Reviews

Convict Conditioning was a watershed moment for me. Standing out as the best of an excellent library of Dragon Door books, applying the lessons of this book resulted in the greatest progress in my 20+ years of training. I was amazed as I performed my first pistol squat, first one-arm push-up, and recently, at the age of 37, my first one-arm chin-up. Before CC, I couldn't even control the negative portion of any of those exercises. I was hooked on Paul Wade's knowledge and conversational writing style. As a fitness trainer, I used the exercise progressions with my clients and watched them achieve strength and body control they wouldn't have thought possible. Convict Conditioning 2 was, again, excellent. However, C-Mass is, in my opinion, Wade's best work ever. It's a book I wish I would've had as a kid when I did my first push-up. If I were to recommend just one book on muscle building, it would be this one. Why? For a few dollars, a trainee can change the appearance (and functionality) of his/her body without ever spending another dime. No gym memberships, weights, equipment, supplements or anything else is necessary, and Wade will tell you exactly why. Most importantly, he discusses the differences between training for max strength and training for hypertrophy and shows exactly how to steer towards the specific goals of each individual. His minimalist approach and entertaining writing resonate with me like no other fitness author ever has. I purchased this book two days ago and have already read it twice. Can't wait to buy and highlight the paperback.

Most people who set out to build lean muscle mass are exposed to the misleading dogma of following a weight-training program. Sure, you can get stronger, and build lots of muscle with weights. But let's face it. Most people don't maintain a lifestyle that supports optimal recovery from this style of exercise. What people are left with is physical stress and micro-tissue tears from their egotistical workout prescriptions that they never adapt to in a positive way.

In C-Mass, Coach cuts through all the bullshit and reveals the truth of why you can and will experience gains by using your body as a primary source of resistance. The humbling workout programs he shares are your ticket to years of unlocked muscle potential that would normally involve injury risk under a "superman/superwoman" weight-training program you found online or in some magazine.

As you'll see, C-Mass will show you who's real and who's fake . . . who's relatively strong and who's being lazy . . . who's using real food/pure water to fuel their recovery and who's just an unsuccessful bodybuilder that resorts to supplement stacks, or even worse . . . anabolic assistance.

So, don't wait another minute. Or second. Grab your copy TODAY . . . right NOW.

I'm 40 & have enjoyed bodyweight exercises since the age of 3. My best achievements were being a competitor UK Strongest Man heats (managing not to come last!), running all distances from 100 metres to 40 miles & have swimming the English Channel. I've generally avoided the mainstream of exercise, preferring to train in the garden, parks or urban environment. Of all the exercise books I've read, I like this one the best. It's earnest & heartfelt & the logic of it is easy to follow. Paul Wade's colloquial style of writing is humourous & best of all the exercises work. I've done a lot of the basics over the years with a few of the more advanced progressions - CMASS has given me a few new ideas that I hadn't considered. Bodyweight exercises have long been considered by the mainstream as the poorer relative of strength & bodybuilding. It absolutely isn't. In fact it's the most comprehensive system. Equipment can be used, but it's not necessary. If you're going to buy just one book of exercises this would be the one in my opinion. I love it. Thanks Coach.

Now we have proof positive that you can forge your body into a "Freak of Nature" using only what nature has given you, your own body.
Paul Wade's C-MASS is a "Weapon of Mass Construction" A laser guided missile that shoots down any and all voices of dissent, like, you can't build size and strength with bodyweight it's just for endurance or a warm-up for weights.
Not anymore, I have seen the future and the future is C-MASS!!!
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool weight trainer you simply have to read this book as it will give you back a thousand times what you paid for it!!! Dragon Door does it again, just when you thought it couldn't possibly get any better it just did and then some.
P. S. I sincerely hope that you will publish this book in print format as it's way too good to remain just an ebook, thank you.

Don't take this book lightly! This manual is the bible in calisthenics muscle building hands down. Since implementing even half of the ideas I've noticed significant changes even though I've been training for 20 years and focusing on calisthenics for 6.

