Angela Mollard: Pressure on fathers to be fit and active as era of the ‘dad bod’ ends

The ‘dad bod’ is dead. A new generation of fathers are swapping beer and takeaway for protein shakes and 4am workouts in the quest to become ‘rad dads’, writes Angela Mollard.

Remember when the “dad bod” was king? Soft-edged and full of suburban charm, it was a badge of honour for dads who were comfortable in themselves even if their buttons were straining over their (very loveable) paunches.

Think Russell Crowe, post Gladiator, Jason Segel, Jon Hamm, the late Shane Warne (pre Liz Hurley) – though if the “dad bod” had a mascot it was unquestionably Leonardo DiCaprio. The term was shorthand for cuddly but still hot and much celebrated back in 2015 when a university student wrote an article heralding the body type for being attractive but not intimidating.

Well move over “dad bods” because a decade later we’re now in the era of the rad dad – a fitter, fresher, coconut water-lubricated new breed who are flexing their way through fatherhood.

In the 2010s, the dad bod reigned supreme and no one rocked it more proudly than Russell Crowe. Picture: Phillip Massey/Getty Images

Rad dads aren’t lamely pushing strollers after a breakfast of leftover pizza, they’re tracking their macros, chasing their offspring on the beach – while wearing a weight vest – and going to bed at the same time as their kids so they can rise at 4.30am to journal.

They rarely eat 2am kebabs or fall asleep on the sofa after a skinful, rather they’re at their kid’s netball courts at 7.30 on a Saturday morning having already done a weights workout. They’ll happily man the barbecue but there’s no way they’ll compromise their earlier efforts by actually eating a sausage sarnie. Maybe a tofu burger. Without the bun.

While I’m not hanging around at my local school gate, it’s suddenly dawned on me that every twenty and thirty-something dad I know is both a hands-on parent and fit.

They’re nailing their day jobs, taking their kids camping and encouraging them to speak about their feelings yet at the same time they’re boasting six-packs and skin that speaks to dedicated hydration.

They use words like “optimise” and “protocol” and they’re the reason I can’t get into the sauna or steam room at my local swim centre where they sit muscled, moustached and enthusiastically inked, often in their brain-protecting felt hats.

Of course, there’s a ton of rad dad footy players who fit the brief – think Payne Haas, Damien Cook, Reece Walsh and AFL players Tom Hawkins, Rory Sloane and Patrick Cripps. But being fit is in their job description. The truly impressive rad dads are those such as The Bachelor alumnis Tim Robards and Matty J (five daughters between them), Channel 7 weather presenter Sam Mac, Today Extra’s David Campbell and the new Survivor Australia host David Genat.

Matty J is in the Rad Dad camp.

Further afield, actors Chris Pratt, Theo James, Jamie Dornan and The White Lotus’s Will Sharpe are evidence that you can juggle big careers, kids and a fitness regime.

Now that wellness culture is mainstream, today’s dads are more likely to be listening to a Huberman podcast, meal prepping or reading Atomic Habits than going on a bender with research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showing that younger people are drinking less with more opting for non-alcoholic beverages.

They’re also more invested in their mental health and good lifestyle habits that support it.

Chris Hemsworth making 99 per cent of the male population feel deeply inadequate. Picture instagram

Hamish Blake crushes camping. Picture: @hamishblakeshotz

For David Campbell it was hearing his young son say “Dad’s not well” when, in fact, he was sick after a night on the booze that led the TV presenter to quit drinking 12 years ago.

As he told the Healthy-ish podcast: “I thought, I don’t want this to be the narrative that he sees. I’m not going to normalise this anymore because there’s issues in my family that have been well documented. So that was the start.”

Adam Clayton, director of Sydney’s Manly Beach Health Club, confirms the new generation of dads are more health and fitness oriented. “Young dads today are far more focused on their health and wellbeing than previous generations. They’re swapping beers for protein shakes, prioritising workouts and nutrition and I think setting a better example for their kids is part of it. They want to be more present and energised for family life.”

Fatherhood has come a long way since the 1970s when dads like mine were permanently mowing the lawn, puffing on a ciggie and sporting a leg tan that began at the bottom of their shorts and ended at the top of their knee-high socks.

They all looked like Bob Hawke or something off a Simplicity sewing pattern and their primary exercise for working off the chops and three vege was shouting at Dennis Lillee from their vinyl recliners.

By the 90s, most dads had dropped the ciggies but had adopted wraparound sunglasses, sometimes an earring but mostly a belief that they were Paul Hogan’s equivalent if only they’d got the call up. They started to cook – mostly with tomato sauce – and they attempted to parent, though mostly while hungover.

By the 2000s dads had swapped King Gee’s for Roger David and were busy investing in property, their share portfolios and perfecting lamb on the Weber. They were starting to take care of their bodies – mostly by buying an exercise bike but the only real gearing they were interested in was negative. If they looked fitter, it was the ecstasy. Or the stress of the GFC.

The 2015 “dad bod” was a revolt against all this posturing and ambition, a sign of confidence rather than neglect. If you were slightly doughy around the edges it meant you were approachable. Relatable even.

But then something momentous happened. Chris Hemsworth became a dad, took an interest in longevity and suddenly fatherhood had a new poster boy. Out went the Russell Crowe-style tracksuits, in came an extensive wardrobe of activewear, an Aura ring and a fixation for ice baths. For the first time we started hearing about “dad guilt” as the new generation started juggling work, parenting, being a great partner and meeting their personal goals.

Good for them. But boys, can you please not monopolise the sauna?

Originally published as Angela Mollard: Pressure on fathers to be fit and active as era of the ‘dad bod’ ends