like to work out every day. I don't need a rest day if I'm not working the same muscle groups every day. 48 hours should be more than enough time for recovery. The routine was simple:

Monday: Pushups, Leg Raises, and Handstands

Tuesday: Squats, Pullups, and Bridges

Wednesday: Pushups, Leg Raises, and Handstands

Thursday: Squats, Pullups, and Bridges

And so on...

Back to lifting:

I actually really enjoyed Convict Conditioning and decided to try to continue doing this after my landlord was finished. I could tell I was getting stronger just doing these bodyweight exercises, so it's definitely beneficial, even if it's because they hit muscles that you don't normally get while lifting.

So I added the Serge Nubret workout, and switched around some of the days. I considered working two muscle groups a day instead of three, since that's what the Nubret routine does, but I really liked the pace I had with Convict Conditioning.

The first attempts were met with failure. Eventually, I realized that it was just too much. I completed the workouts, but they required long rests between sets, which goes against the whole pump workout.

I finally settled on removing everything but the biggest lifts in the Serge workout in the same reps that he did (8x12 squats and bench, 6x12 for incline bench, etc) So I ended up on an A/B alternating workout routine that goes as follows:

A:

Convict Conditioning: Pushups, Leg Raises, Handstands

Serge: Bench Press, Incline Press, Overhead Press

B:

Convict Conditioning: Squats, Pullups, Bridges

Serge: Squats, Chinups, Barbell Bent Over Rows

I've been doing this now for a few weeks and am enjoying the results. I'm not completely set on the programming. For example, I like the idea of a push/pull routine, so I might switch Leg Raises with Squats. However, that's one thing I didn't like about Serge was that the squat/bench workout day was way longer than the other two. I'm going to stick with this for a while and maybe write an update in a few months.

P.S: credit goes to physt from #theredpill on the quakenet irc network for the title of this article. Join us sometime for discussion on sexual strategy, self improvement, and other manly topics.

P.P.S.: feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have.