When I read the book reviews I had been very attracted to C-Mass as I have some lingering back issues affected by scoliosis and while the glutes and hams will build, quads have been a different story. Bearing any load on my shoulders tends to jack my back up a bit more and no matter how hard I tried correcting any postural deviations, tight hip flexors, etc. my back would over-engage and leg day turned into a workout from hell for my spinal erectors. My reasoning for also purchasing Deadlift Dynamite.

Needless to say I was excited when I read the description for C-Mass as I'd now have a new ticket to building some monster legs. I received the book, excitedly began reading, finished it from cover to cover and almost sent a scathing review unloading my disappointment and frustration (hear me out on this before you delete!) demanding my money back. Not that I thought demanding anything would get me anywhere with you, but I was intent on trying. I had been expecting a detailed workout plan complete with exercises, sets, and reps to go along with the information. In other words, I was expecting to be spoon-fed and was highly irritated there wasn't an already crafted plain laid out perfectly for me. I was pissed I had to write my own plan (oh the tragedies in life) and was about to ask for every penny spent back. I was also 3 or 4 weeks out from a show and the dieting may have enhanced my mood a bit?

Knowing the state I was in, any feedback would likely have come across as emotionally charged ranting without much evidence to support my claims, I decided to sleep on it and read the book again the next day, and I'd time my refresher to occur right after I ate. So I did just that and re-read it. I was a bit more level-headed (not much, but more so than the previous day) and although still not convinced on the efficacy of the book, decided to give some of the exercises a shot, and then send my ranting email complete with supporting evidence demanding my money back.

So I hit the gym for legs figuring I'd blow right though some high rep bodyweight movements and prove the book was useless. I started off with 20 bodyweight split squats doing reps on each leg superset with 20 jump lunges on each leg. By rep 5 on the lunges I was out of breath, sweating profusely and my quads were shaking in agony. It was then I realized you just might be on to something. I also realized I was glad I didn't sent that email. As I was collecting myself in what was probably a 4 minute rest period I wondered if I'd actually make it through all 3 sets. It was probably that moment that I re-thought the contents of that scathing email altogether and my demands for reimbursement turned into prayers to God to get me through the rest of the workout.

For the record, I'm no newbie to hard physical activity. I've logged my fair share of time in the boxing ring, lifted for 7+ years, competed in 5 figure shows within the last year and earned my pro card this September. None of that seemed to make much difference though as I was hobbling out of the gym like a new born foal (those 3 sets did get completed, but only by the grace of God). What I thought would be an easy warm-up turned into by far the most challenging part of my leg workout.

I am very glad I bought the book (and equally glad God blessed me with a small degree of forethought to give it a try before hitting send on that email). C-Mass has definitely been one of the best fitness purchases I've made, so thank you!

And for the record, I stand corrected. You make a believer out of me and my "not as small and puny as they were" quads.

Sincerely from a customer building mass the painful way,
Jaime Lynn Pomponio

Yet another fantastic book from Coach Wade. The man has so much knowledge and experience of offer it's astounding. I've thoroughly enjoyed and greatly benefited from all of his books so far, and C-Mass is no exception. This is another absolute essential for anyone serious about building muscle and strength with bodyweight training. Thanks again, Coach! You are awesome!

Paul "Coach" Wade's writing and invaluable knowledge of all things body weight is nothing short of revolutionary.
C-Mass does not differ from the template set out by "Coach" Wade in CC1 and 2, clearing the common misconceptions
of the fitness industry. The glaring obvious statement of excluding training supplements out of a training regime is one revolutionary
idea in it's self. Then in sync with that thought the benefit of a solid nights sleep (minus distractions mobile phones, tv,internet etc), on the body and its natural rate of recovery. Coach Wade speaks in tone and cadence that (I feel) can resonate and be beneficial
to anyone, my personal favourite topic is nutrition covered in c-mass and CC2 it is gold.

