The 3 P’s of Manhood: A Review

Are men everywhere alike in their concern (and desire) for being manly?

Is the concept of manliness meaningless and entirely culturally relative?

For the last several weeks we have been exploring the answers to these questions by discussing the findings contained in Dr. David D. Gilmore’s Manhood in the Making.

Twenty years ago, Gilmore set out to conduct an exhaustive cross-cultural analysis of how masculinity is perceived and lived around the world.

What he discovered was that far from being exceptional and widely divergent, conceptions of what constitutes a “real man” have been common and consistent through time and around the world. A distinct code of manhood has not only been part of nearly every society on earth — whether agricultural or urban, premodern or advanced, patriarchal or relatively egalitarian — these codes invariably contain the same three imperatives; a male who aspires to be a manmust protect, procreate, and provide.

As the subject is a fascinating and vital one, we have given each of these “3 P’s of Manhood” a thorough treatment. It was definitely a lot to take in; it’s really turned into a kind of Manhood 101 course! So today, for those who didn’t make it through the beastly posts, and for those who did but could use a quick re-orientation, today we’re providing a crib sheet that distills what we have covered thus far down to the basic fundamentals.

The 3 P’s of Manhood in Review

Protect

The essence of protection is the “need to establish and defend boundaries.” Boundaries create a sense of identity and trust. Should that line be crossed, men will spring into action. Men are called on to guard the perimeter between danger and safety, protecting tribe and family from predators, human enemies, and natural disasters.

A man adds to his individual honor by developing and demonstrating prowess in the protector role. At the same time, he bolsters his community’s reputation for strength as well, as the tribe’s overall reputation serves as a form of protection in and of itself — functioning as a deterrent to attack.

The protector role requires:

How to Make a Drinking Glass From a Bottle

I’ve often admired the artwork on beer bottles, liquor bottles, even craft soda bottles. And I’ve often wondered how to capture some of this artwork in a way that doesn’t involve simply collecting the bottles. When I stumbled across a shop in Vegas that sold beer and wine bottle drinking glasses, I knew I found my answer. With a little bit of research, I found out how easy it can be to make the same glasses without the hefty retail price tag. What’s great about this project is how versatile it is. It could take the shape of wine bottles turned into vases for Mother’s Day, manly wedding gifts for a groom using his favorite beverage, or you can use smaller bottles and create a set of tasting glasses.

How to Make a Torch: An Illustrated Guide

Whether navigating the woods in a survival situation or hunting for treasure deep in the tunnels of an ancient temple, knowing how to make a torch with just a few common supplies is a valuable skill. Need fire and don’t have matches on hand? Read up on how to start a fire.

How to Survive Falling Through the Ice: An Illustrated Guide

If you live in a place where snowy and icy winters are the norm, you know the dangers of falling through the ice. And this guide is especially pertinent for those areas of the country where freezing weather only visits sporadically. When frigid temps descend for a short time upon a location that’s not used to seeing them, people, especially children, are apt to go out exploring their neighborhood ponds and reservoirs. As you can imagine, this creates a danger because the cold weather hasn’t been around long enough to create ice strong enough to walk on. That very scenario has happened here in Tulsa this winter, where two young men, in separate accidents, both drowned when venturing out onto a thinly-frozen creek and pond. So be sure to share this guide with your kids after you study the info yourself.

While no ice is guaranteed to be safe to walk on, the general rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t venture out onto clear ice that is less than 2 inches thick. An even safer bet is 4 inches. And if it’s “snow ice” or white ice, it’ll need to be double that to support you.

If you know you’ll be on ice, it’s also a good idea to carry rescue ice picks with you. They’re cheap, and could make the difference between life and death. You can also make your own with a couple nails and dowels.

Big thanks to Lieutenant Harold Osborn of Denver’s North Metro Fire Rescue District for consulting on this piece.

3 Ways to Escape Zip Ties: An Illustrated Guide

Zip ties are increasingly being used to restrain innocent folks in home invasion and kidnapping scenarios. With a quick Google search, you’ll see a number of situations where suspects used standard zip ties from the local hardware store to restrain their victims.

We tried out all of these methods, and they all work. We even did it with the heavy duty variety, rated at 175 lbs. With a little bit of practice, it’s actually fairly easy to escape from zip ties, and you should be well-prepared should you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being illegally restrained by a home invader or other criminal with zip ties.

How to Survive a Lightning Strike: An Illustrated Guide

The best way to survive a lightning strike is to avoid being outdoors in the first place. Use the 30/30 Rule: If, after seeing lightning, you can’t count to 30 before hearing thunder, get inside a building or car. Don’t go outside until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.

If you’re caught outdoors and can’t take cover during a lightning storm, seek shelter in a low area under a dense growth of small trees (don’t stand too close to them, though). Avoid tall, isolated objects like tall trees and flagpoles, since lightning often (but not always) tends to strike the tallest object in an area.

If you’re in an open area, go to a low area, like a valley or a ravine (but be alert for flash floods). In all cases, avoid any size body of water, as water is a conductor of electricity.

