Redha challenges traditional fitness culture by urging listeners over 40 to stop obsessing over what supplements, foods, or punishing routines to add, and instead ask what they need to eliminate. Reflecting on his own battles with extreme dieting and burnout, he argues that chronic exhaustion stems from eating complex meals that overburden digestion, advocating instead for a radical shift toward consuming simple sugars (like fruit, juice, and sweetened coffee) during the day and saving a single, gut-friendly meal for the evening
5 Key Takeaways
Instead of asking what extra foods, supplements, or workouts to add to your plan, real progress comes from identifying what you need to cut out.
Forcing your body through extreme dietary suffering and exhaustive protocols ruins overall quality of life and leads to burnout.
You know your body better than outside coaches or online nutrition protocols, meaning you must be your own guide rather than blindly following generic advice.
Consuming fast-acting sugars like fruit and sweetened drinks sustains daytime energy and recovery without triggering the sluggishness and bloating caused by heavy daytime meals.
Confining solid food to an easy-to-digest evening dinner (such as rice and fish) aligns eating with true hunger rather than rigid, traditional meal schedules
5 Key Quotes
"It's not about what do I need to add... in fact, it's the opposite way. It's basically, what do I need to get rid of?”
"If the cost of getting these results is so high and it's so painful... why do I have to do it?"
"There is nobody else on earth knows what diet you need to follow except you."
"I listen to my body. I become the best friend of myself."
"There is no such a thing like breakfast, lunch, and tea. No, there is something we called it, listen to yourself: you are hungry, eat; you are not hungry, stop."
HOST BIO
Redha Zertal is a strength coach and fitness educator who specialises in helping men over 40 rebuild their strength, energy, and confidence.
With over a decade of coaching experience, Redha has worked with hundreds of busy professionals, entrepreneurs, and fathers who want to lose fat, build muscle, and improve their health without extreme training programmes or restrictive diets.
As the founder of RZ Fitness in Formby, UK, Redha became known for his practical, results-driven approach to strength training and sustainable fitness for men in midlife.
Through The Fitness Confessional podcast, Redha shares the lessons he has learned from years of coaching men navigating the realities of life after 40 — including stress, demanding careers, family responsibilities, and changing metabolism.
His mission is simple:
To help men build stronger bodies, clearer minds, and healthier lives long into their 40s, 50s, and beyond.
Redha’s coaching philosophy focuses on:
• Strength training for longevity
• Sustainable fat loss and nutrition
• Building muscle after 40
• Improving energy, focus, and resilience
His message is clear: fitness after 40 isn’t about extremes — it’s about consistency and smart training.
LINKS:
Website: https://rzfitness.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RZFitnessFormby
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rzfitness_formby/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rzfitness
