The Scholars & Iron Podcast Joe

I sat down with high school Spanish teacher and natural bodybuilder, powerlifter and strongman--Mr. Michael Dalton (or if you're not his student, just Dalton). We had a great time talking about his high school powerlifting club and what it's like to teach young adult the fine art of the barbell. Plus, I have some updates for the podcast you won't wanna miss!

The knowledge of using tools is effectively the knowledge of how we extend our bodies beyond are given physiology. Kyle Keough is a powerlifting coach and a student of philosophy, and writes about the barbell in a similar manner. We discussed philosophers like Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Michel Foucault, and what they can tell us about powerlifting and its own evolution.

Continuing on from our previous episode in Iron Sharpens Iron, Part I, Swede discusses his new calling as a Christian and the need to help others. We also discussed faith under quarantine, and why sometimes political divisions need not be so emotionally-charged.

What does it mean to have faith under the bar? And how does Christianity relate to a support where risking it all means injury—if not certain death? I recently had a conversation with Swede Burns, elite powerlifter, father of the 5thSet methodology, published poet, and devout Christian. He told me about his narrative of coming to Christ, what that means for him. We managed to get into the weeds with the topic of allegory in the Bible, to the performativity of the angry lifter—in fact, we got into so many discussions we decided to make this into a two-part series called Iron Sharpens Iron.

Chris Praml of Precision Video Solutions and I are teaming up to bring you high-quality content on the cultural, social, and philosophical disposition of physical strength in our society today. The first in the series is Women Empowered (2021) which looks at at the changing perceptions and challenges of women powerlifters. Issues such as normative expectations of the female physical aesthetic as well as strength output, are brought out in discussion. 

Chris and Joe use the film to raise awareness about these issues, as well as raise money for the Pull Your Heart Out organization, a nonprofit dedicated to change the narrative on women in strength. Learn more about them by clicking here, and consider making a financial contribution.

As Part I of our series, also consider helping us continue to make great and even better video content, by becoming a Patreon member today!  Click here to find out more.

How do we view fitness in our lives? Today, there is a small, but significant population who have shirked its hobby-like status and have transformed fitness into veritable outlook on life itself. They seek to embody what writer and journalist Kunitz calls, the practicing life. But is this just another cultish byproduct of late modernity, or does being physically have deeper roots than we might expect? I recently spoke to Daniel, whose book, Lift:  Fitness Culture from Naked Greeks and Acrobats to jazzercise and Ninja Warriors, explores the social dynamics of what it means for humans to be physically fit.