The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - Dad Bod to Athletic: 3 Strength Standards for Men 40-50 | Five Minute Friday

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

Are you a physical liability or a protector for your family? In this high-speed "Five Minute Friday" episode, Kevin Pannell breaks down the objective strength and agility standards every man in his 40s and 50s needs to meet to stay capable and dangerous. We move beyond vanity and focus on functional fitness for men, longevity, and the discipline required to lead your home with composure.Kevin shares his personal journey of re-starting his fitness lifestyle at 40 and beginning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at 44. Now a 52-year-old purple belt, he explains how to use the "Prescribed Burn"—a physical stress-management tactic—to incinerate mental anxiety and decision fatigue before they turn into a wildfire at home or work.What you’ll learn in 5 minutes:Tier 1: A Little Dad Bod Action – The absolute "floor" for foundational strength and situational awareness.Tier 2: Do You Workout? – Developing musculature and why combat sports like BJJ are the ultimate mental anchor.Tier 3: The Athletic Guy – The elite 50+ standard for bodyweight strength, explosive agility, and total readiness.The Prescribed Burn – How to use heavy lifts and hard rounds to clear mental "brush" and lead with a quiet mind.Connect, follow, and share at https://ownmoveanchor.com/

I'm Kevin Pennell and this is own move anchor. Let's be real for a second. As men in our 40s and 50s, we like to think we've still got it. But the scale in the mirror don't usually lie. For me, I restarted my fitness journey in earnest, became a lifestyle about 10 years ago. I got on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu mats at 44. Today at 52, I'm a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt, and I've learned that capability is an objective truth.

Before we get into the tiers, hit subscribe, share this with somebody else that you think needs to get after it. let's see where you actually land. No ego, just to work. Two one, we're going to call a little dad bot action. This is our starting line. We've all been there, right? You know you've let things slide, but you're finally working on it. Here's your floor, 20 pushups, one pull up, and 20 air squats. You need to walk a mile in 18 minutes. If you're in the gym, we're looking for a 135 pound bench, 150 pound squat and 180 pound deadlift. This is about getting the engine restarted. And as we start to get more physical,

I want us to start to have better situation and awareness. Get our heads out of our phones. Start scanning around. See who's around your family. Who's around you? Our protector is never blindsided because he's checking his emails. Tier 2. Do you work out?

This is an adaptive phase, right? This is the phase where people start noticing you've got some musculature. You're becoming a vanguard for your family, if you will. Standard jumps, right? 30 push-ups, two pull-ups, 30 air squats. You're running that mile now in nine and a half minutes. And at this stage, you belong on the mats or in a ring, training jiu-jitsu, boxing. It doesn't matter.

You didn't know what it feels like to have another man try to impose his will on you. And keep your cool anyway. This is the anchor in action. Now, there's a caveat. You don't have to wait until you're at this level to start training. but it will help you to be in better shape. Tier 3, that athletic guy, an elite standard, right? Someone called me this recently, and it's the best compliment a 52-year-old can get.

It means you look like you get after it in mind and body. For me, this is at least 40 push-ups, three pull-ups, 40 air squats, and an eight-and-a-half-minute mile. My target's actually eight minutes, but eight-and-a-half is good. You're benching, squatting, and deadlifting in your own body weight, at least. For me, that's 200 pounds. and you have the agility to back it up, right? You can do broad jumps, you can jump 12-inch box jumps.

And if you lose your hop, you lose your ability to respond when life gets fast, right? So we need to stay athletic. Why do we chase this tier three, this athletic guy? Right, it's a prescribed burn, if you will. In the woods, we burn the dead brush so one spark doesn't turn into a wildfire. You're stressing your ego or that brush. When you hit a heavy set of squats or a hard round on the mats, you're performing a controlled burn. You're incinerating the mental fuel that causes you to spiral at home or in the office.

You finish the work with a quiet mind, empowered to lead your people with total composure. Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. Kevin, I don't care about a 200-pound deadlift, but let's look at why these numbers actually matter when you leave the gym. The squats in the hinge, right? That's your ability to pick up a grand kit or a heavy cooler without, blowing your L4 and L5 are being sidelined for a month. The agility in the box jump. That's the fast switch muscle you need to catch yourself if you slip on a wet driveway. Falls are what take out men are age, staying in the athletic guys,

your insurance policy against the hospital wing. Combat sports. That's the confidence to keep your chest out and your head up in a crowded parking lot. When you know you can handle yourself from the mats, you don't project fear and you don't overreact to small stressors. It isn't about being a pro athlete. It's about having the margin to handle life when it gets heavy. If you're living in Dadbod territory, your margin is thin. If you're the athletic guy, you have the resources to take care of your people. So which tier are you hitting this weekend?

I'm going to stick with the Dadbod, going to take a step up to the workout guy. Are you already there and you're going to become that athletic guy? Be honest. And then do the work. You can get a full breakdown of this at only. move anchor.com. Follow this podcast anywhere. And you can watch me demonstrate a lot of these moves on the Own Move Anchor YouTube channel. Remember each day, do your best to own your mind, move your body, and anchor your spirit. Thank you for listening and Godspeed.