Lifting in Prison

Hanley · August 24, 2007, 5:50pm

[quote]malonetd wrote:
RJ24 wrote:
I’m not making an excuse, in fact, I would place myself among the genetically gifted. I bench press over 250 lbs without training upper body and have always been able to full squat 1.5 x BW, even the first time I stepped into a gym.

Similarly, I have a hard time not putting on muscle, so I have to neglect upper body so as not to get too heavy. I often have ice cream or something similar for breakfast, yet I’ve always been able to see my abs. Some people are just built to succeed.

Is that you in your avatar?[/quote]

I’ll need to re-asses my definition of “genetically gifted” if it is…

RJ24 · August 24, 2007, 5:51pm

[quote]malonetd wrote:

Is that you in your avatar?[/quote]

Why yes, it is.

And before you say anything about me being skinny, I’m a sprinter and I have specifically done that to myself. I already weigh 205-210 (depending on the time of day), so I’m on the heavy side. When I touch weights my upper body explodes within a few weeks. If it makes a difference, my legs measure 26.75" compared to a 31" waist.

Hanley · August 24, 2007, 6:20pm

You obviously a good reason for looking how you do, unlike some of the actual skinny kids here and you seem like a good guy, so please don’t think I’m being a dick…

But I wouldn’t consider a 1.5x bodyweight squat (315lbs say?) “gifted”, but you left the door open as to whether that is what you actually squat since you said you’ve always been able to do it… nor would a 250lb bench at 205-210 genetically gifted.

So yeah… what’s going on?

RJ24 · August 24, 2007, 6:24pm

[quote]Hanley wrote:
I’ll need to re-asses my definition of “genetically gifted” if it is…[/quote]

Why does everyone always equate size with how good someone is? So what if I don’t weigh 225, I can 360 dunk a basketball, broad jump over 10 feet, and can ATG OLY squat over 400 lbs.

So what if my upper body development is lacking, I don’t lift weights for it. A big chest will not make me sprint faster, in fact, it will slow me down. I train to be good at my sport and for nothing else.

By the way Hanley, how much do you squat? Seeing as you train for it specifically, I imagine it’s much more than me, who only lifts weights once a week, if that.

RJ24 · August 24, 2007, 6:46pm

[quote]Hanley wrote:
You obviously a good reason for looking how you do, unlike some of the actual skinny kids here and you seem like a good guy, so please don’t think I’m being a dick…

But I wouldn’t consider a 1.5x bodyweight squat (315lbs say?) “gifted”, but you left the door open as to whether that is what you actually squat since you said you’ve always been able to do it… nor would a 250lb bench at 205-210 genetically gifted.

So yeah… what’s going on?

[/quote]

Sorry about the attitude in my last post, your post made it up before mine.

As I said, I squatted 1.5x BW the first time I tried. I currently full squat around 400 lbs even though I really don’t regularly lift weights. As for the 250 bench press at 205, I don’t train upper body pressing movements.

250 is my starting point. Within a month I can be pressing 300+ again and will have added over an inch to my arms and 2 to my chest. I actually pushed my bench back up into the 290ish area before this track season and the unwanted weight gain hampered me all season.

Again, sorry about the misunderstanding, it’s just that people on this site are so quick to attack.

Jelly_Roll · August 24, 2007, 6:57pm

Several years back I had to do two short stints in the clink (for stupid shit on my part). As well, I spent some time in juvy as a kid (more stupid shit, angry at the world). And from what I’ve seen and experienced, there’s more drugs inside than outside. You can get oral steroids no problem, but also lots of weed, heroin, cocaine, you name it. I’m sure you could get the injectables too if you wanted. Most of the stuff comes in through the guards, at least up here in Canada anyways.

I never did any of it while I was inside, but I did get bigger and way stronger. Jail’s a fucked up place, but not much more fucked up than the outside world. The guys that are truly dedicated train really hard, just like the same guys on the outside. There’s lots of guys who just half-ass it in the gym in jail too, and guys who just sit and watch tv all day, eating chips and getting fat.

Having all that time to focus on lifting is the main reason I think. No job, no car payments, no phone bills, and no women. Just alot of pent-up energy to use up. Fuck, I’d do hundreds of piggyback squats and pushups EVERY DAY with my cell-mate (yeah yeah, I know what all you guys are thinking of writing, I’ve heard it a thousand times already from my friends and family) when I wasn’t in the gym. Do twenty squats every hour with 200+ lbs. for 16 hours, and you’ll grow. All I did was train, eat anything I could get, read, and sleep in-between(and trust me, the sleep in jail is fucking terrible, so it’s not that).

It’s just dedication in my opinion. Most athletes (national and international level) spend about 6 hours a day training too.

