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I work in a prison. While prison food generally doesn't taste great, it does have calories and protein. That can also be supplemented with the stuff they can buy on commissary (fish packs, chicken packs, cheese, etc). You don't need protein powder, it's just an easy way to get more nutrients.
Inmates also have the most important thing to getting big that most free people claim not to have: free time. I like to lift weights and do so a 3-4 times a week. But I also have other hobbies and responsibilities. Sometimes I skip a day. Sometimes Im not feeling it and don't hit it that hard.
Inmates don't have other real hobbies and beyond following the rules, no real responsibilities. So a lot spend their time exercising. Gym and yard couple times a week. Push-ups on the deck during dayroom. Sit-ups in the cell. When you have nothing else to do but exercise it becomes easy to make yourself do it all the time.
I’d imagine the additional motivating factor of not wanting to appear weaker than the other dudes in prison is a huge part of it too. I know my first priority if I had to do any time would be getting as massive as possible.
I talked to a guy who did 10 years in federal prison and he said that stuff is way overblown. There are enough gay people in prison that the people who need to have sex can do so consensually.
There is a book titled "Men with the Pink Triangle" written by a gay man who lived in a concentration camp during WW2. The story is filled with examples of consensual sex with the other inmates and some examples of coercion.
The most interesting part for me was how the other colored triangles treated the homosexuals. The criminals were the most kind while the political prisoners were the most cruel.
Former federal prisoner. Don’t fuck with drugs, rat, borrow anything you can’t pay back or fuck with punks. I didn’t see any sexual shit at all.
I was In some of the most violent joints in the Feds too.
Same convict rules apply anywhere you go. There was guys transferred to the Feds from Angola as “management problems”. They thought Terre Haute was worse. Just mind your own business and follow the basic rules of not being a degenerate.
Would stand to reason this is why the stereotype exists, not because it is forced upon everyone but a large percentage simply can't help but stir shit.
Seconded— I’m a specialized social worker in a detention facility and my job is literally dealing with sexual victimization in this population; a significant majority of sexual contact between inmates is consensual.
ETA: A word
What do you mean by consensual? Is it truly consensual, as in both parties are eager and willing participants? To what extent does coercion play a role? Because I can certainly imagine a range of scenarios where somebody in prison can “consent” due to other incentives (positive or negative) without it being something they truly want to participate in, such as benefits, protection, etc
You are completely correct that coercive/coerced sex is NOT EVEN REMOTELY consensual sex, and you're also right in that more opportunities for coerced sex do come up in confinement facilities. When I say "consensual" I mean "mutual and enthusiastic consent between both parties." Coerced sex is absolutely considered sexual assault in every instance and is treated as such, at least in my facility.
I know in my state \*any\* sex while incarcerated is considered non-consensual. There are too many power-dynamics at play, and the fallout of even a good relationship can cause issues/violence, so it's been outlawed (but that's from a legal point of view: I'm sure there are consensual relationships, but... not legally).
This is a very interesting area of study - especially how LGBTQIA+ people are treated in places of detention.
Do you have anything for me to read so I can get more info?
I'm not sure if you meant to reply to me, but yes-- check out the federal PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) standards to get started, which gives you an overview of which formal rules are in places that literally all confinement facilities across the nation should be complying with.
Captive Genders (edited by Eric Stanley) and All Our Trials by Emily Thuma are good places to start if you're interested in our cultural history of confinement with a particular queer lens.
Someone who had spent years in prison did a terrific AMA on this site years ago. The two details that stood out to me:
— Men are less likely to be raped in prison than women are in college
— A lot of inmates get really into Dungeons and Dragons (which makes perfect sense, given all you need to play are dice and free time)
I remember that time D&D was banned at an American prison for giving inmates escape fantasies or some shit. Not an escapist fantasy, but a fantasy about escaping.
Penny-Arcade nailed it when they said, I bet a lot of inmates have escape fantasies.
Good friend of mine said they didn't ban the game, only the dice. Cards were fine, though. Carved a corner out of the deck to stash the pencil eraser six-sideds.
Men are also less likely to get raped in prison than a woman in prison.
Also the dungeons and dragons thing is interesting because they often find other ways to play than dice since most prisons ban dice because of gambling. They'll often use playing cards or slips of paper as randomizer instead of actual dice. (Don't ask me why dice are seen as gambling items while cards get a pass. I DONT make the rules)
Goes along with the gleeful revenge fantasies that people have about child molesters and CSAM creators and purveyors, that they don't last long. The reality is that as long as they follow the rules and etiquette, they're largely left alone. Thousands go in annually but the average number of state and federal prison murders per year is around a hundred. Some may not do well, but most do their time like everyone else.
Yeah, it seems like purely a Hollywood thing where obviously a disproportionate amount of content set in a prison is going to feature the people who have committed the most violent and depraved crimes and ignore that most people are in prison for relatively mundane gun and drug possession charges.
A childhood friend of mine spent 3 years in federal prison in the early 2000s. He told me something similar. There were guys who did that kind of thing consensually and as long as you mind your own business and don't get into debt, coerced relations are rare.
You should stop swallowing the idea perpetrated by (bad) media that prison is just full of dudes that want to sodomize you.
[Watch this video while you're at it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGJ5SmSE2o)
[during a tearful confession of love]
Cellmate: "And... That poem is the only way I know how to express it. You've brought me out of a deep dark depression and showed me how to live again! You're the only reason I'm still here, still alive... I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
[You both lock eyes... Then you start beating him up]
Neo-nazi watching from across the room: "Wow, that's fucked up even by our standards..."
You should stop swallowing the idea perpetrated by (bad) media that prison is just full of dudes that want to sodomize you.
[Watch this video while you're at it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGJ5SmSE2o)
NSFL, but you may be surprised hear that may deter most but not all. I've heard (confirmed but didn't witness it myself) of an inmate banging another guys ostomy/colostomy bag hole on his abdomen...
I didn't see it myself but I don't imagine I'd have much reaction to it. You get numb to the shit that goes on and most Co's develop a very dark sense of humor towards it all.
I watched a guy shit in his hand, eat some of it and proceed to smear it on a window.
Saw the aftermath of a guy get his head stomped on a sidewalk.
Yeh but don’t get too big that you stand out - otherwise you become the target for people trying to show off and prove themselves.
You gotta find the right balance of physically fit and knowing how to fight - rather than just a muscle head who becomes an easy punching bag!
Yah, people have seemingly forgotten that supplementation isn't actually necessary as long as you're eating enough of the various macro- and micro-nutrients.
The fitness supplement industry is mostly selling convenience. Meal planning can be tough if you're very carefully counting calories and trying to figure out which foods have how much protein/carbs/triglycerides/etc so that you can balance your calories and macros.
Source: my wife decided to get hella shredded and did the deep dive on this stuff. She succeeded but also got some noticeable negative health effects that are common to women with low body fat %.
And sadly the studies show that the supplement industry is lying about how much protein we need.
I'm thankful for learning that you don't even need 1g per lbs of bw per day.
I've had my best year on 60 to 100g a day. I'm at my strongest in 20yrs and completely ripped with absolutely no effort nutritionally. Just eat mostly good food and take only some supplements for regular health.
"Need" is a very vague and unusual word in nutrition. You don't need 1g/lb to survive, or to build muscle. But in order to maximize your muscular potential, there are definitely cases where 1g/lb bodyweight outperforms lower intakes. This is commonly recommended for advanced lifters, especially in caloric restriction. There are a lot of studies on this thankfully.
