The Art of Manliness

• The Classical Code of Manhood

  What does it mean to be a man? It’s a timeless question that's been answered in different ways across the ages. For the ancient Romans, the word for manliness was virtus — the root of our word virtue. To be a man meant living a life of virtuous excellence.Waller Newell takes up that same definition in his book The Code of Man, first published twenty years ago and now released in a new edition. Today on the show, Waller, a professor of political science, argues that we need to recover an older vision of manhood rooted in the traditions of Western antiquity. He shares the five paths that, in his view, form the classical code of manliness and how they can continue to be lived out today.Resources Related to the PodcastWaller's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #104 — The Code of Man With Waller NewellAoM Article: What Is Manliness?AoM series on the origins and nature of manhoodAoM Podcast #1,028: The 5 Marks of a ManAoM Podcast #926: The 5 Shifts of ManhoodAoM Article: Got Thumos?AoM Article: What Is a Man? The Allegory of the ChariotAoM Podcast #871: Jane Austen for DudesSunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of LoveConnect With Waller NewellWaller's websiteWaller's faculty pageSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Why You Need the Good Stress of Socializing

  You may have heard of hormesis — the idea that intentionally embracing small stressors activates the body’s repair and defense systems, building resilience, improving how the body and even the microbiome function, and ultimately protecting against the harms of chronic stress.We typically think of these hormetic stressors in terms of things like exercising, taking ice baths, sitting in a sauna, and ingesting certain plant compounds. But you ought to consider adding socializing to that list.As my guest today explains, while we tend to avoid socializing as we do all stressors — even the good ones — it's something that can strengthen our health, resilience, immunity, and sense of meaning. Jeffrey Hall, professor of communication studies and co-author of The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us, joins me to discuss why relationships are harder to build in the modern world, how our adolescent approach to making friends needs to evolve, and why we must intentionally “exercise” our social muscles in a world where they'll otherwise atrophy.Resources Related to the PodcastJeffrey's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #772 — How Long Does It Take to Make Friends (And How Does That Process Work, Anyway)?AoM Article: 3 Things No One Ever Told You About Making Friends in AdulthoodAoM Article: The Importance of Developing and Maintaining Your Social FitnessAoM Podcast #863: Key Insights From the Longest Study on HappinessAoM Article: Love Is All You Need — Insights from the Longest Longitudinal Study on Men Ever ConductedConnect With Jeffrey HallKU’s Relationships and Technology LabJeffrey's faculty pageJeffrey on LinkedInJeffrey on IGSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Build Muscle Without the B.S. — A Straightforward Guide to Size and Strength

  Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a weight room or you’ve been lifting for years without seeing significant results, figuring out how to get big, strong, and jacked can feel overwhelming. There are endless programs, conflicting opinions, and a lot of noise about what actually works.Today on the show, Paul Horn offers a grounded, field-tested take on what really helps average guys get stronger and more muscular — without burning out. Paul is a strength coach and the author of Radically Simple Strength and Radically Simple Muscle. We discuss why you need to get strong before you get shredded, how and why Paul modified the classic Starting Strength program, the strength benchmarks men should be able to hit, when to shift from powerlifting to bodybuilding-style training, why you should train your lower body like a powerlifter and your upper body like a bodybuilder, the physique signal that shows you're in shape, the body fat percentage every man should get down to at least once in his life, and more.Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #154: Strength Training for EveryoneAoM Podcast #302: My Workout Routine & The Benefits of a Strength CoachAoM Podcast #826: From Novice to Advanced — The Weightlifter’s JourneyAoM Article: The Re-Rise of the MachinesAoM Article: Getting Ripped vs. Getting StrongPaul's video on how to stretch your shoulders for the low-bar back squatStarting Strength by Mark RippetoeAoM barbell training videos with Mark RippetoeConnect With Paul HornPaul's websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• The Preparation — An Adventure-Driven, Skill-Building Alternative to College for Young Men

  For generations, the path to adulthood was straightforward: go to college, get a job, build a life. But many young men are beginning to question the college component of that path; tuition keeps rising, A.I. has made the professional landscape more uncertain, and there's just a sense that after four years at college, guys graduate feeling like they haven't been very challenged, haven't much changed, and haven't gained a lot of real confidence, competence, and concrete know-how.My guest today, Matt Smith, has created an alternative to college — a 4-year, 16-cycle curriculum designed to shape participants into Renaissance Men: skilled, self-reliant, and grounded in character. Matt co-authored The Preparation with his son Maxim, who is currently working his way through the program.In the first half of our conversation, Matt shares what kickstarted this idea and what's lacking in the education model for young men today. We then turn to the nuts and bolts of The Preparation, and Matt walks us through several of the program’s hands-on cycles — including earning EMT certification, building a house, and training as a fighter in Thailand — and how gaining these real-world skills prepares a young man for whatever is next in life.After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/thepreparationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker

  Modern medicine has given us incredible tools to peer inside the body and spot disease earlier than ever before. But with that power comes a problem: the more we look, the more we find — and not everything we find needs fixing.My guest today, neurologist Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan, argues that our culture of over-diagnosis is leaving many people more anxious, more medicalized, and sometimes less healthy. In her book The Age of Diagnosis: How Our Obsession with Medical Labels Is Making Us Sicker, she explains how screening tests, shifting definitions of “normal,” and the rise of mental health labels can turn ordinary struggles or idiosyncrasies into problems in need of treatment. We dig into everything from cancer and diabetes to Lyme disease and ADHD and discuss how diagnosis really works, why screening can sometimes harm as much as it helps, and how to know when a label is and isn't useful.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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