Why Is Charles Bronson Famous?

Charles Bronson grew up in Luton City since his birth in 1952, where he became involved in gang battles as a young man. He has spent more than 45 years in jail after his sentence was continually extended as a result of his attacks on prison officials and holding them hostage in prison.

Bronson was born under the name Michael Gordon Peterson. The name change happened during a freedom period from incarceration around 1987. He used his new identity to start an unlawful career in bare-knuckle fighting.

Moreover, he has the title of the “most vicious prisoner in Britain” and “Britain’s most infamous prisoner” as per the British press. He has also been in incarceration in high-security mental institutions.

Bronson’s First Arrest

Bronson was first arrested for armed robbery in 1974, and he was sentenced to seven years in HM Prison Liverpool. Bronson began a series of attacks on prisoners and prison officials as soon as he entered the jail. As a result, he was handed additional years in his sentence. He was later transferred between Armley, Wakefield, Parkhurst, and Walton prisons from 1975 to 1977.

However, his actions not only put him in the headlines but also landed him in Broadmoor, a high-security mental institution.

He stayed there for seven years and staged a series of demonstrations, including one in which he spent three days on the rooftop before persuasions from the correctional officers. He eventually gained his freedom in 1987, 14 years after receiving his original sentence.

Bronson only enjoyed 69 freedom days before apprehension for stealing jewelry to surprise his girlfriend with a ring.

Bronson’s Second Imprisonment

Charles Bronson acquired a penchant for kidnapping and holding persons captive during his second stint in jail. For instance, he kidnapped and held captive the deputy governor of Hull Prison in 1993. Later, he allegedly demanded that his captives tickle his feet and address him as ‘General’ while holding two Iraqi hijackers and another prisoner hostage.

Moreover, a civilian education worker in Hull found himself captive during a 44-hour siege because of criticizing one of Bronson’s paintings in 1999. This particular act gave Bronson a life sentence.

Bronson maintained his status as a Category A prisoner upon transfer to Wakefield High-Security Prison. He was scheduled for a parole hearing in 2008, but it was postponed after Bronson’s attorney opposed a one-hour parole interview. Instead, he was asking that the whole day be dedicated to Bronson’s case. The hearing was later held on March 11, 2009. However, the board of parole denied the request for release soon afterward. Later, residents sent a petition with 10,000 signatures to 10 Downing Street, urging his release.

Bronson is still in prison today, although he has long abandoned his aggressive habits. Nonetheless, he has been in marriage thrice with two divorces. Notably, Bronson also changed his name once again to Charles Salvador in honor of Salvador Dali, his favorite artist. Bronson says that he wants to overcome his legal difficulties and live out the remainder of his days in freedom.

Which Legacies Does Bronson Have?

Bronson’s Marriage to Actress Paula Williamson

Bronson married Paula Williamson on November 14, 2017, within the prison grounds beneath a purple cloak. Charles was tied to a warden throughout the two-hour ceremony, which had only five guests/witnesses.

Later, a celebration was held at a nearby hotel. However, Paula went to Malta without Bronson since he was taken back to his cell after the ceremony. She walked out of jail wearing a ghostly white veil over her purple cloak, nearly concealing her clothing.

Solitary Fitness Book

There have been publications of many books over the years in an effort to offer insight into Bronson’s life. The main book that focuses well on his life is Solitary Fitness by Charles Bronson and Stephen Richards of 2007. The book mainly focuses on the protagonist’s workout regimen. Its primary goal is to educate individuals on exercising and maintaining good shape while working with limited resources such as time, money, and space.

Solitary Fitness has many subsections on fitness, such as bodyweight workouts, nutrition, fat reduction, and even cleansing suggestions and instructions.

This book has received excellent reviews on Amazon, with a rating of 4 out of 5.

Movie on Bronson

Bronson’s life story was brought to life on the screens in 2008 in the film “Bronson.” Nicolas Winding Refn directed the film, which also featured Tom Hardy. Hardy and Bronson met in person for Hardy to get a deeper understanding of his subject. Bronson complimented Hardy’s ability to convey his personality in the film.

It presents the most essential details from Bronson’s life while also demonstrating his aggressive nature. It has several scenes involving his battles and hostage-taking.

Branson’s Artwork

Charles Bronson resorted to art and painting as a means of expressing himself after decades in prison. The fitness enthusiast even auctioned off an original piece of artwork and gave the profits to a small child who has cerebral palsy. His artwork has also been exhibited on YouTube, but authorities have pushed for its removal.

The year 2014 recorded a sale of 1000 art pieces in an effort to cleanse his name from his past acts.

Bronson’s Workouts and Fitness

Charles Bronson is a one-of-a-kind and a rather enigmatic character in the history of fitness. Bronson is famous for his aggressive demeanor, frightening looks, and nearly superhuman strength, aside from his numerous crimes.

He claims he can do 172 press-ups in 60 seconds and 94 sit-ups in 30 seconds. The main question is how Bronson manages to maintain his solid and fit body while spending almost 4/5 of his life in prison, specifically solitary confinement.

Charles Bronson has a unique approach to fitness, which we’ll go over in-depth in this post. Additionally, we’ll guide you on how to benefit by taking a leaf out of his famous book.

