Dean McMenamin

05/11/2025

Guys if you aren't already, follow my other page as I'm posting on here regularly.

29/08/2025

There's always a few reasons a lot of you aren't seeing the changes in the mirror that you want.

Especially you guys who tend to get really frustrated after weeks of hard work (or months) without any progress.

And ONE of those main reasons are you numbers.

Just like you wouldn't start a business without tracking your KPI's (Key Performance Indicators... Or would you?)...

You also need to track some Key Performance Movements over time in your workouts.

Yeah ... It's not just about making yourself tired, sore, or sweaty.

Lets say for talking sake you're training at home with bodyweight, a bench, pull up bar, and a pair of adjustable dumbbells.

A few of your KPI's might be:

- Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat.

- Press-ups.

- Dumbbell bench press.

- Pull-ups..

- 1 arm dumbbell row.

- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts.

Your workouts want to evolve around these movements and how much you can lift, how many reps you can do etc all want to be increasing every single month.

Often weekly, form workout to workout.

It's literally a case of keeping a training diary and simply trying to beat the logbook every time.

Honestly, not keeping a training diary is one of the biggest (and most common) mistakes I see a lot of guys making time and time again.

So many guys consistently major in the minors like what type of training split, constantly changing exercises to 'confuse the muscles', or chasing after-burn effects for fat loss etc.

Listen, do yourself a a favour and focus on getting your:

>> Press-ups to 30-40+ clean looking reps.

>> Pull-ups to 10+ (even if you don't have 1 yet, start chasing them).

>> DB bench at least 85% of your bodyweight for sets of 10.

>> Romanian Deadlift 1-1.5 x your bodyweight for 10 (barbell)

You get the idea ...

It's a long journey.

Your frame changes when your numbers change over time. It's not an overnight fix.

We dive into more on this stuff in the dad bod debrief - a FREE resource for men over 30 who want to lose fat and build a fit, strong body for life.

You can get it at the link in my bio or message me the word DEBRIEF and I'll get it over to you.

Happy Friday.

Dean

20/08/2025

Struggling to find the time to get in shape?

More time doesn't show up. The perfect time with nothing in the way may only ever exist for a week or two.

The guys you know who live the fit life and are always looking well and like they look after themselves? They're all busy AF too.

I've coached hundreds of men who have multiple kids, and many of them with multiple business to run, too. And they've managed to build fitness into their lives, get in brilliant shape, and stay there.

How?

Really working on the skill of MAKING TIME.

Planning each week.

Time blocking in the calendar.

Working hard to stick to the schedule you map out.

Accepting that some weeks, your plan will go t**s up, and be willing to just get back to it when it does.

And just keep showing up putting the reps it.

Do it enough and it just becomes your normal, then the results follow.

Scheduling and planning isn't sexy or Instagram worthy, but it's an essential, fundamental skill to achieve any fitness goal.

Not dialed it in yet? Stop worrying about the perfect workout program, fasted cardio or high reps vs low reps.It's all noise.

Start making time.

Dean

PS - Want daily intel designed to help busy men over 30 lose fat and build a fit strong body for life? The dad bod debrief is a free resource I created to help you get in track.

Join for free at the link in my bio or message me the word 'Debrief' and I'll get you squared away.

16/08/2025

There's still a common misconception about losing fat and getting in shape that you have to eat clean all the time or have a strict diet.

Or even wait until your 'cheat day'.

It's something that kept me stuck in a body shape I didn't like for a long time.

Because I could never stick to strict diets for longer than say a month or two. Like the paleo diet or low carb stuff.

So I often never bothered trying.

What I didn't realise at the time was I didn't need to do any of this, and actually, some of the leanest guys I know eat cake, ice-cream, takeaways etc a good few times a week without even seeing it as cheating.

Now of course, your overall diet matters. And most of the food you eat should be from single ingredients, healthy whole foods. You know, the stuff that doesn't come in a box or have a long ingredient list.