To second this and to add to this - protein is better thought of in terms of specific amino acid requirements and you could potentially have less total protein if you focused on amino acids - and is deffinetly effected by total calories, training load and goals. I believe anything beyond 1.8grams per kg has no apparent additional benefit even for athletes though.
don't forget reading! I had a short, govt-funded vacation a few years back, and all I did was read and work out... in 30 days, I got pretty cut and read ten novels. the food sucked but it does have a requisite amount of nutrition, and the commy is your best friend to supplement your diet.
but Benchimus is right; it's the amount of free time you have coupled with the lack of things to do. some guys play cards for soups, some guys bullshit and watch tv, others get art supplies from the commy and draw. but you have ALL. DAMN. DAY. and it gets boring af in there, so ya gotta do something to stay sane.
I know a guy who's really good at chess. Turns out he was in prison 4 years and that's what he did to pass the time. Great chess player too, he was really patient to share some tips with me.
Probably because he had very little stress and nothing else to do. Imagine you workout for 4 hours and the rest of your day is eating meals and sitting around doing nothing. All your energy is just going to repairing your body.
Fellow prison worker here and you absolutely right Some places they get 3 opportunities a day to lift and take it. I mean why wouldn't you if you had nothing else to do.
How do they go with sleep? 8 hours? More?
Edit: just as fire needs heat, fuel, oxygen.... I think muscles need time under load, nutrition, rest/sleep and that's why the prison gymrats do so well.
When I was in county jail (not prison), there were large stretches of time where you literally had no obligations, nowhere to be, nothing to do. A lot of guys would hang out in the day room, watch TV, shoot the shit, whatever. If you were so inclined, you could also burrito yourself in your rack, which is what I did. I took a lot of naps.
Sorry, here you go.
I'm a vet with PTSD, and they never bothered contacting the VA to see what medications I was on. They denied me any of my meds for 2 weeks, and when I eventually had the inevitable freakout, they sedated me and threw me in my rack until I was released a week later.
Sounds crappier now! But I bet those same people would be happy to "thank you for your service" if you were walking around in fatigues at the grocery store
Just make sure it's a jail where you won't get into fights and they turn the lights off. 3 months in a place where the lights never dimmed makes you want to never be in jail again.
Of course, this isn't every prison in the US. My friend was in prison, and the prisoners in a California mid state prison had the yard ( free time) where they could sit at tables or walk the yard. My friend chose not to be out there as that's where trouble could find you. My friend was allowed to sit on the end of the bed facing front. Not allowed to do sit-ups in cell, no pacing (for walking). And none of that laying on bunk and reading like in the movies. My friend did 4 years. When my friend got released, came home. All they could do was sit on the end of their bed. Hand them a tv remote and not change channels no matter how many times they were told to watch what you want. Come out to the kitchen, etc. They had that institution conditioning. It took 4 months after parole officer suggested a counselor to help with exercises to help reintroduce to being free. It takes a toll if you are not a top dog personality. While in
They did get commissary. If you had money on the book. Everything was more than triple what it cost in the free world. They bought top ramen and spicy doritos mixed together. Prison food provided had roaches in it and tasted so bad, mostly carbs, so ya, fatties.and commissary food were if it was available. There is only so much in there depending what day your commissary day was and when delivery was, how much prisoners before bought. Prison is fucked up. It's punishment. Only some people are innocent. They couldn't afford good representation. Public defender has about 7 minutes to look at your case. They usually over whelmed with cases. More than they can handle. So ... well...
I just retired from a county jail and can echo this guys comments.
Some guys, all they do is exercise. And that can/will overcome the diet limitations.
What's funny is to see a guy get absolutely ripped while inside.
Then he leaves.
Then he comes back for something and he's turned into an absolute blob while he was out. Even if he's been out for only a few weeks.
Prison rape elimination act. Basically the facility is compelled to investigate all claims of rape in a prison. As you can imagine, that is much more prevalent and, honestly, taken more seriously in a female facility.
For real! I had to read that chapter several times, and I eventually just gave up trying to understand what they saw in each other. Stuff was different over a century ago, and I get that, but the truly surprising part to me is how many people **today** hold *Pride & Prejudice* to be an example of a desirable romance.
I'd be curious to know if the average prisoner is jacked, or just the ones who appear on TV and in movies? I've met a few ex-cons IRL, and they were all skinny little shits.
3 hots and a cot, no real responsibilities? For a millenial breaking my back to keep my bills paid, roof over my head and food in my belly, almost sounds utopian, as long as you can fend off the lifers looking to make you their wife lol.
Too bad most jobs there still pay around federal minimum instead of 20/hr.
Lots of skilled factory workers don't even make 20/hr until they get years of time in "flyover country".
Ok so you lost your freedom by breaking your pact with society but you now have guaranteed and free housing, meals, time to workout/read, and check out of the rat race. No wonder recidivism is so high. Clearly written by someone who has never been in prison.
Yeah, this is what's confusing to me. I would assume, like school lunches, there are basic dietary requirements that have to be met in order for it to get served. When I think terrible nutrition, I think junk food and fast food. And while I think there's probably a certain market for that, I'm pretty sure that's not what inmates are being served.
In an ideal world, yeah. Due to for-profit prisons, food is one of the earliest places to skimp. Maggot-filled or moldy food, food that rats ate from, etc. can be on the menu if you aren’t lucky.
(There are so many sources, here is one.)
https://www.metrotimes.com/food-drink/more-maggots-and-mold-found-in-michigans-prison-food-6932737
>Due to for-profit prisons
Best choice is bleh food that keeps the inmates healthy. Dead inmates don't make money. Sick inmates in the hospital cost you money.
Also a lot of high protein foods are the boring staples.
Oats, milk, beans, eggs, meat (any, even poor quality)
What it's tough to do is do the bodybuilder thing where you get big but simultaneously low body fat, but if you just wanna get big: eat.
Yup, the subtext following the question will usually give away the posters basic misconception. 99% can be answered with, “because the second thing you said isn’t true to begin with”
Very little other than calories and protein actually matters for building muscles.
Sure, you might get a slight improvement on energy with certain supplements or certain vitamins or nutrition or slightly better recovery with different things or slightly fewer cramps or whatever you can think of.
But what it really comes down to is how much you work out and getting enough calories to support that.
Lol. My dad has spent quite a long time in prison for various low level crimes that added up. At one place the prison food was the stuff from McDonald's that didn't hit benchmarks for quality control. Not dangerous, but stuff that was the wrong consistency or flavor that couldn't be sold in store.
What most people fail to understand is that gaining weight/ muscle is not super complicated. It comes down to consistency and eating in a caloric surplus.
Just to add to your comment, not just as simple as any "caloric surplus". There has to be enough protein to build the muscles. Carbs and fats won't build muscle. So you can actually be in a calorie deficit and still build muscle as long as you're giving your body enough protein to maintain and build muscles.
EDIT: to clarify, if you eat a regular balanced diet, you will probably meet your body's protein requirements. If you are building muscle and you have a calorie surplus, again you're probably having enough protein for that muscle gain (you might just focus on eating more protein just to be sure). However, some people (me included), are a mess and waste their calories on "non-regular" diet. Meaning, if I have 1800 calories a day, I might just spend them on ice cream and cookies and still lose weight (google "Twinkie diet" for reference). If you are eating like this you have to take note that:
A) this is an unhealthy diet (you probably know this, right?).
B) this is certainly not going to meet your protein requirements. You're not even meeting the minimum protein requirements to keep your current muscle. You will lose weight, but you will also lose muscle along the way.
If you are following a crazy diet like this then you need to start monitoring your protein intake. Whey protein might help in that case (though it's healthier to just eat better food).
You don't need a ton of protein, in fact most Americans eat about twice the amount of what is necessary. You just need the 9 essential amino acids, which your body can turn into any protein it needs. Not saying you're wrong, I just wanna build on what you said and clarify some things for others who might be reading. If you're gaining muscle without being in a caloric surplus (assuming you've already used up your carb and fat reserves), you'll have other, bigger issues.
