Men over 30, what’s hobby that brought you back to life after 30?
September 12, 2025
I know a lot of guys here usually mention biking, woodworking, reading, music. What helped you reconnect with yourself after the 9-5 grind?
49 comments
Car detailing
Hunting and prospecting. You learn a lot about the land. And even if you go home empty handed, you still went for a nice long walk in a beautiful area.
I took a rug-making class and have since made two more rugs for myself and have a couple more designs I want to make. Might even start selling some because some friends have asked if I was gonna sell the ones I made because they really liked them.
The same hobbies I’ve been doing my whole life, but continuing to hit PRs, trying new equipment, and having the time and money to do more of it. (Weightlifting, photography, cars/motorcycles)
The gym is my best hobby. I build furniture and I hunt and fish during the seasons as well. Kayak fishing is my favorite. I also fly fish. I also started growing vegetables in the backyard. It’s all very expensive.
32M. Skateboarding (I never stopped), Cooking, Legos, Dungeons and Dragons, nerd shit, really. Staring at my car that’s been on jackstands for a few years 😂
Paintball. I’m sure you played as a kid, there’s tons of 30 something’s coming back to the sport every day.
Gear has pretty much peaked in terms of performance so a low end gun can compete with the most expensive options no problem
Sim racing. I used to play 5 a side football and I fucked my knee, so my sports days were behind me. Or so I thought! Started with a wheel on the desk, now I have a full motion rig, triple screens, real racing seat and wheel… I love it!
Dancing. And in the process getting acquainted with interesting people, classy women, developing one’s social circle beyond imagination and spiralling out toward enlightenment. Almost. But for real: dancing. Just go dance. And your life will become awesome.
These days, photography. Honorable mentions to Hiking. Weightlifting. Guitar.
BJJ
No time for this. I am full time employed, three kids (24, 19, 9) and its like home, work, home, soccer, home, sleep, work, even on weekends it’s soccer, garden, sometimes long walk with my camera. Damn…
Edit: I play Halo with my online buddies. We play Halo 2/3 Reach customs 🙂 thats my hobby lol
Historical re-enactment. I am putting my interest in history into something tangible. On top of that it has connected me back to making stuff with my hands rather than a keyboard, which is very satisfying.
Disc golf!
While music has always been a hobby of mine I made a big effort to reconnect with the local hardcore and punk scene and it’s been fantastic. We have a good mix of young kids and people my age. Gives me a very different perspective on the youth then most people my age, they are still pissed off, they still want change, they are still making great music to express this. The kids are alright. Also most concerts I go to are less than $20 and so much better than a $150 arena show.
Disc golf, Building and shooting guns, spearfishing, and aggressive inline skating.
Guitar. Allows me to disconnect, exercise creativity, build a passion, and is something I can do with my children.
Runescape.
Golf, and flying airplanes.
Boating and parenthood, if you can call that one a hobby
I’m also into running and lifting, but I’ve been at that since high school
Mountain biking. A nice combination of athleticism, mechanical knowledge, and geeking out over new parts.
Running 🏃🏽♂️
Reading in bed at night then thinking about what I read while working out in the morning
Writing, and specifically fanfic lol. I do it every weekend morning and it has become my big reward that gets me through the week. I just wish I started sooner honestly!
Mountain Biking
I started making knives. Really helped with my creative outlet.
Golf. Always thought it seemed like a dumb game but tried it in my 40s just to hang out with some buddies who played. Became hooked on it soon after. Course is now my happy place. I love being outside, walking in nature, and how every round and every shot is a new challenge. Also love the social nature and how it’s sort of a combination of playing a sport and just hanging out. I’ve met some great people who I would have never met – as an introvert it has allowed me to make friends as an adult, which has always been quite difficult for me.
I live in a small town with about 12,000 residents. We don’t have a professional fire department, but instead a militia/volunteer fire brigade. After losing a few kilos and seeing that new recruits were needed, I decided to join.
The weekly training sessions and the multi-day courses every few months are a huge source of joy for me. The camaraderie and friendships with people of all ages have really energized me. It has also motivated me to stay active in my private life. Real emergencies can be tough at times, depending on what happens, but that’s just the reality of it.
