Men Need Better Fitness Role Models

By Sebastian Langdell

Dr. Langdell is a professor of medieval literature at Baylor University.

I teach medieval literature, and so when I decided to get into better shape by lifting weights in early midlife, my references were not terribly contemporary. Medieval writers are always reminding us to keep our eyes on cultivating the soul. “Here is no home, here is but wilderness,” Chaucer once wrote. If we’re just pilgrims passing through this world, what need is there to focus on the body? But, my mind now countered, what if becoming bodily healthy would make me happier and lead to better work?

I went to the gym, initially after a friend’s sudden death, to be strong enough to do the other things that mattered to me in........

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