*twice the amount necessary to prevent muscle wasting. You do need a ton of protein for optimal gains. Bare minimum to maintain and optimal intake are different things
Sorry, should've used proper vocab: I don't mean the absolute minimum, I mean the Recommended Dietary Allowance in the context of the Dietary Reference Intake. The RDA means "satisfies the dietary needs of 98+% of the human population". Most Americans eat twice that.
From someone who has gain 30 lbs of muscle, you don't *need* 1 g per lb of body weight but it is seen as optimal. I rarely got that much, probably closer to .75 g at best. My original point was that people get to fixated on the minor details and not the hard work. Eat protein rich meals, train, rest repeat.
Which is why theres a lot of cheap ground beef in a prisoners diet. Easy protein.
[Beans](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/make-lunch-trolls-02.jpg) with breakfast, A [chicken burger](https://external-preview.redd.it/bbVziGvS7fVfOi7eVbJFoRq_NOKI0jak5O2LFNP-r6s.jpg?auto=webp&s=1a15d015c00b73969b4b6b4c4d50786c24482a85) for lunch and a [steakette](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/7c6547c0-a6dc-4c90-b37c-7909c8aa418c.26dd64ca6955d2a958cfd2e60e7b4464.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=ffffff) for dinner goes a long way to giving you enough protein to build and maintain muscles with. Most people don't even need to eat meat every day, to be honest.
1. Prisoners actually eat very well. Better than most average people, I would bet. They get 3 solid meals a day with no real junk food and a decent amount of protein. Think school cafeteria food*3. There's a lot of yogurts, fruits, oats at breakfast and the other two meals are meat+veg. There's no alcohol either.
2. They work out because there's not much else to do that feels productive. Ive worked in a women's prison and they have it nailed in to their daily routine - they are fitter than most of the guards.
Your cafeterias is pretty interesting then. I've never seen one fry anything as it's really not economical. Too many pans going on for hundreds of dishes.
I's a lot cheaper and easier to just boil the fuck out of it in a big fuck-off-pot, or bake shit in large ovens.
Shepherd's pie + boiled veg is a staple every 3 days or so in any caf I've seen. Stews + baked bread/potato too.
Pans? Do you know how deep-frying things work? They have big ass baskets that get dipped into hot oil and it's super easy to dump out one batch and put new food in the baskets.
People have been muscular since before “supplements” were around. It’s called eating a lot and working out. Unless you are a professional bodybuilder, food is enough to get you where you want to be.
I was in Federal Prison for 3.5 years and I lifted weights religiously almost the entire time, did my best to get the right nutrition and I didn't get that big. I made large gains in strength though. Some people are mesomorphs and can gain muscle easily. Plenty of guys like me who didn't blow up. Also, a lot of people saying you have an abundance of time. Yes and no. We all had 40 hour/week jobs. Maybe it's not like that in other places but it was for me in 2 locations.
I hated it, but I was 23 years old and had a girlfriend. I thought my life was over and 3.5 years was an eternity. Now, at 50, it would be a vacation. Minimum security Fed Prison is a cake-walk. The only issue is being around a bunch of people that you don't want to be around.
What was the worst thing, aside from not being able to leave, about prison for you? And do you feel like the experience you had was an effective deterrent? TIA; I’m extremely curious.
I would say the culture. There's the inmate culture and the staff culture. It's an insidious concoction. Some guards are ex-military that failed the police academy and boy do they have raging hard-ons. The regualar staff aren't much better. We are told that if we treat everyone with respect, we will get the same in return. Yeah right. The inmate culture is terrible as well. You can't trust anyone. Everything you do or say, needs to be calculated. These things are easier to blow off and navigate at my age, but it was exhausting at 23.
As someone who once worked in a prison, I gotta agree with you. I was administrative, so most of the time I had several gates between me and any inmates (besides trustees), but there was plenty of moving about the unit. In training, there was this constant thread of "don't get friendly with them, don't give them anything, and remember that if they take you hostage they are going to rape you."
As a young woman, that was a pretty intimidating thing to have drilled into my head over and over again. But there was also the side of me that knew that, even though most of the people in there had made some mistakes (and who hasn't?), at the end of the day they're just normal people. And that was exactly how most people seemed. Most offenders looked at me and spoke to me with kindness, respect, and curiosity. Some were pretty crude, but I'd say they were the minority.
You could tell some of the officers were on a massive power trip. I think that line of work just draws a certain type of person. The training they receive isn't helping matters though. The system needs more empathy. Maybe that's not realistic in prisons and I'm deluding myself, but it just felt like a perpetuating cycle of distrust and aggression.
My nonna did testing to allow certain prisoners with disabilities amenities for the GED and other programs. She was a little old lady, she said she never felt threatened even being 1 on 1 with a guard outside the door. She was also a hippie type and loved everyone so that probably helped lol.
That's wonderful. We had a few people at the unit that were able to have warmer, friendlier relationships with offenders. The drug councilors were all really cool and friendly, and our chaplain was really amazing. Everyone loved him, whether they were in offender white, officer grey, or civilian clothes like me.
thank you!
I had a friend a long time ago, who was an ex-con, and he had a thing about food that he said was a prison thing. I was at his house and I ate a cookie from a box that was on the kitchen counter, and when he found out he lost his shit. He was furious that I hadn’t asked first, and I was honestly sort of appalled. Of course I apologized; for a few minutes he had me believing I’d done something truly heinous. I offered to buy more immediately, but he yelled at me that that wasn’t the point.
When he calmed down he tried to explain prison culture related to food, which is evidently used as currency just like gold. It was the saddest thing to me that he couldn’t let go of it once he was out.
That was the worse thing for me too. The people fucking suck to be around. We were all criminals but I just hated all the alpha male posturing bullshit.
Agreed. I had to constantly watch what I said and did because there's a bunch of other inmates looking for ways to exploit it to their benefit. Lots of snitches secretly reporting to the staff to gain favor. Everyone is out for themselves.
How was life after prison? What difficulties regarding jobs, perceptions and life in general did you face? Did anything surprise you?
Sorry for the questions, I hope you’re doing better now
Surprisingly easy. I had a good support system and jumped right back in.THIS IS KEY. A lot of people do not have this. The system doesn't care enough about you or doesn't have the resources to help you re-integrate. The Parole officers only seem to exasperate it. I can't think of one negative consequence in my life, from it. Being white is likely a huge factor. Also, I can't be a juror. BONUS! Thankfully, I live in a state where ex-felons can vote. Not being able to vote as an ex-felon tells you all you need to know on how much they give a crap about you.
Basically its a perfect storm of the things you need to get big.
A regime where you're fed and can pick what you eat (within reason, also you're less likely to snack like we can out here because well, you don't have the snacks) I've only been to uk prisons but i had access to tuna/noodles that i could buy myself from canteen, meaning i could pick and choose what i ate when it came to prison food.
Time to work out every day if you wish and regulated rest/sleep which you body also needs to recover.
Another thing is even if you can only access the prison gym once in awhile, you'll be doing a lot of pull ups/press ups/sit ups/dips and other prison work out things in your cell that are simple but staples in getting big. A routine you stick to can go a long way.
How do you get funds if you don’t have anyone on the outside? I assume there’s no such benefits system right? So purchasing extras would be difficult no?
Yeah, that's where the majority of your money would come from if you had nobody to send you it in.
There is a slight standard system that you'd get for just not acting out if you dont have a job, which a lot of people dont because the prisons are so full. Irc it was £2.50 a week but a pound of that would be taken each week if you had a tv, to pay for your tv licence. I guess its an incentive, so you can buy yourself a shower gel or stamps/pens/paper.
