Stop Surviving, Start Thriving: Rabbi Herschel Praeger

On Building Strength For A Purpose

Chazaq Torah Talks – Episode 191

Originally Released March 26, 2025

Twenty push-ups. That was the assignment Rabbi Herschel Praeger gave a group of students during recess. But rather than stand over the boys while they completed the exercise, Rabbi Praeger dropped to the floor and joined them.

What began as an unusual disciplinary exercise rekindled a passion he had set aside for years. Parents encouraged him to develop a fitness program, and before long, his students were participating in Rabbi Fitness Boot Camp, learning that exercise could be challenging, enjoyable, and a source of personal confidence.

During an appearance on Chazaq’s Torah Talks with Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, Rabbi Praeger reflected on the experiences that brought him from a difficult childhood to Torah education and eventually to helping men improve their physical health.

His message extends beyond exercise: Strength matters because of what it allows a person to accomplish.

Rabbi Praeger’s interest in fitness began during a painful period of his childhood. Growing up in public school, he struggled with a stutter that made him a target for teasing and humiliation. His self-esteem suffered, affecting how he spoke, walked, and interacted with others.

By his early teenage years, he wanted desperately to earn his classmates’ respect. He also wanted to feel better about himself.

He turned to exercise and martial arts, initially hoping that physical strength would make others think twice before mocking him. Yet the benefits gradually became more personal. Each workout demanded effort, discipline, and persistence. As his physique changed, so did his confidence.

The improvements did not come overnight. Rabbi Praeger described how repeated accomplishments helped him develop a sense of self-worth that had been missing.

His determination to challenge himself eventually led him to enlist in the United States Marine Corps’ Delayed Entry Program while still in high school. Beginning in 1997, he participated in preparatory training sessions in Queens, immersing himself in military discipline.

But before entering active military service, he encountered something that changed his plans.

During winter vacation in his senior year, Rabbi Praeger joined a trip to Israel for Jewish teenagers with limited religious backgrounds. He was already questioning where his life was headed. The experience of being in Eretz Yisrael, surrounded by its spiritual atmosphere and religious life, affected him deeply.

He began reconsidering his future. Rather than continue toward a military career, he decided to pursue Torah learning, although withdrawing from his military commitment was not entirely straightforward.

The discipline he had developed through martial arts and Marine Corps training remained with him, but his priorities had changed.

Rabbi Praeger spent approximately three years studying in Israel before returning to Queens, where he continued learning in yeshivah for more than a decade. His commitment to Torah study was so consuming that fitness gradually disappeared from his routine.

He subsequently entered education, teaching elementary school students for approximately 12 years.

Then came the recess push-ups.

When parents saw how their children responded to his approach, they encouraged Rabbi Praeger to establish an extracurricular fitness program. Rabbi Fitness Boot Camp eventually ran for approximately seven semesters, introducing students to physical challenges adapted to their abilities.

Rabbi Praeger discovered that exercise offered another way to connect with children. A boy who struggled in one area could experience accomplishment in another. Students who doubted themselves could learn to persevere through a difficult task and recognize their progress.

That discovery eventually prompted him to develop Rabbi Fitness as a business around 2017 or 2018, focusing increasingly on adults.

The first attempt, however, proved difficult to sustain.

Rabbi Praeger was handling nearly everything himself, from finding clients to providing training. With little assistance and no established system for managing the workload, he became exhausted.

He eventually stepped away from the business.

During the interview, Rabbi Praeger acknowledged that his own approach had contributed to the burnout. He had been so determined to do everything properly that he attempted to do everything personally.

After trying other pursuits, he recognized that helping people through fitness remained his passion. He began preparing to relaunch Rabbi Fitness with greater emphasis on group support and a structure that would allow him to reach more people without sacrificing his own well-being.

His experience reinforced the importance of balance, a theme that would surface repeatedly throughout the conversation.

Rabbi Meirov raised a familiar assumption about fitness: Many people equate being healthy with losing weight.

Rabbi Praeger challenged that view.

A person can be thin yet physically weak, lacking endurance, mobility, and muscle strength. Although excess weight can contribute to health problems, losing pounds does not automatically mean a person has become physically fit.

Rabbi Praeger was particularly concerned about the gradual loss of muscle that can accompany aging. Without regular strength training, adults may experience declining physical capacity, making ordinary activities increasingly difficult.

His focus is especially on middle-aged men whose demanding schedules often leave little room for exercise.

Rather than emphasize appearance, Rabbi Praeger encourages building strength that serves a practical purpose.

He described his appreciation for the functional training approach associated with CrossFit. Exercises such as squats, presses, push-ups, and lifting movements develop strength used in everyday life.

A squat strengthens muscles involved in sitting down and rising from a chair. A properly performed lifting movement prepares the body to pick up an object from the floor. Pressing and pulling exercises strengthen muscles needed for carrying, lifting, and other common tasks.