If you’re caught outdoors and see signs that a lightning strike is imminent (your hair stands on end, your skin tingles, you hear a buzzing, clicking, hissing, or cracking sound, or see metal objects emitting a soft, blue-white glow) or you simply think you’re in danger, immediately assume the position above to increase your chances of surviving, should the lightning strike you directly, or close to you.

5 ab exercises

Reaching Crunch On Ball

Instructions: Sit on a Swiss ball with your feet shoulder-width apart on the floor. Lean back, so that your back is almost parallel to the floor. Straighten your arms and point them toward the ceiling. Contract your abs, as you would for a crunch, while you reach for the ceiling with your fingertips. Hold the contracted position for three seconds. Slowly raise yourself back to the starting position. Do 10 reps.

Twist And Crunch

Instructions: Place a mat on the floor and lie down on your back, with your hands by your ears and your legs perpendicular to the floor. Twist your hips slightly by contracting your left oblique muscles; hold that position. Using your abs, bring your right elbow across your body to the outside of your left knee. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on your right side. Do 10 reps.

Russian Twist

Instructions: Sit on a decline bench, with your legs firmly under the pads. Lean back slightly, so that your thighs and torso form a 90-degree angle. Extend your arms in front of you, so that they form a 90-degree with your torso, and clasp your hands together. Keeping your back straight, your chest out and your arms straight, make a semi-circle with your arms. With your abs flexed, move as far as you can from right to left and left to right, and do the motion as quickly as you can without sacrificing proper form or range of motion. Work your way up to 60 seconds of continuous movement.

Hip Raise/Leg Raise

Instructions: Lie down on a flat bench with your legs up and perpendicular to the bench (hold the bench behind your head for stability). Lift your hips slightly off the bench by contracting your lower abs, hold for three seconds, and lower your hips. Keep your back flat on the bench, your legs straight and lower your legs until they almost form a straight line with the rest of your body. Hold for a count of three and bring them back to the starting position. Do 10 reps.

Woodchop

Instructions: Add some weight (try 25 pounds) to a multipurpose pulley machine and grasp the handle attachment at shoulder height with your left hand. Square yourself to the machine and take a few steps to the right (away from the machine) until there is sufficient tension. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bring your right arm across your body, and clasp your hands together while holding the handle. Keeping your arms straight and at shoulder height, use your abs to bring your arms across your body, as though you were making a wood-chopping motion. Bring them back to the starting position. Do 10 reps on each side for the excellent core workout.

Fitness interview callan mulvey

Callan Mulvey On Training For 300: Rise Of An Empire 

The 300 movies are well-known for the characters having a certain physique; what kind of fitness program did you need to maintain to be 300-ready?

In the lead-up to and throughout the shoot we were trained by the masterful Mark Twight and his team from Gym Jones. The training program was, ahh… intense, to say the least! He kicked our arses on a daily basis, but time was limited. It was also diverse, which was very cool in that it stopped it from getting monotonous. Before the cameras rolled, we were training six days a week, and once shooting began, we trained on non-shoot days. 

Top 10 cruel things women do to men

They Don't Pick Up The Phone

You convinced her to give you her number and you’re feeling good about yourself. Your charm and good looks have obviously made an impression on her. Unfortunately, when you try to call, she doesn’t pick up or, worse yet, she’s given you a fake number. Some women will give you their numbers because it’s easier than trying to tell you why she’s not interested. It would save everyone a whole lot of time if women were just honest from the get-go about whether they're interested or not. Is our pride wounded? Yes. But we can take it.

They Use Men For Free Drinks

Some women go out never planning to spend any of their own money on drinks at the bar or club. Yes, some guys encourage this type of behavior by trying to buy attention from women, but for those of us who'd rather be judged on our merits than on our wallets, this type of situation is incredibly frustrating. We're happy to buy a woman a drink if moved to do so -- but it shouldn't be her whole purpose for talking to us.

They Use Men As Placeholders

Maybe you’ve been in a relationship for a while and you notice that her eye is starting to wander. She’s starting more fights with you or not bothering to fight at all anymore. Her friends get quiet when you walk into a room. She’s avoiding your phone calls. Her things are disappearing from your place. 

If she's a decent person, she’ll just get it over with and dump you already, but if she’s cruel, she’ll hold on to you for a while until somebody new comes along. Some women don’t like to be alone, so instead of putting you out of your misery and ending it, they’ll string you along until she meets someone to replace you. If she’s really heartless, she’ll start things up with him before she’s finalized the breakup with you.

They Emotionally Manipulate Men

Most men hate the sight of a crying woman, and some women will take advantage of this by using the threat of tears to get what they want. Yes, if we didn't have such a strong aversion to tears in the first place, maybe this situation wouldn't present itself, but here we are in 2013, and a lot of women need to do little more than shed a tear and a guy's on his knees. If this happens to you, keep a cool head and try to talk it out. 

