https://deanmcmenamin.co.uk/dad-bod-debrief-v2/

Dean McMenamin Fitness, 18 Gordon Avenue, Glasgow (2026)

15/09/2026

💩 happens. But you need to suck it up and soldier on.

11/09/2026

Ever feel like you take 4 steps forward then 3 steps back?

Next Saturday, I'll be running the Arrochar a 10k race.

I did this 2 years ago when I first got back into running after 5 or so years struggling with chronic knee pain.

So after 2 years of running you'd think I'd be all set to smash me previous time.

And you'd be wrong lol.

For the past 2 weeks I've been getting my arse kicked by a honking virus that Leanne brought back from the Cure gig in Edinburgh a few weeks ago.

I've had some rough flu's in my almost 40 years.

This one was up there with the worst of them.

Even now, 12 days in, I still can't walk 10 meters without the windchill triggering me into fits of coughs.

So god knows when I'll be able to get some running done in prep for next Saturday.

I feel like my whole aerobic fitness base is gone.

And I'm starting from scratch again.

You ever get that feeling?

But here's the thing -

Although this sucks in the short term, and I'll be far from beating my previous time on this 10k, I need to give my head a wobble and remember that simply taking part and enjoying the run is a big deal.

Like I said, a few years back I wasn't able to run without pain.

And had been told by at least 2 medical professionals never to run again.

Because at this stage I've had ACL repair, 3 separate meniscus tears, and arthritis all in the 1 knee.

So despite the recent illness setback, I've made massive progress over the past few years.

Why am I telling you?

You're human just like me.

You'll get periods where you feel like you're flying, then something happens to completely knock you off the saddle.

An injury that makes training less fun and more grind.

Work life taking over and causing stress.

Kids and wife taking priority.

Or losing someone close that turns life on it's head for a while.

Life has it's way of pulling the rug from under your feet, and when it does we can all be guilty of letting the moments get the better of us.

Feeling like we're failing when in fact we're only being slowed down.

Long term progress is more like 4 steps forwards...

2 steps back...

Another 2 forwards.

The guys I've coached who make the best transformations are no exception to this.

And in fact,

I believe your success in achieving a goal is just as correlated to the little choices you make in the tough times to hang on, as it is to the big efforts when you're flying.

Peaks and valleys.

It's all part of the journey, my mate.

Enjoy your weekend.

Dean

PS - If you relate to any of this, I write free emails on training, mobility and nutrition for men in their 30s, 40s and 50s who want to get in shape and stay ready without wrecking themselves. Comment 'debrief' below and I'll send you the details.

02/09/2026

Want a rough idea how long you'll live (and the strength of your heart) without dissecting a complicated blood panel?

Just hanging from a bar will tell you a lot.

Before I get into this, here's your reminder that the doors are open to my 6 week Rebirth program until Friday.

If you want the details comment 'Rebirth' below and I'll get them to you.

Back to it...

A massive study published in The Lancet tracked nearly 140,000 adults across 17 countries. It found that for every 5kg drop in grip strength, a person's risk of death from any cause increases by 16%.

The same study concluded that grip strength is actually a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular death than measuring systolic blood pressure.

Basically...

A strong grip directly correlates with a lower risk of stroke, heart attack, and age-related physical decline.

And carries over to a strong handshake 🤝🏻

In general, your strength is also correlated to how your body looks.

When Gerry first signed up for Rebirth, I got him to hang from a bar as long as he could. Part of my Full Body Fitness MOT.

He lasted 26 seconds.

Which was a bad sign for a guy in his mid 40s - less than halfway to what I consider good (60 seconds).

His pride was hurt more than anything else.

Because the last time Gerry remembered grabbing a pull-up bar was in his 20s, when he could do them for fun.

And as a dad who coaches his son at football, he was embarrassed about his lack of physicality.

The hang test exposes a lot.

If you're too heavy, too weak, or just not in great shape, you'll struggle.

The good news?

That strength comes quickly with the right training.

This motivated Gerry to hit that 60 second benchmark. Then he got his first pull-up. Then 5. Then 10. Then 18.