In just a year and a half, this volunteer work has truly brought me back to life—both mentally and physically.
Bodyboarding, cycling and DJing.
I got into learning how to fix bikes, I ended up making a small side business out of it finding broken down old bikes and fixing them up for college kids and interns who need them in my city.
Learned to surf at 35, still throwing 360s on a snowboard at 40. Also learned chess at 38 and got VERY into it, loads of fun. Got back into playing music with a neighborhood band. All of these things keep me young.
Indoor bouldering.
Jiu Jitsu, Hiking, & weightlifting
Golf. Recently bought a car so I can easily get to the course. I get to hang out with my buddies while we walk for hours. It’s great on so many levels.
Adventure Motorcycling
My hobbies have been pretty consistent, gardening & photography.
Coaching kids sports teams was fantastic. And golf
Gardening. I love being outside and it brings me great joy to just pick things from the garden and immediately make dinner with them. I get to tell my kids “I grew this!” I don’t know that they care super much but I do.
Racket sports (badminton and tennis)
Motorsports (track days and autocross in my car, plus go karting and sim racing)
Gym (weight lifting and HIIT cardio)
And as you already mentioned, road cycling and reading
Singing, playing guitar, building guitar pedals, dirt bikes, reading, woodworking, and video games for me.
I used to like cooking and smoking stuff but have done either in a while
Running… and video games after 10 years off
I get to go through ideas, enjoy some music or podcasts when running.
Then video games on days where I want to go on an adventure or whatever
Gardening and restoration of vintage stuff.
Recently, I started taking flying lessons on a gyrocopter, it’s absolutely mindblowingly amazing! I used to fly fixed wing airplanes and learning to fly an entirely different beast is fun and challenging.
I also have a garage gym that I enjoy building (lots of self made stuff) and training of course.
Became a gym rat after getting sober. Then switched to primarily BJJ.
What about Swimming or Video Games?
Golf
Buying and flipping guitars which lead to a nice collection of high end guitars. Back when Craigslist was a bigger thing I had more luck. It lead to turning one of rooms into my Guitar Cave.
GYM. DANCE. HIKING.
Doing something I hate and was never very good at. Working with wood. Now my garage is a small wood working shop. Who knew?
49 comments
Car detailing
Hunting and prospecting. You learn a lot about the land. And even if you go home empty handed, you still went for a nice long walk in a beautiful area.
I took a rug-making class and have since made two more rugs for myself and have a couple more designs I want to make. Might even start selling some because some friends have asked if I was gonna sell the ones I made because they really liked them.
The same hobbies I’ve been doing my whole life, but continuing to hit PRs, trying new equipment, and having the time and money to do more of it. (Weightlifting, photography, cars/motorcycles)
The gym is my best hobby. I build furniture and I hunt and fish during the seasons as well. Kayak fishing is my favorite. I also fly fish. I also started growing vegetables in the backyard. It’s all very expensive.
32M. Skateboarding (I never stopped), Cooking, Legos, Dungeons and Dragons, nerd shit, really. Staring at my car that’s been on jackstands for a few years 😂
Paintball. I’m sure you played as a kid, there’s tons of 30 something’s coming back to the sport every day.
Gear has pretty much peaked in terms of performance so a low end gun can compete with the most expensive options no problem
Sim racing. I used to play 5 a side football and I fucked my knee, so my sports days were behind me. Or so I thought! Started with a wheel on the desk, now I have a full motion rig, triple screens, real racing seat and wheel… I love it!
Dancing. And in the process getting acquainted with interesting people, classy women, developing one’s social circle beyond imagination and spiralling out toward enlightenment. Almost. But for real: dancing. Just go dance. And your life will become awesome.
These days, photography. Honorable mentions to Hiking. Weightlifting. Guitar.
BJJ
No time for this. I am full time employed, three kids (24, 19, 9) and its like home, work, home, soccer, home, sleep, work, even on weekends it’s soccer, garden, sometimes long walk with my camera. Damn…
Edit: I play Halo with my online buddies. We play Halo 2/3 Reach customs 🙂 thats my hobby lol
Historical re-enactment. I am putting my interest in history into something tangible. On top of that it has connected me back to making stuff with my hands rather than a keyboard, which is very satisfying.
