The Dad StandardBelltown, TN
A dad carrying a loaded barbell across the rain-soaked driveway, houses behind
SaturdaysBible 8:30Workout 9:00–10:00Belltown, TN

Show up.
Don't quit.

A free Saturday workout for dads. One of the hardest you'll ever do.

Every Saturday morning in a garage gym at one of the guys' houses: Bible at 8:30, briefing and warmup at 8:45, workout 9:00 to 10:00. Heavy weight, high tempo, brothers pushing themselves right next to you, and every one of them was new once. We open God's Word first and start it right.

Join us in person Join the community
No fee. No membership. Out of shape is welcome. Quitting is not.
The why

It started in a garage.

An open invitation to a garage gym on a Saturday morning. In its simplest form, that's still exactly what it is. Then it became something more.

Saturday to Saturday it grew, in size and in purpose. A grueling suck-fest of a workout turned into a crew of dads who look forward to pushing each other.

Shared suffering, shared accountability, shared encouragement. This isn't a business and nobody's getting paid. It's a round table: share the work, celebrate the wins, carry each other through the hard weeks.

Hard work, soft heart. A man is measured by his range: fierce enough to protect, gentle enough to love. We train both.

If you've been meaning to do something for a while now, this is the something.

Out of shape? Come anyway. Every man in that garage started somewhere, nobody's judging, and nobody lets you quit.

Earn the title. Protect the title. Be the hero your kids think you are and the man your spouse deserves.
Two dozen dads and their kids in front of the garage after a sunny Saturday session

Saturday morning, after · Belltown, TN

Every Saturday. Rain or shine.

How a Saturday goes.

A garage, a whiteboard, and a playlist that goes hard. Here's what to expect the first time you pull up.

8:30

The Word

At 8:30 we open the Bible before anybody touches a bar: a short passage and a few honest words for the men in the room and the families they're going home to. Some Saturdays this is a Standard Workshop on something a man needs to get right.

8:45

Briefing & warmup

The plan for the day on the whiteboard, bars loaded, stations set, blood moving. Fifteen minutes so 9:00 can start hard instead of slow.

9:00

Kickoff

Bangers on. The whiteboard's full: landmine rows, belt squats, sandbag deadlifts, relays, whatever hurts that week. Heavy and fast, with a garage full of dads grinding beside you, and you scale whatever you need to.

10:00

Done

Wrecked, gassed, and better than when you pulled in. Handshakes in the driveway. Then go home and be a dad.

Standard Workshops
  • Faith
  • Financial Planning & Family Investing
  • BJJ & Combatives
  • Nutrition, Hormones & Supplementation
  • Leadership & Development
  • Live-Fire Range Time
  • Meal Planning & Sports Nutrition
  • Brews & Budgets

Some Saturdays the 8:30 slot is a workshop on one of these. Practical stuff a man actually uses.

On the calendar

What's coming.

Every Saturday unless it says otherwise: devotional at 8:30, briefing and setup at 8:45, we lift at 9:00. Special days get their own line here.

7Nov · Saturday

Regular Saturday

  • 8:30 devotional
  • 8:45 briefing and setup
  • 9:00 we lift

14Nov · Saturday

Pump and Run

Partner event. Awards.
  • Run a 5K.
  • The clock keeps running. You have 60 seconds after the finish to be on the bench.
  • Bench your body weight for as many reps as you can.
  • Every rep takes 20 seconds off your 5K time.
  • Your time plus your partner's time is your team score. Awards will be presented.
  • Find a partner now.

21Nov · Saturday

Regular Saturday

  • 8:30 devotional
  • 8:45 briefing and setup
  • 9:00 we lift

28Nov · Saturday

Regular Saturday

  • 8:30 devotional
  • 8:45 briefing and setup
  • 9:00 we lift

Know the address? See you there. Need it? Reach out or message a member.

Four pillars

What we stand on.

Faith

The first pillar. Not by accident.

We open God's Word before the first rep. It isn't the opening act, it's the foundation, and nobody's checking your church. Come as you are, wherever you stand with it.

Family

They're counting on you.

You're not training for a mirror. You're training to be there for your people, on the good weeks and the hard ones. The strength you build on Saturday is for Tuesday night, when the kids are melting down and your family needs you steady.

Friends

Iron sharpens iron.

Suffer next to a man and you'll know him. A garage full of good dudes with real engines who learn your name, notice when you're missing, and won't let you quit on yourself. There's room for one more.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Fitness

Heavy. Fast. Every week.

The hardest hour and a half of your week, whatever shape you show up in. Heavy, fast, and honest. Scale the weight, never the effort, and never quit.

Why we do this

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.John 15:13

Laying down your life is rarely one big moment. Most weeks it's a Saturday alarm you didn't want to hear and a brother in a driveway who's expecting you.

House rules

The rules. All of them.

Just show up.

No tryout, no roster. Every Saturday, rain or shine, first-timers included. The hardest rep is getting out of the truck, and we'll help with everything after that.

Don't quit.

Everything is acceptable: throw up, slow down, drop the weight, scale the movement. Quitting is the only thing off the board.

Be a good person.

Encourage the man next to you, especially when he's hurting. Take the same when it's your turn. That's the whole standard.

Join us in person

Pull up Saturday.

In Belltown? You're invited, lifter or first-timer, and nobody's sizing you up at the door. One thing to know: we train at one of the guys' homes, so the address never goes online. You have to know someone in the group to get it. If you don't yet, reach out and we'll start there.

When
Saturdays. Bible at 8:30 AM, briefing and warmup at 8:45, workout 9:00 to 10:00 AM.
Where
One of the guys' home gyms in Belltown. You have to know someone in the group to get the exact address.
Cost
Nothing. No fee, no membership, ever.
Bring
Water, shoes you can move in, and a willingness to hurt a little. The garage has the rest.

Or skip the form. DM us on Instagram and tell us who you know: @thedadstandard.tn

Get connected.

Know one of the dads? Tell us who, leave a way to reach you, and he'll get you the details. Don't know anyone yet? Tell us a little about yourself and we'll go from there.

* required

Join the community

Support from afar. Stay in the know as we grow.

Not everybody behind this is in the garage on Saturday. Maybe you're across the country. Maybe you're down the street and the workout isn't your thing yet. Either way, you're in. Follow along, get the monthly post, run the workouts in your own garage, and reach out if you want help starting something like this where you live.

Follow @thedadstandard.tn
Latest from the blog · November 3, 2026 Send me. Read it

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