Against the Fade

Jonathan

Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife. Something is happening to men in midlife that nobody talks about. Your body is changing. Your friendships are disappearing. Your sense of purpose is slipping. Society stops seeing you. We call it the fade — and this show exists to fight it. Against the Fade is a podcast for men 35-65 navigating the realities of midlife — physical decline, social isolation, emotional silence, and identity loss.  Hosted by Jonathan, a 47-year-old personal trainer and health coach who has spent years training men through this exact chapter of life. Strength. Brotherhood. Defiance. A Second Summit Podcast.

  1. 5d ago

    EP14: The Finish Line That Keeps Moving | Tripp Lanier

    Most of us are waiting for permission. To relax, to take the risk, to finally live the life we keep telling ourselves we’ll get to once we retire, once the kids are grown, once we hit the number. Tripp Lanier calls it the finish line that keeps moving, and he’s spent more than twenty years coaching men who crossed it and found new problems waiting on the other side. Tripp is a men’s coach, host of The New Man Podcast, and author of This Book Will Make You Dangerous. In this conversation we get into why so many of us hit midlife running on a fraction of our power, what we have to let go of to move forward, and the difference between being genuinely burned out and being out of alignment. He also shares the question he asked one client about money and time that left the man in tears. It reframes a bargain a lot of us are making without noticing. This is not the guy yelling at us to dominate, and it’s not the guy asking us to perform our feelings on cue. It’s the ground in between. One note on a moment in the episode: when Tripp lays out the Hunter versus Prey idea, the quick version is that prey animals (deer, rabbits) have eyes on the sides of their heads, built to scan for danger, while hunters (predators) have eyes facing forward, locked on what they want. Most of us move through midlife like prey, playing not to lose. The call is to face forward. Find Tripp at triplanier.com and listen to The New Man Podcast at newmanpodcast.com. Against the Fade. Don’t fade. Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    41 min

  2. May 26

    Protein After 40: How Much Do Men Actually Need

    If you're over 40 and you've been told to just eat "enough" protein, you've been told the wrong thing. The number is higher than you think, and the rules changed when you crossed 40. In this Straight Sets episode, I break down what protein actually does, why anabolic resistance changes the game after 40, and the daily protein targets most middle-aged men are missing. You'll get a save-able framework, a sample day for a 200-pound man, and the grocery anchors that make hitting your number boring and automatic. Sample Day (Save This) For a 200-pound man.  Target: 0.7 to 1.0g of protein per pound of body weight per day. Breakfast: 3-4 whole eggs + a cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (40-50g) Lunch: 6 oz chicken, beef, or fish + any side (40-50g) Dinner: 6 oz chicken, beef, or fish + any side (40-50g) Gap-filler (if needed): 1 scoop whey isolate + 1 cup milk (30-35g)  Grocery Anchors Eggs and dairy: eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese Meat and fish: chicken breast or thighs, ground beef, steak, salmon, white fish, canned tuna Milk: whole or 2 percent (8g protein per cup) Shake: whey isolate (or isolate-concentrate blend if cost matters), simple ingredients, no added sugar  Tracking Framework Track everything for 3-4 days. Don't change anything yet. Just see where you actually are. Compare your average daily protein to your target. The gap is your work. Close the gap with the smallest change possible. Then stop tracking once the habit is locked in.   Mentioned in This Episode •       EP9 — Recovery After 40 (anabolic resistance reference) •       MyFitnessPal, Cronometer (tracking apps) Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    14 min

  3. May 19

    Straight Sets: Warming Up After 40

    It's easy to cut corners on the warm-up. We tell ourselves a few leg swings is enough, or we get sucked into the 30-minute Instagram mobility routine that eats half our gym time. Neither one is right.    In this episode of Straight Sets, I break down what a warm-up actually does in your body, what changes after 40 that makes it matter more, where the influencers and conventional wisdom get it wrong, and a four-step framework you can plug into your next session. I also share why I don't always take my own advice on this one, and what the research says about how a proper warm-up affects your recovery the next day.    You'll get a science-backed RAMP framework (Raise, Activate, Mobilize, Potentiate), a sample 10-minute warm-up you can use on your next training day, and the one thing to try this week to see what changes.  SAMPLE 10-MINUTE WARM-UP (LOWER BODY DAY, SQUATS AS MAIN LIFT)   RAISE (3-5 min): 4 minutes on the bike, easy effort. Light sweat, not exhausted.   ACTIVATE (2-3 min): One round of 10 glute bridges, 10 band pull-aparts, 10 dead bugs.   MOBILIZE (2-3 min): 30 seconds on three things. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch. Deep squat hold. Ankle rocks against a wall.   POTENTIATE (2-3 min): Squat the empty bar for 8 reps. Then 95 lbs for 5. Then 135 for 5. Then 185 for 3. Then into your working weight. (weights are just examples)   Total: about 10 minutes. Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    18 min

  4. May 12

    EP11 | Your Best Years Are Not Behind You (with Michael Ostrolenk)