And I'm not here to encourage you to eat as much cake, fast food or sweets as you can eat.

But I am encouraging you to drop the mindset of 'being good' when you're eating healthy and 'being bad' when you're hitting the munchies 🍰

I think it's an unhealthy state of mind to live in.

If you're trying to lose fat and you're gonna eat cake, ice-cream, or whatever?

Just eat less proper food at your main meals that day to make some room for the extra calories.

Keep your protein and veggies high, but cut back on the carbs like fruits, pasta, breads, chips, pastries, potatoes, rice or oats, and that gives you some calorific room for your treats.

The way I see it, if ice-cream's not involved then I'm no playing ball 👊

Dean

PS - Photo taken of a place on holiday in Kos. I was in there almost every day for cake and coffee. Even have a huge banana split for breaky one day 😂

PPS - Want daily intel designed to help men over 30 lose fat, get fit and strong, and achieve lasting change sent to your email inbox for FREE?

The dad bod debrief is a complete free resource I created with all the best things I know about fat loss and fitness. You can join either via the link in my bio or message me the word 'debrief' and I'll get it to you 🤝

30/07/2025

Yip.

Unhealthy diets are by far our greatest risk factor for disease and death. However, physical activity is important for our health and longevity and should be encouraged as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

Population studies have found a correlation between regular aerobic exercise and decreased risk of at least 35 different diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Physical activity can help lower inflammation, as well as decrease DNA damage and facilitate DNA repair. A meta-analysis of cohort studies of middle-aged and older individuals, with follow-ups as long as 20 years, found that exercising adults were more likely to age successfully than sedentary individuals.

Exercise may also improve cognition, enhance mood, and generally improve quality of life. The evidence supporting the overall health benefits of physical activity are overwhelming.

Exercise is such powerful medicine that researchers at Stanford and the London School found that exercise may work as well as drugs for patients with coronary heart disease, heart failure, and pre-diabetes––and even better than some medications for stroke.

Just like any medicine, though, might exercise have an upper limit for benefitting our health and longevity? I cover that in the video “How Much Exercise Is Too Much?” at https://see.nf/3ZM4H6h

Walking is among the safest of physical activities, averaging only about one injury per thousand hours. So if you are just getting started with lifestyle changes, consider walking. For even more health benefits, take a walk in a wooded park for the added benefits of boosting your anticancer immunity.

Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication or exercise routine.

To learn more, see the following videos:
“Exercise Is Medicine” at https://see.nf/3XGSyNc
“How Many Steps Should We Get Every Day?” at see.nf/47pIkFd
“Boosting Anticancer Immunity with Forest Bathing” at see.nf/forestbathing

PMID: 29634829, 30640736, 29887832, 32350152, 28438770, 33044541, 28708630, 26476429, 15088246, 31001682, 18336737
doi: 10.1123/japa.8.4.407

23/07/2025

"I've trained consistently 3 times a week almost every week for the past year. So I'm probably more proud of that than anything else"

Was just talking with one of the guys in my inner circle who's in his late 40s and been on my coaching program a year now so it's time to recalibrate and zero in on what's next.

I asked him what he's most proud of over the last year.

And that quote was the first thing out his mouth.

Not the fact that he's lost the belly, has more muscle, stands taller and has better posture. Or that he's stronger and lifting bigger weights in the gym.

But he's become a man who is CONSISTENT.

I remember our early conversations and his frustrations back then where he'd always go through phases of starting and stopping.

From life getting in the way.

To feeling disheartened with lack of progress so he'd just lose interest.

None of that s**t happens anymore.

Because he put the work in to reach that point of where training became part of his identity.

It's unfair to expect the physical results to show in the mirror before you reach that stage. Results are just a byproduct of being very consistent (and intentional) for a long time.

So if you're someone who does a lot of flip flopping, stopping and starting, but never achieving your body goals.

