As men, even though our athletes are getting stronger, faster, jump higher, and are getting better, guys like you and me are losing ground on what they can physically do.

A lot of guys don’t know how to change a tire, throw a baseball, or even run. (Read This: 20 Things Every Man Must be Able to Do)

They don’t know how to grill a perfect steak for Pete’s sake!

We’re losing our physical abilities, and that’s detrimental for us as men.

See, most of the world was created by men who had the desire birthed within them to see the world become greater.

We built roads connecting different countries and cultures.

Our exploration allowed us to sail the high seas to find new trade routes.

With our families, we settled North America with not much more than our horses and chuckwagons.

All of these men were required to be strong, independent and physically capable.

Being a physically capable man is slowly slipping through our fingers.

And as red blooded males, with testosterone fueled through our veins, we need to be physically capable.

The level of physical capability is variable for everyone, but we need to have solid physical ability.

WHY WE NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY CAPABLE.

Physically capable men are not just strong – although that is a big part of it – they are able to do very physical tasks, but also know how to do things that require them to be physical.

Like listed above, throwing a football or changing a tire.

Being physically capable allows you to:

• Be your wife’s hero for taking all the groceries in… Even when you have to park your car a block away from your house.
• You’re strong enough to handle everyday tasks. You don’t get tired out just from going up one flight of stairs, or walking a few blocks with your dog.
• If you’re physically capable, it means that if you ever lose the job you currently have, you can create a job for yourself when that happens. You could learn how to landscape, build homes, or do construction if you’re physically capable.

BUT ALL OF THIS IS PALES IN COMPARISON TO THIS REASON.

As men, we connect by doing something PHYSICAL together. We connect even more when we DO SOMETHING GREAT TOGETHER.

It’s not something that is talked about often, but men need friendship too.

Sure, it’s cool when guys go out for coffee. But in relationships that have grown with other men, it’s always been best when we do something together.

Look at the way you interacted with your dad or your friends in grade school. What did you do?

You played soccer, threw a football, or hopefully learned how to change the oil in your car.

And as we grow up, we lose out on the interaction as men.

A lot of male interaction happens when we are physically active. Which means if you want to make great guy friends, time to learn how to do something.

We may not have to build entire cities any more, or settle the wild west, but the need for connection among brothers is essential.

Knowing you should be in better shape is good start, but how do you become physically fit? And how do you become fit so you can connect with men?

• Learn physical skills. Becoming physically fit is not just about becoming the strongest guy in the gym. It’s about becoming reliable. Whether it’s your kids, your wife, girlfriend, people at your church.Become physically capable by learning how to shoot a rifle, how to play guitar, learn how to box. Learn how to play basketball.
  You’re never too old to learn something new. Get out there and make it happen.
• GET STRONGER. Becoming able to do a bodyweight push-up, a full depth squat or a pull-up are a few things that are becoming harder and harder to see.If you have the strength to do a full body push-up, mobility and strength to do a full depth squat, or the leanness and strength to do a pull-up will make you ready for most strength related endeavor you need to do.
• Learn from a mentor or a coach. You could do this on your own, but there’s a few things that might happen: You’re going to lose interest, you’re not going to progress as fast as you could, or worst of all, you’re going to get hurt.Getting a coach for any skill you’re trying to learn will help you decrease the learning time, and increase the enjoyment time.
• Become a healthy level of leanness. You don’t need to be so shredded your abs look like they’re going to pop out of your skin.Get healthy so that your family won’t have to worry about if you will be keeled over looking for your breath going for a minor hike.

Getting fit can reveal your chiseled abs, or help you deadlift 500 lbs.

But really that stuff doesn’t matter.

Getting physically fit will allow you to connect with your dad, create long lasting friendships with the workout partners who allowed you to see you hit that 500lb deadlift. It creates opportunity to connect far beyond what coffee will.

And that’s why we as men need to get physically fit.

About The Author

Linden Ellefson is a Personal Trainer from Calgary, AB Canada. He went from a skinny, chronically injured marathon runner to a healthy, strength focused trainer.

You can contact him at –