The most popular hobbies of men can be divided into six main categories.  These are Sports, Outdoor, Creative and Educational, Collecting, Building, and Entertainment. Most men are known to favor “manly” activities thus it will be a surprise to know that some men do enjoy knitting and letter writing as a hobby.

Sports

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 Image: commonswikimedia

Sports as a recreational activity or hobby for men is almost expected. With the typical association of men with physical prowess, engaging in any kind of sport provides just the right platform for showcasing strength, agility, and resistance. Sports also offer men a chance to bring out their naturally competitive spirit as the desire to win pumps up the adrenaline.

There are so many sports activities to choose from with varying degrees of exertion required. Basketball, football, soccer, running, surfing, weight-lifting, and martial arts are just some of the more common ones. Others may choose physically milder activities such as chess, bowling, target shooting, billiards, and archery which are no less competitive and manly.

Outdoor

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Spending time outdoors is another popular way that men spend their free time. Hunting, fishing, hiking, mountaineering, backpacking, and gardening all provide challenging venues to satisfy man’s natural desire to conquer, discover, and grow something. The mere fact that these activities are done outdoors where exposure to environmental elements is inevitable is in itself a challenge.

Creative and Educational

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Image: commonswikimedia

Creative and educational endeavors also occupy much recreational time of men. Photography, painting, model building, playing an instrument, reading, writing, and learning new skills are just some of the more popular hobbies where learning happens while passing the time. Cooking, which used to be associated with women is now a much enjoyed activity of men as they whip up culinary delights of their own. Cooking as a career has long been led by men but not as a domestic chore or hobby.

Collecting

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Image: flickr.com/photos

Collecting specific things occupy much time of men. From the smallest items such as stamps and coins to the big -ticket ones like vintage cars, men have been at it for the longest time. Other common collectibles for men include baseball cards, comics, sports mementos, and toys.

Building

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Many men are into Do-It-Yourself Projects and spend most of their free time making improvements in their respective homes. Many types of skills can be useful for this kind of hobby such as expertise in woodwork, metalwork, leather work, electrical work, plumbing work, and painting. What is work to others is hours of good time for those who really enjoy this activity.

Entertainment

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Image: commonswikimedia

Pure, simple entertainment like watching TV and movies are good old past-times that never go out out of style. Although there are more options now of doing it, the essence of watching a show on screen remains the same. It has just become more convenient to catch-up on missed TV shows or watch movies in the comfort of one’s home.

My Say

The kind of hobby taken up by anyone does not matter as much as the amount of enjoyment derived from it. Men, like women are free to choose the hobby they want to spend their time on. The hobbies mentioned above may be the more popular ones but there is nothing stopping any man from finding a different hobby that can provide him a sense of fulfillment and maximized enjoyment.