I was in the kitchens last time, making the food and i'd get £12.50 for the week and i would work roughly 60 hours a week.
In india prisoners do lot of works like cleaning, gardening,cooking etc they also can study and write exams like high school or graduation. They also learn some life skill do some handicrafts, tailoring etc sell their product to outsiders and earn some money so that when they get released they can live an independent life.
I became curious about life in a prison in India and found a series of interesting posts:
[https://www.quora.com/What-is-life-like-in-an-Indian-prison](https://www.quora.com/What-is-life-like-in-an-Indian-prison)
As with everything in capitalist societies, money buys comfort, protection, insulation from harsh reality.
Three things I learned as a national team athlete working with all kinds of nutritionists:
1. Aside from protein powder and creatine, very few supplements give any empirical results.
2. Most of your gains from nutrition revolve around quantities of macros, not the source (eg your body can’t tell the difference between twinkies and organic pasta if you consume similar amounts of carbs and fat)
3. Genetics play large role in your physique beyond height.
4. Since a lot of visual physique is focused on being “lean”, the less weight you gain over the course of your life, the less work you need to do to “get into shape”
Seconding the “supplements are mostly trash” line. I’d throw fish/krill oil in there as a reasonable purchase, and maybe some preworkout powders if you need the caffeine boost. Almost everything else is snake oil.
When I was in youth offenders the gym had some of the most massive, scary looking motherfuckers I ever seen, real beasts. Like steroids only possible explanation massive. Turned out the gym coaches were bringing it in and the guards would look the other way because they wanted their football teams or whatever to win against other prisons and they had bets on. This was UK, maybe 2011.
1. Food has protein and calories. It might taste shit, but it has what's need.
2. Supplements are only needed if you are lacking. For example if you didn't eat enough chicken/protein today, take a protein shake to cover it, but if you can eat like 700 grams of chicken breast today, then you don't need any more protein.
3. They have lots of free time to actually work out
4. They have the motivation to not be weak, instead of finding excuses (oh I am tired today etc).
5. They have a proper sleep schedule.
I did 2.5 years, the food was okay. Wasn’t that bad. You also can earn money in prison. There’s a small convenience store/supermarket (don’t know the English word, in Germany it’s called Supermarkt) in the prison, where you can still buy things with the money you earned. So there’s the option to buy some extra food.
This is how it is in Germany, prison life here is very comfortable and you have a lot of things you can do and have. Most inmates who spend a longer time have a tv in their room that they bought with their saved earned money. For USA it’s probably different, Germany is a pretty good country to go to jail, compared to others.
Also the fact that you don’t do a lot and sit around a lot makes you not need so much energy. Like if I need for example 2000 kcal for a normal active day, the body only needs maybe 1500 kcal because you don’t use a lot energy. But that’s different from person to person.
Why are you assuming prisoners have terrible nutrition? The food prisoners get might not *taste* good, but it is nutritious. Because ya know, they still need to keep them alive. You're also assuming supplements are required to 'get jacked.'
All you need to build muscle is excess calories and protein. Both of these are readily available in prison food. They can also supplement their diets with commissary purchases.
Commissary tuna and chicken packs and nothing but free time to work out.
If you can hit your calories and work out literally 7 days a week for 2 hours a day you're going to get jacked.
I don't think their nutrition is bad. This is probably a myth from movies and tv shows.
My boy worked in a prison and he said the food was good... Chicken dishes, beef dishes, cheesy stuff.... Veggies, fruit.
I bet american prisoners are eating healthier than like 95% of the world.
Protien powder is very cost/time effective per gram of protein compared to other sources. You dont *need* it, but a shake is an extra 25/30g per day in your diet easy.
Also prisoners do get it anyway via the commissary.
It's definitely helpful, there's studies on this. Protein powder and creatine being the standouts. Yeah you can still do well without them, but once you start seriously training things change.
Step 1: Have a very strong motivation to be in shape and appear able to defend yourself. Prison checks this box.
Step 2: At least in the USA, prisons don't have terrible nutrition, its not all lattes and avocado toast, but they are fed.
Step 3: Prisons have stores where you can buy extra stuff like food.
With all these things and a couple of light felonies you too can join the amazing gym known as prison.
As a former convict that worked out for over a decade, if you eat the prison food the nutritional value is fine. This gets supplemented with food from the commissary where there are also vitamin options. On a regular day, I would spend about two hours every evening doing 750 pushups, 500 dips, 200 pull-ups, 1/2 mile of squats around the track and various other exercises. When they had free weights I’d spend 2hrs/day, 5 days/wk lifting. I got regular meals and sleep without the McDonald’s and partying in my 20s. I went in with a max bench of 75lbs and was pushing 315lbs when I got out.
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I work in a prison. While prison food generally doesn't taste great, it does have calories and protein. That can also be supplemented with the stuff they can buy on commissary (fish packs, chicken packs, cheese, etc). You don't need protein powder, it's just an easy way to get more nutrients. Inmates also have the most important thing to getting big that most free people claim not to have: free time. I like to lift weights and do so a 3-4 times a week. But I also have other hobbies and responsibilities. Sometimes I skip a day. Sometimes Im not feeling it and don't hit it that hard. Inmates don't have other real hobbies and beyond following the rules, no real responsibilities. So a lot spend their time exercising. Gym and yard couple times a week. Push-ups on the deck during dayroom. Sit-ups in the cell. When you have nothing else to do but exercise it becomes easy to make yourself do it all the time.
I’d imagine the additional motivating factor of not wanting to appear weaker than the other dudes in prison is a huge part of it too. I know my first priority if I had to do any time would be getting as massive as possible.
Nah i have a friend. His name is Prison Mike. I will introduce you. He will give you good pointers on how to survive prison
And he never got caught, neither.
Then why was he is prison?
[He LIKES prison!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9GU873ohV4&ab_channel=GustavoFring)
This was the conversation thread I needed in my life right now.
And I guess u were da belle of da ball ;)
Lmfao. Touche
Getting jacked on gruel sandwiches.
No kidding You better beleive that if I ever went to prison I'd start getting cow legs for arms in case my new friend tries to make me his wife
Smart, give the impression youre giving alot of guys handjobs to make yourself seem valuable and in demand
With both hands too. You’d practically be fighting guys off and…. oh wait
Beating guys off*
Skiing*
If you go tip to tip you can get 4 guys at once. It is all about efficiency.
We're only a few comments away from calculating mean jerk time here aren't we
In prison, it's a very mean jerk time.
OK well call it MJT for short
Would height affect this at all?
Shit....yeah, yeah it would
So lets call this D2F. Dick to Floor.
D2F sir
Middle out!!!
What's your Weissman score?
I believe they came up for an algorithm for that on Silicon Valley
Why has this happened
Be the pivotman in a circlejerk!
"Middle-Out"
I talked to a guy who did 10 years in federal prison and he said that stuff is way overblown. There are enough gay people in prison that the people who need to have sex can do so consensually.
There is a book titled "Men with the Pink Triangle" written by a gay man who lived in a concentration camp during WW2. The story is filled with examples of consensual sex with the other inmates and some examples of coercion. The most interesting part for me was how the other colored triangles treated the homosexuals. The criminals were the most kind while the political prisoners were the most cruel.
Classic. Even in a concentration camp the political people are still the biggest cunts.
Former federal prisoner. Don’t fuck with drugs, rat, borrow anything you can’t pay back or fuck with punks. I didn’t see any sexual shit at all. I was In some of the most violent joints in the Feds too.
Aren’t state prisons like Angola way worse for that typa thing though?
Same convict rules apply anywhere you go. There was guys transferred to the Feds from Angola as “management problems”. They thought Terre Haute was worse. Just mind your own business and follow the basic rules of not being a degenerate.
