I recently wrote an answer to a question on Quora What are the best exercises one can do to build strength and stamina without weights? listing out a bunch of my favorite body-weight exercises and the type of progressions one can do to increase intensity (think push-ups from knees, to standard push-ups, to clap push-ups, to one arm push-ups).

Louis, who works with me, then posted this on Reddit’s fitness board for feedback. The main response was that I should have included a mention of Convict Conditioning, a book by Paul Wade who developed a program to achieve amazing physical results while in the less-than-ideal surroundings of a prison with little access to gym equipment. This piqued my interest and so I looked it up. This is what I found:

How do you stack up against the 6 measures of a “True Man”:

One set of 5 one-arm pushups each side—with the elite goal of 100 sets each side

One set of 5 one-leg squats each side—with the elite goal of 2 sets of 50 each side

One set of 1 one-arm pull-ups each side—with the elite goal of 2 sets of 6 each side

One set of 5 hanging straight leg raises—with the elite goal of 2 sets of 30

One set of 1 stand-to-stand bridges—with the elite goal of 2 sets of 30

One set of 1 one-arm handstand pushups—with the elite goal of 1 set of 5

This is an impressive list. Not many people I know can pass the basic version of the test, even those I consider to be very fit.

Mr. Wade is not the only one advocating this type of activity, action star Jason Statham is a big fan of the full body-weight and explosive strength moves that he saw inmates perform at California's Corcoran State Prison when he was preparing for his film Death Race. He called their ripped physiques “prison fit” as opposed to what he disdainfully referred to as “gym fit”. You know it when you see it, the guys in the gym who can bench your entire family but can’t run home without taking a break every few blocks. Body-weight conditioning isn’t about getting as big as you can as fast as you can, it’s about building functional muscles rather than trophy muscles.

“Functional training” came out of the rehabilitation and sports medicine fields where sports rehabilitation practitioners and physical therapists mainly focused on returning an injured athlete to the rigors of competitive sports. Over time the obvious benefits of this type of training, and the ease with which they can be performed, have made them increasingly popular. At Fleetly we’ve found that the most common strength exercises are push-ups and crunches. As Louis fights his way to the top of The Situation crunches challenge he has definitely found this to be true.

So, why are body-weight exercises so good? Most exercises involve many muscles working in coordination, resulting in greater overall fitness and strength. Body-weight exercises, compared to weight lifting, often also require much more flexibility and balance in order to perform repetitions. Gymnasts are great examples of how body-weight conditioning can result in flexibility, balance and strength. Christopher Summer, a head coach at a premier gymnastics center in Mesa, Arizona knows this, “I’m not concerned with hypertrophy in and of itself, but with the development of a powerful, explosive, flexible, stable physical structure...For us, hypertrophy is simply a fortunate side effect.” An additional benefit of body-weight condition is that the endless variety of exercises keeps your body guessing and will help you avoid plateaus.

You should incorporate body-weight training into your exercise routine if you don’t already. Whether you’re in the gym only lifting heavy things, or out running a track, a few body-weight exercises will increase your overall conditioning and strength, two fundamental aspects of your overall fitness.

If you want more inspiration you can check the conditioning outdoor workout or the no equipment strength workout.

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