Fatherly’s Guide to Fitness

Fitness For Life

Even for the most dedicatedly athletic among us, the ones who never waver, who don’t have cheat days, who think nothing of sacrificing fun to get stronger or go faster, there comes a day where we just can’t improve our time or add more weights. Personal bests and competition are motivational — when you’re kid-free and fit. But when you don’t have the time or drive to be at your physical peak, what then?

It’s time to reframe the idea and purpose of fitness. It’s not a hellbent dedication to one routine or a set of metrics or to beating the competition. It’s about embracing maintenance and the mental game. Pushing yourself to take good care of yourself, to forget training punishingly hard and find your forever fitness instead.

To get you started, we have dozens of workouts to try, many of which can be knocked out quickly and at home, and we have hundreds of moves to perfect over time. We have what you need to physically maintain – but we also have tons of inspiration to help you move forward into the mental game, to guide that journey, from the purely physical, to the longer, more interesting game, from merely awesomely ripped to strong, resilient, and happy: forever fit.

Workouts

Dad Bod

The 15 Best Quick And Easy At-Home Workout Moves

Keep the sofa intact and the lamp from shattering with these space-efficient moves.

Dad Bod

The Ultimate At-Home Bodyweight Leg Workout

This 30-minute quad-burning festival can be yours without ever leaving your living room.

Dad bod

Burn 1,000 Calories In This No-Holds-Barred Workout

Can you make it through?

Dad Bod

The Best Damn Bodyweight Workout

Don't take our word for it — try out this 15-minute, 7-move workout, and your fitness routine will thank you.

Dad Bod

The Best Workout Routines For Busy Men

Whether your schedule allows for workouts once a week or every day, here’s how to make the most of your time.

Dad Bod

The Best 15-Minute Ab Workout For Men

Get a midsection to be proud of in just 15 minutes, three days a week.

“I want to surf better tomorrow. I want to surf better in 10 years. When I’m 50 I want to be a better surfer than I am now — for me it’s a lifelong journey.”

— Kelly Slater

Tracking
The Strava Strain

The hugely popular, addictive fitness app that turns every run into a race is great fun — until you get hurt.

by Emilia Benton
Ariela Basson/Fatherly; Strava, Getty Images, Shutterstock
Fit After 40
Finding My Forever Fitness

Personal bests and competition are motivational — when you’re kid-free and fit. At a certain point, it’s time to give up the fighting spirit. What then?

Ariela Basson/Fatherly; Getty Images, Shutterstock

“I don’t know why but the older you get, the busier you become.”

— Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

More Fitness Articles

Dad Bod

The Viral Fitness "Beep Test" Will Destroy Your Lungs And Legs

ByJarrod Nobbe

This running challenge doubles as a hardcore cardio workout.

Dad Bod

Got 15-Minutes To Spare? This Workout Will Kick Your A$$

ByJulia Savacool

You don’t need a ton of time to get an intense workout in — if you put every second to good use.

Dad Bod

Fartlek Training Makes Running Fun Again — And Way Harder

ByJulia Savacool

Want to raise your running game without soul-sucking repeats? We’ve got a plan for that.

Dad Bod

How To Motivate Yourself To Workout When You'd Rather Do Anything Else

ByJulia Savacool

These are the techniques professional trainers use to keep themselves — and their clients — consistent.

Dad Bod

This Pilates Circuit May Be The Hardest Bodyweight Workout You Ever Do

ByJulia Savacool

A brutally efficient form of exercise, Pilates trumps weights any day when it comes to building a strong core.

Dad Bod

These 20-Min EMOM Workouts Will Push You To The Limit

ByJulia Savacool

Max out your heart rate and raise your fitness game with these every minute on the minute full body routines.

Dad Bod

This Pickleball Workout Will Give You The On-Court Advantage

ByDan Marzullo

Prevent injury and train the muscles you need to excel at pickleball with this workout.

Dad Bod

If You Can Pull Off This Workout Move, You’re In Damn Fine Shape

ByJarrod Nobbe

And if you can’t, we’ve got your back.

Dad Bod

The Deck Of Cards Workout Will Push You To The Limit

ByJarrod Nobbe

And the equipment-free workout can be done pretty much anywhere.

Dad Bod

This Potent Bodyweight Workout Hits Your Most Overlooked Group Of Muscles

ByDan Marzullo

You don't need weights or Olympic lifting to build power and strength.