Penitentiary Fitness: The Amazing Weight Loss Formula

When the California Department of Corrections took away their weights, the inmates created an ingenious workout regimen using their own body weight (push-up and pull-up-type exercises) that enabled them to develop sleek, muscular physiques that are remarkably similar to those of Olympic gymnasts.Author J. Barrett Hawkins, recognized that people in the "real world" could benefit from these training methods and spent the next eight years writing Penitentiary Fitness: The Amazing Weight Loss Formula. Despite his lack of a background in health care, Hawkins is convinced that he has discovered the most effective weight loss formula available today-and maybe he has. The book's recommendations are based on scientific discoveries made at the world's top medical schools and research laboratories. A chapter titled "Medical Science's 20 Fat Loss Secrets" is mandatory reading for anyone whose goal is to lose weight. The most successful participant, Daniel Durland, went from 296 pounds to 190 pounds in just five months. Fitness enthusiasts and body-builders will be drawn to the never-before-revealed convict workouts. The convenience of the push-up and pull-up style training, which requires no equipment, will be of value to people who do not have the time, money, or inclination to go to a gym. Included are exercise illustrations and instructions that outline 14 separate workouts for men and women of all walks of life. Whether you are an overweight person who is just getting started, or a body-builder seeking new muscle development techniques, Hawkins has designed an exercise routine that will match your abilities. The book's foreword is written by Allen Londe, MD, Chief of Staff at Barnes Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He remarks, "Within the confines of a penitentiary, J. Barrett Hawkins has written a book that gives direction to all of us who strive for health, using up-to-date scientific research and common sense methods acquired with limited resources."