Hi, I’m Mike, a dedicated fitness professional committed to helping busy middle-aged men torch fat, build muscle and get their shit together.
What I do
✅ Admin & Owner of Men’s Health & Fitness Over 40 Facebook group (166,000+ members).
✅ Founder of SmashingFifty.com – a men’s health and fitness brand dedicated to helping guys over 40 lose fat, build muscle, and get their shit together, and home of Superset – An exclusive community for men over 40 who are serious about torching fat, getting stronger, leaner, and healthier.
✅ Online Personal Training & 1-1 Coaching at MikeMaddox.Fitness
My Journey
I started my journey to better physical and mental health back in 2016, the year my son was born.
Back in school, I’d been a keen runner and footballer before a major health scare (I suffered two detached retinas in my final year of high school) put an end to my sporting dreams.
From that point on, I embarked on a completely different path, embracing art, music and all the trappings that come with those things at a young age.
I joined a band and spent years in bars and clubs, getting wasted.
Fun times were had. I even played at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool a few times.
However, years of neglect had terrible consequences on my health.
My mental health especially!
Eventually, though, I got into University and got a degree in graphic design before spending several years working in a design studio in Liverpool.
The work was brilliant, and the team, amazing.
But something was missing.
My wife and I took a 12-month sabbatical and travelled the world taking in 23 countries, mostly overland by boat, road and rail.
It was an epic adventure that completely changed our outlook on life.
Back in the UK, we sold all of our possessions, and within 18 months, we were back on the road. But this time, with no plans to return.
That journey lasted three and a half years before we landed in Barcelona, Spain in 2015 (via ship after crossing the Atlantic).
With that part of our lives behind us, a new chapter was beginning to unfold – as parents.
But my old demons were back!
Stress, anxiety and back pain
After living like a backpacker for so long, I was a financial wreck. No assets, no savings, and a child on the way.
I was disillusioned with my job, had no vision, and began to worry about what kind of security and life I could build for my family.
The stress was crippling, as was the back pain I was now suffering.
I knew I had to do something. But what?
The physio
Through a friend, I found a physio who could help me with my back pain.
She did some tests and told me in no uncertain terms that my posture and the strength in my hamstrings and lower back were atrocious.
I needed to start running.
I needed to get fit.
It was a good start and I started jogging, but it didn’t last long.
When my son arrived, I couldn’t find the time or the energy to train and I would grimace through the pain whenever I carried him around, his weight aggravating the discomfort.
Discovering personal development
I still remember typing the words into Google, wondering what I was going to find.
What I discovered was epic.
I soon became obsessed with what I could do for myself and started consuming as much information as possible.
I attended conferences, took courses, read books watched videos, listened to podcasts, everything.
I learned that I was in control.
I didn’t need to buy lottery tickets to build the life I wanted.
I just needed to believe in myself and learn some key tools and techniques to start making progress.
Training for my first 10k race
Feeling motivated, I took a massive leap of faith and put my name down for my first 10k race in decades.
I discovered that my back pain was getting better the stronger I became, and I completed the famous ‘La Merce’ in Barcelona a few weeks before I turned 42 in just under one hour.
I was ecstatic.
Right there, I’d proved to myself what I could achieve with focus, hard work, and belief.
Then… nothing.
I had taken a few days off training after the race, which turned into a few weeks, then a few months, and before I knew it, my back pain was creeping back in.
But something had changed
What I had experienced during that 10k run had shown me what I was capable of and I started to get an idea of what I could do with my life if only I knew what to do and I put the effort in.
Then in 2018, my mum died suddenly.
It was the worst.
But, as quite often happens, the penny dropped.
A new mission
For some reason, I got it into my head that I had to speak at my mum’s funeral.
I had to make sure that told the congregation just how amazing she was, although they already knew.
Despite the fear of speaking in front of so many people, I knew I had to make that speech, and it was at that moment that I discovered what I had to do.
I had to carry on her passion. Her purpose of helping others.
Smashing Fifty is born
A year later and Smashing Fifty was born with the purpose of helping other middle-aged men to get healthier, happier and live their best lives.
Smashing Fifty is, in fact, one big challenge.
A challenge to myself (and to you) to reach that huge milestone in the best shape of my life, physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially so that I can look forward, without fear, to a long and strong future for as many wonderful years as I may have left.
Through this platform, I aim to share the insights and strategies that have profoundly impacted my life.
Whether you’re looking to improve your fitness, navigate mid-life transitions, or seek guidance on personal development, I’m here to support you every step of the way.
Let’s embark on this journey together toward a healthier, happier you.