Solitary Fitness

I bought this book thinking it would have some underground secret to get in shape. It does have some really cool exercises that you can do with just your body, but the real value of the book I think, is the inspirational aspect. He explains along the lines of that fitness should be for you and you should have fun doing it. I don't use his workout plan to the letter, but if I'm in a situation where all I have is my body weight I do use a lot of his exercises. They are fun if you want a break from all the regular weights at the gym. Yes he does list some weird exercises but get over it! If you were in solitary confinement for 33 years I bet you'd try to invent new exercises all the time so you wouldn't go crazy. Overall great ook, I'm glad I bought it.

When I first found out about Charles Bronson, I was blown away. He single-handedly shut down a prison after taking a news reporter 'hostage' just to mess with everyone and show how bad of a dude he was. He punched through a sheet of bulletproof glass. He held numerous records for push ups and sit ups. He has the title of 'most dangerous criminal in England', and here the guy's never killed anyone! But it's easy to see why the guy's so dangerous- he's more fit than most professional body builders, and he doesn't even have regular access to a gym or healthy foods. And yet, the guy went and wrote this book, and is letting us in on his secrets on how he did it. As far as I'm concerned, he's the man for that alone. I got this book to see what it is he all does, and to try it out for myself. Keep in mind that I'm not some kind of exercise maniac, though I do try and do 300 push ups, sit ups and leg lifts a night at the very least. But after doing just -one- of the Solitary rounds, I was sweating and my muscles felt hard for a good hour or two after I was done! Solitary Fitness has tons of great information before and after the actual Solitary Fitness program. Bronson (who sometimes refers to himself as Bronco) tells you what stretches are important, how many of them to do and for how long. I know that stretching is important before working out, and I spend at least 20 minutes doing stretches before I lift weights or go over my martial arts move set, but some people don't get it, and Bronson drills it in your head how important they are. He then goes over how to work on specific muscles and single them out, which you'll be able to do quickly thanks to his instructions. The majority of exercises here involve stretching and resistance. At first, they might sound stupid because you can't imagine these getting you ripped, but they're there to prepare you for the bigger ones later on. And at the same time, this book isn't meant to get you looking like Arnie, who Bronson likes to pick on a lot here. No, Solitary Fitness is about changing your life style and getting you prepared for anything once you're fit. And because nearly every single muscle is covered in this book (even the muscles within your rear, and those in your genitals), you -will- be ready for anything. Bronson is a very educated man when it comes to fitness, and it shows just a few pages into the program here. He knows what he's talking about, from what each muscle does to what foods are best for you and why. Some complain about how unorganized the book is, then try to use Bronson's status as 'just a criminal' as the excuse for that. He's not trying to make a professional exercise book. Bronson's writing style is good because you feel like he's actually talking to you directly, and not just listing steps and letting you figure the rest out with the pictures. I didn't find the book unorganized, though Bronson himself even makes fun here and there, saying that he should've put something in a section a few dozen pages before. But this print of the book, the one pictured here on Amazon, does have a few problems with the organization, and that's the publisher's fault for overlooking it. Some parts tell you to refer to the picture or chart below/above, when sometimes it's on the previous page, or you have to turn the page to see it. 'not Bronson's fault, but they should've caught this and fixed it just to help things out. Also, I've seen the first edition of this book, and it had better quality photos. In this print, they're VERY dark and sometimes it's hard to make out the muscle definition in the models. 'not a big deal, but if you can find the first version, go for that one. His great drawings look good still, and these help show you how to do some of the exercises as well, though they're also comical of course. I've spent a lot of years lifting weights here and there, have 12 years of martial arts experience, and like to work out in my free time, but Solitary Fitness seems to be my calling for getting a harder, tougher body. You can do these exercises anywhere, anytime. The only things you'll need for some are things like a towel, cement block or a chair. And get this- a good portion of the book's opening is praise from several well-known athletes and sports figures. A champion boxer noted that when he said his inspiration was Bronson, that got edited from tv. Why? Because he's a criminal? The fact that Bronson's program reached a professional boxer shows you that this is the real deal. Get this book before it goes out of print again and share it with your friends. You won't be disappointed. I mean, there's a section called 'Solitary Cow Punch' for crying out loud. Don't you want to learn how to throw a punch strong enough to knock out a cow!?

