Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Adults need more games that accidentally make them athletic. 🙌
I’ve made it my mission in life to find more ways to play and I am always thrilled when I stumble across ingenious moments like a bunch of guys in an open lot tossing around a bag of rocks with both skill and delight.
We've gotten really good at organizing fitness into sets, reps, percentages, and heart rate zones (and don’t get me wrong, this knowledge has value).
But we've simultaneously gotten a lot worse at throwing things, catching things, reacting, rotating, and solving movement problems on the fly.
That's why I love simple games like this.
Without overly thinking about it, you're training grip strength, deceleration, rotation, coordination, timing, balance, and reaction speed.
You're also laughing and competing (and trying not to drop the bag of rocks).
That's a pretty good return on investment.
You don't need an elaborate setup. Grab a sandbag (or get creative!), a training partner, and ten minutes.
Let yourself enjoy moving!
If your fitness only works inside the gym, you're leaving a lot of athleticism on the table.
Play is one of the habits we believe deserves more attention.
If you're curious how it fits into a bigger picture — and what else actually moves the needle for long-term health and performance — you won't want to miss our free Long Game Summit on September 1.
Inside, @julietstarrett and I will walk through the eight science-backed habits that work together to build a stronger, healthier, more capable body… so you can keep doing the things you love for decades to come: thereadystate.com/long-game-summit
Adults need more games that accidentally make them athletic. 🙌
I’ve made it my mission in life to find more ways to play and I am always thrilled when I stumble across ingenious moments like a bunch of guys in an open lot tossing around a bag of rocks with both skill and delight.
We've gotten really good at organizing fitness into sets, reps, percentages, and heart rate zones (and don’t get me wrong, this knowledge has value).
But we've simultaneously gotten a lot worse at throwing things, catching things, reacting, rotating, and solving movement problems on the fly.
That's why I love simple games like this.
Without overly thinking about it, you're training grip strength, deceleration, rotation, coordination, timing, balance, and reaction speed.
You're also laughing and competing (and trying not to drop the bag of rocks).
That's a pretty good return on investment.
You don't need an elaborate setup. Grab a sandbag (or get creative!), a training partner, and ten minutes.
Let yourself enjoy moving!
If your fitness only works inside the gym, you're leaving a lot of athleticism on the table.
Play is one of the habits we believe deserves more attention.
If you're curious how it fits into a bigger picture — and what else actually moves the needle for long-term health and performance — you won't want to miss our free Long Game Summit on September 1.
Inside, @julietstarrett and I will walk through the eight science-backed habits that work together to build a stronger, healthier, more capable body… so you can keep doing the things you love for decades to come: thereadystate.com/long-game-summit
