‘C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass’ is a new book by Paul “Coach” Wade where he talks about bodyweight training and its benefits to help readers gain muscle mass.
Being a huge advocate for bodyweight-only training, Paul Wade explores various bodyweight exercises and callisthenics techniques that help build muscle mass. His popularity as a bodyweight trainer is a result of his days in prison, where he learned how to keep his body in shape using bodyweight-only training. These techniques and his experience during developing them is the main inspiration behind ‘C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass’.
In this article, we will carefully review the contents of the book and help you decide whether it is worth your dime.
Table of Contents
More About Paul “Coach” Wade
Paul Wade is known for developing a unique callisthenics routine to build muscle mass during his time in prison. His cellmate, who was a former Navy SEAL, also helped him integrate important training components from the Army Ranger program into his callisthenic routine. In the end, he entered prison weighing 150 pounds but left it weighing over 200 pounds, with most of it being pure muscle mass.
Thus, Paul “Coach” Wade has proven that callisthenics based on bodyweight exercise can be highly beneficial to kickstart muscle hypertrophy and strength building. Consequently, Paul used this experience to write his famous Convict Conditioning series and his recent ‘C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass.’
C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass (Review)
Paul Wade begins his discussion on strength training and how callisthenics, especially bodyweight exercises, can facilitate your budding muscle mass.
From years of experience regarding muscle building, he recounts certain success stories and busts some myths about callisthenics. Then, Wade talks about how various celebrities like Bruce Lee have overcome their body limitations using bodyweight-only training.
He doesn’t forget the roots of callisthenics while sharing his story – he recounts how traditional body-builders from long ago relied heavily on manoeuvring their body weight to build physiques.
In a similar vein, he provides a detailed guide consisting of high-intensity bodyweight exercises, including pull-ups and push-ups, and combines them to create compound exercises. Paul believes these exercises will put your body through the most resistance, leading to better results and efficient muscle building.
Moreover, his recommended movements are quite refreshing since they include a group of exercises to be performed at a given time instead of single, continuous reps. This way, people won’t get demotivated, and this, in turn, will increase their body’s resistance.
What stands out in this book is the chapter titled ‘The Ten Commandments of Calisthenics Mass.’ Here, he talks about determination, embracing reps, prioritising rest, the importance of sleep and a balanced diet, etc. He also initiates his readers into training their minds while building muscle since it helps improve tenacity and mindfulness.
Bonus Chapters Of ‘C-Mass’
Besides giving a ground-breaking influence to bodyweight training, Wade adds a few extra components to his book. In the first bonus chapter, he explores different ways to maximise the output of traditional callisthenics programs to build muscle more efficiently.
What’s more, this method guarantees maximum output without increasing your body size. Many fitness experts and bodybuilders vouch for this method as being one of the best in callisthenics.
C-Mass also ends with a bonus chapter that touches upon the methods of improving anabolic hormones that facilitate muscle building. Paul Wade offers some dietary and lifestyle tips that one should follow alongside bodyweight exercise to support healthy muscle. These tips are both entertaining and motivating to complete – so, we’d say it’s worth the price you pay for it.
Pros
- You’ll find various ways to build muscle using Wade’s programs that don’t require equipment – similar to the ones in his Convict Conditioning books
- Wade’s approach to callisthenics is to-the-point and assertive, and he doesn’t beat around the bush
- It is high-rated, and readers have found it quite entertaining as well
- Wade includes bonus chapters that explore important points regarding muscle development and hormone – he also points out their relationship
- The exercises included in this book are elementary and very easy to follow
Cons
- Paul Wade’s book on callisthenics can seem inappropriate to sensitive readers since it contains a lot of profanity, which is not for the general public
- Readers may need to read the previous Convict Conditioning books to understand the context of C-Mass
What Are The Benefits Of Using Bodyweight-Only Training?
Studies have found that using your body weight as the sole equipment to gain strength and build muscles can improve your body’s performance in other areas as well. One of those research studies explored the effects of callisthenics on handball players – and it focussed mostly on their shooting power.
The subjects were made to undergo a consistent exercise routine, including pull-ups, push-ups, obliques, and other body-weight movements over 12 weeks. After performing them at least three times a week for this duration, the players showed significant improvement in shooting ability and endurance.
Without visibly altering their body size, this strength-based program successfully helped them grow muscles that are integral to throwing and catching balls at high speed. This is because when the body faces controlled resistance over a period of time, it speeds up the process of building strength to help us overcome it.
So, there’s sufficient evidence regarding the effects of callisthenics on muscle mass.
Final Thoughts
After his Convict Conditioning series, this book titled ‘C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass’ has been gaining popularity – and rightfully so. It can act as a one-stop guide for fitness enthusiasts to delve into the world of callisthenics and bodyweight training.
But it is not for total beginners. Only people who have some experience in weightlifting or bodyweight programs should embark on Wade’s exercise routines.
Moreover, it is a highly inspirational piece where Paul Wade pushes his readers to work hard and focus more on training their bodies. And while the delivery of his tips, techniques, and advice may be riddled with profanities (and quite harsh ones, to be honest), it can help you achieve your fitness goals.
So, if you don’t want to be coddled but rather need that energetic push toward callisthenics and bodyweight training, this book is worth your time.
Read it yourself and see if you agree with Wade’s advice before embarking on this journey.
Founder of www.calisthenics-101.co.uk. Training calisthenics since 2012.
Currently working on: 30 second one-arm handstand, muscle-up 360, straddle planche.