Airtruth · August 24, 2007, 6:58pm

[quote]RJ24 wrote:
Hanley wrote:
You obviously a good reason for looking how you do, unlike some of the actual skinny kids here and you seem like a good guy, so please don’t think I’m being a dick…

But I wouldn’t consider a 1.5x bodyweight squat (315lbs say?) “gifted”, but you left the door open as to whether that is what you actually squat since you said you’ve always been able to do it… nor would a 250lb bench at 205-210 genetically gifted.

So yeah… what’s going on?

Sorry about the attitude in my last post, your post made it up before mine.

As I said, I squatted 1.5x BW the first time I tried. I currently full squat around 400 lbs even though I really don’t regularly lift weights. As for the 250 bench press at 205, I don’t train upper body pressing movements.

250 is my starting point. Within a month I can be pressing 300+ again and will have added over an inch to my arms and 2 to my chest. I actually pushed my bench back up into the 290ish area before this track season and the unwanted weight gain hampered me all season.

Again, sorry about the misunderstanding, it’s just that people on this site are so quick to attack.
[/quote]

All this genetically gifted talent I assume I will be hearing about track and field scholar athlete of the week soon, what school do you go to?

RJ24 · August 24, 2007, 7:09pm

[quote]Airtruth wrote:
All this genetically gifted talent I assume I will be hearing about track and field scholar athlete of the week soon, what school do you go to?
[/quote]

Oh, I’m horrible at sprinting, it just happens to be the sport I like. I got started when I was 18 (I’ve only been doing it for a year) and the only good part of my race is the first 30M. I’ve got a long way to go, but I know what to do and I expect fast progress.

I go to the University of Alaska, BTW. The local climate is yet another impediment towards reaching my goals, but no big deal. My fasted time this year was only 11.90 FAT (slow as hell!), but I have accel equal to a 10.9 runner. I just need to get my ass out on the track more and practice top speed running.

Dedicated · August 24, 2007, 7:30pm

[quote]RJ24 wrote:
Whenever the prison lifting thing comes up people always talk about steroids, and how they have plenty of time to rest, but I believe those two things have very little to do with the prisoners’ success.

The gains these men accomplish are mostly due to genetics. Some people are born to be big, strong mo-fos and just getting under the iron consistantly will bulk them up to a higher level than 90% of the population could hope to reach under the best of circumstances.

For the gifted people out there all that is required is that they show up. Merely showing up and training, almost regardless of what they’re doing, will take them pretty damn far. It’s like this for every sport. People don’t like to hear that people can be better than them without training hard or even correctly, but it’s the truth of the matter.[/quote]

RJ, I get what you are saying and I saw that recent show on A&E or MSNBC one of the two showing the huge guys powerlifting big numbers. Most all guys that end up in the pen are going to hit the weight stack. Many of them remain 160 pounders repping two 45’s for ten reps and will do that whether their bid is one year or five.

It’s the monsters with good genetics that end up being previewed on a documentary about powerlifters in prison. What I am saying is it’s like any commercial gym you go to. You have guys there who have been lifting the same amount of years. Some are big and strong and some after the same time are still relatively skinny and weak.

D

shizen · August 24, 2007, 9:15pm

lol I just stopped reading RJs comments, he is that typical kid that thinks he is all that in everything when he is not.

RJ24 · August 24, 2007, 10:17pm

[quote]shizen wrote:
lol I just stopped reading RJs comments, he is that typical kid that thinks he is all that in everything when he is not. [/quote]

You do realize I directly admitted that I was horrible at my sport, don’t you? That doesn’t sound like someone who thinks they’re “all that in everything.”

Also, if you’ll look back at the thread, it goes like this:

I make a comment on genetics
You call me a stupid loser and say I’m the type of person to make excuses for lack of progress.
I get called out by two other posters.
I give stats to back myself up after the attacks.
You call me full of myself and laugh at me.

Exactly how does this work? Peoples’ e-manners are generally terrible and you appear to be no exception.

And with that, I leave this thread. I’ve wasted enough of my time here as it is.

T_Viking · August 24, 2007, 11:16pm

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Mys7icaL 0n3 wrote:
RJ24 wrote:
Whenever the prison lifting thing comes up people always talk about steroids, and how they have plenty of time to rest, but I believe those two things have very little to do with the prisoners’ success.

The gains these men accomplish are mostly due to genetics. Some people are born to be big, strong mo-fos and just getting under the iron consistantly will bulk them up to a higher level than 90% of the population could hope to reach under the best of circumstances.

For the gifted people out there all that is required is that they show up. Merely showing up and training, almost regardless of what they’re doing, will take them pretty damn far. It’s like this for every sport. People don’t like to hear that people can be better than them without training hard or even correctly, but it’s the truth of the matter.

