Does anyone else feel like we’re living 21 Jump Street (the new one not the fantastic TV show I grew up with)???  Like everything we knew to be true is now false. What was once cool is now looked upon with disdain.

The Dad Bod is a sign of the times.

In 2013 women were attacking Maria Kang because she didn’t accept having kids as an excuse for not being fit.  Now we have women holding men with soft, flabby physiques in high-esteem, in part because it helps with their own self-esteem.  And the overwhelming majority of guys are more than happy to oblige because they now have a legit excuse to be a lazy lump of shit.   If you haven’t read the short article written by Mackenzie Pearson of Clemson where the dad bod phenomenon was first unveiled I suggest checking it out.  However everything you need to know about the dad bod can be summed up by this quote from the article:

The dad bod says, “I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.”

With all due respect to Ms. Pearson I have no problem with her taste in guys.  Even if his body closely resembles that of a slug.  What I’m disturbed by is the mentality attached to it.

It seems that raising one’s standards has become so painful and exhaustive that we as a society have decided it’s just easier to lower standards across the board.

Why strive to be the best version of yourself when everyone else says it’s perfectly acceptable to be average or less?  It’s as though we’ve lost all sense of pride. I’ve always believed that you are either growing or dying.  You’re climbing or sliding. There is no maintaining because everything around you is moving fast-forward whether you like it or not.  But it seems there now is a way to avoid the climb.

Blow the top off the mountain!

Sorry, but I can’t except that. And I thank God that He has surrounded me with people who would never accept that mentality either. So for all the ridiculous dad bod photos floating around here is my rebuttal.  These are just a few of my dad friends and their fit dad bods…

Top natural bodybuilders Shevon Cunningham (DFAC World Champion) and Wil Usher with their boys.

 Master’s Pro Natural Bodybuilder Eugene Ring with son and grandson.

 Dave Wilson, C-level business executive and dad who has more excuses than most to be out of shape but n

 
Bodybuilding coach and Powerlifter John Gorman hitting the gym with this boys.

The dynamic natural bodybuilding father and son duo of Shawn Wolfe and Sean Coleman.

 Italian Natural Bodybuilding Champion and my good friend Francesco Paleari.

 
Yours truly with my 11 month old son.

 
Natural bodybuilding pro Vic Cuzzupe and his baby girl.  

I realize not every man aspires to look like or be a natural bodybuilder and that’s all well and good.  I am not implying that every man should.  We all live under a different set of circumstances and priorities.  But the glorification of the dad bod all over the internet is nothing more than a race to the bottom.

What’s next?  Will being broke and jobless be the new “cool” in 2016?

I applaud all the guys out there who refuse to accept the new dad bod standard and who train their ass off to be healthy and fit for their family. It’s the example they are setting for kids, not their physique, that is a testament of their character. Take a bow fit dads!