Cool so far fun to read. It took awhile to show up

This is one of the few books out there that you'll spend your money on, and after reading it and sticking to it will think that you got your moneys worth. This book is great for many reasons, one obvious one is that you dont need a gym membership to do it. It's also not space demanding, the author does these workouts in a prison cell. I used to get all sorts of muscle magazines every month, and buy a bunch of workout books, and what I learned was I was just buying the same information over and over again. Like I was looking for something I didn't already know. The truth is I finally had reached a point where I figured "Eh I've been lifting weights for over 10 years, what really else is there for me to know about fitness?" Well this book is for those out there who find themselves doing the same thing. This book doesnt give you unrealistic expectations. To many books out there now have a picture on the cover of someone who's injected themselves with steroids and human growth hormones, and its their full time job to eat a high protein meal every 2-3 hours. Then they try and say "If you follow this workout, you can get big like me." Thats not realistic, but the information in this book is. If you follow this book, you'll get muscular, and still be bigger then the majority of the guys you just happen by while walking around outside. Also another key selling point to this book is obviously from a fighters perspective. Lets be honest, your more then likely reading this because the author of this book is known for his fighting ability. I myself used to train as a boxer for 3 years, which is what really interested me in this book as well. This book is perfect for someone looking for an edge in any type of fighting style. Reason being? The main focus of this guy is not to just strengthen muscles, but to strengthen your heart big time. He gets into this in the book. I'd say if you have an interest in Charles Bronson, or even if you just have an interest in fitness and are open minded to trying something different, give this book a shot. It's a really great purchase, and you'll definitely see results if you follow it.

Okay, I'm going to be up front: I got this book on a lark. I expected to get some laughs and crazy stories, and maybe to come away with some excuse-busting skills. Well, I wasn't disappointed. The book has quite a bit of crazy in it, and if you like Steve Justa, you'll dig Bronson, too. If a sedentary person wanted to get fit without spending a lot of money on supplements, equipment, and "secrets of..." this book would be a great companion and coach. If a weights guy wanted to get into bodyweight stuff and learn muscle controls like the old timers, this book would be about perfect (again, if you like his writing style). If a person hated the gym, or didn't have space in their home, this book is great. Again, brace yourself for zany sidebars, weird ramblings, and rants about '70s era bodybuilders, but keep an open mind. You just might wind up stronger and more athletic for it.

Solitary Fitness is written in a fun, breezy style that makes for quick reading. In fact, the author admonishes his readers not to rush and to put the book down and come back the next day. He doesn't want you to hurry through and get hurt or miss valuable information. He seems to care for his readers. The book has many good exercises designed to work *every* part of your body (really) - even parts you may not prefer to exercise alone. There are two concerns I have with the book as well as one minor complaint. First, the book is a disorganized mess. Don't get me wrong, the writing is clear, but there appears to be no organizing principle or comprehensive plan at work. There is a chapter that puts together a 30 day workout based on exercises in the book, but that doesn't go far enough. It is difficult to follow, more advanced in some places than a beginner can handle, and inserted before all exercises are explained. Besides, what happens after that initial period? Even more, the exercises are all over the place. Some use body weight, some us isometrics, some use weights (although not traditional bar bells/dumb bells as far as I can see). He lists favorite exercises in a beginning chapter, but then doesn't seem to incorporate those into his workouts. Within his favorites chapter (my words) he has a friend's grown children demonstrate other exercises (which he doesn't bother to name). The second issue is the book's pictures. An an inmate, Bronson couldn't pose for pictures himself, so he or his publishers hired a female bodybuilder to demonstrate the exercises. So far, so good. Except that the quality of the pictures, plus the fact that most are black and white, means that they might as well have been left out. Bronson mentions the poor quality at one point, but I'm left to wonder -- did the publishers give a crap? The pictures should have been sharper and, in this day and age, must be in color. What would it have cost in time, effort and money to do the job right? Better images would have made the book immeasurably better. A final minor complaint is that Bronson uses prison and British slang. At times it is hard to understand what he's trying to say. This isn't too bad though and shouldn't bother most. To sum up, this book is worthwhile for the reader who wants body weight and isometric exercises covering the entire body (almost literally). It's the perfect book (especially at the price - approx. $11 as of this writing) if you have your own workout plan and need to supplement it to target specific muscles or groups of muscles. It would also be helpful to someone with experience who wants to put together his or her own exercise plan out of Bronson's menu of options. If you're looking for a workout plan from scratch I'd buy something else now and come back to this book once you've reached intermediate level or higher.