To say that Coach Wade's work is good is like saying that Everest and K2 mountains are high, coach Wade's work (all of it) is monumental. The training routine progress at rate that is subjective to the user, you have to figure out and understand the nature of
body that we use and take for granted. Somewhat of rhetoric stated my die hard CC enthusiast's (of which I am 3 year trainee of this system) is that you would be foolish to over look this system. A key gain is that no matter how much you spend on these product(s) the return's are unquantifiable on multiple levels in the long run. The closet analogy to Coach Wade's work is music
imagine (if you will) a crushing riff of an electric guitar ( think San Francisco's Orchid Eastern Women tune) or the transient beauty
and grounded epic-ness of Croms Invisible Cities song. Coach's Wade is real tangle-able and incredibly insightful work from the belly of the "beast" of America's prison's thank you Coach know this sir you are the man.

Joe

Thanks for the great book! I'm old, and a USMC EOD Technician, I was never really one for weights, and now that I've suffered some blast overpressure injuries to my back, I really need to stay away from them. I've been working with bodyweight calisthenics for a little over 10 years now and have had great success with getting strong and staying fit, but I wanted to fill out my shirt a little bit more for my wife. I searched the web for resources and where do I find it? Dragon Door. I followed the program to a tee and had really good results. I haven't gotten huge, but I have added a lot of meat to my biceps and shoulders just following that simple program. The most ripped and jacked dude I'm currently deployed with commented just the other day on how much more muscular I'd gotten. One of the best compliments I've gotten in a long time. Thanks C-Mass and Dragon Door.

This book is a great addition to any ones workout.It gives you a great range of exercise's to do and different goals to achieve,if you want to gain mass or strength it gives you the routines for you to choose from.I have been looking for bodyweight techniques to gain mass without the hassle of weights (setup,adding and removing plates and the like). I use to do the bodybuilding thing in my early to mid 20's and loved it, but know I like the simplicity of the bodyweight workouts there's no lengthy setup or expensive equipment to deal with, just you and what minimal equipment you need.I can't wait to see how far I can take my goals with this program.Live Healthy and Be Strong!!

Excellent knowledge supported by practice and experience - this is a gem of an e-book.

Paul Wade has written another masterpiece. It's crammed with useful information that all calisthenics enthusiasts should be aware of. After devouring Convict Conditioning 1 and 2, I eagerly bought C-Mass and was not disappointed.

Looking forward to CC3!

Many books on exercise or fitness are too complicated or too simple. Most lack a big picture or the details you may end up being curious about. This book clearly explains how strength and endurance work in a holistic way, along with the optimal ways of obtaining them via calisthenics. Like all of Paul Wade's books, it has the more scientific details and explanations in a clear cut fashion that is easier to understand to back up his common sense prescription for becoming an elite specimen. My favorite part of this book, and all of Paul Wade's books, is that he weaves his story, the history of calisthenics and strength training, anatomy and training wisdom into a coherent narrative guaranteed to engage the reader and leave you with more answers than questions. Don't miss out this essential supplement to the routines in the first two Convict Conditioning books!

Paul "Coach" Wade's writing and invaluable knowledge of all things body weight is nothing short of revolutionary. C-Mass does not differ from the template set out by "Coach" Wade in CC1 and 2, clearing the common misconceptions of the fitness industry. The glaring obvious statement of excluding training supplements out of a training regime is one revolutionary idea in it's self. Then in sync with that thought the benefit of a solid nights sleep (minus distractions mobile phones, tv,internet etc), on the body and its natural rate of recovery. Coach Wade speaks in tone and cadence that (I feel) can resonate and be beneficial to anyone, my personal favourite topic is nutrition covered in c-mass and CC2 it is gold.

The training routine progress at rate that is subjective to the user, you have to figure out and understand the nature of body that we use and take for granted. Somewhat of rhetoric stated by die hard CC enthusiast's (of which I am 4 year trainee of this system) is that you would be foolish to over look this system.

