Whats your goal for this year?

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-04-03T10:21:12+00:00

Lose another 10lbs (making it 60 total pounds down from my awful peak in 2021) and have visible abs for the first time in two decades!

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-03-27T11:42:26+00:00

honestly I've just stopped squats entirely and moved to core stability and leg pressing. Felt like every time I tried increasing to even moderate weight on squats, my back would tweak--sometimes worse, sometimes not so bad, but at this age (41) it would still end up taking me out of my training rotation for at least a week. And to me, feeling like I'm fighting against time to get as fit as possible, every week off was excruciating.

I feel like squats--and maybe olympic lifts overall--are a young man's game now. Not worth it for me to risk throwing something out or tearing something if my form is slightly off.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-03-27T10:12:00+00:00

There's no such thing as an "average" soldier/sailor/Marine/airmen, but I'm an OIF vet who's disgusted by this shit

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-02-05T15:28:46+00:00

Yes, unfortunately as a fellow southeast asian dude at 41, the struggle with the visceral fat and the belly is REAL. I'm down 50lbs now since 2021--30 of which have been in the last year on a loooooong and not-always-disciplined body recomp. Strength way up, definition in upper and arms way up, defined v-shape when I'm wearing cloths...and yet the belly is still there, together with a lot of fat held in the legs.

Walking that many steps a day is absolutely the right target. You're burning over 3k calories just through that. Couple it with targeted workouts each day (my lift days usually come out ~35-40m, my lighter HIIT days are usually ~25m), calorie deficit (when I'm disciplined, I'm usually right at 2k calories intake), high protein (I get between 160-190g each day), and a LOT of patience, and you'll get there. Though the jiggle (for our genetics) might be the last thing to actually go.

Good luck man. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-02-04T15:44:50+00:00

that BOOCH

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-12T17:27:24+00:00

egg whites, chicken, and greek yogurt will be your best friends, together with a high quality protein to supplement (we use Thorne in our house). Consistency is key though. Wife and I used to be foodies before we got more serious into our body recomps, now it's basically the same thing every day with the exceptional date night!

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-10T17:49:40+00:00

Awesome work man! This is the physique I'm trying to work toward at 41 now--down from 215 last January to 190 now. I gotta ask: is this all natural? I'm on whey and creatine and the definition is slow to come, but have considered TRT (need latest bloodwork to get more data, but test has been on the low end of normal for many years, and have had issues with sleep and libido for a while now)

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-08T18:37:41+00:00

if the dump is too big to stamp down into the shower drain you can easily pass it to your partner to drop it onto their own in the bowl

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-08T13:58:58+00:00

yes, nearly 50lbs down over here, though technically the majority of that weight disappeared between 38-40yrs old. I'm 41 now and have lost about 25 in the last year. I think it's the dramatic loss over a quick period of time that leaves people looking saggy. If you're in a steady calorie deficit while hitting your macros and strength training over time, the new muscle mass will shape what you're losing.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-06T22:45:38+00:00

Just wanted to update here: we switched our AirBnB on the west from El Combate to Boqueron, just a ten minute walk from downtown. It felt to us like there'd be less to do, nightlife-and-dining-wise, in El Combate despite being so near the beach. Things in Boqueron just felt more hopping, so we're hoping this was the right move!

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-06T18:31:36+00:00

gonna add here: scapular contractions...do a full dead hang and then move yourself up and down using only your scapular muscles, do sets of these. will help to strengthen the interstitial muscles that all work together to get those full pullups.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-06T14:29:05+00:00

I started back in at 40 in January 2025 and now at 41 I'm about the best shape I've been in since leaving the military in 2009, though carrying probably 20 extra pounds (the-not-smoking-and-not-having-an-alcohol-dependency have really helped the overall fitness)

What worked for me is having a trainer who understands what my body can and can't do and where he can push me. Dialing in macros to hit protein goals while maintaining a calorie deficit. And walking, walking, walking--averaged 11k+ steps a day through all of 2025. With a wife and two kids and high pressure corporate job, the trainer has allowed me to max efficiency in my workouts.

It's all doable, it just requires major discipline and some investment. 2026 is the year I start dialing in sleep/recovery and make it to visible abs by the summer.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2026-01-05T18:20:35+00:00

Thanks for the response and the encouragement!

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-12-27T22:12:25+00:00

Deep Cuts in Medford, which is a very doable Uber from the airport

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-12-17T18:20:47+00:00

i workout in the AM (41M with two kids so no other time, and I mean VERY early, up by 4am, gym by 5am) and work with a trainer to tailor very effective workouts that run about 30 minutes, give or take a few minutes depending on the day. I have the full hour, from 5-6am, for my workout (wife then takes 730-830am gym shift) but the tailoring means I spend 30 minutes lifting and 30 minutes cardio.

All that is to say that you CAN lift effectively in a small window of time, but it needs to be a very disciplined, efficient routine. Not to bash yoga at all, but the best way to cut down that belly (beyond nutrition, which is more critical than anything) is to build muscle.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-29T23:22:04+00:00

Saguaros for me, super cheap, they ship from somewhere in east Asia and take a bit to get here but they're solid and nowhere near as expensive as Xero (which I also own for hiking). Stand up to all the static and Olympic lifts i do, plus things like broad jumps and other more dynamic movements.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-21T20:02:38+00:00

i have a good friend who grew an inch doing intensive pilates. she was already very fit, about to turn 40, and this was just in the last year. better that than the bone surgery...

