Excellent piece. There is one thing that popped into my mind, I think an issue that the right needs to identify and correct. I'm a lifelong Californian who now lives in the South, and for all the mess in CA, the middle and upper class libs are fit, healthy, and attractive. Driving through the country, the conservative areas are filled with landwales and dudes that haven't seen their own junk due to gut protrusion for years. We have a responsibility to educate the peasants.
You are entirely correct. Class and fitness correlate strongly. They feed us crap and steal our time with trifles. We need to create a working class ethic of fitness that begins with educating the young.
OMG what would they say today? 40 years of video games, ...now META, and then cutting off the junk is now praised to elementary children, as if genitals can be changed like hair color and grow back :(
Whenever I don't want to workout, I just remind myself: Plato was an Olympic-level wrestler, and I have to prepare to beat him in the afterlife somehow! (Weird strategy, but it works.)
I actually went to my Greek dictionary to try to find a word that meant “shredded;” I was unsuccessful. There is a PhD dissertation waiting out there for someone who can research the Ancient Greek vocabulary for physique and come up with gym-bro translations.
It’s certainly possible. There’s a whole essay one could write on the physical, experiential aspects of Plato’s philosophy. He and his students were athletes and warriors, and I don’t think it’s possible to really get him (not that I’m an expert) unless you push yourself bodily as well as mentally.
It's incredibly depressing to contrast the natty origins of philosophy with the absolute state of modern philosophy departments. Then again, this is in many ways an opportunity.
This was excellent! I'm personally not anywhere close to gold or navy shorts level fitness (though I'm definitely not white shorts either, more like somewhere in the middle), but I know that when I exercise my body, my mind and mood also work much, much better.
As has been frequently quoted on Substack, from Thucydides, “The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” The part about thinking being done by cowards is very, very true. In part, because in order to be effective, warrior training must be purged of feminized bullshit (as our increasingly antiwhite and anti-male military leaders will learn the hard way during the next kinetic conflict), but also because the physical training clarifies and invigorates one's thinking. As obstacles are overcome and confidence is built, one's thoughts shift from avoiding pain and unpleasantness to figuring out how to push through it and seize the opportunities that lay on the other side of difficulty.
Great essay! Very pertinent and timely! And juat the reminder I needed to get off my lazy ass today!
I guess I am going to be the dissenting voice here and say all this shirtless body building dude stuff strikes me as pretty gay.
I do believe in having practical strength and walk a mile a day, every day with my dog. But this is just healthy and not narcissistic body builder stuff, shrug. Practical strength does lead to a longer life, and could be useful in a survival situation, whereas from what I can see gym based body building is artificial, can lead to being muscle bound, and more about looking in the mirror than practical healthy endurance.
Fire away with slings and arrows, I don't give any fucks.
People have strong feelings about the subject. There are many ways to be fit, and to express oneself physically. Bodybuilding is about aesthetics; strongman and powerlifting pure applied strength; Olympic lifting technical excellence, etc. For my part, I like the idea of functional fitness (can of worms in that definition), where the idea is to be able to live more of the life you’re living. I hit heavy weights, but mostly used clubs, maces, kettlebells, bands, and sandbags. You might enjoy the Bioneer on YouTube. I like his saying, if you’re moving, you’re improving.https://youtu.be/Gozf2HwVTag
Obviously, I am very late to this thread/article. Found my way here reading the Librarian’s “Inside Notes on Education” today.
I think what’s key about any successful fitness program—whether bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, calisthenics— is that in addition to the physical and aesthetic benefits, it makes one tougher mentally, pushes one beyond limits previously thought unattainable, rewards hard work and creates a disciplined mindset that carries over into all facets of life.
I am a baby boomer, and my Catholic school, K-8, adopted JFK’s fitness program. Our PE teacher was a classmate’s mom whose only qualifications were how to blow a whistle and scream louder than a class of rowdy boys. The president’s fitness program for elementary schools, as it was presented to us, was a list of goals:
X number of push-ups
X number of pull-ups
Climb and descend on a peg board
Climb and descend a 20’ rope
Complete a shuttle run
Gym class started with a test each day on the five exercises. Needless to say, it was a humiliating experience for the kids who were chubby with little muscle tone and the kids like me who were skinny with gangly arms and legs and no muscle tone. We were ten years old! After the testing was done, we played basketball, which I loved because it played to my strengths.
Hopefully, with all the knowledge that has been gained in exercise physiology since I was in grade school, fitness programs can be designed not just for the mesomorphs (square and muscular) who excelled at the president’s exercises, but also for the endomorphs (rounder, softer with wide hips) and the ectomorphs like me (tall, slim with low muscle mass).
Great thoughts here, dear Librarian. I go through cycles of wanting to be absolutely yolked and not caring. This just might catalyze in me a season of Pursuit of The Swole.
Excellent piece. There is one thing that popped into my mind, I think an issue that the right needs to identify and correct. I'm a lifelong Californian who now lives in the South, and for all the mess in CA, the middle and upper class libs are fit, healthy, and attractive. Driving through the country, the conservative areas are filled with landwales and dudes that haven't seen their own junk due to gut protrusion for years. We have a responsibility to educate the peasants.
You are entirely correct. Class and fitness correlate strongly. They feed us crap and steal our time with trifles. We need to create a working class ethic of fitness that begins with educating the young.
Yes, Chuck Sipes.
