Highway to the Safety Zone

• Fatherhood: Highway to the safety zone

• Fitness: The Lugash Circuit

• Focus: The language of action

• A book, a quote, a dad joke

Fatherhood

On our most recent Dad Strength call, we started off by discussing our own risk tolerances for our kids. This could be anything from being alone in the house to playing with (literal) fire. Obviously, ages and stages matter here. Nobody, of course, has the definitive answer because every family – and every kid – is so unique. Not to mention the contexts we live in. And I think that’s how we got into a broader discussion of communities.

Why does it now feel harder to build connections within our own communities? Is this simply a reduced risk tolerance for danger – or has their been an erosion in the skills we need for community-building and connection. If so, how can we start building them back? Our future may depend on it.

Fitness: The Lugash Circuit

Lugash is a fictional person but the circuit feels very real. It’s also one of the pillars of Dad Strength programming. Here, we string a series of strength-endurance exercises with low technical demands together. An example circuit might be:

• Sled push: 45 seconds

• Farmer’s carry: 45 seconds

• Bent-over row: 15 reps

• Downward dog to plank to push-up: 10 reps

• Sled push: 45 seconds

• 1-arm overhead carry: 45 seconds/side

• Dumbbell swing to cheat curl: 20 reps

• Bear crawl: 45 seconds

— Repeat 3-4 times —

Here’s an example

The aspiration is to maintain an elevated heart rate (120-140 BPM) for 20-30 minutes at a stretch. Not only does this let you use strength-oriented exercises for aerobic health, it builds your capacity for greater optionality in the future. Please note that if you’re holding your breath or your eyes are popping out of your head, you need to dial down the resistance.

I’ll be helping you build out custom programming for exercise and big picture health in my upcoming Dad Strength 360 program. Hit reply and drop a 360 if you want details.

Dad Strength mini-course

I’ve put together a resource on the concepts behind a successful long-term exercise practice.

It’s free — and you can get it right now.

Focus: The language of action

Building habits that lead to action begin with clarity. It’s not just enough to know what you want to do. You need to know the details of action. The times, places, tools, people, and contexts involved. So, knowing what you want to do is key – but now what? What’s the next step you can take toward translating it into the language of action?

What I'm reading/listening to

The Body by Bill Bryson

When the Clock Broke by John Ganz

Check out our book list

Submit your own recommendations here

Quote

“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”

― Greg McKeown, Essentialism

Dad joke

What’s a crow’s favourite drink?

Caw-fee