They Use Physical Violence

Men are usually raised to never hit a woman. Unfortunately, there are some women who use this aspect of a man’s social conditioning to gain power over him. In the minds of these women, it’s perfectly acceptable to slap a boyfriend across the face when he says something that pisses her off. Confident that he would never hit her back, this type of woman feels like she can inflict any kind of physical pain on him without fear of repercussion. But the fact is that hitting and hurting your significant other is wrong, no matter who you are.

They Criticize Their Men In Public

Over the past 10 years, an ever more common trope in TV and movies is the bumbling man-child and his accomplished, competent girlfriend or wife. The guy's the butt of all the jokes and eye-rolls and he takes it in stride because he's grateful to be paired up with such a great lady. This on-screen dynamic bleeds over into everyday life all the time. There's no reason to take constant public criticism from your wife or girlfriend. If she wouldn't like you doing it to her, she shouldn't dish it out. Simple as that.

Bad First Impressions

Your Hair Isn't Flattering

A lot of guys don’t pay a ton of attention to their hair. They opt for the simple haircut, the messy look or they throw on a hat. But a good hairstyle -- or a bad one -- can often make or break a first impression. Your haircut is one of the aspects of your look that you have the most control over, and it often has the biggest impact out of everything on your overall look. A lot of guys take pride in being able to roll out of bed and be ready for the day five minutes later, but that pretty much just means you’re being lazy. Take some pride in how you look. It’s important to find the right hairstyle for you -- not just for the personal look you’re going for, but some hairstyles are meant for certain head shapes. Thinning hair? There are styles for that too. And, most importantly, just make sure it’s clean. Wash it regularly and, if you need to (and you probably do), pick up some anti-dandruff shampoo.

10 Ways To Dress Up Your Nikes

A Lasting Impression

Turquoise Nikes, a hooded jean jacket and contrasting button-up are all you need for that statement-making professionally unprofessional look. Don't shy away from brightly colored sneakers. When paired with muted pants and complementing layers, you've got a guaranteed hit.

The Sneakers
Nike Fly Knits - $227.48
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Top 5: Man Codes

A Man Helps His Friend Move

It could be your buddy moving from his apartment to a house or out of his mom’s basement. Whatever the move, observe the man code that dictates you to help friends move. If you have a hatchback, clean out the trunk and start packing. If you have a truck, it’s not even a question.

Penalty for breaking this man code: Think you’ll be able to ask for help moving when it’s your turn? Yeah right. Better get those furniture sliders and a good belt because your rule-breaking ass is on its own.

A Man Doesn't Say What Happened At Th Bachelor Party

Consider it a code of silence or an oath of non-disclosure. Whether it be strippers, the wanton tossing-around of little people or stringing a donkey out on ecstasy, a man keeps these things to himself -- and especially away from the bride-to-be. Whatever happened at the party stays at the party.

Penalty for breaking this man code: That hyper-sexed donkey that was tweaking in the bathroom is now in your bedroom -- waiting.

A Man Repays His Debts

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Sure, that sounded good when Shakespeare said it centuries ago, but in today’s economy, you may have to swallow your pride and ask for some financial help. Or, maybe you were short on cash or forgot your wallet (yeah right, you cheap ass). If your friend loans you cash or buys the first round, you pay him back. Work to get him his money, pick up lunch next time or get that next round of suds. 

Penalty for breaking this man code: Working your debt off as your buddy’s man servant and house boy. And there’s that bachelor party donkey again.

A Man Buys His Friend Beers After He Gets Dumped/Fired

The king’s horses and his men knew this code when Humpty Dumpty fell apart -- and you should know it too. When your friend loses his job or his girl, you’re there to ease his pains with alcohol. You get the rounds and you pick up the tab until he feels better -- or at least thinks he feels better.

Penalty for breaking this man code: Karma’s a bitch. Get ready to find your own sad ass in the unemployment line or spending your Friday night with Rosy Palm.

A Man Becomes A Wingman When Required

At the end of Top Gun, even Val “Iceman” Kilmer realized that Tom “Maverick” Cruise was the best wingman ever. Now it’s your turn. When you’re at the club or at a party and your friend needs you to distract the uninteresting friend so he has a shot at the hottie, you do it. Without question, bite the bullet and become the wingman. Wingman duties can also extend to driving to the party, handling the valet and running interference from the anyone else who might deny your buddy his rightful chance. 

Penalty for breaking this man code: You get grounded, shot down and denied takeoff. Everywhere you go, for an undetermined time, your male friends make sure you don’t get anywhere near getting laid. 

fashion statements: i am successful

Swap T-shirts For Polos

It may sound odd, but the simple replacement of a T-shirt with a polo shirt has the effect of giving all your casual ensembles a more upscale vibe. Perhaps it’s because of the association between polos and country clubs, but there’s no denying that a polo looks more pulled together than a non-descript tee. You don’t have to stick with solid colors, either. Experiment with fashion-forward models like this one from INC International Concepts which features denim chambray pockets.