The gym at Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia is through the metal detector, two heavy doors and down the hall.
There鈥檚 a basketball court like one you鈥檇 see at any high school, except there鈥檚 a corrections officer on guard near the three-point line.
Sixteen stationary bikes are set up in a half circle in the corner. On bike number two, Lakiesha Montgomery, 32, from Philadelphia, is pedaling聽fast and singing along to the Nicki Minaj鈥檚 song 鈥淔ly.鈥
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be able to keep up, I鈥檓 not the skinniest thing in the bunch,鈥 she says.
But she is keeping up.
In 2011, biking advocates from the nonprofit group persuaded prison administrators to let them bring in bikes to teach indoor cycling. Founder Kristin Gavin says before that she had mentored ex-offenders in the community.
鈥淥ver and over I had conversations with women who were saying, 鈥榃hile I was incarcerated, I put on 60 pounds, I put on 70 pounds,鈥 鈥 she says. Then she would ask them how long they were in prison and she says they鈥檇 typically respond, 鈥渟ix months.鈥
At Riverside, Montgomery spends time in the prison yard most days but doesn鈥檛 get much exercise there.
鈥淭he outside is not a real outside, it鈥檚 like a mini garage. They have a basketball court there, but I don鈥檛 play basketball. It鈥檚 a lot of people that come out so you don鈥檛 have room to really jog or walk. It鈥檚 like you sit out to just get some air,鈥 she says.
She has arm tattoos and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Her hair is braided back into cornrows. She also has high cholesterol.
Montgomery was charged with assault this year, among other charges, and has been in county jail for about six months.
Leahya Ellis and other spinning class participants use exercise as a way to shake away stress, anger and depression. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers for NPR)
鈥淔irst time, last time,鈥 she says. In the meantime, spin class is something to do.
鈥淜eep away frustration being locked up, it helps you get through,鈥 Montgomery says.
The Department of Justice surveyed the health of state and federal inmates in 2012 and found that women are more likely than men to be obese.
A study of prison health in Kentucky found greater weight gain for women compared to men. Women on average gained nearly 11 pounds, men only gained 2.5 pounds.
Gearing Up is working with researchers at Temple University to track the weight and body image of the women who spin at Riverside Correctional. The study was just eight weeks long and small, but they鈥檝e already found small improvements in resting and recovery heart rate鈥攖wo preliminary measures of heart health.
Instructor Erica Tibbetts uses a portable audio system to provide a soundtrack for the spinning class. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers for NPR)
Gavin says often the women come to class initially to stop gaining weight then later find other reasons to keep coming back.
鈥淚 can speak to myself, if I weren鈥檛 given the opportunity to be physically active, I鈥檇 probably go a little crazy. I probably wouldn鈥檛 be able to manage my emotions, my temper, my anger. I think anger management is a huge issue for a lot of women who are in prison; they are victims of trauma and abuse,鈥 Gavin says.
And, of course some of the women have hurt other people.
Exercise can be a way to release all sorts of emotions.
Erica Tibbetts from Gearing Up often leads the spin class.
Tibbetts is in bike shorts. Everyone else has on prison blues: long navy pants and a white t-shirt.
鈥淭he worst seems to be women don鈥檛 have good sports bras in here,鈥 she says.
No one has a water bottle and exercise shorts aren鈥檛 allowed. Tibbetts says the women come to class anyway and work with what they have.
Climb on a bike and there鈥檚 a sense of freedom, even if you鈥檙e not going anywhere.
At the beginning of class, one by one, the women call out their intention for the ride. The ritual is called 鈥渃learing.鈥
Christina wants to leave behind shakedowns. Jean wants to forget 鈥渃ough and squat.鈥
Sheik is leaving behind 鈥渨rongful mistakes.鈥
Others want to shake off the past, stress and depression.
In a 2010 survey, women at Riverside gained about 36 pounds in a year, on average. But after some changes at the facility, that weight gain dropped to 26 pounds when the medical team checked again in 2015.
Bruce Herdman, the prison鈥檚 chief of medical operations, says weight gain is a problem, but it鈥檚 not the most urgent health problem his team is managing.
鈥淭he chlamydia rate 鈥 6.6 percent on admission. We鈥檒l treat a thousand people for HIV. The hepatitis C rate here, largely because of intravenous drug use, is 13 percent. Then you have hypertension, diabetes, all the regular things,鈥 he says.
The prison pays Gearing Up to hold spin class three times a week. There鈥檚 also an occasional yoga class, but the big change affecting women鈥檚 weight was the food. The meals are certified heart healthy by a nutritionist. There鈥檚 a lot of it, but portion sizes are smaller now. Last year, the prison cut calories from nearly 2,900 a day to 2,500 for men and women.
That helped, but the facility-provided meals aren鈥檛 the only food around. Inmates also make do-it-yourself meals with food from the prison commissary. A favorite is called 鈥渃hi-chis.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 where you mix Ramen Noodles with cheese puffs. You put it in hot water, you put the meat inside, you can do honey mustard sauce or ranch on top, and you just put in a potato chip bag and you mix it up. It鈥檚 actually pretty good,鈥 explains Amanda Cortes.
Cortes has been in jail for five years and eating that way for most of that time. She鈥檚 facing several charges including involuntary manslaughter and is waiting for a court date. She says lots of women use food to cope with boredom and depression.
鈥淪ome people get two or three trays, so they get fat like that. They take whole loaves of bread to their room,鈥 Cortes says.
So Cortes cycles to keep the weight off, and on visiting day, her 10-year-old son noticed.
鈥淲hen he first seen me he was like: 鈥楳ommy you got skinny!鈥 So I was excited,鈥 she says, smiling.
During a year, going to three spin classes a week, Cortes dropped 90 pounds.
At the end of the Gearing Up class, just before the goodbyes and sweaty hugs, there鈥檚 one last ritual.
The women share what they鈥檝e brought back from the ride.
One women says she鈥檚 鈥渂ringing sexy back.鈥 She and everyone around the circle has a wish: 鈥淚鈥檓 Jean, and I鈥檓 bringing back my bikini. I鈥檓 Ruth, and I鈥檓 bringing back faith and confidence.鈥
This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, WHYY and Kaiser Health News.