Charles Bronson, Solitary Fitness and Bronson
Born Michael Gordon Petersen in 1952, Charles Bronson (also known as Charles Ali Ahmed and Charles Arthur Salvador) is one of Britain’s most notorious and violent living criminals. He was originally given 7 years for armed robbery in 1974, but this eventually became 13 years due to a series of violent acts and protests. Following this, he was released for very brief periods before reoffending and being imprisoned again, the final time coming after an attempted robbery in 1993. His subsequent behaviour in prison – including taking hostages, violent assaults, and general disobedience – landed him a life sentence in 1999.
Charles Bronson is a great paradox: violent and unpredictable, he is also self-aware, witty, and a prolific writer and artist. He has been certified insane on numerous occasions, and describes himself in his autobiography, Bronson, thus: ‘I’m a nice guy, but sometimes I lose all my senses and become nasty. That doesn’t make me evil, just confused’. His autobiography – written, of course, from prison – is full of fascinating anecdotes and unsubstantiated claims alike, including his brief bare-knuckle boxing career in the 1980s. The acclaimed 2008 film of the book, Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, is approved by Bronson himself.
Bronson has also turned his attention to the subject of physical fitness. A dedicated fitness fanatic, Solitary Fitness is designed for those without the finance or freedom to use a gym, and can be undertaken in a room as small as, well, a prison cell. Promising to give you a body ‘that can be used in all sorts of situations’ (best not ask), Bronson rails against the dangers of steroids and the capitalistic excesses of the fitness industry. Following Bronson’s workout is no picnic, however. He claims to perform 6, 000 press-ups a day, and prescribed-workouts last ‘until exhaustion’.