I think it’s safe to say that man (as in mankind) was meant to move and exist in the physical world. While many like to denigrate the physical form as low I don’t think this is the right view. While there is certainly those that look at the physical form above all else, this doesn’t mean that it is low in and of itself. The physical form was created and given to man for a reason. We were meant to run, fight, sweat, and breath the good air around us.
When we get divorced from this physical movement and energy we get divorced from a part of ourselves. I don’t necessarily mean we all have to be able to lift great weights or be able to knock out a man with one punch or any of that. Simply that we must be physical in our lives to live complete and whole ones. A stroll through nature could do more for this than many other things.
We were meant to sweat, to feel the elements, to feel the coldness of a fresh stream, to bake in the heat of the sun, to taste the salt of the ocean, to see the lush greenness, the stark whiteness, and the many other colors surrounding us. In our modern world it’s no secret that we are often divorced from nature and physical movement and often the only place that one can find any re connection with anything is the gym, which I want to talk about.
The Use & Abuses Of Weight Training
I enjoy weight training and I think there is much good in it. I was a personal trainer for awhile and I think learning how the body works and responds to the weight is something that everyone should have a decent grasp of. I think that the gym can be a great place. A place where boys can help sharpen themselves into men, where a male can become more masculine, and where good things (not just limited to muscle) can be forged. Overall I am a huge fan of the gym and weight training.
However unforutnately for many the gym has become a place that’s mirrors the cultural rot around it. From Planet Fitness to the steroid made “natural” YouTubers to the Instagram uh “models” there is certainly a dark side to the gym and it can become a place where one devolved instead of evolves if one gets caught up in the culture of it. I haven’t worked out in a gym for a very long time and do very little weight training any more (mostly dips, pullups, sprints, and some squats and deadlifts maybe some complexes here and there) partly because of the devolution of it and also because I find more fulfillment in fighting.
The weights aren’t holy, they are a tool. A tool that can lead to much development and be a great form of physical expression. So long as one does not get caught up in the myriad of toxic cultures that often surround the weights and the gym these days. That’s not to say other forms of physical activities don’t have their negative expressions, they certainly do. It’s just that the gym is the one that I am most familiar with.
Physical Expression Is The Goal
I’d also say that it’s not so much about lifting weights and getting big as it is physical expression, at least as far as masculinity is concerned. It could be doing simple work like chopping logs, building with your hands, and the like. It could be doing something like hikes through nature, or even something like gymnastics. Something that gets you to express yourself physically. That gets your body moving and working. Gets some sweat going and gives you something to work at and improve upon. Could be certain forms of hunting and certain forms of fishing.
Again it’s not necessarily about getting all big and such, it’s about expressing yourself physically, in whatever way is most natural and fitting for you. Like I said before for me it was the gym and lifting weights, both powerlifting and bodybuilding where what I enjoyed. Before that it was playing football. Now it’s different. Who knows what it might be for you. Seek out something that you have an interest in and try it.
The list is endless. It might involve nature, it might not. It might involved the production of big muscles or it might not. It might be high exertion or it might not. It could be a more leisurely thing or it could be a more intense thing. Maybe you like to kayak down a river or maybe you like to go spelunking. I don’t know, it’s your thing. But get out there and try something. If you’re not expressing yourself physically you’re missing out on something.
Everyone’s Different
I know for me, right now, it’s boxing/MMA/BJJ. That’s what animates me and what I enjoy doing. It gave me something that the gym just never could. I also love anything to do with nature from horseback riding, to diving, to hiking, and more. But it’s not about me, it’s about you and what’s going to work for you. So get out there and figure it out. Men needs physical expression (just like artistic expression to in my opinion). Do it and you’ll figure this out for yourself.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
