There was a time when being a strong man meant something. I remember it as a kid, growing up in the 80s. We all worshipped muscles and strength.

A Strong Dad walking around inspired us ALL. You could see a Strong man from a mile away when you were a kid. Then, as a teen going to local gyms, same thing - the men who were strong and looked strong were inspiring!

You didn't need a fitness influencer. You saw who was living it in the gym and out in the streets. You didn't need 47 different exercises. My high school weight room had barely any equipment but they had a championship football team and our athletics were strong and successful.

You didn't need a perfect training split, a fancy machine, or a $200 pair of shoes. 

Music? In my high school, I always heard Rocky IV soundtrack blasting when Coach Wojcik was running the weight room for Football.  

The unspoken rule was simple:

You lifted. You worked. 

Telling someone to work hard? No. This is what was expected.

In Diamond Gym, I remember picking up on that immediately. I saw some guys training with "wrong" technique but they were ALL working their a-- off!

Going back to my teens, growing up in Dynamic Fitness, this place was awesome. All free weights and basic equipment. Big, Strong Dudes everywhere.

I was told by the biggest and strongest guys how to train and simply watched them train. Some stories are shared inside IRON Journeys.....

You ate real food. I would see guys eating at the counter after training, always chicken and rice, steak and potatoes or steak and eggs. 

You got stronger by lifting heavier, being consistent and following through for YEARS, not a few haphazard months.

And.... you carried that strength into every other part of your life.

That's the epitome Dad STRONG.

As men get older, life gets busier;

Work.

Kids.

Marriage.

Bills.

Responsibilities.

And somewhere along the way, training gets pushed to the bottom of the list. This is where men begin to break not just physically, but most of all, mentally. 

They give up. They talk like the masses; "I just don't have the time...." - same excuse, for years and decades, I continue to hear this.

I understand being busy, and I understand the stress of LIFE. But, I don't give in and don't break. Training remains a priority. 

Why? Because if I am weak, I am a weak father and a weak husband. And, my kids can see it a mile away.

How can you inspire your family with excuses and lack of action? The answer is simple, you can NOT inspire them.

You must LEAD from the front.

Here's the problem:

Your responsibilities aren't an excuse to become weak.

A weak man is NOT a healthy man or a good man. The weaker you allow yourself to become, the worse you are as a father and husband.

Yes, we are ALL busy and we ALL are overwhelmed with responsibilities. This is still not an excuse. It is part of LIFE. 

In fact, all of your responsibilities are the reasons you need to stay strong and get stronger. Keep on improving. Never get worse, only better.... stronger.... 

You don't need to train for two hours. Not even an hour.

You don't need to train six days a week.

You need a simple system you can actually stick with. Most of my training sessions are around 45 minutes, but there are times when they last only 30 minutes. 

I prefer Monday - Friday in the mornings but the standard program I recommend for busy men is 3 x week training. This is how the greats of The Silver Era trained, 3 x week, full body workouts.

TRAIN TOTAL BODY

Why?

Because you can train hard 2 – 3 days per week and hit everything that matters. I prefer 3 x week as the standard, but many busy dads are training 2 x week and then walking on the other days, yes, walking. It works when YOU work.

Squat

Push

Pull

Hinge

Carry

Build your workouts around movements that make you stronger instead of wasting your time chasing a pump with baby weights or on useless machines that don't actually produce results. 

Tricep Pushdowns or Dips?

Dumbbell Curls or Chin Ups?

Leg Extensions or Squats?

The answer is always to choose the more challenging exercises.

Here are three simple examples of a 3 day split.

WORKOUT #1 — STRENGTH FOCUS

1A) Trap Bar Deadlift 4 x 4 

1B) Bench Press (4 x 4) or Dumbbell Bench 4 x 8

2A) Pull Ups or Rows 3 x 8

2B) Farmer Carries 3 x 150 ft 

That's it. Train hard. Don't turn it into a circus. Do the damn thing and leave,

If you can, do ALL 4 exercises as a circuit. This is doable in a home gym. At a commercial gym, stick to supersets.