Just look what that journey did for the muscle on his back.

Two points here.

First -

Having a few tests to measure your physical capability every couple of months is genuinely motivating.

Losing belly fat and looking more defined is great, but when that's your sole focus it can get a bit flat.

The right tests give your training more meaning.

Second -

The September Rebirth cohort kicks off next week and one of the first things we'll do is put you through the Full Body Fitness MOT.

You'll get clear insights into your full body strength, joint mobility and flexibility, and your CV health - which matters more than most men realise after 35.

You'll find out exactly where your weak links are and what needs attention first.

Then you'll see improvements across the board by the time we hit week six.

Tap here to take control of your fitness and physique.

Doors close Friday.

If you want a look at the info, comment 'Rebirth' below and I'll send it to your messenger.

Dean

01/09/2026

🔥The doors are open for the September Rebirth program.

6 weeks. Remote coaching. Built for men over 35 who are putting the effort in but not seeing it pay off in the mirror.

Fat loss, strength, and mobility to help you train without the joint niggles - all in three sessions a week.

5 spots left out of 15, doors close Friday.

Comment 'Rebirth' below and the details land straight in your messenger.

Dean

31/08/2026

Ben didn't know he was 15kg overweight until he had to step on the scales before the green light to go on the worlds largest zip slide.

He was a very active and out-doorsy guy but what he saw in the mirror didn't reflect all the Rugby he played and hiking he loved.

And he had a dodgy shoulder and sciatica issues nagging away at him.

Now?

15 Kg down.

Taking his top off on holiday with CONFIDENCE.

Rebuild the dislocated shoulder, sciatica gone, and crushing personal bests in the gym again for the first time in years.

Incredible work from Ben. A great example of what's possible when you back yourself and put your health, body, and future as a priority.

If you relate to any of this or feel inspired by Ben's story, I write free email content for dads in their 30s-50s on training, nutrtion, and mindset, they can help you rebuild a leaner, stronger, capable you. Just comment the word 'debrief' below and the details will land in your DMs/messenger.

30/08/2026

Age 47: From bad knees, a fcuked shoulder, daily pain killers and bursting out his t-shirts to feeling invincible before 50.

All of Jim's family new not to ask him for help moving heavy furniture.

Bad shoulder. Sore knees. Somewhere along the way it had just become his identity.

He was 47, working offshore on a 6-weeks-on, 6-weeks-off rotation. Years of sport and physical work had taken their toll, and Covid lock-downs had done the rest.

By the time he reached out, putting his socks on was a tactical operation.

Gubbing paracetamol and ibuprofen like smarties. Filling his t-shirts in the stomach rather than the sleeves.

He'd tried cardio and low carb diets. Lost weight, looked and felt terrible, rebounded fast.

What Jim hadn't tried was fixing how his body actually functions.

When he started Rebirth I introduced him to the Rust Removal Warm-Ups. Ten minutes of targeted joint mobility work for the shoulders, hips, knees, and spine that give men in their 40s the most grief.

The chronic shoulder and knee pain he'd lived with for years - gone.

Off the painkillers entirely.

Waist from 36 to 32 inches. XL to medium.

Dumbbell press from 20kg to 40kg.

Pull ups from 2-3 reps to 3 sets of 12.

The man nobody asked to lift anything heavy is now the fittest person in his family, and also, one of the most shredded Granddads to be in existence.

This is what can happen when you train your joints to move how they were designed, then stack the strength training on top.

Dean

PS - If you relate to any of this, I write free emails on training, mobility and nutrition for men in their 30s, 40s and 50s who want to keep going without wrecking themselves. Comment 'debrief' below and I'll send you the details.

30/08/2026

In 1862, Ulysses S. Grant was having the ultimate bad day.

At the Battle of Shiloh, his army was caught completely off guard. A massive enemy force spent 12 hours tearing them to pieces. Grant was commanding the retreat on crutches after his horse crushed his ankle.

By midnight, the field was a bloodbath.

Grant sat alone in the freezing rain under an oak tree, chuffing a cigar.