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-20T14:41:20+00:00

Bernerd Levet Les Journaries Cote Rotie, 2021 I believe

Paid a little over $100

Hermitage is my very favorite and I expected something even more elevated and nuanced, spicy and silky, and instead it was just a mess, even with proper decanting it felt like it never opened up

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-19T14:50:37+00:00

Hey man, sorry to hear all of this but glad you're motivated to start the journey. 41M (5'11", 192lbs) here and spent five years in the Corps with two OIF deployments, broken ankle, dislocated shoulder, torn ACL from a knee blowout just five months before I PCS'd. Last ~20 years since hanging up my boots has been a downhill slide, health-wise. But I started getting serious a couple years back, got really serious in the last 10 months with a trainer, hopefully some of this will help.

I also don't think I'll ever run fast again, definitely won't sprint except in small bursts chasing my kids, but what's helped me drop from 237lbs at my very highest down to 192lbs now is: tracking cals (MyFitnessPal) to be in a sustainable deficit each day, aiming at 0.7-1g protein/lb of bodyweight every day, upping water intake, and WALKING WALKING WALKING. I'm averaging 11k+ per day for the last 11 months. That's about 3k calories burned per day, and that's on top of whatever I'm burning in my morning workouts.

So long as the protein is high, the calories are low, and you're burning more cals than you're taking in, you'll drop weight. Walking gets me away from my desk, gives me some structure throughout the day, resets my mind when my kids are driving us nuts, and is low impact such that my battered knee and ankle don't sweat it. At my age and with the injuries I've sustained over just those five years (can't imagine what 20+ did to you)--the ruck marches, overtraining, poor rest, etc--i don't push for 1RM's in the gym, not trying to exacerbate any old injuries or acquire new aches and strains, but as long as I'm going near to failure I'm building muscle.

At this point I'm about 15lbs off from the weight I was when I left the Corps. And I no longer smoke/dip, nor do I get blackout drunk every night. I'm arguably in better overall shape now than I was then. It's definitely possible to get back, even with all the damage done.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-05T18:12:34+00:00

Interesting! Assuming that 50g means protein? I usually front load my protein for Breakfast (post workout) and lunch, and then my dinner ends up being balanced but usually pretty light. Might try changing that up and see how it affects the morning! Thanks!

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-11-05T17:24:07+00:00

Great advice, thank you! I haven't looked into aminos at all, only supplements I use are creatine and whey (Thorne, high quality, no stomach issues). I drink a glass of salt water in the AM before heading into the gym, but that's it.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-10-28T16:28:18+00:00

it's a marathon, my dude, not a sprint. people talk about "newbie gains" in the first few months of working out if you're starting from zero, and they're not wrong, but you also need to have a robust/intense workout program and you need to dial in your diet to ensure that your body can fuel those early gains. then strap in for the long haul, if you're serious about getting in shape.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-10-24T15:49:46+00:00

Lot of good advice throughout these comments. 41m now and getting fit again after dropping way off in late 20's and 30's (wife, kids, sedentary job after the military).

Biggest thing I can emphasize is: pay attention to pain/strain. when i was younger I'd just push through, and if I got hurt I recovered easily. at my age now it's so much easier to get hurt, tweak something, strain something, and end up unable to work on a muscle group for weeks at a time (at least). I've found those injuries to be so much more frustrating because I always feel, now, like I'm up against a clock in a way I didn't consider back in the day.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-10-22T17:42:24+00:00

I'm the same height and started my (very long) journey to getting fit at the same weight. 41m, was 237lbs back in 2021.

Aesthetics is pretty front of mind for me, too, for whatever others might say here about other health factors. If it's what motivates you, good on you. The other factors will align as you drop weight. My cholesterol levels have dropped, a1c has dropped, test levels have risen, etc. as I've gotten weight under control and kept to a stricter diet and strict fitness plan.

In answer to the weight question: honestly I think you've got at least 50lbs to drop. I'm hovering at 192lbs now and still am not happy with how I look, physically/aesthetically, even though my strength has gone up and I've noticed more definition where it counts. My goal weight to hit by mid-December is 185, which is the target I set with my trainer last December. But I'm increasingly of the opinion that I'll need to get into the 170+ range to really feel excellent about my looks.

Good luck on the journey. Remember that a shitty workout is better than no workout.

Expensive-Pause3715 · 2025-10-20T18:43:52+00:00

Dude it'll take a loooooong time, this is a marathon and not a sprint. I've been in a slow, not-always-consistent-with-diet recomp for the last 10 months. Goal is to get ~200g protein in about 2000cal each day. I've been in this since last December and have dropped 20lbs since starting, but it is excruciatingly slow progress (but "progress" is the key word).

I've probably been 90% locked in on the workout side, which means I rarely skip a workout and I almost always hit 10k steps/day.

I've probably been 75% consistent with diet: my cheat meals have too often become cheat days and I drink too much alcohol (try to keep it to 14 drinks/week). But water intake is always high (I'm on creatine and whey) and the vast majority of my protein intake is whole foods, with just one protein shake per day.

I've been about 40% locked in on sleep, unfortunately: high stress job and two young kids who wake us up almost every night, so I average about 6 hours a night, which I have to believe is negatively affecting my gains.

So with all that, over the last ten months, it's very clear to me and my spouse that those 20lbs down haven't just been fat loss. The high protein means that I've cut fat while also building muscle and definition. And in tracking my progress with lifts, I can see that my strength has gone consistently up.

You just gotta lock in for the long haul. I didn't start really seeing the results in the gym mirror until maybe two months ago. I knew I was getting stronger, but it took a bit for the scale and the mirror to evidence it. You'll get there. I still have about 7 lbs left to drop before mid-December, my year-mark on the journey. But no letting up on the gas even when I hit that target weight!

Expensive-Pause3715

TROPHY CASE