OMG what would they say today? 40 years of video games, ...now META, and then cutting off the junk is now praised to elementary children, as if genitals can be changed like hair color and grow back :(
Just a cheery shot at dispersing the grim clouds 😊 --> img.ifunny.co/images/2af074dfca1946044071063b6d81bffbf7969cd963bd93d439aaf425065407fa_1.webp
Love the Marx Brothers! (And hate Fakebook/Meta!)
That was legit funny.
Whenever I don't want to workout, I just remind myself: Plato was an Olympic-level wrestler, and I have to prepare to beat him in the afterlife somehow! (Weird strategy, but it works.)
His real name was Aristocles (meaning something like “noble glory”); Plato was his nickname (meaning “broad” i.e. jacked).
I like to imagine someone took one look at him and said something along the lines of, "I dub thee SHREDDED".
I actually went to my Greek dictionary to try to find a word that meant “shredded;” I was unsuccessful. There is a PhD dissertation waiting out there for someone who can research the Ancient Greek vocabulary for physique and come up with gym-bro translations.
I have read - I do not know if this is true, the Internet is known to lie - that Plato was known to sometimes settle debates by flexing.
It’s certainly possible. There’s a whole essay one could write on the physical, experiential aspects of Plato’s philosophy. He and his students were athletes and warriors, and I don’t think it’s possible to really get him (not that I’m an expert) unless you push yourself bodily as well as mentally.
It's incredibly depressing to contrast the natty origins of philosophy with the absolute state of modern philosophy departments. Then again, this is in many ways an opportunity.
I agree. It starts in the schools- private, co-op, homeschool. The future belongs to those who show up for it.
Home schooling likely literally saved my life.
This was excellent! I'm personally not anywhere close to gold or navy shorts level fitness (though I'm definitely not white shorts either, more like somewhere in the middle), but I know that when I exercise my body, my mind and mood also work much, much better.
As has been frequently quoted on Substack, from Thucydides, “The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” The part about thinking being done by cowards is very, very true. In part, because in order to be effective, warrior training must be purged of feminized bullshit (as our increasingly antiwhite and anti-male military leaders will learn the hard way during the next kinetic conflict), but also because the physical training clarifies and invigorates one's thinking. As obstacles are overcome and confidence is built, one's thoughts shift from avoiding pain and unpleasantness to figuring out how to push through it and seize the opportunities that lay on the other side of difficulty.
Great essay! Very pertinent and timely! And juat the reminder I needed to get off my lazy ass today!
Thank you so much. I hope you continue to progress in your level of fitness, and I hope to as well.
I guess I am going to be the dissenting voice here and say all this shirtless body building dude stuff strikes me as pretty gay.
I do believe in having practical strength and walk a mile a day, every day with my dog. But this is just healthy and not narcissistic body builder stuff, shrug. Practical strength does lead to a longer life, and could be useful in a survival situation, whereas from what I can see gym based body building is artificial, can lead to being muscle bound, and more about looking in the mirror than practical healthy endurance.
Fire away with slings and arrows, I don't give any fucks.
People have strong feelings about the subject. There are many ways to be fit, and to express oneself physically. Bodybuilding is about aesthetics; strongman and powerlifting pure applied strength; Olympic lifting technical excellence, etc. For my part, I like the idea of functional fitness (can of worms in that definition), where the idea is to be able to live more of the life you’re living. I hit heavy weights, but mostly used clubs, maces, kettlebells, bands, and sandbags. You might enjoy the Bioneer on YouTube. I like his saying, if you’re moving, you’re improving.https://youtu.be/Gozf2HwVTag
His Batman training videos are awesome.
A reasonable response, I was expecting something more fiery, lol!
Fire is for enemies. Plus, I wouldn’t want to miss a chance to share the Bioneer’s work.
Obviously, I am very late to this thread/article. Found my way here reading the Librarian’s “Inside Notes on Education” today.
I think what’s key about any successful fitness program—whether bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, calisthenics— is that in addition to the physical and aesthetic benefits, it makes one tougher mentally, pushes one beyond limits previously thought unattainable, rewards hard work and creates a disciplined mindset that carries over into all facets of life.
I am a baby boomer, and my Catholic school, K-8, adopted JFK’s fitness program. Our PE teacher was a classmate’s mom whose only qualifications were how to blow a whistle and scream louder than a class of rowdy boys. The president’s fitness program for elementary schools, as it was presented to us, was a list of goals:
X number of push-ups
X number of pull-ups
Climb and descend on a peg board
Climb and descend a 20’ rope
Complete a shuttle run
Gym class started with a test each day on the five exercises. Needless to say, it was a humiliating experience for the kids who were chubby with little muscle tone and the kids like me who were skinny with gangly arms and legs and no muscle tone. We were ten years old! After the testing was done, we played basketball, which I loved because it played to my strengths.
Hopefully, with all the knowledge that has been gained in exercise physiology since I was in grade school, fitness programs can be designed not just for the mesomorphs (square and muscular) who excelled at the president’s exercises, but also for the endomorphs (rounder, softer with wide hips) and the ectomorphs like me (tall, slim with low muscle mass).
The sooner, the better.
“Pictured above- Two immigrant bricklayers”
That about killed me.
Great thoughts here, dear Librarian. I go through cycles of wanting to be absolutely yolked and not caring. This just might catalyze in me a season of Pursuit of The Swole.
More power to you. No one has ever said, “man I wish I hadn’t gotten in shape.”