Women & Men in Society
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Dignifying the Man – VI
Exercise for Strength, Not Vanity
In order to subvert Christendom with more ease, the Revolution must always devise ways to distract men away from putting up a legitimate resistance. It studies the various psychologies and then supports dispersive activities to occupy men's time and efforts.
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For example, the Revolution promotes authors who push bad ideas to ensnare readers into accepting sinful principles. Almost a century ago, A Farewell to Arms was published and promoted as fine literature, which was an important step in removing the taboo of promiscuity.
Many virile men today are fully aware of this infiltration into literature, as well as television and movies, and discuss it with clarity.
However few men suspect that revolutionary forces are very present in the world of fitness.
One of the most popular activities promoted by any “masculine” organization, whether secular or religious, is working out. The reasoning is simple: Physical exercise is an excellent means of supporting a man’s vitality in order to keep him physically and mentally capable of helping himself and others.
The problems arise when this legitimate form of exercise encourages vanity and becomes an obsession.
More muscles, less strength
The Revolution began distracting men in the ‘80s by promoting action stars in Hollywood films. Actors and personalities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren and Hulk Hogan were raised up as icons to be admired and followed, hypnotizing millions of men into the dream of having big muscles. This led to a whole industry of fitness that promoted muscles over health and vitality.
Workouts shifted from functional movements that worked both the lungs and muscles to targeted exercises that focused on specific sections of the body. Men lined up for their turns on machines and free weights in order to pump their muscles to achieve results imitating their favorite stars.
The irony is that these men were often less physically fit than those who continued to perform the well-rounded exercises of the past.
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In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy started a fitness program that helped young men achieve incredible levels of fitness that maximized both cardiovascular endurance and physical strength. La Sierra High School in Carmichael, California became famous for its fitness program, and videos of these young men can still be viewed today showing their incredible feats of athleticism gained from functional movements.
One can find various examples online of men from diverse backgrounds – such as farmers, soldiers, rock-climbers etc – who out-perform body builders because they engage with more agility in functional movements that our bodies were meant to perform.
To defend body-building by claiming that it also builds strength ignores the simple fact that functional movements do far more to improve the natural strength needed for everyday life than body-building. Many “icons” of the ‘80s ended by suffering from enlarged hearts due to their disproportionate efforts.
Likewise, others reduce body fat artificially and suffer from lower bone density and hormonal imbalances. Anxiety, eating disorders and mental health issues have resulted from the pressure to maintain this unrealistic “ideal” body image. Clearly, there are signs that this type of fitness is not amenable to the human body or mind.
Body building leads to immodesty
When a man goes to the gym to develop bigger muscles and a more perfect body, he exposes himself to all kinds of sins of impurity, but especially immodesty in dress.
These workouts usually involve a man scrutinizing his body in the mirror to ensure his muscles are actually growing. Daily energy and time is spent staring at himself and critiquing his developing body. This continual obsession has an effect on his psyche that makes him desire to show others the fruits of his labor. A painter does not paint so that his artwork sits in an attic.
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So, the man purchases tighter t-shirts and will even don ridiculous short
shorts to show off his arms and legs. He frequents the beach to give himself
an excuse to go shirtless. When wearing a dress shirt, he must ensure he wears the tightest shirt possible without risk of ripping so that others can admire his muscles. Even dress suit pants in the last decades have become increasingly tight for this purpose. In the 20th century, the pants draped loosely; in the 21st century, they cling to the figure.
A man may protest and say, “I can be a body builder and also dress modestly.” One might say that this is like a man promising to drive under the speed limit after purchasing a Ferrari.
This promotion of the body is a perversion of the command of Our Lord who said: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:16) Instead of good works, sacrifice and fighting to defend the Faith, a body builder’s "light" becomes works of vanity and immodesty. Yes, he makes sacrifices of giving up certain foods and activities, but not for the glory of God, but rather for his own self-aggrandizement. It is shameful! He should offer such sacrifice to God, but in fact it is an offer that in one way or another is at the service of Satan.