Disc golf!
While music has always been a hobby of mine I made a big effort to reconnect with the local hardcore and punk scene and it’s been fantastic. We have a good mix of young kids and people my age. Gives me a very different perspective on the youth then most people my age, they are still pissed off, they still want change, they are still making great music to express this. The kids are alright. Also most concerts I go to are less than $20 and so much better than a $150 arena show.
Disc golf, Building and shooting guns, spearfishing, and aggressive inline skating.
Guitar. Allows me to disconnect, exercise creativity, build a passion, and is something I can do with my children.
Runescape.
Golf, and flying airplanes.
Boating and parenthood, if you can call that one a hobby
I’m also into running and lifting, but I’ve been at that since high school
Mountain biking. A nice combination of athleticism, mechanical knowledge, and geeking out over new parts.
Running 🏃🏽♂️
Reading in bed at night then thinking about what I read while working out in the morning
Writing, and specifically fanfic lol. I do it every weekend morning and it has become my big reward that gets me through the week. I just wish I started sooner honestly!
Mountain Biking
I started making knives. Really helped with my creative outlet.
Golf. Always thought it seemed like a dumb game but tried it in my 40s just to hang out with some buddies who played. Became hooked on it soon after. Course is now my happy place. I love being outside, walking in nature, and how every round and every shot is a new challenge. Also love the social nature and how it’s sort of a combination of playing a sport and just hanging out. I’ve met some great people who I would have never met – as an introvert it has allowed me to make friends as an adult, which has always been quite difficult for me.
I live in a small town with about 12,000 residents. We don’t have a professional fire department, but instead a militia/volunteer fire brigade. After losing a few kilos and seeing that new recruits were needed, I decided to join.
The weekly training sessions and the multi-day courses every few months are a huge source of joy for me. The camaraderie and friendships with people of all ages have really energized me. It has also motivated me to stay active in my private life. Real emergencies can be tough at times, depending on what happens, but that’s just the reality of it.
In just a year and a half, this volunteer work has truly brought me back to life—both mentally and physically.
Bodyboarding, cycling and DJing.
I got into learning how to fix bikes, I ended up making a small side business out of it finding broken down old bikes and fixing them up for college kids and interns who need them in my city.
Learned to surf at 35, still throwing 360s on a snowboard at 40. Also learned chess at 38 and got VERY into it, loads of fun. Got back into playing music with a neighborhood band. All of these things keep me young.
Indoor bouldering.
Jiu Jitsu, Hiking, & weightlifting
Golf. Recently bought a car so I can easily get to the course. I get to hang out with my buddies while we walk for hours. It’s great on so many levels.
Adventure Motorcycling
My hobbies have been pretty consistent, gardening & photography.
Coaching kids sports teams was fantastic. And golf
Gardening. I love being outside and it brings me great joy to just pick things from the garden and immediately make dinner with them. I get to tell my kids “I grew this!” I don’t know that they care super much but I do.
Racket sports (badminton and tennis)
Motorsports (track days and autocross in my car, plus go karting and sim racing)
Gym (weight lifting and HIIT cardio)
And as you already mentioned, road cycling and reading
Singing, playing guitar, building guitar pedals, dirt bikes, reading, woodworking, and video games for me.
I used to like cooking and smoking stuff but have done either in a while
Running… and video games after 10 years off
I get to go through ideas, enjoy some music or podcasts when running.
Then video games on days where I want to go on an adventure or whatever
Gardening and restoration of vintage stuff.
Recently, I started taking flying lessons on a gyrocopter, it’s absolutely mindblowingly amazing! I used to fly fixed wing airplanes and learning to fly an entirely different beast is fun and challenging.
I also have a garage gym that I enjoy building (lots of self made stuff) and training of course.
Became a gym rat after getting sober. Then switched to primarily BJJ.
What about Swimming or Video Games?
Golf
Buying and flipping guitars which lead to a nice collection of high end guitars. Back when Craigslist was a bigger thing I had more luck. It lead to turning one of rooms into my Guitar Cave.
GYM. DANCE. HIKING.
Doing something I hate and was never very good at. Working with wood. Now my garage is a small wood working shop. Who knew?