I've been following Coach's work for a long time and seek to learn from him as much as I can. He is a fountain of wisdom and you will do well to listen to all he says. This book is just like that. It is 135 pages of nothing but pure knowledge - and it is a goldmine. I would highly recommend this book, along with all his other work such as convict conditioning 1 and convict conditioning 2. Trust me: if you take this seriously and approach it with the right mindset as Coach outlines in his books, nothing will stand in your way.

Strength forever

Well I can't rate what i haven't tried, but with experience on his previous books, this is a must buy for me to apply Mr. Paul's knowledge with CC1. But to my experience with his books, well, my strength levels are proof that his wisdom is a must to anyone interested in going the old school way of doing things, doing things right to be precise.

Coach Wade has laid down another instant classic on bodyweight training.

An extremely entertaining read and as well as covering muscle building it also includes a great section on adding (neural) strength without adding bulk (great for weight limit athletes) using nothing but your own bodyweight.

I read this in one sitting and have already re-read it a few times since. I love bodyweight training and I love this book. Along with Convict Conditioning 1 & 2 Coach Wade really has laid down the greatest and most comprehensive books on bodyweight strength training I've ever read.

Great stuff! Go get a copy!

Another great book from great "bodyweight" author. Like i said in headline it's the first book that covered one of the biggest and most underrated part of the bodyweight training - mass building. And after you read this book you will have all information that you need to build some serious muscle using not external weights, not kettlebels (in most of the exercises you even don't need any eqipment) but only the weight of your body. It's one of the "must-have" book for any serious athlete, especially who uses only his bodyweight. Coach, you are the best:)

Whether you are a beginner or master body weight student, This is the epiphany of what you should have in your arsenal. Another banging book by Coach Paul Wade.

Paul Wade has done it again and written a book which challenges the conventional ways of training. This book is one of the few resources which is focused purely on building size with calisthenics, rather than just strength and skills. There are a lot of things in this book that will shock the average reader; Paul doesn't like to hide the truth from people. I highly recommend this book to anyone, it's 136 pages of wisdom.

I'm 54 years old and I'm achieving tremendous gains through bodyweight training.C-Mass is so full of information that I can't believe it only cost $10.Please don't hesitate and purchase this e-book.Yes there are plenty of other books on bodyweight training,but not like this.Also if you curious about Coach Paul Wade,you can check him out here.Once again its ONLY 10 BUCKS!!!!!!

Excellente, loved it, learned some new things. Keep up the good work. You will continue seeing me for the rest of my life.

Coach Wade has released another great book! If you liked any of the Convict Conditioning books you will love this. It's not only a good entertaining read, but it is also packed with tons of information (no filler). If you aren't totally convinced by other reviews just look at the fact that the amazing Kavadlo brothers are the main models of the book. Coach even has a whole chapter on getting pound for pound stronger without the bulk. The hardest decision for me is where to start training. Great book that should be in everyone's training library.

Own them both & next are the dvd's.There is a world of USEFUL knowledge in these writings,pratical hard core & to the point. I want to learn from the true trainers (Pavel coach paul) & not the weekend worriors who obtained a personal trainer certificate over a weekend teaching me workouts that are totally useless without roids!. If you don't own these books you should because your the only one getting cheated by not having them!

I really liked this book--it goes through the basic ideas behind convict conditioning, how to get strong without building muscle if that's what you want, and how to get big using bodyweight if you do want the muscle.

Love Paul's system convict conditioning is awesome I have experienced a moment lifting weights at the gym after training for a couple years I was a lot bigger and kinda well fat unable to tie my shoes without being winded curling the same weight I had for months all show and no go was not what I wanted so looking for strength programs I found convict conditions and never looked back I truly could not be happier with Paul's way of training anything this man says is gold to me convict conditioning 3 is going to be epic

Another awesome book from the coach. Very simple yet bursting with great knowledge. The C.O. approves of this book!