The exercises can be adapted for beginners, allowing participants to work at an appropriate level and progress gradually. Proper technique and individual physical limitations remain important.

The objective is not bodybuilding or developing a particular appearance. Rabbi Praeger wants men to possess the strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility needed to remain active as they age.

He offered examples that would resonate with parents and grandparents: picking up a child, carrying packages, dancing at a wedding, and participating in family activities without becoming unnecessarily exhausted.

For Rabbi Praeger, these ordinary experiences are meaningful measures of physical fitness.

His approach is also rooted in his understanding of the Torah’s relationship to the body.

A person’s physical appearance should not become an object of glorification. Torah learning, tefillah, family responsibilities, and serving Hashem take precedence. Yet neglecting one’s physical condition can make those obligations harder to fulfill.

Rabbi Praeger described the body as a kli, a vessel through which a person carries out his responsibilities.

A man may be committed to waking early for Shacharit, learning Torah, earning a parnasah, raising a family, and helping his community. All those commitments require energy.

If he continually neglects his health, even worthwhile responsibilities may become more difficult.

Rabbi Meirov agreed that physical fitness deserves attention but cautioned against allowing exercise to displace religious priorities. He recalled inviting men to attend a shiur only to discover that they had committed substantial portions of their schedules to the gym.

Rabbi Praeger acknowledged the concern. Maintaining physical health must remain part of a balanced life rather than becoming its primary purpose.

He also emphasized that exercise is only one element of fitness.

A person might spend an hour training, but the remaining hours of the day influence how the body recovers and functions.

Sleep, nutrition, and recovery are essential considerations. Rabbi Praeger encouraged reducing reliance on highly processed foods and excessive sugar, incorporating nutritious protein sources, and giving the body sufficient rest.

He cautioned against expecting exercise to compensate for consistently poor eating habits.

Recovery matters because demanding workouts place stress on the muscles. Without adequate rest, a person may experience fatigue and diminished performance rather than steady progress.

For someone beginning a fitness routine, Rabbi Praeger suggested that training approximately three times a week, with recovery between sessions, could be a practical starting point. The appropriate frequency and intensity depend on the individual’s condition and experience.

The conversation also addressed testosterone and human growth hormone, subjects Rabbi Praeger frequently discusses in relation to men’s health.

He explained that hormonal changes may accompany aging and that concerns about energy, muscle maintenance, and physical performance deserve attention.

However, symptoms such as fatigue, poor concentration, reduced motivation, or difficulty sleeping can have numerous causes. They do not, by themselves, establish a testosterone deficiency. Diagnosis and treatment require appropriate medical evaluation.

Rabbi Praeger emphasized everyday habits before assuming that hormone treatment is necessary. Consistent exercise, sufficient sleep, sound nutrition, and recovery are practical ways to support overall health, although they are not substitutes for medical treatment when a genuine hormonal disorder is present.

The broader challenge, he observed, is that many men wait until their health deteriorates before making changes.

Between work, family, learning, and communal obligations, exercise can seem like an optional luxury. It is often postponed until there is more time.

But there may never be a period when every competing responsibility disappears.

Rabbi Praeger encouraged treating physical health as something that deserves a place in the schedule rather than an activity attempted only when nothing else remains.

Rabbi Meirov shared that Rabbi Praeger’s encouragement had helped him make fitness part of his own routine. The experience reinforced his appreciation for the benefits of regular exercise and the importance of taking personal responsibility for health.

Rabbi Praeger also spoke about his efforts to develop a supportive community through a free WhatsApp group focused on exercise, nutrition, energy, and healthier habits.

The group, he explained, is not intended to create an unrealistic image of perfection.

He acknowledged having his own periods of inconsistency and difficulty. Like everyone else, he must balance personal responsibilities, work, and the effort required to maintain healthy routines.

The purpose is to encourage men to support one another, exchange practical advice, and continue making progress despite occasional setbacks.

That approach reflects how Rabbi Praeger’s understanding of fitness has evolved.

As a teenager, he sought physical strength because he wanted others to respect him. As a teacher, he discovered that exercise could help children develop confidence. As an adult working with other men, he wants physical health to become a source of energy for responsibilities that extend far beyond the gym.

His concluding message was directed particularly toward those who continually postpone taking care of themselves.

Do not wait until illness or physical limitations make change unavoidable.

Hashem has entrusted each person with one body. That body is needed for Torah study, family life, earning a living, and performing mitzvot. Caring for it is part of preserving the ability to fulfill those responsibilities.

Rabbi Praeger’s own journey began with a boy who lacked confidence and hoped physical strength would change how others saw him. Years later, his goal is different: helping men develop the strength to participate more fully in the lives Hashem has given them.

The purpose is not to spend more of life exercising. It is to have the health and energy to make better use of everything that happens outside the gym.