Murali Krishna Nair shows his transformation (Photo: Murali Krishna Nair/Instagram; Enhanced Using AI)

An Instagram Reel showing a 40-year-old man’s striking transformation to a visibly muscular, defined body has gone viral. “Setting standards!” Murali Krishna Nair, a ‘hybrid athlete’, wrote, mentioning how he was ridiculed for looking “ugly” when he turned 40. But can one improve body composition at 40? Consultant dietitian and fitness expert Garima Goyal stressed that a defined physique at this stage of life is generally the result of years of consistent training, nutrition and recovery, rather than a short-term workout challenge.

“Visible abdominal definition depends not only on developing the abdominal muscles but also on having sufficiently low body fat for those muscles to become visible.…