BOOK REVIEW: JOSH BRYANT’S “JAILHOUSE STRONG”

 

 

As I continue my tear through reading of all things training, it’s worth reviewing a book that is once again becoming topical as the world appears to be heading toward another period of gym closures.  “Jailhouse Strong” is another Josh Bryant $10 special on kindle that relates around training with minimal to no equipment in the pursuit of getting bigger and stronger: a situation many may now face or, if not, will encounter sometime in the future.  It is done under the premise of how “so many convicts get so jacked” in prison which, in truth, tends to be more a fantasy trope that reality if you’ve ever taken the time to look at the convicts in a prison documentary (or for those of my readers that may have actually served time), but it does manage to actually document that habits of those inmates that DID succeed in getting jacked while incarcerated.  If nothing else, it’s a useful grounding mechanism to base a book around minimalist training.

 

OVERVIEW

 

The book goes over a history of training while incarcerated, included a “who’s who” of strong inmates, then leads into some instruction on bodyweight exercises, programs and challenges, followed by lifting programming using minimal equipment, and then sections on training the neck, bodypart specialization (6 week programs focusing on bringing up one muscle group while maintaining the others) and a bit on unarmed combat.

 

THE BAD

Not all inmates get jacked in prison

I’m going to be a pessimist and start with the bad parts of the book first, as people who read by review of “Tactical Strongman” know that I wasn’t the biggest fan of my last Bryant experience. 

 

-This book still has plenty of cringe in it.  Though not NEARLY as bad as Tactical Strongman’s insistence of nearly every page regaling us with stories of Thick Nick and being gas station ready, the over the top prison slang alpha dog stuff is just too goofy, and trying to teach someone unarmed combat as a CHAPTER in a book on bodyweight training is so delightfully lacking in self-awareness that I wonder if it’s some sort of Andy Kaufmann-esque prank that I’m just unaware of.  They make entire books dedicated to that pursuit, and even THOSE fail because combat needs to be personally instructed.  Would have been far better to just style that section as a conditioning workout ala cardio-kickboxing, but I’m sure that wouldn’t get the testosterone nod of approval.

 

-There is a significantly missed opportunity to discuss inmate nutrition in this book.  Teach people in restricted locations how to maximize nutrition with minimal access to cooking/variety.

 

-I continue to not be a fan of percentage based programming whereas Josh is.  Now, I’m a big 5/3/1 fan and Deep Water used percentages too, but I feel like the difference is that Josh wants percentages for practically EVERY movement you do, whereas those other 2 programs kept it for just the big movements.  I suppose in Josh’s case, it’s helpful if you’re the type of trainee that wants to be told EXACTLY what to do.

 

-Depending on your disposition, you may find it distasteful to idolize inmates.

 

THE GOOD

Sometimes, a little time in the slammer actually CAN give you a chance to get jacked

-The bodyweight movement explanation section includes progressions to build up to being able to do certain movements.  I personally can’t attest to how effective these progressions are, as I am able to do the movements already, but still, it’s good to have a book that gives the reader the tools they need from start to finish.

 

-Along with the above, there’s a solid amount of variety of movements introduced in the book.  If you’re stranded without equipment, it’ll help keep you occupied.  And even if not in that situation, it’s a good reminder of what else is out there.

 

-There ARE some non-percentage based programs in the book, and I feel like they really shine.  They’re more presented as challenges, but ultimately provide a helpful framework to be able to train bodyweight movements AND weighted exercises.  I personally made use of the “Juarez Valley” approach on a deadlift workout and found it challenging and viable.  The lifting section also does a good job of introducing the value of rest pausing, but it neglected to bring up mechanical advantage dropsets, which is something I’ve seen write about in other locations regarding being “Jailhouse Strong”

 

-A section on neck training is awesome.  People are getting stupid about neck training online, either calling it the most dangerous thing you can possibly do in the weightroom or making it into something meme-y and stupid.  Training the neck has a long and established history in the ironworld and really doesn’t need to be given such a fetish-like response.  Of course, the reasoning behind it is coated with cheese and cringe, but you just kinda learn to take it.

 

BOTTOMLINE: SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Don't feel the need to commit crimes in order to get the funds for it AND get to jail to try it out

I am going to go with a solid “Yes” on this one, premised that you ONLY buy it as a $10 kindle purchase.  It wouldn’t be worth the cost of a hardcopy, but it’s a very useful resource to have plugged into your phone and ready to reference if you find yourself without equipment OR just need a little inspiration for a quick workout while on the road.  Proof of concept for me is that I’ve been traveling once again and kept finding myself cracking open the kindle app on my phone and rebrowsing the book to see if I could come up with some ideas for a quick daily training routine to do first thing in the morning to get some blood flowing.  The writing itself is far more tolerable than Tactical Strongman, though still not as good as “Powerbuilding Basics” (which I need to review at some point).  Once again, not the best effort I’ve seen from Josh, I’m not a big fan of his writing style, but the book delivers on what it needs to deliver, and should be helpful for anyone needing to train without equipment.