Strong v. Tough

Spiderman

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2013
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OK I've been thinking about this for a while.

What's more important to you being strong or being tough?

Example. I have been rehabbing an old barn for a friend making a place for a bar and a pool table. It's the kind of work I love; physical as well as creative and detail oriented.

We had this young guy helping us out the other day. He was the perfect example of modern fitness a bit muscle-bound but hey he was strong even though he must have lifted weights wearing gloves in a climate controlled gym his whole life because his hands were soft as a baby's ass and he couldn't take a little cold weather.

For all his muscles he couldn't figure out how to get a sheet of plywood up a ladder and then he whined for an hour about a couple splinters. He barely lasted a day and we didn't call him back.

Now my best worker was half this young guy's size and 15 years older and he worked this kid into the ground and at the end of the day he went home and worked some more.

So tell me strong or tough which is more useful?
 
baby hands....i hate shaking hands with a man and he has softer hands than i do....

tough....i am not that strong but i am tough....helps to be smart too...understanding a wee bit of physics that explains leverage and all

always wear gloves when handling wood.....when moving it...
 
baby hands....i hate shaking hands with a man and he has softer hands than i do....

tough....i am not that strong but i am tough....helps to be smart too...understanding a wee bit of physics that explains leverage and all

always wear gloves when handling wood.....when moving it...

I'll give you a pass on the gloves because I don't want rough hands on a woman.

The idea of being tough and scrappy is fading in popularity to the body builder, male model version of "fitness" obtained in air conditioned gyms with locker rooms full of "men" blow drying their hair and using mousse.
 
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in my day it was called....moxie.....you had it or you didnt have it....not something you can learn or teach....

but that does seem to be the 'man' women want now days....most the women my age in this small ass town have 'personal' trainers.....they pay to work them out and most are fucking their personal trainer...just amazes me..that these steroid filled....muscle bound idiots are in demand....i could understand fucking them but talking to them....please....

and let's not even start on women going after kids.....cubs are bad enough but when you are hitting on 12 yr olds?
 
Men have been feminized to the point of being a new gender.

Absolutely....my wife watches that damn American Idol show.
I can't stand the show for a number of reasons, but one thing that irks me to no end - every damn young male that appears on the show frigging cries like a little baby. And dresses somewhere in between male and female. But the damn crying...WTF is that?
 
Nothing much creepier than a sissy body builder. A great example of the OP I saw on THE WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN competition some years back. Those guys are tough and strong, to a scary degree. This one competition there was an American guy who came from a body building lifestyle, and he was V-shaped and defined, where a lot of those WSM competitors have bellies or are otherwise just BIG. Well those big belly boys demolished the guy who looked like a statue of Adonis. It wasn't even close.

I have no use for prima donnas either of the physical or intellectual type.
 
Men have been feminized to the point of being a new gender.

Absolutely....my wife watches that damn American Idol show.
I can't stand the show for a number of reasons, but one thing that irks me to no end - every damn young male that appears on the show frigging cries like a little baby. And dresses somewhere in between male and female. But the damn crying...WTF is that?

Ah yes the real men aren't afraid to cry thing.

It's one thing to cry (a little) at the funeral of a dear friend and quite another to bawl if you lose a contest.
 
A vood blend of both would be best. You could be a strong sissy or be tough but unable to blast your way out of a wet paper bag.
 
...on a side note...to be a good father - you have to be tough.
In a good family setup - a strong Alpha male is incredibly important.
A father's relationship with his children is best when there is a healthy dose of fear mixed in with the love and respect.
 
...on a side note...to be a good father - you have to be tough.
In a good family setup - a strong Alpha male is incredibly important.
A father's relationship with his children is best when there is a healthy dose of fear mixed in with the love and respect.

to this day...the young gun will not go up against his father.....he knows by now....he is 31 and his dad is 59.....that the powers have sifted....but he has seen his father just explode in a power rage and he will not push it....seeing a man pick up a table saw with one hand and flip it end over end cause you have pissed him off....leaves an impression...his father would never physically hurt him.....then or now...but the fear is a good thing for both of them.....no one fears me....damn it
 
...on a side note...to be a good father - you have to be tough.
In a good family setup - a strong Alpha male is incredibly important.
A father's relationship with his children is best when there is a healthy dose of fear mixed in with the love and respect.

to this day...the young gun will not go up against his father.....he knows by now....he is 31 and his dad is 59.....that the powers have sifted....but he has seen his father just explode in a power rage and he will not push it....seeing a man pick up a table saw with one hand and flip it end over end cause you have pissed him off....leaves an impression...his father would never physically hurt him.....then or now...but the fear is a good thing for both of them.....no one fears me....damn it

Yep...same as me...never physically have or ever will harm them...but seeing a 6'4" 230 lb. guy - arms wide, eyes glaring, nostrils flaring, roaring at you like a freaking crazed gorilla - seems to do the trick.
My son, oh..15 or 16 I guess he was...talked back to his mother in the kitchen. I heard the word stupid. Mistake. I come flying into the room "WTF did you just say!!!!!!!"...and proceeded to go into a 5 minute tirade. Been 4 or 5 years now. Guess who never talked to his mother like that again.
 
lol.....husband was out working on the car....we had the windows open.....son is in chair about 12....tells me to fuck off.....omg...hubby clears the damn house in 3 steps....he heard it outside....grabs son and puts him up against the wall and begins to shake him....says "what did you say to MY WIFE" and proceeds to just bang him against the wall a few times then just dropped him to the floor....

he never said to your mother...but made the to my wife part clear enough that son knows not to cross that line again.....
 
This has got to the be the gayest thread I've ever read here.

Seriously, are that many of you really that concerned about your masculinity?

YOu know if I knew I was posting with 14 year old boys this would make sense.

But if you're still worried about how masculine the world sees you AFTER YOU FINALLY GOT LAID?

You got problems, lads.
 
This is not an either or situation, it takes a blending of physical prowess, intellectual acuity and mental toughness to see things through depending on the situation. I wear gloves when I work out, I used a cup when I played football and I use a thimble when I sew. Bottom line and I to take care of myself in any given situation and have done so. I also know how to take care of others and I do that as well.

Not too worried about my masculinity or if I stand shoulder to shoulder with some macho douche bag. My main concern is living a good life providing for myself and my son and being a good power for example. I'm raising my son to be self-reliant, to have a healthy self-esteem, to be smart and be very good at handling whatever comes down his pike.
 
Interesting thing about construction crews...as often as not, the guys who do the most work are the ones who are lanky rather than the big husky guys. Big guys are keen to show how strong they are when something big has to be moved, but for doing a lot of work over a whole day, they are often not all that productive.

If you will allow a little tangent, one of the most irritating things about television is how they deal with personal toughness. It's obvious that the writers and directors have never been around anyone who is actually tough. "Tough" in television these days is the guy who, along with fourteen of his friends, sucker punches someone, knowing that the person can't fight back.

This, my friends, is a pussy. But you would never know that watching TV.
 
Tough is the ability to do what is neccessary in the face of severe adversity. Strong is the ability to do what is right when all around you are stating that you are a fool for doing what is right rather than conveniant.
 

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