We need virile men
The Divine Chastisement is coming; anyone who denies this is hiding in a cave.
When calamities such as floods, famines and disease destroy our towns, cities and regions, who will the people want to turn to? The body-builder who spent years obsessing over his body?
Men today should be virile and capable of handling the many challenges sure to come. Workouts should be functional and the aim of our efforts to maintain physical strength and stamina should be for Our Lady so we can be at her service when she calls on us. Medieval crusaders, for example, maintained rigorous exercise routines, often training for several hours daily. They focused on endurance and strength to stay battle-ready.
While men can certainly benefit more from functional workouts, using weights is also acceptable, so long as temperance is maintained. It is easy to become obsessive in the present-day workout world. Caution should be taken with excessively heavy lifts and the hypertrophy workouts – meant to build bigger muscles instead of to increase strength.
I encourage all men today to focus on two functional workouts that also use weights since these skills will surely be needed soon: carrying and rucking. Carrying is, of course, what everyone used to do, especially manual laborers; rucking is a form of exercise that involves walking with a weighted backpack that originated in military training but has gained popularity because of its effectiveness and simplicity.
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It is interesting to note that medieval knights, like the model French knight and military leader Jean le Maingre, would run a mile daily in full armor weighing over 40 pounds. The medieval warrior would utilize natural resistance exercises, such as lifting and carrying heavy stones; they were not thinking about their muscles and physique, but functional strength.
If our political-economic systems collapse, it is this kind of strength that will be useful for carrying basic necessities from one place to another. I encourage men to purchase weighted sandbags and start carrying them in various positions for extended periods. I also recommend walking with weights inside a backpack, working to increase distance and time. These workouts will develop the necessary muscles and endurance that will be useful when our routine life will be shockingly interrupted.
A word to the fathers reading this: Think of your family and what they will need from you. When your family is without food and water, will your bloated muscles and weak lungs help you to carry buckets of water from a nearby spring that Our Lady will surely provide you? It is this kind of strength that will be needed to build the cities and plant the gardens for the Reign of Mary.
By performing these exercises and offering the sacrifices of the laborious efforts to Our Lady, a man can turn his fitness program into a prayer and a promise: He prays to please Our Lady in his efforts and promises to be ready for her call. He gives the example of courage and seriousness to his children, who see his focus is not himself but to serve and protect the family and the Catholic Cause.
A man who is a true slave of Our Lady, makes all of his decisions in function of service to her. How can she ignore a man who, with clarity and zeal, offers her everything? She will provide her son with the graces to have the strength and confidence necessary to be a man to turn to and rely on when God’s chastisement comes for us all.
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To be continued
Hulk Hogan, a pop culture icon in 1980s
who fired the bodybuilding craze
Many virile men today are fully aware of this infiltration into literature, as well as television and movies, and discuss it with clarity.
However few men suspect that revolutionary forces are very present in the world of fitness.
One of the most popular activities promoted by any “masculine” organization, whether secular or religious, is working out. The reasoning is simple: Physical exercise is an excellent means of supporting a man’s vitality in order to keep him physically and mentally capable of helping himself and others.
The problems arise when this legitimate form of exercise encourages vanity and becomes an obsession.
More muscles, less strength
The Revolution began distracting men in the ‘80s by promoting action stars in Hollywood films. Actors and personalities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren and Hulk Hogan were raised up as icons to be admired and followed, hypnotizing millions of men into the dream of having big muscles. This led to a whole industry of fitness that promoted muscles over health and vitality.
Workouts shifted from functional movements that worked both the lungs and muscles to targeted exercises that focused on specific sections of the body. Men lined up for their turns on machines and free weights in order to pump their muscles to achieve results imitating their favorite stars.
The irony is that these men were often less physically fit than those who continued to perform the well-rounded exercises of the past.
Joan Kennedy encourages young men in the exercise program introduced by the President
One can find various examples online of men from diverse backgrounds – such as farmers, soldiers, rock-climbers etc – who out-perform body builders because they engage with more agility in functional movements that our bodies were meant to perform.
