Keep in shape and sharpen your competitive edge in the backyard or on the field.
This summer, you have a chance to get outdoors, pump some fresh air into your lungs, work up a sweat and bond with the guys or your family. Without further adieu, here are my top 10 summer sports for shaping you into a “new man:”
10. Australian-rules football: Wear no pads, play with friends and build solid calves.
9. Be a fish, not a fisherman: Put down the pole and lures, anchor the boat and jump in. Swim and work out your shoulders, back and chest.
8. Nature quest: Hiking, kayaking and climbing–or the neighborhood version of these–will strengthen quads.
7. Sherpa: Golf’s not exercise unless you, not your cart or your caddie, carry the load.
6. Alligator wrestling: Wrestle with the kids, work the abs.
5. Rickshaw driving: Go for a run while pushing the jogging stroller … have you ever seen a fat rickshaw driver?
4. Hot-dog vending: Put your small child in a bike stroller, strengthen your lungs and legs.
3. Modern pentathlon: Rake, mow and wax the car to get biceps and triceps naturally.
2. Beat the kids: Take them on in soccer, volleyball and tennis while building your cardiovascular system.
1. Strong man competition: Take turns seeing who can pull the tree stump out of your yard with their bare hands.
Ben Lerner was the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic wrestling-team doctor and is the best-selling author of Body by God: The Owner’s Manual for Maximized Living.