It’s funny how all the guys with fabulous genetics end up in prison.

Well, when you fall through the door of a prison you get huge instantly. It happened to me last year, it was terrible, took me months to shrink back down.[/quote]

Ya no shit. Jail/prison food is quite possibly the most disgusting thing ever. They had me locked up 24 hours a day in a private sweet for 3 months in county. Then 3 more months of that IMPACT stuff, I was a minor. Its really hard to lose the weight. Those dudes definetly train super hard. The thing about steroids in prison prolly isnt true in NC, cigarettes are more expensive than heroin. Why even try to bring in steroids when you could make a thousand dollars off a carton of cigarettes?

JoeFromNY · August 25, 2007, 1:39am

[quote]RJ24 wrote:
shizen wrote:
RJ24 wrote:
Whenever the prison lifting thing comes up people always talk about steroids, and how they have plenty of time to rest, but I believe those two things have very little to do with the prisoners’ success.

The gains these men accomplish are mostly due to genetics. Some people are born to be big, strong mo-fos and just getting under the iron consistantly will bulk them up to a higher level than 90% of the population could hope to reach under the best of circumstances.

For the gifted people out there all that is required is that they show up. Merely showing up and training, almost regardless of what they’re doing, will take them pretty damn far. It’s like this for every sport. People don’t like to hear that people can be better than them without training hard or even correctly, but it’s the truth of the matter.

haha this is such a stupid loser comment, ‘The reason I can’t get big is because my genetics hate me.’ Your one of those guys that likes to blame everything else but yourself for not achieving your goals. The guys in prison work hard to get big, even more so since its a survival technique almost-get bigger and earn respect- People with the best genetics who work half ass are going to get half ass results.

I’m not making an excuse, in fact, I would place myself among the genetically gifted. I bench press over 250 lbs without training upper body and have always been able to full squat 1.5 x BW, even the first time I stepped into a gym.

Similarly, I have a hard time not putting on muscle, so I have to neglect upper body so as not to get too heavy. I often have ice cream or something similar for breakfast, yet I’ve always been able to see my abs. Some people are just built to succeed.

A good analogy is that I have gone to school and done nothing but showed up and just done the work. Last year, I took 31 credits and studied for maybe 10 hours total, for all my classes combined for the whole year. I have a 3.6 GPA. When you’re really good at something, all you have to do is show up and work, things take care of themselves from there.

So, my post was not an excuse, it was the truth. And as for all prisoners having great genetics, a good deal of them descend from west Africa (a pity that such a high percentage of one population end up in prison).

As has been discussed before, the slave trade was a selective breeding process of sorts that left only the strongest humans, from whom today’s African-Americans descended. West Africans have some of the best ‘athletic’ genetics of any population, as evidenced by the freaks that end up in professional sports.

Good endocrine profiles + lots of fast twitch fibers + hard work = big strong mo-fo.[/quote]

Uh…yeah…ok. That dude in your avatar looks like some big bad mo-fo. ROFLMMFAO

msd0060 · August 25, 2007, 2:51am

Genetics or steroids or whatever…

Those dudes in there are getting absolutely ripped… with no fish oil, no whey, no creatine, no BCAA’s, no optimum pre and post workout nutrition, no optimum pre bed nutrition.

I bet the last thing they worry about is slow burning carbs in the morning, DHA, EPA, and insulin inducing post workout protein drinks.

Impressive if you ask me. Makes me feel pathetic pretty much.

malonetd · August 25, 2007, 3:36am

Jesus! You people do realize that these documentaries and programs only show a small percentage of the prison population. It’s not like you walk into Ryker’s and it suddenly looks like you’re at the Arnold.

So there’s a few big and strong people in prison. There’s a few big and strong people everywhere.

BlaZe · August 25, 2007, 3:55am

wait! no fish oil caps?? how in the hell??! …

T_Viking · August 25, 2007, 4:10am

[quote]malonetd wrote:
Jesus! You people do realize that these documentaries and programs only show a small percentage of the prison population. It’s not like you walk into Ryker’s and it suddenly looks like you’re at the Arnold.

So there’s a few big and strong people in prison. There’s a few big and strong people everywhere.[/quote]

Most people in jail and prison get flabby as fuck, it happens to most. I think the point is that without our means of doing it, some guys get extremely ripped, some get superstrong. Its alot easier to flip out and just go totally mental and climb the walls of your cage for weeks on end.

Remeber its only the extra good behavior guys that actually get to lift weights, alot of the guys in there get to be monstrous big only on calisthetics. Im sorry but if that doesnt make everyone here feel like a lazy bastard then damn. Ya they have al day for a few years to do it, but so do we, and we have science on our side.

redsox348984 · December 6, 2007, 7:04am