Why I Train Early In the Morning

Yesterday I was in the gym doing some Bench at 6:30am. One of the trainers (that I hadn’t met yet) walked in and said “you’re keen”.

I was a little confused.

For me, getting to the gym as soon as it opens is just normal. I’ve been doing it for about a month now since I’ve moved back to Cambridge.

But for this guy — and in fact most of the people I’ve seen there — it was unusual. To the point where he was genuinely surprised that I was in there.

The gym’s quiet

So why do I work out so early? First off it’s just super quiet. Every day I either workout or swim. During the week it’s more workouts, with a couple swims at the weekend.

I’ve optimized the schedule for maximum people-avoidance.

Some people love the noise. The atmosphere. Some people just can’t get in the zone without other people there.

I’m totally the opposite. I like silence. It gives me a chance to focus on myself and my progress. Each lift individually.

It gives me a break from my otherwise hectic life.

I’m an early riser

Plus it’s not really that early for me. I’m usually up before 4am. So getting to the gym for 6:30's hardly an effort.

Having that time before my workiut’s great too. I’m not there as soon as I wake up. Ive already had coffee and done some work. Some writing.

It’s not quite the first thing in my day. That works for me.

I get my workout done before most people wake up

Then there’s the fact that while I’m working out, most people are still in bed. Or getting ready for their 9–5.

I get to go through much of my workday after working out. I’m more energized. I feel better about myself for it.

And there’s a small amount of pride I feel getting back home after and being reminded that it’s still stupidly early.

There’s two periods a day for deep work

Most importantly I get two periods a day I can do deep work. There’s the morning obviously, when everyone’s asleep. That’s my favorite.

But splitting my day with the gym gives me a second period too. When I’m back from the gym my brain’s working double time. I’m on fire.

It’s the perfect time to get into some work. I can spend a couple hours there before another break. That way I get twice the amount of time each day to do creative and awesome things.

So you should give it a go. The benefits are pretty numerous. They sure have been for me. And what do you have to lose?

I’m just a guy from the UK that’s okay at writing, better at startups, awesome at making coffee.

I curate a weekly email digest and publication called Starting Up.

This is day 97 in a 365 day writing experiment. You can check out why I’m writing every day here.

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