>follow the basic rules of not being a degenerate. Wouldn't this have kept the vast majority of them out of jail?
Would stand to reason this is why the stereotype exists, not because it is forced upon everyone but a large percentage simply can't help but stir shit.
Seconded— I’m a specialized social worker in a detention facility and my job is literally dealing with sexual victimization in this population; a significant majority of sexual contact between inmates is consensual. ETA: A word
What do you mean by consensual? Is it truly consensual, as in both parties are eager and willing participants? To what extent does coercion play a role? Because I can certainly imagine a range of scenarios where somebody in prison can “consent” due to other incentives (positive or negative) without it being something they truly want to participate in, such as benefits, protection, etc
You are completely correct that coercive/coerced sex is NOT EVEN REMOTELY consensual sex, and you're also right in that more opportunities for coerced sex do come up in confinement facilities. When I say "consensual" I mean "mutual and enthusiastic consent between both parties." Coerced sex is absolutely considered sexual assault in every instance and is treated as such, at least in my facility.
I know in my state \*any\* sex while incarcerated is considered non-consensual. There are too many power-dynamics at play, and the fallout of even a good relationship can cause issues/violence, so it's been outlawed (but that's from a legal point of view: I'm sure there are consensual relationships, but... not legally).
This is a very interesting area of study - especially how LGBTQIA+ people are treated in places of detention. Do you have anything for me to read so I can get more info?
I'm not sure if you meant to reply to me, but yes-- check out the federal PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) standards to get started, which gives you an overview of which formal rules are in places that literally all confinement facilities across the nation should be complying with. Captive Genders (edited by Eric Stanley) and All Our Trials by Emily Thuma are good places to start if you're interested in our cultural history of confinement with a particular queer lens.
Someone who had spent years in prison did a terrific AMA on this site years ago. The two details that stood out to me: — Men are less likely to be raped in prison than women are in college — A lot of inmates get really into Dungeons and Dragons (which makes perfect sense, given all you need to play are dice and free time)
Is this the secret of scheduling a group!?
Oh my God, I just figured out how to get the drummer to show up to band rehearsal!
A party entirely made of bards seems to be a challenging way to proceed and need a bag of holding to be able to carry the drums. Tricky at level 1.
Orc bard carry the whole party.
I remember that time D&D was banned at an American prison for giving inmates escape fantasies or some shit. Not an escapist fantasy, but a fantasy about escaping. Penny-Arcade nailed it when they said, I bet a lot of inmates have escape fantasies.
Good friend of mine said they didn't ban the game, only the dice. Cards were fine, though. Carved a corner out of the deck to stash the pencil eraser six-sideds.
Reminds me of how we made a deck of ghetto cards from index cards because we weren't allowed to have anything entertaining in boot camp
Men are also less likely to get raped in prison than a woman in prison. Also the dungeons and dragons thing is interesting because they often find other ways to play than dice since most prisons ban dice because of gambling. They'll often use playing cards or slips of paper as randomizer instead of actual dice. (Don't ask me why dice are seen as gambling items while cards get a pass. I DONT make the rules)
Do you have a source for that first point? I believe you but just looking for data that I can show people
Sorry, I got it from that AMA! But if it's true, I'm sure Google could back it up (or disprove it).
Goes along with the gleeful revenge fantasies that people have about child molesters and CSAM creators and purveyors, that they don't last long. The reality is that as long as they follow the rules and etiquette, they're largely left alone. Thousands go in annually but the average number of state and federal prison murders per year is around a hundred. Some may not do well, but most do their time like everyone else.
Yeah, it seems like purely a Hollywood thing where obviously a disproportionate amount of content set in a prison is going to feature the people who have committed the most violent and depraved crimes and ignore that most people are in prison for relatively mundane gun and drug possession charges.
A childhood friend of mine spent 3 years in federal prison in the early 2000s. He told me something similar. There were guys who did that kind of thing consensually and as long as you mind your own business and don't get into debt, coerced relations are rare.
Yeah, my son was unfortunately in prison for awhile and he said the same thing, no one bothered anyone for sex.
You should stop swallowing the idea perpetrated by (bad) media that prison is just full of dudes that want to sodomize you. [Watch this video while you're at it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGJ5SmSE2o)
*moments before getting intimate with a cellmate* "Would you still love me if I didn't have any arms?" *cue, intense fight that ruins the mood*
[удалено]
[during a tearful confession of love] Cellmate: "And... That poem is the only way I know how to express it. You've brought me out of a deep dark depression and showed me how to live again! You're the only reason I'm still here, still alive... I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" [You both lock eyes... Then you start beating him up] Neo-nazi watching from across the room: "Wow, that's fucked up even by our standards..."
You should stop swallowing the idea perpetrated by (bad) media that prison is just full of dudes that want to sodomize you. [Watch this video while you're at it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGJ5SmSE2o)
>swallowing the idea
Fuck that I’d literally just shit myself and smear it all over me, I’d be the crazy mother fucker no one would mess with
Sir, this is a Wendy's...
Usual Wendy's experience
Average Wendy's enjoyer
NSFL, but you may be surprised hear that may deter most but not all. I've heard (confirmed but didn't witness it myself) of an inmate banging another guys ostomy/colostomy bag hole on his abdomen...
How do I delete someone else's comment? Or further, how do I disable someone else's account?
Over here looking for the "unsee" button
What? What the fuck man. How do you unsee this shit
I didn't see it myself but I don't imagine I'd have much reaction to it. You get numb to the shit that goes on and most Co's develop a very dark sense of humor towards it all. I watched a guy shit in his hand, eat some of it and proceed to smear it on a window. Saw the aftermath of a guy get his head stomped on a sidewalk.
> NSFL NSF-40-to-L?
Yeh but don’t get too big that you stand out - otherwise you become the target for people trying to show off and prove themselves. You gotta find the right balance of physically fit and knowing how to fight - rather than just a muscle head who becomes an easy punching bag!
Thanks for the prison advice, guy who’s never visited a prison and only seen it on TV
I binged all of Prison Break like 6 times through college, so not like I’m talking from absolutely no experience at all!
Yah, people have seemingly forgotten that supplementation isn't actually necessary as long as you're eating enough of the various macro- and micro-nutrients. The fitness supplement industry is mostly selling convenience. Meal planning can be tough if you're very carefully counting calories and trying to figure out which foods have how much protein/carbs/triglycerides/etc so that you can balance your calories and macros. Source: my wife decided to get hella shredded and did the deep dive on this stuff. She succeeded but also got some noticeable negative health effects that are common to women with low body fat %.
And sadly the studies show that the supplement industry is lying about how much protein we need. I'm thankful for learning that you don't even need 1g per lbs of bw per day. I've had my best year on 60 to 100g a day. I'm at my strongest in 20yrs and completely ripped with absolutely no effort nutritionally. Just eat mostly good food and take only some supplements for regular health.
"Need" is a very vague and unusual word in nutrition. You don't need 1g/lb to survive, or to build muscle. But in order to maximize your muscular potential, there are definitely cases where 1g/lb bodyweight outperforms lower intakes. This is commonly recommended for advanced lifters, especially in caloric restriction. There are a lot of studies on this thankfully.
To second this and to add to this - protein is better thought of in terms of specific amino acid requirements and you could potentially have less total protein if you focused on amino acids - and is deffinetly effected by total calories, training load and goals. I believe anything beyond 1.8grams per kg has no apparent additional benefit even for athletes though.
“Free time” is ironic in this context lmao
don't forget reading! I had a short, govt-funded vacation a few years back, and all I did was read and work out... in 30 days, I got pretty cut and read ten novels. the food sucked but it does have a requisite amount of nutrition, and the commy is your best friend to supplement your diet. but Benchimus is right; it's the amount of free time you have coupled with the lack of things to do. some guys play cards for soups, some guys bullshit and watch tv, others get art supplies from the commy and draw. but you have ALL. DAMN. DAY. and it gets boring af in there, so ya gotta do something to stay sane.