Let's take the pressure off of 'looking a certain way'.

And get more emphasis on hitting your next 100 workouts.

Start tracking them and make it a goal in itself.

A lot of good things will happen on the way to 100. A big identity shift being one of them.

Results will always follow 👍

22/07/2025

Jim started working with me just over a year ago.

In the beginning he was mega keen to make changes, and a lot of the time he was asking me for more... More things he can do to change his diet and see faster results.

It would have been easy for me to feed that desire to get him even faster results.

But the truth is most guys fail to sustain any changes they start within a month or two.

It honestly doesn't matter to me the rate of fat loss progress you can make in that time. Of course you do want to see progress, and Jim was making plenty, but what's far more important is that you can look yourself in the mirror 1-2 years down the line, and honestly say that you set yourself a goal and you stuck to your word.

Hardly anyone manages that.

And that's why there's demand for magic pills like monjaro.

Thankfully, Jim has been an incredible student and held his nerve, following a simple (but not insta-worthy) process of accumulating new habits steadily over this time.

All whilst slowly and surly getting stronger month on month.

And as you can see, not only does this have an incredible compounding affect on big results.

But it complete changes your lifestyle, the things just become habitual for you, without having to turn your life upside down and inevitably fall off the wagon.

You can see big changes in a few months.

You can feel a complete identity shift in 6 months.

And you can see a complety different man in the mirror in 12 month.

But there is no quick fix or short cut.

For more free advice on how to do this, you can visit the link in my bio or DM me the word 'debrief' and I'll get it over to you.

27/06/2025

Risky Moves and Big Rewards

Head down. Legs burning. Gasping for air.

I was deep in the hurt locker.

45 minutes of running/hiking uphill with no break. The goal? Uphill endurance.

When it was finally over, I stopped to catch my breath. Looked around the hills.

No views. Just low clouds. Tracks snaking everywhere. Couldn't see beyond 20 meters.

Spent the next 15 minutes lost.

I thought back to my mates words on my drive over:

“Who you going with?”
“No one,” I said.
“That’s risky. What if something happens up there?”

He wasn’t wrong. The mountains can be dangerous.

But here’s the thing:

So is playing it safe.

Your human brain is wired to 'stay safe' and that also means resisting change.

Change of your routines. Your diet. Your habits.

But what if your current way of doing things has you stuck in a body that's out of shape or you're unhappy with?

Then you have to take a few risks.

Because change is happening as time passes by.

If you drift through life, your body gets weaker, slower, and softer.

Staying the same? Not challenging yourself? That’s the real risk.

I'm not saying you should run up mountains.

But that thing you've yet to pull the trigger on...

Signing up for that program.

Working with that coach.

Starting that pursuit.

Scheduling in that adventure.

Maybe it's time to pull the trigger.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" - Jack Reacher.

Dean

PS - The Dad Bod Debrief is 27 Days of Free, Battle-Tested Fat Loss & Fitness Intel for Men 30+

Want it sent to your inbox for free? DM the word 'Debrief' and I'll get you squared away.

14/06/2025

I've recently become friends with a 'rare' type of man in his 70's who -

> Guides groups of people up some of the highest mountains across the world for a living (only after retirement from an inactive job in the teaching space).

> Climbs, lifts weights, and hill sprints on a weekly basis.

> Reversed 'borderline' diabetes through diet and lifestyle when in his 60s.

> And the best part... Didn't even start trying to get fit until around age 55.

He's a brilliant example for anyone who wants to take control of their health, body, and fitness, no matter your age.

And I was lucky enough to nick 30 minutes of his time yesterday morning, for a recorded interview about it all.

It's full of great insights.

The video will be posted on my YT channel and social platforms soon.

Eye's peeled 👀

Dean

PS - Want to make sure you don't miss it? Drop a thumbs up in the comments and I'll be sure to let you know when it's up.

10/06/2025