    At almost 40, as a civilian, Michael Ostrolenk completed Kokoro Camp. A 50-hour event modeled on Navy SEAL Hell Week. Most men half his age don’t finish it. But the lesson he took away wasn’t about toughness. It was about something underneath toughness that most men in midlife have never been taught to look at. In this episode, I sit down with Michael, a licensed therapist and former master coach with Mark Divine’s SEALFIT program, to talk about the gap between how a man’s life looks and how it feels. Why willpower stops working in your 40s. The hidden cost of running on a fried nervous system. The stories men tell themselves about aging that keep them stuck. And what actually changes when a man at 45, 50, or 55 decides his best years are still ahead of him. If you’ve ever felt like you should be doing fine but something underneath isn’t working, this conversation is for you. Don’t fade. Find Michael: Website: michaeldostrolenk.comPodcast: Resilience Redefined (YouTube and Spotify)YouTube: youtube.com/@michaeldostrolenkSubstack: Michael OstrolenkTwitter/X: @MOstrolenkLinkedIn: Michael OstrolenkPrograms mentioned: Resilience Optimized Men’s Group (with JC Glick), Team Fudoshin (teamfudoshin.com) Find Against the Fade on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and at @dontfadepodcast across social.  Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    47 min

  5. May 5

    EP10: The Missing Medicine for Midlife Men | Jason Lange

    Jason Lange has spent years in the trenches of men's work, building communities where men actually show up for each other. He's the founder of Evolutionary Men, a men's embodiment coach, certified No More Mr. Nice Guy coach, and his core belief is that every man should be in a men's group. In this conversation, we dig into the social valley that most men in midlife don't even know they're stuck in: why men stop making friends after 30, why loneliness shows up in ways we don't recognize, the lone wolf myth that's keeping men isolated, and what actually happens when a man gets into a room with other men who are having honest conversations.   Find Jason Lange: https://evolutionary.men Podcast: Evolutionary Men Podcast   Newsletter: https://againstthefade.com/ X: @dontfadepodcast Instagram: @againstthefade Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    38 min

  6. Apr 28

    Straight Sets: Recovery After 40

    Your body doesn't recover the same way after 40. Testosterone drops. Growth hormone declines. Your recovery window stretches. And most men have no idea it's happening. This is the first episode of Straight Sets, a new series where we cut the noise and give you what actually works. One topic, shorter format, something you can use this week. Today I break down what changes in your body after 40, sort the most popular recovery methods into three tiers (skip it, nice to have, and non-negotiable), and give you the one thing to focus on this week. Resources and show notes: https://againstthefade.com Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    12 min

  7. Apr 14

    The Explorer Within — Reigniting the Drive to Discover in Midlife

    When was the last time you did something you'd never done before? In this episode, Jonathan digs into what writer Christine Rosen calls the extinction of experience, the slow disappearance of direct, firsthand experience from modern life, and why it hits men in midlife the hardest. He tells the story of Theodore Roosevelt choosing an uncharted Amazon river over retirement at 55, Ranulph Fiennes summiting Everest at 65, and a middle-aged doctor who picked up a kayak paddle in his 40s and changed the sport forever. Jonathan also shares his own experience at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School in southern Utah, where making fire without matches and catching a trout with his bare hands taught him that the gear he thought he needed was actually the thing standing between him and the experience he was looking for. This episode lands with a practical challenge: before Labor Day, do one thing you've never done, go one place you've never been, and have one experience you can't research your way through in advance. If this episode makes you want to move, share it with a man who's been sitting still too long. You know who he is.   🔗 Newsletter: againstthefade.com 📱 TikTok: @againstthefade 📱 Instagram: @againstthefade 📱 X: @dontfadepodcast Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    17 min

  8. Apr 7

    Ep. 7: The Last Wall: Faith as the Floor Underneath Purpose

    The most personal episode of Against the Fade yet. This is where the show goes deeper.  In the Foundation Series, we diagnosed the fade: physical decline, social isolation, emotional silence, and identity confusion converging on men in midlife. Episode 7 goes underneath all of it. Jonathan tells the story of moving across the country in early 2020, watching a business fail during COVID, falling into a depression that nearly broke him, and finding something on the other side he'd been running from for twenty-five years. The episode explores faith as the x-factor in the mental valley: the floor underneath purpose and identity that most men either abandoned or never explored. This episode draws on Emerson's "Self-Reliance," the perennial philosophy tradition, and Father Mike Schmitz's framework on cynicism vs. courage. It covers what faith actually gives a man in midlife: a floor under purpose, freedom from the tyranny of control, courage to stay in the fight, and the connection that ties all three valleys together. If this episode meant something to you, send it to one man who needs to hear it. You know who he is.   🔗 Newsletter: againstthefade.com 📱 TikTok: @againstthefade 📱 Instagram: @againstthefade 📱 X: @dontfadepodcast Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter & resources: https://againstthefade.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/againstthefadepodcast  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@againstthefadepodcast  X/Twitter: https://x.com/dontfadepodcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@againstthefadepodcast A Second Summit Podcast.

    20 min
See All (14)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Against the Fade — For Men Who Refuse to Fade in Midlife. Something is happening to men in midlife that nobody talks about. Your body is changing. Your friendships are disappearing. Your sense of purpose is slipping. Society stops seeing you. We call it the fade — and this show exists to fight it. Against the Fade is a podcast for men 35-65 navigating the realities of midlife — physical decline, social isolation, emotional silence, and identity loss.  Hosted by Jonathan, a 47-year-old personal trainer and health coach who has spent years training men through this exact chapter of life. Strength. Brotherhood. Defiance. A Second Summit Podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Against the Fade
  • Show Website
    Against the Fade