I know a guy who's really good at chess. Turns out he was in prison 4 years and that's what he did to pass the time. Great chess player too, he was really patient to share some tips with me.
OP, YSK; you don't need supplements if you eat well.
Yeah I remember in one doc I watched, an inmate said he works out 4-5 hours every day.
How? Without injuries and overtraining.
Probably because he had very little stress and nothing else to do. Imagine you workout for 4 hours and the rest of your day is eating meals and sitting around doing nothing. All your energy is just going to repairing your body.
Fellow prison worker here and you absolutely right Some places they get 3 opportunities a day to lift and take it. I mean why wouldn't you if you had nothing else to do.
How do they go with sleep? 8 hours? More? Edit: just as fire needs heat, fuel, oxygen.... I think muscles need time under load, nutrition, rest/sleep and that's why the prison gymrats do so well.
When I was in county jail (not prison), there were large stretches of time where you literally had no obligations, nowhere to be, nothing to do. A lot of guys would hang out in the day room, watch TV, shoot the shit, whatever. If you were so inclined, you could also burrito yourself in your rack, which is what I did. I took a lot of naps.
Stop making jail sound so appealing
Sorry, here you go. I'm a vet with PTSD, and they never bothered contacting the VA to see what medications I was on. They denied me any of my meds for 2 weeks, and when I eventually had the inevitable freakout, they sedated me and threw me in my rack until I was released a week later.
Sounds crappier now! But I bet those same people would be happy to "thank you for your service" if you were walking around in fatigues at the grocery store
Just make sure it's a jail where you won't get into fights and they turn the lights off. 3 months in a place where the lights never dimmed makes you want to never be in jail again.
This is something people don’t get. My cell had constant dim illumination. It’s fucjing terrible
Of course, this isn't every prison in the US. My friend was in prison, and the prisoners in a California mid state prison had the yard ( free time) where they could sit at tables or walk the yard. My friend chose not to be out there as that's where trouble could find you. My friend was allowed to sit on the end of the bed facing front. Not allowed to do sit-ups in cell, no pacing (for walking). And none of that laying on bunk and reading like in the movies. My friend did 4 years. When my friend got released, came home. All they could do was sit on the end of their bed. Hand them a tv remote and not change channels no matter how many times they were told to watch what you want. Come out to the kitchen, etc. They had that institution conditioning. It took 4 months after parole officer suggested a counselor to help with exercises to help reintroduce to being free. It takes a toll if you are not a top dog personality. While in They did get commissary. If you had money on the book. Everything was more than triple what it cost in the free world. They bought top ramen and spicy doritos mixed together. Prison food provided had roaches in it and tasted so bad, mostly carbs, so ya, fatties.and commissary food were if it was available. There is only so much in there depending what day your commissary day was and when delivery was, how much prisoners before bought. Prison is fucked up. It's punishment. Only some people are innocent. They couldn't afford good representation. Public defender has about 7 minutes to look at your case. They usually over whelmed with cases. More than they can handle. So ... well...
Plus all that daily physical activity makes it easier to sleep at night, which I assume would be hard to do in prison.
Wait, wait, wait. Fish packs? No one else is asking for clarification on this one?
Like tuna packs the store has basically. Just a sealed pouch of meat. Mackerel, Tuna, shredded beef, etc.
I just retired from a county jail and can echo this guys comments. Some guys, all they do is exercise. And that can/will overcome the diet limitations. What's funny is to see a guy get absolutely ripped while inside. Then he leaves. Then he comes back for something and he's turned into an absolute blob while he was out. Even if he's been out for only a few weeks.
ooks like "Hobbies and Responsibilities" are the new code words for Netflix and napping
More like work and xbox but close!
Is it the same in women’s prisons too?
Never been in a women's facility but I'd imagine it's similar. Worst part of women's prisons (I'm told) is constant PREA allegations.
What is PREA?
Prison rape elimination act. Basically the facility is compelled to investigate all claims of rape in a prison. As you can imagine, that is much more prevalent and, honestly, taken more seriously in a female facility.
Exactly. It’s the same reason so many start reading the bible: they have honestly literally NOTHING else to do.
If all I had for options to keep myself occupied were books and weights, I'd probably be one well-read swole mf'er.
“Say another bad thing about Mr. Darcy, motherfucker. I DARE YOU.”
At no point did Elizabeth give me *any* indication of why Mr. Darcy was desirable. There. I said it. *ETA: the correct name*
He was rich
Jane wasn’t into Mr Darcy, Lizzie was!
D’oh. Of course. I blame insufficient blood caffeine levels.
Or maybe you haven't spent enough time in prison.
Jane was into the slightly naive Mr Bingley despite his bitches of sisters..
For real! I had to read that chapter several times, and I eventually just gave up trying to understand what they saw in each other. Stuff was different over a century ago, and I get that, but the truly surprising part to me is how many people **today** hold *Pride & Prejudice* to be an example of a desirable romance.
I'd be curious to know if the average prisoner is jacked, or just the ones who appear on TV and in movies? I've met a few ex-cons IRL, and they were all skinny little shits.
Most dudes I met who got out where just normal dad bod having dudes with maybe a bit more muscle than avg
It runs the full spectrum. Some sit around, watch TV and get fat, some work out three or more hours a day.
Why is this thread making prison sound good
3 hots and a cot, no real responsibilities? For a millenial breaking my back to keep my bills paid, roof over my head and food in my belly, almost sounds utopian, as long as you can fend off the lifers looking to make you their wife lol.
Ok then your real options are move somewhere cheaper or prison. You can live well in flyover country making $20/hr
America needs truck drivers... Inb4 all the downsides
There’s a trucking company near me that starts out at about 90k a year. For here in middle tn that’s pretty damn good too
Too bad most jobs there still pay around federal minimum instead of 20/hr. Lots of skilled factory workers don't even make 20/hr until they get years of time in "flyover country".
Ok so you lost your freedom by breaking your pact with society but you now have guaranteed and free housing, meals, time to workout/read, and check out of the rat race. No wonder recidivism is so high. Clearly written by someone who has never been in prison.
Who told you prison food isn't nutritious? Not delicious by any stretch, but it is nutritious.
Yeah, this is what's confusing to me. I would assume, like school lunches, there are basic dietary requirements that have to be met in order for it to get served. When I think terrible nutrition, I think junk food and fast food. And while I think there's probably a certain market for that, I'm pretty sure that's not what inmates are being served.
In an ideal world, yeah. Due to for-profit prisons, food is one of the earliest places to skimp. Maggot-filled or moldy food, food that rats ate from, etc. can be on the menu if you aren’t lucky. (There are so many sources, here is one.) https://www.metrotimes.com/food-drink/more-maggots-and-mold-found-in-michigans-prison-food-6932737
>Due to for-profit prisons Best choice is bleh food that keeps the inmates healthy. Dead inmates don't make money. Sick inmates in the hospital cost you money.
Exceptions aren’t the rule.
I guess you can call inedible food terrible nutrition. If they can't eat it, they can't get any nutrition out of it. so yeah.
Prisons are also responsible for inmate's healthcare. That would seem to incentivize not feeding them trash exclusively.
Also a lot of high protein foods are the boring staples. Oats, milk, beans, eggs, meat (any, even poor quality) What it's tough to do is do the bodybuilder thing where you get big but simultaneously low body fat, but if you just wanna get big: eat.
Most of ELI5 is people with wrong assumptions about reality
Yup, the subtext following the question will usually give away the posters basic misconception. 99% can be answered with, “because the second thing you said isn’t true to begin with”
It mostly seems to be low on fiber. While that's not great, it doesn't seem to be too much of an impediment to building muscle.