To defend body-building by claiming that it also builds strength ignores the simple fact that functional movements do far more to improve the natural strength needed for everyday life than body-building. Many “icons” of the ‘80s ended by suffering from enlarged hearts due to their disproportionate efforts.
Likewise, others reduce body fat artificially and suffer from lower bone density and hormonal imbalances. Anxiety, eating disorders and mental health issues have resulted from the pressure to maintain this unrealistic “ideal” body image. Clearly, there are signs that this type of fitness is not amenable to the human body or mind.
Body building leads to immodesty
When a man goes to the gym to develop bigger muscles and a more perfect body, he exposes himself to all kinds of sins of impurity, but especially immodesty in dress.
These workouts usually involve a man scrutinizing his body in the mirror to ensure his muscles are actually growing. Daily energy and time is spent staring at himself and critiquing his developing body. This continual obsession has an effect on his psyche that makes him desire to show others the fruits of his labor. A painter does not paint so that his artwork sits in an attic.
A new model for men, more muscle but often with steroids & constant workouts
A man may protest and say, “I can be a body builder and also dress modestly.” One might say that this is like a man promising to drive under the speed limit after purchasing a Ferrari.
This promotion of the body is a perversion of the command of Our Lord who said: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:16) Instead of good works, sacrifice and fighting to defend the Faith, a body builder’s "light" becomes works of vanity and immodesty. Yes, he makes sacrifices of giving up certain foods and activities, but not for the glory of God, but rather for his own self-aggrandizement. It is shameful! He should offer such sacrifice to God, but in fact it is an offer that in one way or another is at the service of Satan.
We need virile men
The Divine Chastisement is coming; anyone who denies this is hiding in a cave.
When calamities such as floods, famines and disease destroy our towns, cities and regions, who will the people want to turn to? The body-builder who spent years obsessing over his body?
Men today should be virile and capable of handling the many challenges sure to come. Workouts should be functional and the aim of our efforts to maintain physical strength and stamina should be for Our Lady so we can be at her service when she calls on us. Medieval crusaders, for example, maintained rigorous exercise routines, often training for several hours daily. They focused on endurance and strength to stay battle-ready.
While men can certainly benefit more from functional workouts, using weights is also acceptable, so long as temperance is maintained. It is easy to become obsessive in the present-day workout world. Caution should be taken with excessively heavy lifts and the hypertrophy workouts – meant to build bigger muscles instead of to increase strength.
I encourage all men today to focus on two functional workouts that also use weights since these skills will surely be needed soon: carrying and rucking. Carrying is, of course, what everyone used to do, especially manual laborers; rucking is a form of exercise that involves walking with a weighted backpack that originated in military training but has gained popularity because of its effectiveness and simplicity.
Marshal of France and model knight Jean le Maingre ran in full armor for endurance & strength
If our political-economic systems collapse, it is this kind of strength that will be useful for carrying basic necessities from one place to another. I encourage men to purchase weighted sandbags and start carrying them in various positions for extended periods. I also recommend walking with weights inside a backpack, working to increase distance and time. These workouts will develop the necessary muscles and endurance that will be useful when our routine life will be shockingly interrupted.
A word to the fathers reading this: Think of your family and what they will need from you. When your family is without food and water, will your bloated muscles and weak lungs help you to carry buckets of water from a nearby spring that Our Lady will surely provide you? It is this kind of strength that will be needed to build the cities and plant the gardens for the Reign of Mary.
By performing these exercises and offering the sacrifices of the laborious efforts to Our Lady, a man can turn his fitness program into a prayer and a promise: He prays to please Our Lady in his efforts and promises to be ready for her call. He gives the example of courage and seriousness to his children, who see his focus is not himself but to serve and protect the family and the Catholic Cause.
A man who is a true slave of Our Lady, makes all of his decisions in function of service to her. How can she ignore a man who, with clarity and zeal, offers her everything? She will provide her son with the graces to have the strength and confidence necessary to be a man to turn to and rely on when God’s chastisement comes for us all.
Soldiers on a rucking drill
To be continued
Posted September 4, 2026
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