Heaven and Earth Squats

Today on Dad Strength

• Heaven and Earth Squats

• What’s the opposite of grindset mentality?

• Early talent identification in kids

• A book, a quote, a dad joke

Heaven and Earth Squats

Call me a wild man but I think it should be easy to turn and look over your shoulder. When you’re walking, biking, driving, whenever. Let’s call this tactical mobility because anything. becomes more manly when you put tactical in front of it. But it’s not just about situational awareness, it’s also about athleticism — and not looking older than your years. Hunched over posture and obvious effort when rotating around does not exactly scream youth.

Here are three cool things about Heaven and Earth Squats:

1. You lock down the lumbar spine by being in deep hip flexion (aka a deep squat). This helps you focus on the upper (thoracic and cervical) portions of spinal rotation

2. You create real force in this position, which helps you organize which muscles relax and which muscles contract

3. You breathe through this position, which further mobilizes the rib cage and helps your nervous system accommodate the position

Check it out here:

A thing I legitimately like:

Henson Razors

A well-made Canadian safety razor. I opted in for the free blades for life. I’m not 100% sure that this was the most economical choice but I also know that I won’t be spending any more money on razors in the next few decades, so I’ve got that going for me.

Note: I don’t have a referral or discount link. I’m just sharing this product because I’m happy with it.

What’s the opposite of grindset mentality?

There’s a cafe in Toronto that (I assume) came up with their name by riffing on hustle and flow. They’re called Rustle and Still and they’re pretty delightful. But I’m not just mentioning them because I love a good bánh mì but because it’s worth asking what the opposite of grindset is when it comes to work and life.

I do think you should be able to find success through sheer effort. That makes sense on an individual level. However, when you multiply that by all of society, this kind of lifestyle becomes mandatory for survival instead of an option for only the uniquely driven. If we’re hanging on by our fingernails, what kind of lifestyle are we setting our kids up for?

The cost of the grindset is that it smothers out all of the space for slow, creative reflection. For meandering. It involves way more firing with far less aiming. More importantly, I suspect that it maximizes short-term efficiency at the expense of long-term efficiency.

Is there a place in your life that would benefit from you slowing down instead of trying to get “more” done?

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Early talent identification in kids

“Wow. That kid’s gonna go pro.” Ever heard that one? Are we really effective at identifying future skill — especially in prepubescent kids? The answer is a resounding nope. Statistically speaking, we suck at it.

What are the pros of early talent identification programs? Well, if Olympic medals are an important muscle in your national propaganda arm, you’ll want to throw as many bodies as possible into early development. Anyone who survives the meat grinder has a shot. But what if you’re not a government hellbent on PR — but simply an engaged parent, the answer is different.

The costs of early specialization include burnout, the kinds of overuse injuries not traditionally seen in kids, and missing out on a greater diversity of physical experience.

What I’m reading/listening to:

God’s Gang: I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I was invited to a screening but this is pretty wholesome and inclusive. It’s Captain Planet meets… a multi-faith party. They’ve got writers with serious comedy bona fides and an interfaith council involved.

Physical activity in midlife and brain health: It’s worth remembering that metabolic health extends to your brain. This study shows how exercise in midlife may prevent Alzheimer’s

RFK goes full tinfoil hat

Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada: it’s a tome’s tome but

A quote

A dad joke

This isn’t a dad joke exactly but it kills in my house.
In China, when you’re walking somewhere, you tell people that you’re taking the #11 bus (each 1 is a leg).

Take care of yourself, man!

Geoff Girvitz
Father, founder, physical culturist
dadstrength.com

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