First Convict Conditioning Workout DONE!

As my mental health and physical fitness improve, I'm becoming more motivated. This morning I was up at 6am which was unheard of just a few weeks ago but is now happening on a Sunday (!!!), then got out my Convict Conditioning (CC) book and, while I was oil pulling, planned my first CC workout. This is how it looked:

  Then I decided to work out in the great outdoors so I set up my workout area, pretty!

Then I worked out. CC has six major exercises which are broken down into 10 progressive steps. With most of the ones I chose, I was one either the first progressive exercise (the easiest) or the second. I was supposed to do two sets of each exercise which I did. I don't like resting between sets so I just did two rounds of all of the exercises (except the last one) and that worked for me.

Unfortunately the mozzies found me after exercise 2 round 1 which made me feel like this...

So while I was out I bought some of this...

Natural insect repellant. Bugger off blood suckers! Geez I hope it works. I loved being outside. But mozzies are about as welcome around me as Colonel Sanders at a vegan picnic.

I moved inside and set up another workout area. Not as pretty but functional. I didn't use the weights, that's just where we keep them. One of the things I love about CC is it's simplicity. No huge outlay for expensive equipment that ends up getting used to hand drying washing on, just bodyweight exercises. I think that with some of the harder exercises there might be some equipment required like a chin up bar, but they don't cost a lot.

 After that I did the usual Sunday stuff, and it's now midday and I hurt! I hurt all over. It looked like a simple workout and felt like a simple workout mostly but it must have been keeping the hard part in cammo gear because I feel like I've done one of the hardest workouts of my life. There was a few difficult ones, but I hurt nicely. It's not a hurt that's going to wake me if I move in my sleep for example. 

I added a quick 2 minute cardio warmup which was just skipping on the Cellerciser for two minutes. Harder than it sounds! I was getting the hang of it by the end but not easy that's for sure!

What I do not like about CC... the author is derisive about people using other methods of fitness for gaining strength. I really don't like it when someone puts others down to make themselves look better and it grates on me a lot. I would prefer a smaller book. It's big and can be awkward to handle.

The photos are clear but are mainly taken from one angle. It would be great if the photos were taken from side and back for example so we could see the exercises from different angles.

I don't like that I don't know what's true and what's not. It's 'based on' fact which means while I'm reading, every second thought is 'is this bit true?'.

What I do like is it's simplicity, the need for very little or no equipment, and that the exercises are really explained. I love the layout and the 'no messing about' style of writing the guy has.

After working out, I love that I can get through the workout, raising a sweat, and struggling a little, but can feel muscles I didn't know I had hurting.

CC was given to me as a gift and I'm really grateful to that fella. I think I'll do what he did and buy a bunch of them for family and friends as well. I'd definitely recommend it which, given my background doesn't mean much, but two friends of mine who have amassed strength and muscle mass in gyms for years (all their adult lives), both say it's one of the best books they've read. One of them has given up gyms entirely, and the other one goes now just for fun and to see the people he's met over the years.

Good stuff!