How to Train to be an Elite Human Being

Most people start training to look better, whether it’s losing a bit of weight from cardio or building a certain shape in the gym. Aesthetic goals can be a great way to get started, but they’re not a reason to keep going. The best reason to train is to be a better human. More capable, more reliable, able to get yourself or someone else out of a difficult situation.

True fitness isn’t about abs or flexing in photos. It’s about becoming the kind of person others can count on. It’s about being strong enough to carry your sleeping child out of the car and upstairs without doing your back in. It's about the endurance to help a friend move house on Sunday and go into work on Monday. It's about living longer, staying sharper, and being useful when life demands it.

5 Ways Fitness Makes You a Better Human

You become more reliable

When you're physically capable, people know they can depend on you. You're the one who doesn't need help lifting heavy boxes, who doesn't get winded climbing stairs, who can keep up on family walks.

You live better for longer

Longevity is a fitness buzzword, but it’s not about adding years to your life. Strength training, especially with weighted movements, maintains functional strength well into your later decades so you can rely on yourself (and others can too) for longer.

You become a stronger parent

Children need parents who can play, lift, carry, and keep up. Whether it's picking them up when they’re hurt or tired or having the energy to play after a long day, your physical capability impacts your ability to parent well. Strong parents set a great example.

You handle stress better

Physical training builds mental resilience. When your body is conditioned to handle physical stress, emotional and mental stress is more manageable. Training develops a calm confidence that you can handle whatever life throws at you.

You sleep better and think clearer

Regular training improves sleep quality and cognitive function. You wake up feeling better, you can think more clearly, and you make better decisions. This is being a more effective human at work, at home, and when it’s time to make big decisions.

Daily Training to Be a Better Human

So how do we train to become more capable as a parent, partner, employee, business owner, and friend? It’s not really about long gym sessions with no clear goal. It comes from integrating training into daily life by making functional movements more challenging.

That’s why we love weighted vests and rucking gear. They turn ordinary activities into strength training without you needing to find time for a formal workout. Walking the dog becomes cardio and resistance training. Playing with your kids becomes functional fitness. Long walks are a chance to build capability.

This approach makes it easier to train when you’ve got a family, too. You'll get stronger doing things you'd do anyway, and your family sees fitness as part of life, not separate from it.

10 Real-Life Situations to Train For

Pushing a stalled car

Train with: Sled pushes, wall sits with forward lean, weighted step-ups

Carrying heavy bags when the lift is broken

Train with: Farmer's walks, weighted stair climbs, loaded carries.

Lifting your child overhead

Train with: Overhead presses, weighted squats to press, bear crawls

Moving furniture

Train with: Deadlifts, weighted lunges, lateral movements with resistance

Heavy garden work

Train with: Weighted rows, core exercises, sustained holds

Running to catch a train with bags

Train with: Weighted sprints, loaded movement patterns, interval training

Holding a heavy door in wind

Train with: Isometric holds, weighted planks, anti-rotation exercises

Climbing over a fence

Train with: Pull-ups, weighted step-ups, bear crawls, burpees

Helping someone up from the ground

Train with: Single-arm deadlifts, weighted squats, unilateral exercises

Carrying an injured person

Train with: Weighted carries, sandbags, fireman's walks, loaded squats

Some of these are once-in-a-lifetime scenarios that we hope you never face. Others are inevitable parts of being a parent or homeowner.

All of them demand functional strength that comes from training for capability, not for aesthetics.

Gym numbers are nice to have and fun to chase, but elite humans aren't defined by their PBs. They're defined by their readiness to help when help is needed. They're the ones who show up, who can handle what needs handling, and who make life easier for the people they care about.

Always do more than you say you will.