The clock is ticking but these men in their late 30s and early 40s prove that staying fit and healthy knows no age
While a lot of young Korean actors and performers have made us fall in love with K-pop and K-dramas recently—from cult-favourite BTS to Kim Seon-ho (Start-Up; Hometown Cha Cha Cha), Song Kang (Nevertheless; Navillera) and Jang Ki-yong (My Roommate is a Gumiho; Sweet & Sour), among others—there will always be a special place in our hearts for actors we have grown to love through the years.
Who can ever forget Gong Yoo in Coffee Prince, or Hyun Bin in Secret Garden? What about So Ji-sub in Memories of Bali and Ji Sung in Secret Love?
These debonair men who have hit their late 30s or early 40s are still as dashing as they were a decade or so ago. More than genes, impeccably poreless skin and proportioned physique, these oppas and ahjussis prove that they get better with age. Below we investigate how they manage to stay fit and look good from head to toe to this day.
Read also: 7 K-Drama Actresses Who Look Like They Haven't Aged A Day
1. Gong Yoo (born July 10, 1979)
In 2020, trainer to the stars Yoon Tae-sik, whose clients include Hyun Bin and Bae Suzy, released a video on Youtube for a magazine in Korea revealing how the Coffee Prince and the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God actor maintains his lean physique. The trainer spills that the actor goes to the gym almost every day, and twice if he’s preparing for a role.
The routine is simple: 10- to 15-minute warm-ups, tailored exercise for about an hour and another hour of cardio thereafter. “I think he has a very good-looking chest-to-stomach line. He does upper, middle and lower chest exercises,” says Tae-sik. The 42-year-old actor spends roughly three hours exercising on a regular day to get fit and fab.
Tae-sik also shares that there was a time when Gong Yoo was on a strict diet plan, eating only chicken breast, sweet potatoes and vegetables. The disciplined actor once called his trainer to check if he could drink beer since he was eating beef. He was allowed but Gong Yoo voluntarily limited himself to 500ml of beer max for the night.
He tries to incorporate all the major nutrients in his meals, limits the use of condiments, naturally dislikes unhealthy food, and cooks for himself when he has the time.
