Some prison guards say weightlifting by inmates makes them more dangerous and should be banned.
Inmates say the exercise relieves tension.
In the past two years, Carlo P. Belloli has gotten into perhaps the best shape of his life. Lifting weights two hours a day has added 30 pounds of muscle to his broad 6-foot frame. After a vigorous workout Friday, his barrel chest bulged inside his damp sweatshirt. Belloli doesn't pay a dime to use the equipment, but few fitness enthusiasts would envy him. He works out in a small, windowless gym hemmed in by fences topped with razor wire at the maximum-security unit of the state prison.