Yesterday the editor posted PrisonerFitness-The Lost Skills of the True Book of Power Chapter 2Part 1 and Part 2, today brings the final chapter of Chapter 2 Part Three
"The Differences between Old School" and "New School" Gymnastics
All these changes in a very short period of time The way people move, but the scary thing is that something extremely valuable is also gone. For thousands of years—for most of human history—people who wanted to get stronger and stronger used bodyweight training. Bodies of knowledge and esoteric philosophies about exercise techniques were passed down from generation to generation, and extremely superior and effective workouts focused on strength and power slowly evolved. These methods are full of wisdom and emphasize step-by-step procedures. They allow a person to become stronger and stronger, eventually reaching the limits of human capabilities—not just in strength, but in agility, athleticism, and toughness. All in all these methods are priceless - and when I say "old school" gymnastics, I mean them. In the second half of the 20th century, people began exercising with barbells and dumbbells, and the hard-won ancient knowledge fell on deaf ears. Modern people are confused by the new variety of fitness equipment and how to use it, and fewer and fewer people continue to exercise through "old-school" gymnastics.
Today, bodyweight training has almost been replaced by machine training. It was seen as a cowardly sibling of these trendy approaches, relegated to the sidelines. Many of the techniques and systems of "old school" gymnastics were abandoned and slowly fell into disuse. The ones that survivedJust the most basic stuff. Today, when everyone (even so-called fitness experts) talks about bodyweight training, it's only about rudimentary movements (like push-ups, squats), plus a few useless modern moves like crunches. These exercises are designed for school-age children and the frail and disabled, and can also be used by ordinary bodybuilders to warm up or build endurance. These movements can be called "new school" gymnastics compared to traditional strength-based gymnastics. Today, “old school” gymnastics almost no longer exists.
Almost!
Prison - the safe deposit box of "old-school" gymnastics
In one place, "old-school" gymnastics has not yet died out. There, this ancient exercise system remains as intact as an ancient insect trapped in amber. That place is a prison. The reason is self-evident. Outside the prison, new exercise methods are emerging one after another, and "old-school" gymnastics has long been squeezed out of space. But the situation inside the prison is very different. In the 1950s and 1960s, gyms with barbells and dumbbells were all the rage everywhere, but not in prisons. It wasn't until the late 1970s that crude weight training areas appeared in prisons, let alone those "indispensable" combination machines - they were rarely seen. This means that when strength training encountered a huge impact of "modernization" in the 20th century, prison was like a safe. Around the 20th century, various traditional exercise methods gradually disappeared under the impact of gyms, but in prisons, they still exist and have not been suffocated by the rapid development of technology and business. In the 18th and 19th centuries, imprisoned men (gymnasts, acrobats, circus performers, strongmen) knew how to train with their own body weight and passed this knowledge on to other prisoners. This knowledge is more valuable than gold in the prison, because there are only crossbars above your head, floors under your feet, and no fitness equipment at all. The important thing is that it is very necessary for a prisoner to be strong and agile. You know, life in prison is not easy. Prison life is harsh today, but prison life 100 years ago was even harsher. As you can imagine, beatings and abuse were part of the daily torture, and beatings to each other causing serious injuries or even death were commonplace. Prisoners perform strength training in their cells, to put it bluntly, to stay alive. They exercise hard and seriously, and for them, whether they are strong or not is a matter of life and death. From this point of view, these prisoners are no different from the Spartans led by Leonidas - they have to rely on their own abilities to survive. in order to letTo become stronger themselves, they practice traditional gymnastics.
The origins of prisoner fitness
To this day, prisoners around the world still exercise with "old-school" gymnastics. During the 20 years I served in an American prison, my obsession with strength and fitness never changed, so gymnastics became my whole life. It was only after several years in prison that I began to appreciate the nature and value of productive bodyweight exercise. I spent the next many years trying to learn more about it, including a thorough and complete understanding of the "secret history" of old-school gymnastics and the role prisons played in preserving these skills.
While in prison, I read as much as I could about exercise and exercise—especially about exercising with little or no equipment. I've also had the privilege of watching hundreds of extremely strong inmates work out, many of whom are very capable. In fact, the physical fitness of some of them is completely comparable to that of the best athletes, but due to their special experiences and living at the bottom of society, you will never see them in the media or in magazines. You won't read about their exercise methods. I know them and have had in-depth discussions with them about various exercise methods. I was also fortunate to become friends with some senior prisoners (they were all old enough to have met the older generation of strongmen) and spent a long time together, listening to them talk about their fitness experiences and theories. I followed their instructions and trained myself with cruel methods, day and night, until my whole body ached unbearably and my hands were torn and bleeding. I have taught hundreds of prisoners, which allows me to perfect my fitness knowledge in practice.
For many years I studied "old school" gymnastics in the hope of knowing more than others. Years later, my notes filled dozens of notebooks, including the most valuable concepts and techniques from the different systems I learned in prison, which led to the development of the ultimate form of gymnastics—no special equipment required. , less time-consuming, simple and easy to implement, this method can be done step by step, and ultimately can make you as strong and powerful as a giant. This is the best fitness system I have ever seen - "Convict Fitness". But it's not just for prisoners. Anyone who wants to reach the pinnacle of health and become incredibly strong will benefit from it.
Lights out!
I find that whenever I talk to people outside about this tough, tough training method that can push people to their limits, the other person's blood always boils. No doubt everyone likes itThese! After a heated discussion, several weightlifters and track and field athletes told me, with serious faces on their faces, that they must master bodyweight training. But what I found after just a few weeks was that they hadn't even given it a try, and were still back in the gym, focused on sets and free weights, following the same futile program as everyone else. I'm really not blaming them, it's really hard to convince people of a method like this that no one seems to be using. Most bodybuilders need to see a lot of "evidence" before they can truly believe in "old school" gymnastics. They need to understand the fact that modern fitness methods are ineffective, expensive, and harmful, while progressive bodyweight training methods are efficient, free, and safe. In the future, "traditional" methods will surely be at the forefront.
In the next chapter, we will discuss the differences between gymnastics and modern exercise methods.