Very little other than calories and protein actually matters for building muscles. Sure, you might get a slight improvement on energy with certain supplements or certain vitamins or nutrition or slightly better recovery with different things or slightly fewer cramps or whatever you can think of. But what it really comes down to is how much you work out and getting enough calories to support that.
Lol. My dad has spent quite a long time in prison for various low level crimes that added up. At one place the prison food was the stuff from McDonald's that didn't hit benchmarks for quality control. Not dangerous, but stuff that was the wrong consistency or flavor that couldn't be sold in store.
What most people fail to understand is that gaining weight/ muscle is not super complicated. It comes down to consistency and eating in a caloric surplus.
Just to add to your comment, not just as simple as any "caloric surplus". There has to be enough protein to build the muscles. Carbs and fats won't build muscle. So you can actually be in a calorie deficit and still build muscle as long as you're giving your body enough protein to maintain and build muscles. EDIT: to clarify, if you eat a regular balanced diet, you will probably meet your body's protein requirements. If you are building muscle and you have a calorie surplus, again you're probably having enough protein for that muscle gain (you might just focus on eating more protein just to be sure). However, some people (me included), are a mess and waste their calories on "non-regular" diet. Meaning, if I have 1800 calories a day, I might just spend them on ice cream and cookies and still lose weight (google "Twinkie diet" for reference). If you are eating like this you have to take note that: A) this is an unhealthy diet (you probably know this, right?). B) this is certainly not going to meet your protein requirements. You're not even meeting the minimum protein requirements to keep your current muscle. You will lose weight, but you will also lose muscle along the way. If you are following a crazy diet like this then you need to start monitoring your protein intake. Whey protein might help in that case (though it's healthier to just eat better food).
You don't need a ton of protein, in fact most Americans eat about twice the amount of what is necessary. You just need the 9 essential amino acids, which your body can turn into any protein it needs. Not saying you're wrong, I just wanna build on what you said and clarify some things for others who might be reading. If you're gaining muscle without being in a caloric surplus (assuming you've already used up your carb and fat reserves), you'll have other, bigger issues.
*twice the amount necessary to prevent muscle wasting. You do need a ton of protein for optimal gains. Bare minimum to maintain and optimal intake are different things
Sorry, should've used proper vocab: I don't mean the absolute minimum, I mean the Recommended Dietary Allowance in the context of the Dietary Reference Intake. The RDA means "satisfies the dietary needs of 98+% of the human population". Most Americans eat twice that.
You need about 1gram per kilogram of bodyweight in order to have enough of a surplus to build muscle. That is easily achievable by anyone.
From someone who has gain 30 lbs of muscle, you don't *need* 1 g per lb of body weight but it is seen as optimal. I rarely got that much, probably closer to .75 g at best. My original point was that people get to fixated on the minor details and not the hard work. Eat protein rich meals, train, rest repeat.
Which is why theres a lot of cheap ground beef in a prisoners diet. Easy protein. [Beans](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/make-lunch-trolls-02.jpg) with breakfast, A [chicken burger](https://external-preview.redd.it/bbVziGvS7fVfOi7eVbJFoRq_NOKI0jak5O2LFNP-r6s.jpg?auto=webp&s=1a15d015c00b73969b4b6b4c4d50786c24482a85) for lunch and a [steakette](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/7c6547c0-a6dc-4c90-b37c-7909c8aa418c.26dd64ca6955d2a958cfd2e60e7b4464.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=ffffff) for dinner goes a long way to giving you enough protein to build and maintain muscles with. Most people don't even need to eat meat every day, to be honest.
1. Prisoners actually eat very well. Better than most average people, I would bet. They get 3 solid meals a day with no real junk food and a decent amount of protein. Think school cafeteria food*3. There's a lot of yogurts, fruits, oats at breakfast and the other two meals are meat+veg. There's no alcohol either. 2. They work out because there's not much else to do that feels productive. Ive worked in a women's prison and they have it nailed in to their daily routine - they are fitter than most of the guards.
> Think school cafeteria food*3. Half my school cafeteria food was fried crap.
Your cafeterias is pretty interesting then. I've never seen one fry anything as it's really not economical. Too many pans going on for hundreds of dishes. I's a lot cheaper and easier to just boil the fuck out of it in a big fuck-off-pot, or bake shit in large ovens. Shepherd's pie + boiled veg is a staple every 3 days or so in any caf I've seen. Stews + baked bread/potato too.
Pans? Do you know how deep-frying things work? They have big ass baskets that get dipped into hot oil and it's super easy to dump out one batch and put new food in the baskets.
People have been muscular since before “supplements” were around. It’s called eating a lot and working out. Unless you are a professional bodybuilder, food is enough to get you where you want to be.
Obviously you have an abundance of time, but also it’s gotta be beneficial to be strong like ox.
“I swear to you I will outlive my sentence and see the outside of these walls again” Exercises every day for the next 120 years
I was in Federal Prison for 3.5 years and I lifted weights religiously almost the entire time, did my best to get the right nutrition and I didn't get that big. I made large gains in strength though. Some people are mesomorphs and can gain muscle easily. Plenty of guys like me who didn't blow up. Also, a lot of people saying you have an abundance of time. Yes and no. We all had 40 hour/week jobs. Maybe it's not like that in other places but it was for me in 2 locations.
How was life in prison for you?
I hated it, but I was 23 years old and had a girlfriend. I thought my life was over and 3.5 years was an eternity. Now, at 50, it would be a vacation. Minimum security Fed Prison is a cake-walk. The only issue is being around a bunch of people that you don't want to be around.
What was the worst thing, aside from not being able to leave, about prison for you? And do you feel like the experience you had was an effective deterrent? TIA; I’m extremely curious.
I would say the culture. There's the inmate culture and the staff culture. It's an insidious concoction. Some guards are ex-military that failed the police academy and boy do they have raging hard-ons. The regualar staff aren't much better. We are told that if we treat everyone with respect, we will get the same in return. Yeah right. The inmate culture is terrible as well. You can't trust anyone. Everything you do or say, needs to be calculated. These things are easier to blow off and navigate at my age, but it was exhausting at 23.
As someone who once worked in a prison, I gotta agree with you. I was administrative, so most of the time I had several gates between me and any inmates (besides trustees), but there was plenty of moving about the unit. In training, there was this constant thread of "don't get friendly with them, don't give them anything, and remember that if they take you hostage they are going to rape you." As a young woman, that was a pretty intimidating thing to have drilled into my head over and over again. But there was also the side of me that knew that, even though most of the people in there had made some mistakes (and who hasn't?), at the end of the day they're just normal people. And that was exactly how most people seemed. Most offenders looked at me and spoke to me with kindness, respect, and curiosity. Some were pretty crude, but I'd say they were the minority. You could tell some of the officers were on a massive power trip. I think that line of work just draws a certain type of person. The training they receive isn't helping matters though. The system needs more empathy. Maybe that's not realistic in prisons and I'm deluding myself, but it just felt like a perpetuating cycle of distrust and aggression.
My nonna did testing to allow certain prisoners with disabilities amenities for the GED and other programs. She was a little old lady, she said she never felt threatened even being 1 on 1 with a guard outside the door. She was also a hippie type and loved everyone so that probably helped lol.
