Reformed drug dealer Coss Marte talks about how he developed his ConBody bootcamp while behind bars

How did you come up with the idea of ConBody?
I used to be a drug dealer and spent seven years incarcerated at Greene Correctional Facility. It was there that I was given a real wake-up call: I was so overweight, with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that I was told I only had five years left to live.

I knew I wouldn’t be free again unless I did something drastic, so I started to run around the prison yard and devised bodyweight exercises. My cell was so small that I could put my hands on one wall and my feet on the opposite one without touching the floor, so I used that to develop exercises. I came out of prison 70lbs lighter.

Can you describe ConBody?
It’s an ‘old skool’ workout using your own body weight. All you need is a body, a space the size of a yoga mat and an ex-con shouting at you! All the trainers are ex-cons.

It isn’t complicated, but it’s tough. Lunges, press-ups, leg raises and ab crunches are incorporated and there’s no let-up. Those with a high degree of fitness will be pushed, and those with a low level of fitness are encouraged to do what they can.

How did you get up and running?
In the beginning, about two years ago, we just met up to train people in parks. After a year, we opened a studio on Lower East Side, New York, which is kitted out like a prison cell.

In October we launched our online streaming service. Five workouts are posted each day, all 20 or 30 minutes long. People set their own fitness goals – for example 10 workouts a month – and their downloads are monitored. It currently costs US$5 a month for unlimited access, and people can cancel whenever they like. You can download it on a mobile, so you can keep up your routine while travelling. There’s no excuse to miss a workout.

If people reach their goal they receive a congratulatory email. If they don’t, we send out emails to kick their asses! It’s to keep people engaged and encourage them to make it part of their lifestyle.

You don’t shy away from your past. How important is this to the brand and marketing?
We know we’ll get some criticism, and there may be some negative connotations, but we want to break down perceptions and stereotypes about prisoners and ex-cons. I want to use ConBody to provide a practical solution to the problem of rehabilitation for former prisoners, because it can be very difficult to get back on your feet and find a job.

We do make tongue-in-cheek reference to our backgrounds in the workouts, like telling people to run like they’re running away from the police!

It sounds like an edgy concept. Does it appeal mainly to young people?
No, it draws a very diverse crowd: both genders and all ages. My mum does it.

If an operator would like to run a ConBody class, how could they go about it?
Initially it will be via live streaming, but we’re currently looking at strategic partnerships in other countries for groups working with ex-cons, so they can be trained up to be instructors. It takes three months full-time to qualify.

What else are you working on?
For the next six to 12 months, the main focus will be on getting the online streaming up and running and on training more ConBody trainers.

We’ve also been approached by a television production company, so a TV programme could be on the cards. I’m also really busy as a motivational speaker, making a couple of talks each week to diverse audiences from prison guards to business students.