Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
There is no strength like dad strength. It is quiet, patient, and persistent. Some would say stubborn, dammit. Dad strength rarely makes the highlight reel. It exists in the in-between spaces....The times when nobody—except maybe your kid—is watching.
The Dad Strength Podcast was created to support and encourage the best in dads like you. Authors, entrepreneurs, artists, and experts from all over share their wisdom with us. We discuss 360º health, doing work that matters, and—of course—fatherhood. These conversations are fun, informative, and always emphasize action and understanding.
The Dad Strength Podcast is hosted by Geoff Girvitz. Geoff is a father, fitness expert, and curious fellow. Based in Toronto, he has been featured in Vice, GQ, and multiple exercise publications. He is known for innovation and real-world success in the fitness industry. Now, Geoff is pointing a wide-angle lens at health and parenthood. Workouts and nutrition are just part of the program. He will be looking at relationships, critical thinking, motivation, and discipline. In short, anything you need to earn the mug that says “*World’s Greatest Dad.”*
“I want to be Mr. Rogers for men over 30,” says Geoff. “There is so much noise and confusion out there.” We *all* need a community devoted to the best we have inside of us. The Dad Strength Podcast is here to make the world a better place through our roles as fathers and as men.
Welcome to Dad Strength, helping you earn the mug that says world's greatest dad. My name is Jeff Gervitz. I am your host. I am a dad, of course. And today, I am thinking about the perils of Roblox, 4 exercises to build athleticism, why you can't be on all day, and as always, a book, a quote, and a dad joke.
Geoff Girvitz:Let's get into it. Alright. The perils of Roblox. Let's begin with a story I read online. A parent shared this one.
Geoff Girvitz:She said that her 8 year old had been chatting with a Roblox friend and mentioned this to his mom. He said that the kid was also 8 and had been asking all kinds of questions about his life. His mom put the kibosh on things in that moment. No 8 year old, she said, is deeply curious about another person's life. You've been speaking with an adult.
Geoff Girvitz:Now the reports, which is from the Hindenburg Research Institute, which tells you a little something about it. It was about Roblox, and it dropped maybe a week ago. And this got me thinking about risk. Kids on open platforms, and and Roblox, to be clear, is not a video game per se. It is a platform where people can create their own games.
Geoff Girvitz:And as you might imagine, create their own games. And as you might imagine, quality varies and who comes on the platform varies as well. So it isn't just about unsavory characters. There are also more subtle problems like in game currency and pockets of extremism. Now I don't know, but I do seriously doubt that there is a way to make a massive platform like Roblox completely safe, especially when there's a tension between user safety and shareholder value as there is here.
Geoff Girvitz:Many parents agree, and they keep their kids off altogether in spite of plenty of upsides. Others argue that monitoring a kid's online life is the parent's responsibility. Full stop. An argument can certainly be made for media training your kids in steps through platforms like this, but the harsh reality is that the kind of monitoring and vigilance required to make Roblox work is a luxury. Parents are hustling pretty hard right now, and they don't all have the time.
Geoff Girvitz:So make the choices that work for you and your family. Alright. Let's talk about 4 exercises to build athleticism. You can't train like a robot and then expect to move like a panther. Making things athletic begins with exercise choices that emphasize stability, strength, and total body coordination.
Geoff Girvitz:I wrote a piece for Ask Men. It is hot off the presses, and it includes details on the following exercises, rear elevated split squats, aka Bulgarian split squats, Viking push press, sprints, and loaded push ups. And the link is in the newsletter. Give it a read, and you can get all sorts of details from some amazing experts, folks who work with high performers and professional athletes. Alright.
Geoff Girvitz:On mindfulness, You can't be on all day. The higher you need to rev cognitively, the more important that negative space becomes. Quiet, a lack of inputs. This isn't about hustle. It is about the constraints of attention and learning, and it is ultimately about taking good care of your brain.
Geoff Girvitz:Coming up on the next dad's strength call, which is Tuesday at 3 PM. How to design your environment for health. If you wanna check things out, you can go to dadstrength.com/calls. Here's a quote, and this is from Maria Popova, and she writes the excellent newsletter, The Marginalian. She says, you are the only custodian of your own integrity, and the assumptions made by those who misunderstand who you are and what you stand for reveal a great deal about them and absolutely nothing about you.
Geoff Girvitz:Alright. Let's get into the dad joke. You know I love to have my son read these, but I am traveling today, which, by the way, if you hear a difference in audio quality, that is why I'm not on my usual setup. Here is a joke. The kid says, I'm gonna see a play by Shakespeare tomorrow.
Geoff Girvitz:The dad asks which one? The kid says, William. Alright. That is it for this week's edition of dad's strength. Thanks for hanging out with me.
Geoff Girvitz:Title music is by Daniel Ross. Additional music is by Mike Ford. We'll see you again next week. Until then, take care of yourself, man.