Coss Marte, a reformed convict and autodidact, is helping inmates reintegrate back into society through his prison-style gym, ConBody.

The training studio is designed to mimic inmate workouts where people do 23-minute boot-camp sessions in a sparsely outfitted room complete with a barbed-wire backdrop. An ode to his past, Marte opened his gym on the same block he ran drugs from in New York City’s Flatiron District.

Marte came up with the concept after a drug bust landed him a four-year stint behind bars when he was 23. While locked up, doctors told him his cholesterol levels were too high and there was a good chance he could die within the next five years if he didn’t get his health in order.

He immediately returned to his nine-by-six cell and began doing whatever workouts he could do in his confined space, ultimately losing up to 70 pounds. He then helped 20 other inmates lose a combined 1,000 pounds in six months. And ConBody was born.

Once he was released from prison, Marte kept his goodwill going, employing former inmates as trainers, many of whom are simply looking for a second chance at life. According to the National Institute of Justice, 56 percent of released inmates end up back behind bars within their first year out of prison.

“ConBody is like the central haven for people coming home,” Marte said in an interview with AJ Plus. “They come here and they hang out. This is more than a job, it’s a family.”

To support or learn more about ConBody, visit here.