WORKOUT #2 — MUSCLE + STRENGTH

1A) Front Squat (4 x 4) or Goblet Squat 4 x 8

1B) Overhead Press or KB Clean & Press 4 x 5

2A) Chin Ups 3 x 10 or Weighted 3 x 5

2B) Romanian Deadlift (RDL) 3 x 5

Finish with sled pushes, carries or a few hard conditioning intervals using calisthenics and jump rope. No sleds? Sprint on the treadmill on an incline. 

Get in, get out. Recover. LIVE.

Get back to work, get home and spend time with family. 

WORKOUT #3 — OLD SCHOOL

This is where I like to bring back some of the old school training that got so many men strong in the first place, inspired from The Golden Era.

1A) Barbell Pause Squat 4 x 4 (2 count pause)

1B) Jump Rope 4 x 100

2A) Incline Dumbbell Bench 3 x 8

2B) Barbell Row 3 x 8

3A) Kettlebell Swings 3 x 10

3B) Farmer Walks / Odd Object Carry (Sandbag, etc) 3 x 100 ft

3C) Dips 3 x 10 - 15

Simple.

Brutal.

Effective.

And, you don't need much equipment. 

EAT LIKE A MAN

This is where a lot of guys screw it up. They get too complicated and watch some juiced up 23 yr old telling you how to count calories.....

Those "influencers" have NO clue what it's like to be a busy Dad with work, family, kids at sports and 99 other responsibilities.

Most men train hard and eat pretty decent Monday through Friday...

Then, they spend the weekend eating like a teenager, eating sh-t food, processed takeout meals, and drinking excessively.

Remember; Weekends are for Winners. Eat Clean, Train Mean.

You don't need a complicated "diet". 

Start with the basics and stick to the basics, just like training. 

Eat protein at every meal.

Eggs.

Beef.

Chicken.

Fish.

Greek yogurt and Kefir.

Whatever quality protein source works for you.

Add fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

Eat carbohydrates around your training.

Drink plenty of water, always start your day with 2 glasses of water.

And stop eating garbage just because you're tired or bored. 

You don't need to starve yourself. You need to stop making excuses and stop blaming. Instead, take charge and take responsibility, you will be invigorated by your OWN discipline.

Build your meals around real food. Meal Prep on Sundays and Wednesdays, it's easy and you can get your kids to help for quality family time.

That's how Strong men have been eating for generations.

GET STRONGER.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is men confusing exhaustion with progress. I see this in college wrestling as well. ALL conditioning, no strength and muscle building. Yes, you must pump the heart, but that is done when walking, jogging, jumping rope, etc

In the weight room / gym, it's time for Strength and Muscle.

Don't waste time on  doing circuits with an empty bar and 20 lb dumbbells. Are you actually getting stronger? NO. Not with baby weights.

Stop jumping around with aimless exercises. Remember the saying, Do Not confuse activity with accomplishment.

Don't worry about doing doing 45 different exercises. Sometimes my own workouts are only 2 or 3 exercises. High quality, proper intensity and proper exercise selection.

Are you getting stronger and building muscle?

That's the REAL question.

Keep a training log if you like or get organized with Dad STRONG and follow our workouts. 

The Most Important reason Dads must be STRONG:

Your kids are watching.

They see how you treat your body.

They see whether you keep promises to yourself.

They see whether you quit when things get difficult.

They see whether you're willing to work.

You don't have to be a superhero.

You don't need six pack abs.

You don't need to be the strongest guy in the gym. Focus on being stronger than you were last week... last month.

You should be strong enough to live the life you've been given with energy, vigor, confidence and inspiring to be around.

Strong enough to play with your kids.

Strong enough to carry the groceries.

Strong enough to move furniture.

Strong enough (emotionally / mentally) to handle hard days (there will be many of these tough days).

Strong enough to be there for your family for decades to come.

That's what Dad STRONG means to me.

It's not about vanity.

It's not about Instagram or "more likes and views". Life would be better without Instagram.

It's about strength, health, discipline and being capable.

Because here's something I believe:

A weak man is NOT a healthy man.

Build your body.

Build your strength.

Build your character.

And become the kind of man your family can count on.

Train Mean.

Eat Clean.

Get Stronger.

Stay Dad STRONG. 

Join Dad STRONG - 7 days FREE HERE.

— Zach Even - Esh

Get Inspired and Learn the BEST Strength Lessons & Training Methods through Zach's IRON JOURNEYS BOOKS

IRON Journeys on Amazon - HERE