How to run the Convict Conditioning program

Who Is This Program For?

Convict Conditioning is for anyone who wants to build serious strength with bodyweight only, over years, with almost no equipment.

The program focuses on:

• Patience: ten steps per movement, and you master every one before moving on
• Joint health: the first steps of each chain are gentle enough to double as rehab work
• Minimal equipment: a floor, a wall, a pull-up bar, and a sturdy base cover the whole system
• Mastery: the end goals are the one-arm pushup, one-arm pullup, pistol squat, hanging straight leg raise, stand-to-stand bridge, and one-arm handstand pushup

If you like the idea of a long, structured climb where every workout has a clear target, this is it.

Program Structure

The Big Six

The Ten Steps and the Three Standards

Every chain has ten steps. Every step has three rep standards:

• Beginner standard: your entry point when you start the step
• Intermediate standard: the halfway milestone
• Progression standard: the graduation requirement. Hit it with good form and you unlock the next step

For one-sided steps (uneven, half one-arm, one-arm, one-leg variations), the counts apply to each side.

Pushup Chain

Squat Chain

Pullup Chain

Leg Raise Chain

Bridge Chain

Handstand Pushup Chain

The Training Templates

Convict Conditioning does not prescribe one fixed schedule. The book gives three main templates and you pick the one matching your level.

New Blood (Beginner, 2 days per week)

Bridges and handstand pushups are deliberately held back. Work this template until you reach around Step 6 on the four basic chains, then graduate to Good Behavior.

Good Behavior (Intermediate, 3 days per week)

All Big Six chains, two per session. Wade calls this the best all-round template for building strength, and even advanced athletes return to it.

Veterano (Advanced, 6 days per week)

One Big Six movement per day, with more work sets per movement, and one full rest day. For example:

In every template, do 2 work sets per movement as the default. If you are not recovering, add extra rest days. The weekly structure is a guide, not a law.

Progression Rules

• When you start a new step, begin at its beginner standard
• Add reps workout to workout until you reach the progression standard with perfect form, then unlock the next step
• Never train to failure. Wade's rule: "always leave at least one safe rep in the bank" and end the set when movement quality deteriorates
• Cadence: 2 seconds down, 1 second pause in the hardest position, 2 seconds up. Rushed reps use momentum instead of muscle
• Do not skip steps, even when an early step feels easy. The early steps condition joints and tendons for the later ones

Get Your Form Right First

Everything below assumes your form is already solid. Finding your working weight, adding weight, chasing reps, all of it only works if you can perform the lift correctly. While your form is not locked in, that is your only job. Make good form the goal of every set, not the weight on the bar. Drilling the movement with an empty bar beats loading plates onto a lift you cannot control yet.

To learn, don't hesitate to search Google and YouTube (there is a lot of good free material) and record yourself from the side to compare against a proper demonstration. In general, good form means a full controlled range of motion, a braced neutral spine, no bouncing or momentum, a consistent setup every rep, and ending the set when technique breaks down rather than grinding sloppy reps.

Finding Your Starting Step

Start every chain at Step 1, no matter how strong you are. This is the program's explicit philosophy:

1. Begin at Step 1 with its beginner standard
2. If a step is easy for you, you will fly through it in a session or two, no time lost
3. Stop flying when you hit the step where the progression standard takes real work
4. That is where your actual training begins

Strong athletes are tempted to jump straight to full pushups or pullups. Don't. The early steps build the connective tissue strength and technique that the one-arm steps will demand later.

Warming Up

Wade's warm-up uses the chain itself: before your work sets, perform the previous two steps of the chain at their recommended sets and reps as warm-up sets.

Example: if you are training one-arm pushups (Step 10), warm up with half one-arm pushups (Step 8) and lever pushups (Step 9) for 2×20 each, then do your work sets.

If you are still on the first steps of a chain, one lighter set of your current exercise is enough.

Rest Times

The book does not prescribe fixed rest periods. The rule that follows from the system is simple: rest long enough that the next set can be performed with full control at the 2-1-2 cadence.

Never rush a set to save time. Quality of movement is the entire currency of this program.

Plateaus

When you are stuck at a step:

• Do not train to failure trying to break through. Grinding failed reps teaches bad form
• Back off within the step: return to the intermediate standard and rebuild reps slowly
• Use consolidation training: frequent, daily, low-rep, non-exhausting attempts at the sticking movement. It builds confidence and coordination, but has fast diminishing returns, so use it sparingly and only for short periods
• Check recovery: sleep, food, and extra rest days fix more stalls than any technique tweak

Program Duration

Convict Conditioning is a multi-year system, not a 12-week block.

• Each step typically takes weeks to months to reach its progression standard
• There are 60 steps across the six chains
• Long-term practitioners report that a first one-arm pushup alone can take years of consistent work

The timeline is the point. Every standard you hit is strength you keep.

Access the Original Program

If you would like to read the original book:

Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade at Dragon Door