His general Sherman walked up expecting a full retreat.

"Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?"

Grant took a puff.

"Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

He counter-attacked at dawn and won the battle the next morning.

This is the mentality that separates the men who get in shape from the ones who stay stuck.

The perfect time doesn't exist. Work gets stressful. Kids get school holidays. You pick up niggles. And at some point you'll miss a workout or order a takeaway when you're knackered.

Most guys hit the f**k it button after that.

I've never met a single man who went from out of shape to proud of what's staring back in the mirror who had an easy time of it.

They just got good at responding when life happened.

One bad day stays one bad day.

(But only 100% of the time).

Dean

PS - I write free content like this for men (currently 5632 readers) on training, nutrition, and mindset that can land in your email inbox every time. Want in on it? Comment 'debrief' below and I'll get them over to you.

29/08/2026

Craig has a clear memory of kicking a ball about with his dad as a wee boy when his dad suddenly had to stop, looking like he was really struggling.

His dad was only in his 40s.

That memory never left him.

Fast forward 30 years. Craig is 46, senior manager at JLR, married with two daughters - and starting to worry he's heading the same way.

Not because he's let himself go. Craig's always been slim, keeps active, gets his workouts in.

But his back is a constant problem.

Just twisting out of the driver's seat felt like something that needed a risk assessment.

The things he loves - motorcycling, mountain biking, keeping up with his daughters - all shadowed by whether his back would hold up.

The issue wasn't effort. It was direction.

When Craig started Rebirth, we stripped it back.

Three sessions a week. Full body strength work built on proper movement patterns. Dedicated mobility before every session. Simple nutrition changes.

Seven kilograms gone without targeting weight loss. Press ups from 14 to 30. Strength climbing every month.

But the biggest shift was getting Craig out of his own bubble.

When you train alone for years, your baseline quietly drops. You start accepting stiff and achy as just an age thing.

Craig's back still has its moments. But he's no longer building his life around it.

He's the active dad he always intended to be.

Dean

If you're a dad in your 30s -50s who's putting the effort in but not seeing it in the mirror, I write free emails like this on training, nutrition, mindset - all written from the perspective of a former Army PTI and men's transformation coach. Comment 'debrief' below and I'll send you the details.

29/08/2026

Most guys don't fail to eat better because they're busy.

They fail because the approach they use is designed for someone with no life outside the gym.

Strict rules, weighing every gram, cutting carbs, constant guilt every time you so-called cheat.

There's a time and place for these things but most guys don't need to start there.

My love of ice-cream is well documented - I smash a big tub of most weekend movie nights and I love a chicken bhuna delivery.

Is that cheating? No.

I just move on and make the next meal a good one.

Building most meals around protein, fruit and veg keeps me lean, full of energy, and looking good in my t-shirts.

But I didn't always eat like this.

My diet was a sh*t-show and I'd make big overhauls to get in shape - Paleo. Low carb. Carb cycling. Macro tracking. Whatever definition I gained, I lost the moment I fell off the wagon.

Fed up training so hard but only looking like a guy who goes for a few jogs.

So I hired a nutrition coach who forced me to drop the all-or-nothing approach.

First habit - just eat more protein at meals. Nothing else.

Then one change every couple of weeks.

None of it felt like a diet.

A month in I was leaner with more definition and loving the process.

That experience led me to become a nutrition coach myself - and the Progressive Wholefoods Formula is exactly how I've helped hundreds of guys do the same thing since.

If you're always stop-start or all or nothing with eating better, you might want to re-think your approach.

Dean

PS: If any of this resonates with you, I recommend just tackling 1 meal a day first, you'll be surprised the results that come from nailing 1/3 of you daily diet consistently for a couple of weeks -

Comment 'Breakfast' below and I'll send you my free Anti Dad-Bod Breakfast Guide - three high-protein breakfasts that take under five minutes, built for busy dads who actually want to see a difference in the mirror.

28/08/2026

Same circumstances, different decisions, outcomes.

Dean McMenamin Fitness

15/09/2026

11/09/2026

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

30/08/2026

29/08/2026

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28/08/2026

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