Weekly Newsletter

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UPDATES.

What I'm eating, how I'm training, what the science actually says. Real numbers, no filters — from a 43-year-old who's done pretending average is enough.

"I'll start lifting once I've lost the weight." The biology says that's backwards.
Cut without resistance training and you lose fat AND muscle. Less muscle means a slower metabolism — and the fat comes back faster when you eat normally. Training during a deficit changes what your body burns.
Muscle loss starts in your 30s. By 70, sedentary men have lost 30% of their peak. This is what reverses it.
Sarcopenia is progressive and age-related — but not inevitable at the rate most men experience it. Low muscle mass doubles all-cause mortality risk. Progressive resistance training is the main intervention that meaningfully reverses it.
Muscle loss after 40 isn't inevitable — but it accelerates. Here's what the research actually says.
After 40, sarcopenia speeds up. Strength training is the most evidence-backed way to slow it. Swipe for what the data actually shows.
Recovery: the pillar that makes everything else work
"You can't train your way out of bad sleep." Why recovery is the mechanism behind every other result — sleep quality, HRV, cortisol, and the habits that actually move the needle.
Training after 40: what to lift, how much to run, and the number that reveals how fast you're ageing
Why resistance training can't wait, what compound movements to prioritise, Zone 2 vs high intensity, and VO2 max — the single metric that shows how fast you're ageing.
I looked in the mirror at 38 and didn't like what I saw
14kg gained in 4 months — 1kg a week, sneaking up on me. Then 16kg gone in 153 days. The transformation story behind the framework.
The compound effect doesn't care about your excuses. It just adds up.
Small consistent actions in health compound the same way bad habits do. The only question is which direction yours are pointing.
MyFitnessPal tips I wish someone told me earlier
The tracking app most men quit after a week. Here's how to actually use it — and why it changes everything when you do.
6 pillars. One long life. Swipe through.
The non-negotiable weekly habits behind my longevity framework — what men over 40 need to be doing consistently to live a long, healthy life.
16kg down. 153 days. One toddler. One full-time job. Zero quick fixes.
The transformation story — and the free calculator and Substack article that explain exactly how the framework works for busy dads.
How I lost 16kg as a busy dad — and the one framework that made it stick
153 days. Three pillars: nutrition, training, recovery. The exact steps — food tracking, calorie targets, macro split — that got me there and kept me there.
The question that started my transformation — what's yours?
Every real change starts with a single honest question. Drop yours in the comments.
My tempo run session — what a real training week looks like
1.2km warm-up → 3×1.2km at 4:25/km → 400m recovery → 1km cool-down. Building VO2 max the unsexy way.
Don't just try to live a long life — live a healthy and long one
Healthspan beats lifespan. The goal isn't years on the clock, it's what you can do with them.
It's hard being healthy. It will be harder being unhealthy.
Pizza and beer fit in a sustainable lifestyle. Ignoring your health for decades does not. The choice compounds either way.
The "healthy salad" lie — you're in a surplus you can't see
You're not fat because you're lazy. You're eating more than you think. Track one week. Watch what happens.
Guy over 40 not losing belly fat? This is possibly why.
Most advice is wrong for men our age. The real answer involves protein, not punishment — and knowing what's actually driving the surplus.
Belly fat after 40 isn't a laziness problem — here's what actually works
Protein first, Zone 2 cardio, weights 3–4×/week. The goal isn't a six-pack — it's living strong, clear, and useful for decades.
Every Tuesday at 7am
THE EXTRAORDINARY MAN
One focused email per week. What I learned, what I tested, what the science actually says. Read by professionals who want the real picture — not influencer fluff.
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Remko — 40+, Singapore (originally from the Netherlands)
Tech professional, husband and father, and someone who got serious about health in 2022. Lost 16 kg and kept myself in shape ever since. I write about the exact system I use — the nutrition, the training, the sleep habits, the gadgets — so you don't have to figure it all out from scratch.