As Charlie says, "Don't do as I do, do as I say". He doesn't mess around, he tells it like it is. If he can't motivate you, you have to want and motivate yourself. His writing style is humorous and easy to understand. Men and women, young and old can benefit from this book. Do you really need supplements? Hell no, at least in Charlie's eyes. This man built his body up from years of hard, consistent training. This was accomplished by using his own body and whatever else he had on hand in Prison. The man is 54yrs old with a 33yr old body and is strong and fit compared to younger men. You don't really need those flashy, workout clothes. Expensive shoes won't help you run any faster. Save your money instead. The beauty of this book is you don't really need weights to get stronger. Just use whatever you have on hand. If you do have weights and other equipment, use them. Just reading the first few pages, I feel very motivated by Charlie's words of encouragement. Have started doing the routines as he says and I can feel myself getting stronger. This book is no joke, believe me. If you are serious about getting into shape, this book and hard work will help you reach your goals. I hope Charlie gets out of Prison soon, he deserves it.☺

Charles Bronson represents the ultimate survivor personality. He is a convicted,violent, criminal that has been in prison for decades with 30 years of that time spent in solitary confinement. I can't even begin to imagine the degree of mental, emotional, and physical strength as well as control that surviving those condtions must have taken.. . During our socialization and conditioning we all receive cautionary messages and experiences that are logged into our conscious mind to protect us and condition us to live in society. Every once in a while we read of some unlikely, average, person who has perfromed a feat of extraordianry physical strength under conditions of extreme emotional stress. [...] There also are cases of individuals who have trained themselves to release their emotional brakes. Such individuals have been doing this for thousands of years in Yoga and the martial arts and scientific research has verified these abilities: [...] The secret is breaking through the safeguards and psychological brakes placed in our conscious mind and going directly to our subconscious mind which is the source of unlimted strength - mental, physical, and emotional. Charles Bronson has obviously been able to tap into this potental power of human consciousness which we refer to as NERVE FORCE and he shows you how you can too in "Solitary Fitness" I highly recommend "Solitary Fitness." For a more standard and less controversial source that shows you how to develop the same abilities I recommend the exercise books of John Peterson published by Bronze Bow Publishing featuring his Transformetrics training system - also available through Amazon.com. The United States the economy is going into a decline the likes of which we have never seen. With all of the changes that are coming there is no better time to learn the survival secrets of Charrles Bronson so you can survive and benefit from these changes while others become their victims..

Non linguistes passez votre chemin, ce livre est intégralement en anglais et ne sera probablement jamais traduit. Cela rend la compréhension de certains exercices assez délicate. Toutefois, si vous arrivez à survivre au mois d'entraînement concocté par le plus célèbre détenu du Royaume-Uni, vous pourrez être fier de vous. Réservez-vous une heure et demie par jour pour ce programme assez économe en matériel, mais qui vous fera baver des ronds de chapeau. J'ai pour ma part été très assidu à ce truc et j'ai sué des litres de flotte. Si vous pensez que ce livre vous dira comment soulever de la fonte, passez votre chemin. Il s'agit ici exclusivement de renforcement musculaire et de gainage ou le plus souvent, c'est votre propre poids qui fait office de bloc à soulever. Petit plus, le solitary commitment, qui est un contrat avec soi-même. Amusant à lire et très révélateur de l'esprit de Charles Bronson. Bon courage, bonne suée!

Interessantes dicas de exercícios e alimentação.

Got this for my dad. He loves it.

