The Dad Lift
Meet the two dads behind Arnold Schwarzenegger's Pump Club.
Every morning, nearly a million subscribers open The Pump Club, a daily wellness newsletter from Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team. It’s sharp, practical, myth-busting—and run by two guys who juggle squats, science, and school drop-off.
Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell, the club’s co-founders, are more than fitness aficionados. They’re dads in the thick of it—both raising young kids, including little girls.
Bornstein, a former Men’s Health editor, has three kids: a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old, and seven-month-old Penelope. Ketchell, who’s worked with Schwarzenegger since he was governor, has a daughter, Madison, who turns three this fall, as well as a baby son. Like many of us, their lives revolve around wellness routines, deadlines, toddler tantrums, toy cleanups, and dinner prep.
“I cook 90 percent of our meals,” Ketchell says. “And that comes from my dad.” Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Ketchell watched his father—strong and capable, with forearms that “make mine look like baby forearms”—step into the domestic sphere without fanfare. “My mom was an elementary school teacher who became a principal while I was growing up,” he explains. “She cooked a lot of the meals, but as she became a principal, all of a sudden my dad... stepped up and he was cooking us dinners and being there for us.”
That model of quiet, consistent strength stuck with him. “I don’t believe in this idea that masculinity is coming home and sitting at the table and having your wife bring you dinner,” he says. Now a father of two—a daughter who turns three in September and a son who turns one in July—Ketchell sees it as his responsibility to carry that example forward.
Bornstein agrees. “Our kids watch everything we do. Strength isn’t about being Superman. It’s about how you treat your partner, your friends, how you talk about yourself.”
He adds: “Penelope’s going to see her mom, who’s incredibly defiant and driven. When the world tells her she can’t, that’s the moment she does it. I want Penelope to know that no one defines who she is—only she does.”
On what strength really means now
We live in a world of ChatGPT and GLP-1s, a culture obsessed with shortcuts, hacks, and finding the fastest way around discomfort. Many would rather chase the latest trend while overlooking the basics that actually work, but take effort. Asked what they hope their daughters take away from this environment, both men return to those simple measures.
The top three pillars of health, according to Ketchell, are resistance training “three to four times a week,” eating “80 percent real food,” and human connection. “People forget that part,” he says of the last item. “But when you look at places where people live the longest…what they have in common is community, whole food, and daily movement.”
Bornstein adds: “Everyone’s trying to hack and optimize, but they can’t do the basics. There’s so much predatory behavior out there, especially targeted at women. It makes people feel broken so they’ll buy a fix. We try to build belief instead of fear.”
What they want for their daughters
“When Madison sees me deadlifting, she stands in the trap bar and pretends to lift it,” Ketchell says with a smile. “That’s what I want. I want her to be strong. Once you learn what you’re capable of, everything changes.”
For Bornstein, the gym is a place where transformation begins. “Everyone starts as a beginner. And when you keep showing up, you realize you can get stronger, better, and surprise yourself. The gym is a simulation, but life will throw real challenges at you. I want Penelope to have something to fall back on.”
Both men spoke about the limits people place on themselves—especially women. “So many women I’ve worked with are incredibly capable,” Bornstein says, “but their self-confidence doesn’t match their ability. Meanwhile, many men have confidence that far exceeds theirs. If more women stepped into their ability—and matched it with confidence—they’d blow the ceiling off.”
Final rep
As I prepare to launch my book LIFT—a deep dive into the history of the skinny ideal and why women were always meant to be strong—I can’t help but feel grateful for men like Adam and Daniel. Men who show up. Men who challenge old narratives. Men raising daughters to take up space.
This Father’s Day, we salute the modern strength model: consistent, compassionate, and never afraid to deadlift in the driveway with a toddler looking on.
As a girl dad to a (increasingly sassy) 9-yr-old, I couldn't agree more about Adam's idea that masculinity isn't about being loud, heavy-handed, cocksure and inflexible — like the Big Bozo in Chief, who is the opposite of "strong" — but rather reliable, generous, understated and, yeah, someone who makes the family dinner.
Good post, AMC.
These guys get it! Great article and insight into what real strength is!