8/7/2014
PRISON INFO./ADVICE;- Each inmate here at Madison is allowed to have three, one hour weight room sessions per week. Two of my three weight room hours were scheduled in the early afternoon. Due to my new afternoon horticulture class I was unable to attend my afternoon hours in the weight room, so I had to wait a month to get my times switched over to a morning or evening slot. Inmates are only able to sign up for weight room once a month and once a month they add you to whatever time slot they have an opening for, unless of course you know an inmate that might have control over the schedule and is able to give you a desired time slot at a price. Often inmates lose their time slots for reasons of not attending their session. If an inmate misses more than one time slot consecutively they're taken off the time slot, leaving an opening for another man, perhaps more dedicated then the last. I have never missed a session more than once until I started horticulture. It’s important to maintain these time slots because once a man is taken off the slot it takes three months to get another slot. This is more than likely a rule set in place as motivation for men to adhere to their schedule. Due to my horticulture and change in schedule, I hadn't lifted weights in almost two weeks until last night. Today I feel as sore as someone who lifted weights for the first time. I could also see that I was unable to pick up where I left off before, weaker, having to decrease the amount of weight in which I was lifting. Many others were telling me this is common when missing out for a period of time, the muscle loses its' memory. I'm just glad that my new schedule is set in place, enabling me utilize my time as efficiently as before.
STEVEN DYBVAD