Bronson’s Distinctive Approach to Fitness

Bronson uses a small space and limited materials during his workouts, as mentioned above. As such, his exercises are accessible to nearly everyone. This is regardless of a person’s location or the equipment available to them.

Bronson is very conscientious about his physical appearance. He clearly argues that having exceptional athletic skills may significantly impact a person’s jail experience. Jail life involves fights, harassment, and even murders. As such, it is crucial to demonstrate to other inmates that you can defend yourself.

This argument by Bronson is the main reason he makes sure that he remains in the best possible physical shape. His opinion on fitness is about staying alive rather than having a good physique.

This mental commitment seems to be why Bronson can do feats of strength, endurance, and stamina that are nearly superhuman in nature.

Routine Guide of Bronson’s Workout Plan

Warm-Ups

Charles Bronson believes that the optimum warm-up session should take a duration of 10 minutes to 30 minutes. He gives the following guidelines to do a successful warm-up exercise:

• Begin by engaging the core muscular groups in dynamic movements such as leg kicks to stretch them out.
• Jog on the spot, alternating between lifting your knees high in the front and flicking your heels out in the rear at regular intervals.
• Reach towards the toes with the fingers while avoiding knee bends.

Push-ups

Bronson claims that he can manage more than 100 push-ups in a minute. Besides, he claims to have performed push-ups ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 in a single day during confinement in his prison cell. He is also capable of doing push-ups while carrying the weight of two men.

Bronson recommends beginning with standing push-ups and progressively decreasing the level weekly until you reach the first 100 push-ups. Achieving 100 push-ups from the ground will likely take around twelve weeks.

Sit-ups

We are all familiar with situps, but there are many variants on the classic exercise. The manner in which a person does a sit-up affects the ultimate outcome of the bodyweight exercise, according to Charles Bronson.

How to Effectively Execute the Sit-ups

• Lie down in front of a bench with your back to a bench.
• Place your heels on the bench while ensuring that the knees and hips are at 90 degrees.
• Ensure your arms are on your chest in a closed position.
• Increase the range of motion in your waist to lift your shoulders and scapulas off the floor.
• Maintain the lower back on the floor and your upper body as straight as possible while crunching upwards.
• Slowly drop your shoulders to the floor and instantly begin the next repeat.

Squats

Exercises such as squats are some of the essential components of any fitness regimen. Hence, it is important to include them in your bodyweight training plan, according to Charles. Bronson explains that he squats with one of his buddies on his back to maintain balance while also strengthening his back and legs.

Execution of Squats

Squatting demands you to stand on your feet while keeping your hips in a broader position than the feet. The ground must be parallel to both feet. Bend your hips, knees, and ankles to get into position. The spine remains straight throughout while the torso inclines over the thighs.

The quadriceps and hamstrings must be under tension when doing this exercise for optimal results. Furthermore, the weight must have an even distribution between the legs.

Burpees

Burpees are great heart-pumpers that cross-fitters and bodyweight exercise enthusiasts prefer. Bronson argues that they are fantastic workout exercises for building stamina and muscle in addition to bettering the general health. Further, Bronson says that the exercises will challenge you and leave you almost breathless. However, your speed will increase as time progresses and eventually become a perfectionist.

Effective Way of Executing a Burpee

Begin the exercises by adopting a standing posture. Then, compress your body into a crunching position while stretching your leg out into a push-up position. Leap from your feet to your hands

in a jumping action while maintaining the back as flat as possible. Maintain the knees between your elbows. Then jump up to adopt a standing position with a straight back, return to the ground, and adopt your initial position at the beginning of the exercise.

Step-ups

This exercise is one of Charles Bronson’s favorite. He claims that he does hundreds, if not thousands, of step-ups every day, utilizing the bed in his cell as a step-up box. A chair or a small stool can also be effective in the exercise. Here’s how you go about the step-ups:

Place yourself so that you are facing something solid, such as a bench or a staircase. Your right foot must be flat on the bench, while your left foot must be flat on the ground.

Raise the left knee to its highest point while continuing to step up onto the bench with your right foot. Maintain the top leg position for 2-3 counts. The abdomen and leg muscles will be important in maintaining balance and stability during this workout. Lower your left leg to the ground immediately after the 2-3 counts.

Repeat this motion for about 15 times while keeping the right foot firm on the bench. Switch to your left foot on the bench and continue the exercise after initial exercise completion.

So, How Have the Exercises built Charles Bronson?

Fighting

Bronson claims that he can punch a guy 20 times in about 4 seconds (five punches a second). Additionally, Bronson’s punches are very effective and strong. He’s even popular for striking hard enough to shatter a bulletproof glass. He also has powerful legs capable of bending massive jail metal doors.

Prison Diet for Bronson

It is easy to assume that Bronson takes some pills on the basis of his fantastic performance outcomes. The reality is that his diet consists mainly of items that one can expect to find in a jail setting.

Charles likes to include some natural sweets in his diet, such as dry fruits. This helps balance out his caloric intake. However, he does not use supplements but prefers to eat more fruits and vegetables. Additionally, he claims to consume a substantial amount of water.