Body

While incarcerated both in jail and prison it was important for me to remain in the best physical condition as possible. This can be an arduous task due to the special limitation of diet and fitness equipment available. County jail was especially difficult due to the fact we had only a small basketball court and a pull-up bar. In the diet area, they served bologna sandwiches five times a week for lunch. It is amazing how creative one can get when choices are so limited.

The ingenuity and resourcefulness of people locked-up is quite literally jaw-dropping. It’s also surprising what one can do with a pull-up bar, some stack chairs, and a basketball. I never participated, but must say how intrigued I was to see one light a cigarette or a joint with two old staples and a battery. Inmates are the ultimate survivalist. If you want to see someone MacGyver something up, it’s something worth seeing. Of course, I’m just kidding.

The challenges of staying in shape while you are “down” have a tendency to keep most inmates away from any sort of serious fitness regime. Due to the diet (chow hall food and available canteen items), the physical restraints, the ability to sleep unlimited amounts of time, and the incessant gambling tables, I’ve witnessed many inmates gain 20-40 pounds within a three-four month period of time. I was determined to not go that route. In fact, during my first 10 months in county jail I actually lost 10-12 pounds. While that was too thin for my frame, I did appreciate the definition and how lean I was.

Before I was incarcerated I had a trainer three times a week and was extremely fortunate to have been trained on good technique and common-sense diet consumption. The trick would be to put on more size without losing my definition. I went from 184 pounds at 6 feet 1 inches to 173 pounds when I left county to enter the DOC. For most of my incarceration I ranged from 175-178 pounds. During the time I initially wrote this entry in September 2014, I was in the hole at Colorado State Penitentiary at about 182 pounds with a good balance between size and remaining lean.

It’s amazing how you can put size on while you have a lot of access to protein. I worked in the kitchen for five months and was working out and doing extreme amounts of cardio. Many folks take an insular approach to fitness, but I continually emphasized the importance of a comprehensive fitness regime to many of my fellow inmates. For example, fellow inmates focused only on resistance training, but have no regard for cardio. Or only focus on cardio, with no regard to diet. I believe it takes a multi-faceted approach to achieve the fitness levels one desires. Typically, only focusing on one or two things will not take you to the levels you wish to reach. In order to maintain the fitness goals I’ve set for myself, I have focused on these six key areas and have made a fundamental commitment to each.

#1 Diet.

This is so key. It’s essential a person maintains a proper balanced diet in order to see results. It’s not only important to watch what you digest ay the chow hall, but the items in the canteen. Many of these items are high fat, high salt, and high carb. For example, many inmates are addicted to dry soups they can purchase in the canteen. They will make what they call “spreads” which consist of multiple packages of soup layered with high fat sausages and squeeze cheeses. I always laughed when someone came by to see if I had soups or squeeze cheeses. I responded, “I only order rolled oats, peanut butter, and decaf homie. Do you think it’s easy to have abs like this?” They would usually shoot me a look of disgust and continue on their quest.

I focus on a high protein, low carb, and a moderate amount of fat diet. I stay away from all the whites: all white bread, rice, potatoes, and tortillas. On a day-to-day basis I would eat most of the food on my tray (including the small dessert) due to the small portions being offered. During the days I worked in the kitchen, I consumed as much protein as possible with egg whites, skinless chicken, oatmeal, and turkey ham, among others. On my days off I would focus on eating oatmeal, peanut butter sandwiches, as well as lean meal protein shakes with powered eggs after each workout. I strived to get in five moderate meals a day. Also, as Oprah has recommended, don’t eat anything past 6:00 in the evening. There are a few exceptions, of course, while watching a movie I will eat half a bag of healthier popcorn.

Diet and nutrition is the absolute cornerstone of any successful fitness regime. I also take the following vitamins each day as recommended by Men’s Health May 2012: multi-vitamin, vitamin D, and omega. My cholesterol level is 121 down from 195 at the beginning of my incarceration. 

 #2 Stretching. 

I believe stretching is also essential to a well-balanced, injury-free workout program. Being over the age of 50 and with the harsh and unforgiving sleeping conditions in prison, I found it necessary to focus on stretching at least six days a week. Shortly before being incarcerated, I had a torn rotator cuff and after being incarcerated the doctor diagnosed me with a scapular tear where the muscle pulled away and balled up around my right shoulder. In addition to the shoulder, my hips on both sides were extremely tender due to sleeping on a metal or concrete frame with a 1 ½ in – 2 in mattress. Being locked-up is truly a young man’s game. My body didn’t accommodate those conditions well as I would have in my younger day.