This is a superb, great book, full of knowledge and wisdom. I read C-MASS in one sitting, and had brutal fun from beginning to end. This book is a "must" addition to the Convict Conditioning series. Nobody can ever go wrong, reading any of Paul "Coach" Wade's books.

Anyone who is serious about bodyweight training will absolutely love this book. It is jam packed full of valuable training advice, fantastic photos and wonderful anecdotes. Highly Recommended!

Good book. Picks up on topics where Convict conditioning leaves off. Covers some new exercises not discussed in his previous books. An overall good purchase. Like the hard copy better than the e-book. Best bodyweight training info available anywhere! Looking forward to his new book about to come out!

Paul "coach" Wade has done it again. C-Mass is the perfect add-on for Convict Conditioning, they both compliment each other perfectly! C-Mass shows you how to get stronger, and proves that body weight training can give you size without heavy weights, gym membership, drugs, and supplements. The book is written very well, easy to read, and some humor in the text. Too much to list, you gotta read this.

i love this book, it takes away a lot of guesswork and debunks myths of bodybuilding while also making those principles that work into a great body weight workout guide to build mass for the athlete who wants function and aesthetics with the power to back it up in spades. It is even is brutally honest on topics that most people aren't informed or corporate businesses that are selling you lies for their own gain. take the back the power and build a primal body that looks and performs like a wild beast ready to kill.

The book is good in itself and represent an introduction to bodyweight training. Unfortunately for me I read it after Convict Conditioning and, for this reason, I had the impression that C-Mass was just a summary of CC.

So, here's my humble suggestion: if you are serious about bodyweight training, go straight to CC and CC2 as they will provide you with a complete bodyweight training system which will accompany you for years to come (or for a lifetime, as in the words of the Author himself) and C-Mass won't be necessary at all and won't add much - if anything at all - to the CC series.

If, on the other hand, you are just curious to know about a different training method rather than weight lifting, kettlebells etc., C-Mass can provide an interesting overview on "the lost art of old school calisthenics".

Cheers

Coach Wade has done it again by answering the great question, "Can you build mass with body weight only exercises?" Yes! You can! You have to take into consideration that it takes time and patience like any other goal you strive to accomplish, but with this book's techniques you can really put on some muscle. Best of all, you won't look like those body builders in the gym who can barely move their shoulders instead you will be built proportionally shredded and you will be MOBILE in your shoulders and legs!

Ok, I'll make this quick.

I got this book today. Read it, cover to cover. Apart from maybe 2 or 3 tiny bits of info, the book is hugely disappointing to say the least.

Listen, If you want a no BS, down to earth, brutally honest & beautifully simple muscle building book, look no further than 'Purposeful Primitive'. It blows everything else away.

Why buy the paperback version when you already have the E book? One or the other surely?

The simple answer is it's become my favourite book. I read it often on the blackberry & wanted to show it to a few of my friends. Also sometimes it's good to turn off the technology & just read. I don't do that very often, but I will.

CMASS is brilliant.

This books is gold, and it should be part of the arsenal of anybody who practices the exercises in Paul Wade's Convict Conditioning series.

The book goes into detail about mass-gaining protocols, both training and diet.

Essential.

It is a must read for anyone who participates in a grappling sport like muay thai,brazilien jin jitsu, boxer etc... It is also a must read for bodybuilders who don't want to use steriods.

This book has some general guidlelines on how to get the most of your body weight training.Book covers how things were done before the steroid era.This book also gives varies kinds of sample routines,so that the reader has a lot choices on how to set up a routine.I would recommend getting this book with the naked warrior,so that you can experiment and find out what works best for you.

After having read Convict Condition 1 and 2, this book is a great complement for using your bodyweight to build some muscle. It's full of usefull tips and tricks to do so and the style of writing is very inspiring.

Paul wade is an excellent author, not only do I recomend this book, but the 3 others in the series. Especially "Convict conditioning" pick this up if you want to get strong and big.