Das ist ein richtig gutes Trainingsbuch, das einen Ansatz verfolgt, den man am ehesten von John E. Peterson kennt und der sicher auf Charles Atlas Trainingsplan fußt. Das Buch ist (gewollt) anders als andere. Das beginnt damit, dass eine überaus muskulöse Frau, „Storm“, als Model für die Übungen fungiert. Den Autor selbst sieht man nur auf wenigen Bildern und auf eigenen Zeichnungen, die allesamt witzig und gelungen sind. Anders ist auch der Schreibstil, den man mitunter als vulgär bezeichnen kann. Trotzdem hatte ich zu jeder Zeit den Eindruck, dass hier jemand schreibt – wer es auch in Wahrheit gewesen sein mag – der richtig viel Ahnung hat. Mitunter hat mich das an Paul Wade erinnert, der auch in einem Satz die dümmsten Sprüche plappert und im nächsten Satz einen sehr schwierigen Sachverhalt mit einfachsten Worten auf den Punkt bringt. So ist das auch in diesem Buch. Das ganze Programm lässt sich auch wirklich nur verstehen, wenn man bereits Vorwissen- bzw. -erfahrung hat. Ansonsten nämlich übersieht man, wie sich das Programm zusammensetzt. Es besteht nämlich aus zwei Hauptbereichen, nämlich a) Grundübungen mit dem eigenen Körpergewicht und b) isometrischen Übungen. Und tasächlich ergibt diese Kombination Sinn, denn hier kann man wirklich weitestgehend ohne Geräte trainieren, wenn man mal von einem Handtuch oder einem Stuhl absieht. Gerade die isometrischen Übungen sind eine super Ergänzung zu den allseits bekannten Körpergewichtsübungen. Isometrisch zu trainieren bedeutet nämlich, eine fast maximale Spannung in den Muskeln für ca. sieben Sekunden zu halten. Und dieses isometrische Training– das gilt als erwiesen – hat eine erhebliche Kraftsteigerung zur Folge. Durch die Kombination dieser oben genannten beiden Grundbausteine des Trainings, kommt man tatsächlich ohne Geräte aus. Einen ganz ähnlichen Ansatz findet man bei John E. Peterson in „Pushing Yourself to Power“. Aus diesen Grundübungen, in Verbindung mit den isometrischen Übungen, entwickelt der Autor einen Trainingsplan, der jeden Tag etwas anders aussieht. Um es mal an einem Beispiel zu verdeutlichen, weil das anschaulich ist: Bei der ersten Übung werden Liegestütze absolviert. Die nächste Übung – quasi als Gegenspieler Übung – sieht dann so aus: Man nimmt ein Handtuch, hält es mit kurzem Handabstand vor die Brust und zieht es, mit den Ellenbogen nach hinten zeigend, mit aller Kraft gegen die Brust. Diese Spannung in den hinteren Schultermuskeln hält man für sieben Sekunden. Anderes Beispiel: Man absolviert ein paar gesprungene Kniebeugen (Star Jumpers). Anschließend geht man in den Ausfallschritt. Man beugt sich mit geradem Rücken vor, umklammert das vordere, bebeugte Bein, so dass die Hände sich verriegeln, und zieht mit aller Kraft nach hinten. Die Spannung hält man für sieben Sekunden. Das ist wie einbeiniges Krezheben ohne Hantel. Man versucht sich quasi selbst hoch zu heben, drückt aber mit dem vorderen Bein dagegen. Ohne eine Hantel zur Verfügung zu haben, trainiert man so die Hebekraft – genial. Dass diese Art des Haltetrainings tatsächlich hervorragende Kraftsteigerungen bringt, wies Theodor Hettinger bereits in den 60er Jahren nach. Nachteile des Buchs: 1. Man braucht viel Vorwissen, um zu verstehen, welch geniales Programm da serviert wird. Wer keine Ahnung hat und durch das Buch blättert, der wird den Wert nicht erkennen. 2. Man muss viel blättern, um sich einen Trainingsplan zu erstellen, den man auf einen Blick einsehen kann. Für wen ist das Buch geeignet? Wenn man wirklich keine Geräte benutzen will und trotzdem alle Muskeln trainieren möchte, dann ist dies das einzige Buch, das hier die Brücke schlägt. Dieses Buch hat jemand geschrieben – wer es auch immer war – der richtig viel Ahnung und praktische Erfahrung hatte. Es gibt nicht eine einzige unsinnige Übung. Man muss nur lernen die isometrischen Übungen so zu absolvieren, dass sie dort wirken, wo sie wirken sollen. Aber auch das ist gut beschrieben und auch lernbar. Wenn ich keinen gut ausgestatteten Trainingsraum hätte, müsste bzw. wollte aber meinen Körper komplett trainieren, dann wäre dieses Programm meine erste Wahl. Wer Lauren nicht mag, weil man zu viele Gegenstände benötigt, der wird hier fündig. Wer Wade nicht mag, weil die Progressionsstufen zu langwiederig sind, der wird hier fündig. Wer nur ein kleines Zimmer hat, in dem er trainieren will, und in dem sich nur ein Handtuch und ein Stuhl befinden, der kann loslegen. Fazit: Auch wenn man es nicht erwartet und dem Autor schon gar nicht ansieht, ist dies ein geniales Programm, das man in dieser Form nirgends findet.

Este libro fue un regalo y por lo que tengo entendido, el lector lo está disfrutando y espero, poniendo en práctica los ejercicios, que fueron el propósito de comprar este libro.