Weekly Workout, Teen Drivers & Dad Hugs

3 Things I'm Loving, Reading, Watching or Doing

Good Perspective

‘Funny and good at hugging’ — what kids want today’s Dad to be

According to this article, kids today want their dads to be funny, affectionate, and fully present. They value laughter, physical connection (like hugs), and knowing their dad is genuinely paying attention. It’s not about being perfect but rather emotionally available and engaged. That said, I think a well-timed dad joke, a couch suplex, a clutch grill game and a tight spiral still hold up.

Sign of the Apocalypse?!

Klarna for DoorDash

You can now finance your DoorDash order. Yes, Klarna is offering “eat now, pay later.” WTH. Let us bow our heads and pray that our kids never be so financially illiterate (or desperate) that they take out a loan for takeout food. Amen.

Dad Win

Second teen gets driver’s license

Dad’s Driving School is now two for two! A point of weird pride for me is teaching my kids to drive and pass the driver’s test without using a driving school. Here in Georgia, as long as we attest to having at least 40 hours supervised hours behind the wheel (and virtual classroom hours), you can take the exam without traditional driver’s ed. Now #3 has his learner’s permit, and we’ve moved on to the next challenge: learning to drive only using our 12-passenger Nissan NV. Our goal is for him to take the test in this beast. He’d be an instant legend. Stay tuned.

2 Quotes Worth Pondering

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

— James Baldwin

“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”

— Warren Buffett

1 Big Dad Idea

A Simple Weekly Workout Plan

After 20 years running a gym, I've worked with just about every type of client. While some chase elite performance, most of our members fall into the middle 80% — regular moms and dads in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who want to move better, feel better, and look good with their shirt off. If that's you, here's a simple framework to structure your weekly workouts around general health, strength, and longevity.

Four Guiding Principles

Consistency beats intensity. Training 3x/week for a year crushes going nuts for two months and then dropping off (looking at you, 75 Hard).

Discipline > motivation. Everybody loves the gym in the first week of January. By mid-February, not so much. Lean on discipline. Build the habit, then ride it without compromise.

Get 1% better. Small wins, stacked over time, are how transformation happens. Don't try to eat the elephant in one bite.

Embrace the “Minimum Effective Dose” concept. What’s the least amount of work needed to still move the needle?

Your Weekly Structure

Start with warm-up and movement prep. Skip, work on gait mechanics, explore movement patterns, try some ground play. Get a little bit sweaty and hit all of the joints.

Build strength around the major movement patterns: Push, Pull, Hinge, Squat, and Carry. For me, these show up each week in exercises like:

• Push - push-ups, dumbbell push press, med ball throws

• Pull - pull-ups, kettlebell row variations, sled pulls

• Hinge - kettlebell swings, deadlift variations

• Squat - rear-foot elevated split squats, single leg squats, box step-downs

• Carry - farmer's carries, suitcase carries

Mix your cardio:

• 1–2 short, high-intensity sessions (like 3 rounds of 20-second all-out fan bike sprints with 2–3 minutes rest)

• 1 longer Zone 2–3 cardio session (45–60 minutes of steady-state work — brisk walking, rucking, running, biking, or rowing)

Note: I'm also a fan of sprinting, but this requires prerequisite work if you haven't been doing it regularly. I consider it less cardio and more full-body capability work.

Walk daily. It clears your head, gets you outside, and does wonders for your heart, body, and brain. The more, the better.

Play. Remember to have fun. Use your fitness — kayaking, hiking, pickup basketball. Whatever brings you joy.

Note: I love adults still playing sports, but know that the chaos and unpredictability of sports opens us up to more injuries if we're not doing work to mitigate the risk. Think jumping mechanics, deceleration patterns, change of direction — foundational movement skills to keep you healthy. Your Achilles will thank you.

The Bottom Line

If you have more specific goals (gaining 10 lbs of muscle or hitting a 5K PR), you'll need to specialize more in that area. But for most parents we train, the above format works really well.

You don't need perfection. You need progress. And the best workout plan is the one you'll stick with — even when life gets chaotic.