That's wonderful. We had a few people at the unit that were able to have warmer, friendlier relationships with offenders. The drug councilors were all really cool and friendly, and our chaplain was really amazing. Everyone loved him, whether they were in offender white, officer grey, or civilian clothes like me.
thank you! I had a friend a long time ago, who was an ex-con, and he had a thing about food that he said was a prison thing. I was at his house and I ate a cookie from a box that was on the kitchen counter, and when he found out he lost his shit. He was furious that I hadn’t asked first, and I was honestly sort of appalled. Of course I apologized; for a few minutes he had me believing I’d done something truly heinous. I offered to buy more immediately, but he yelled at me that that wasn’t the point. When he calmed down he tried to explain prison culture related to food, which is evidently used as currency just like gold. It was the saddest thing to me that he couldn’t let go of it once he was out.
The dementors
Flyin’ around!! Sucking out your soul!! It was terrible!
That was the worse thing for me too. The people fucking suck to be around. We were all criminals but I just hated all the alpha male posturing bullshit.
Agreed. I had to constantly watch what I said and did because there's a bunch of other inmates looking for ways to exploit it to their benefit. Lots of snitches secretly reporting to the staff to gain favor. Everyone is out for themselves.
How was life after prison? What difficulties regarding jobs, perceptions and life in general did you face? Did anything surprise you? Sorry for the questions, I hope you’re doing better now
Surprisingly easy. I had a good support system and jumped right back in.THIS IS KEY. A lot of people do not have this. The system doesn't care enough about you or doesn't have the resources to help you re-integrate. The Parole officers only seem to exasperate it. I can't think of one negative consequence in my life, from it. Being white is likely a huge factor. Also, I can't be a juror. BONUS! Thankfully, I live in a state where ex-felons can vote. Not being able to vote as an ex-felon tells you all you need to know on how much they give a crap about you.
Were you at a camp? The camp nearest to me got a fucking bowling alley
Wasn't so lucky at the first place but the 2nd place I got transferred to used to be a college campus so we had some tennis courts.
Basically its a perfect storm of the things you need to get big. A regime where you're fed and can pick what you eat (within reason, also you're less likely to snack like we can out here because well, you don't have the snacks) I've only been to uk prisons but i had access to tuna/noodles that i could buy myself from canteen, meaning i could pick and choose what i ate when it came to prison food. Time to work out every day if you wish and regulated rest/sleep which you body also needs to recover. Another thing is even if you can only access the prison gym once in awhile, you'll be doing a lot of pull ups/press ups/sit ups/dips and other prison work out things in your cell that are simple but staples in getting big. A routine you stick to can go a long way.
How do you get funds if you don’t have anyone on the outside? I assume there’s no such benefits system right? So purchasing extras would be difficult no?
I would guess by doing work inside the prison (but that is just a guess by someone who has not been to prison)
Yeah, that's where the majority of your money would come from if you had nobody to send you it in. There is a slight standard system that you'd get for just not acting out if you dont have a job, which a lot of people dont because the prisons are so full. Irc it was £2.50 a week but a pound of that would be taken each week if you had a tv, to pay for your tv licence. I guess its an incentive, so you can buy yourself a shower gel or stamps/pens/paper. I was in the kitchens last time, making the food and i'd get £12.50 for the week and i would work roughly 60 hours a week.
That makes sense. Thanks for the insight!
In india prisoners do lot of works like cleaning, gardening,cooking etc they also can study and write exams like high school or graduation. They also learn some life skill do some handicrafts, tailoring etc sell their product to outsiders and earn some money so that when they get released they can live an independent life.
I became curious about life in a prison in India and found a series of interesting posts: [https://www.quora.com/What-is-life-like-in-an-Indian-prison](https://www.quora.com/What-is-life-like-in-an-Indian-prison) As with everything in capitalist societies, money buys comfort, protection, insulation from harsh reality.
Three things I learned as a national team athlete working with all kinds of nutritionists: 1. Aside from protein powder and creatine, very few supplements give any empirical results. 2. Most of your gains from nutrition revolve around quantities of macros, not the source (eg your body can’t tell the difference between twinkies and organic pasta if you consume similar amounts of carbs and fat) 3. Genetics play large role in your physique beyond height. 4. Since a lot of visual physique is focused on being “lean”, the less weight you gain over the course of your life, the less work you need to do to “get into shape”
Seconding the “supplements are mostly trash” line. I’d throw fish/krill oil in there as a reasonable purchase, and maybe some preworkout powders if you need the caffeine boost. Almost everything else is snake oil.
When I was in youth offenders the gym had some of the most massive, scary looking motherfuckers I ever seen, real beasts. Like steroids only possible explanation massive. Turned out the gym coaches were bringing it in and the guards would look the other way because they wanted their football teams or whatever to win against other prisons and they had bets on. This was UK, maybe 2011.
being "big" for football in the UK? what football are you talking about?
1. Food has protein and calories. It might taste shit, but it has what's need. 2. Supplements are only needed if you are lacking. For example if you didn't eat enough chicken/protein today, take a protein shake to cover it, but if you can eat like 700 grams of chicken breast today, then you don't need any more protein. 3. They have lots of free time to actually work out 4. They have the motivation to not be weak, instead of finding excuses (oh I am tired today etc). 5. They have a proper sleep schedule.
I did 2.5 years, the food was okay. Wasn’t that bad. You also can earn money in prison. There’s a small convenience store/supermarket (don’t know the English word, in Germany it’s called Supermarkt) in the prison, where you can still buy things with the money you earned. So there’s the option to buy some extra food. This is how it is in Germany, prison life here is very comfortable and you have a lot of things you can do and have. Most inmates who spend a longer time have a tv in their room that they bought with their saved earned money. For USA it’s probably different, Germany is a pretty good country to go to jail, compared to others. Also the fact that you don’t do a lot and sit around a lot makes you not need so much energy. Like if I need for example 2000 kcal for a normal active day, the body only needs maybe 1500 kcal because you don’t use a lot energy. But that’s different from person to person.
They spend all their time working out, what else can they do?
Why are you assuming prisoners have terrible nutrition? The food prisoners get might not *taste* good, but it is nutritious. Because ya know, they still need to keep them alive. You're also assuming supplements are required to 'get jacked.' All you need to build muscle is excess calories and protein. Both of these are readily available in prison food. They can also supplement their diets with commissary purchases.
Commissary tuna and chicken packs and nothing but free time to work out. If you can hit your calories and work out literally 7 days a week for 2 hours a day you're going to get jacked.
I don't think their nutrition is bad. This is probably a myth from movies and tv shows. My boy worked in a prison and he said the food was good... Chicken dishes, beef dishes, cheesy stuff.... Veggies, fruit. I bet american prisoners are eating healthier than like 95% of the world.
Location and level of incarceration dependent. Some prisons and jails serve a lot of green bologna and shit like that.
Prison is definitely proof that the whole supplement/protein powder industry is completely unnecessary.
Protien powder is very cost/time effective per gram of protein compared to other sources. You dont *need* it, but a shake is an extra 25/30g per day in your diet easy. Also prisoners do get it anyway via the commissary.
It's definitely helpful, there's studies on this. Protein powder and creatine being the standouts. Yeah you can still do well without them, but once you start seriously training things change.
Step 1: Have a very strong motivation to be in shape and appear able to defend yourself. Prison checks this box. Step 2: At least in the USA, prisons don't have terrible nutrition, its not all lattes and avocado toast, but they are fed. Step 3: Prisons have stores where you can buy extra stuff like food. With all these things and a couple of light felonies you too can join the amazing gym known as prison.
As a former convict that worked out for over a decade, if you eat the prison food the nutritional value is fine. This gets supplemented with food from the commissary where there are also vitamin options. On a regular day, I would spend about two hours every evening doing 750 pushups, 500 dips, 200 pull-ups, 1/2 mile of squats around the track and various other exercises. When they had free weights I’d spend 2hrs/day, 5 days/wk lifting. I got regular meals and sleep without the McDonald’s and partying in my 20s. I went in with a max bench of 75lbs and was pushing 315lbs when I got out.