Brett asked me to make an article about strength training and how it relates to manliness. Great topic, because strength training is all about that. Here are 5 ways strength training will make you man up.

1. Confidence. The stronger you are, the more muscles you’ll have. The more muscles you have, the more calories you’ll burn. Strength training will build muscle while lowering your body fat. You’ll look and feel better.

What you achieve will inspire you in other areas of your life. Success breeds success. You’ll feel more confident about yourself and what you can do. And that’s the number one personality trait that defines men: confidence.

2. Testosterone. Strength training and weight lifting increases your testosterone levels. Increased testosterone means more muscles, a lower body fat and an increased libido. Testosterone is the Man hormone.

No need to buy fancy supplements to increase your testosterone levels. Just go to the gym and do a simple 3×30 mins/week routine like StrongLifts 5×5.

3. Responsibility. You want money: work. You want girls: approach them. You want to build muscle and lose fat: pay your dues at the gym. Strength training teaches you to be responsible for your own future.

4. Hobby. Smoking pot, drinking beer, playing video games, … Those can all be fun, but they’re not rewarding in the long-term. Get a real hobby. Lift weights, build muscle, lose the belly, get stronger.

5. Cave-man.

Exercise is substitute cave-man activity. – Mark Rippetoe.

Once you’re doing heavy sets of Squats and Deadlifts you’ll understand what Rippetoe means. Strength training will wake up something inside you. Something that in many people lies dormant: being a man.