You can build incredible muscle mass and strength from your bodyweight alone.
The fitness journey isn’t confined to the gym alone; alternative methods can yield significant gains in muscle and strength. Building muscle and strength can happen in a gym, at home, outdoors, or even in prison. The prison workout presents a cost-effective alternative to a gym membership for those who want to complete effective workouts from anywhere.
This article will provide all the essential information to understand the prison workout method for building muscle and strength. Additionally, you’ll discover a variety of exercises to help you achieve your fitness goals. Let’s dive in.
What Is the Prison Workout?
Prison workouts are mostly bodyweight exercises that can be done in a relatively confined space or environment. You can gain muscle by exercising extra intensity and eating with limited equipment. Prison workouts are intense and require a lot of innovation and using your environment to your advantage. A study shows that increasing exercise intensity can help increase muscle hypertrophy, which no equipment is necessary for (1).
Overview — Prison Workout
The word “prison” can be likened to the incarcerated, who don’t have the opportunity to exercise with several pieces of equipment at their disposal. They rely on their bodyweight or a few functional materials to build their strength, endurance, and physique. You must be wondering how one can build muscle without equipment. To answer your question, we have a list of prison-inspired exercises to improve your physique. Check out the list of exercises below, categorized into upper-body and lower-body exercises.
Upper Body Exercises
These upper body exercises help give strength and muscle gains while giving you that aesthetically pleasing look. The prison workout routines below are push-pull exercises that work multiple muscle groups with the extra intensity to go with it.
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Wide Grip Pull-ups | 3 | 20 |
| Diamond Push-ups | 3 | 20 |
| Bench Dips | 3 | 20 |
Wide Grip Pull-ups
Wide grip pull-ups are upper bodybuilding exercises that work the back and arm muscles. They also require a lot of core muscle involvement to help with stabilization during this exercise. This exercise is a pull-up variation that focuses more on your lat muscles and upper back, increasing the width of your back. If you’re looking for more biceps and forearm involvement, try the close grip pull-up.
The wide-grip pull-ups can be done anywhere if you have a hanging bar. Before this pull-up variant, you could do one- to two-minute dead hangs, which help stretch the muscles and improve exercise efficiency (2).
How to Do the Wide Grip Pull-ups
- Extend and grab the pull-up bar using an overhand grip. Your arms should be wider than shoulder width. This is your starting position.
- Keep your body straight and steady. Keep your head straight and pull yourself towards the bar.
- Pause for about one to two seconds, then slowly lower yourself back to the starting position once you have completed one rep.
- Perform three sets of 20 reps.
Diamond Push-ups
Diamond push-ups are regarded as challenging exercises but have worthy benefits. They work your triceps, shoulders, chest, and core muscles.
How to Do the Diamond Push-ups
- Get into a push-up position, fully stretching your hands and legs.
- Next, position your hands directly under your chest and make a diamond shape.
- Brace your core, and keep your back straight. This is your starting position.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your chest is a few inches from your chest.
- Finally, push yourself back to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform for three sets of 20 reps.
Bench Dips
Bench dips are bodyweight exercises that primarily work the triceps while engaging other muscles, such as the anterior delts and pec muscles. They also recruit core muscles like the abs and obliques, which help maintain form and balance during the exercises.
How to Do the Bench Dips
- Get a bench or a high surface and sit on it with your hands next to your thighs.
- Stretch your feet out, extend your legs, and lift the bottom from the bench while your arms remain on the bench. This is your starting position.
- Bend your elbows and lower yourself as far as possible until your arms form a 90-degree angle.
- Pause for about one to two seconds and push through your arms back to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform this movement for three sets with 20 reps.
Lower Body Exercises
Lower-body exercises focus on lower body muscles and build strength, explosive power, and mobility, which helps improve athletic performance. Below are two lower-body exercises with intensity inspired by the prison workout.
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Bodyweight Squats | 4 | 20 |
| Lunges | 4 | 10 (on each leg) |
Bodyweight Squats
Bodyweight squats are prime lower bodybuilding exercises that target glutes, quads, calves, hamstrings, and core muscles. The more resistance this exercise provides, the greater the gains.
How to Do the Bodyweight Squats
- Stand straight with your feet, using an appropriate stance (narrow, wide, or regular, depending on your preference). This is your starting position.
- Slowly bend your knees and hinge your hips as you go down.
- When your quads touch your calves, pause for one to two seconds and slowly return to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform this movement for four sets with 20 reps.
Lunges
Lunges are compound exercises that work the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core muscles. They’re unilateral, meaning you can train each side of your body to identify weaknesses, focus better on target muscles by increasing your mind-muscle connection, or train through injuries.
How to Do the Lunges
- Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and keep your back straight.
- Next, take one long stride so one leg is ahead of your torso while the other is behind (keep your rear heel raised while your front foot is flat).
- Lower yourself and bend your knees to a 90-degree angle while keeping your back straight.
- Finally, push off from your front leg and return to the starting position to finish a rep.
- Perform this movement for four sets of 10 reps.
Wrapping Up
The prison workout offers a unique and effective method for muscle development. It employs high-intensity bodyweight exercises that target both upper and lower body muscles. This regimen not only facilitates continuous muscle training during travel but also serves as an excellent alternative for rest days or whenever a change in routine is needed.
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References
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D. W., & Plotkin, D. L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