To keep me fluid, functional, and free of injury I committed to a daily full-body stretching program that enabled me to participate physically at a high level. The routine consists of 40-60 minutes each day. In addition, I also perform self-applied pressure points techniques. These were crucial in the relief of pain and soreness and allowed me to increase the weight during lifting, as well as opened my hips to ensure greater strides while running.

As a result of these stretching techniques, I am more flexible than I had been in most of my adult life. I also struggled for years with micro tears in my knees and I am amazed how much more flexible I am. Due to my knee and shoulder injuries, I was taking naproxen for my first few years in prison, but I am happy to say I am over 50 and am completely free of all medication. Lastly, I also do a 20-minute ab routine daily in conjunction with my stretching six days a week.

 #3 Resistance Training. 

This typically is the area that most people just throw themselves into withour any regard for anything we have discussed so far. The key is to start slow and with light-to-moderate weight. Prison, not unlike the outside world, is full of machoism. The idea seems to be with these less than well-reasoned individuals, to see how heavy you can go, while at the same time proving how fast. This is a recipe for disaster and injury. Believe me when I say slow and steady wins this race. I do resistance training three times a week with a focus developing strength and size. I usually do something like chest and back one day, biceps, triceps and shoulders the next workout and on the last day a full out assault on legs.

Usually my workout days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Cardio is typically Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Stretching and Abs are Monday-Saturday, taking Sunday completely off. On the outside, I typically did 3-4 sets of a particular exercise with 10-12 reps. When I was locked up, I did three different exercises for each body part, but have increased to six sets with eight reps. I noticed this really increased my size. Also, make sure proper form and technique are paramount to your routine. This means slow methodical full range movements and keep your elbows tucked in at your side when you are doing bicep and tricep work.

One of the biggest mistakes I saw people doing is throwing their elbows forward while cranking their shoulders back. Always resist the temptation to load up the weights and use incorrect form because you are trying to impress someone. This will always end badly if you continue doing it and is counterproductive to what you are trying to accomplish. You will most likely injure yourself and derail your fitness goals.

   #4 Cardio.

Ah, the allure of running. I have fallen in love with this fitness activity. Any cardio is fine, whether it’s a treadmill, spin cycle, or some other form of cardiovascular training, but there is something about being out in nature with all the elements that I have so come to cherish. Being able to run any season in Colorado is really a treat. My best and most creative ideas come to me while I am running. I always feel so invigorated while I am doing it, and even after I am done.

Hopefully, you will not be running behind razor wire, but don’t allow that reality to steal your joy while you’re getting your run on. Like everything we have talked about so far, start slow and work your way up to a more intense regime. You will expand, clear your lungs with the fresh Colorado air, open your mind, and experience a totally phenomenal opportunity to be in touch with nature and her Creator.

   #5 Hydrate.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.

Even if you don’t do any of the other thing I have spoken about, do this! I cannot say enough how important it is on your overall health and well being to keep yourself properly hydrated. Experts agree on drinking eight large glasses of water daily. It could mean even consuming more if you are doing all the other things we spoken about. The experts also suggest, most daytime fatigue is a result from the lack of hydration. Do your body one of the best favors possible and keep properly hydrated. Not only will you feel better and be more alert, you will look better as well.

     #6 Rest.

Make sure you are getting adequate sleep and rest. The best technique I found to well adjusted sleep is to go bed and get-up the same time every day. To do all the things we have talked about so far, you have to be well rested.

To get everything done on a daily basis I wake up every morning at 5am. After moving around a bit, I brush my teeth, and then start devotions at 5:30am. At 6am I do my stretching and abs routine and by 7am I’m ready for a shower.

The key to staying on track is to make sure you have a dedicated time each day to complete each item. Remember doing these things are some of the most important items you can do for yourself, and for the ones that you love and care about.

So there you have it. Those are my top six strategies for keeping yourself in premiere shape at any age, regardless if your incarcerated or living in the normal world. We all have the opportunity to live a happy, joy-filled life if we choose. Sometimes it is just about getting started. Take the first step today, and don’t beat yourself if you fall off track. At the end of the day we are all humans and we make mistakes sometimes. Remember we have tomorrow, and all the hope and promise that comes with it. Be well my friends and always remember to be Rising Higher in your Body-Mind-Spirit.