07: do you really need to wake up at 5am?

there’s something undeniably satisfying about waking up before anyone else and getting your work done when no one’s watching. maybe that goes back to my college baseball days where it was ingrained in me that you need to, “grind when no one’s watching”, looking for every advantage to get ahead and be better than the next person to get playing time.

well, I’m not in college anymore, i’m not competing with anyone for playing time, and the thought of waking up at 5am makes me want to crawl back under the blankets. today, I’m just working out because I enjoy it, i like the benefits that come from it, and i know it’s good for my long term health. so do i really need to wake up at 5am to workout? to answer this question we need to look at both sides.

yes.

there’s a subset of folks on the internet who swear by this early morning routine —there’s even a best selling book out titled the 5am club! the case these people make for the early alarm is that it “makes you hard” by toughening you up because the last thing you want to do is wake up before the sun. This also, according to these folks, separates you from the competition and gives you a competitive advantage, similar to the earlier example i gave about playing collegiate sports. In that earlier example your scholarship, playing time, reputation and potential future in the sport rest on your ability to be better than others and the way to do that is to simply outwork everyone else —often resulting in working when they competition is resting.

understanding the mindset of the aforementioned population It’s not surprising that the majority of these early risers identify as “hybrid” or “endurance athletes”, competing in marathons, ironmans, ultra endurance and hyrox events. they have a goal in mind, often want to excel in these events, and are ultra competitive by nature. by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations that mimic the feeling you’ll experience in the upcoming events — known enduringly as the “pain cave”, is one reason for waking up early. another reason for the early alarm is that these events simply require a huge training load to prepare for, upwards of 15 hours or more per week. it’s hard and nearly impossible for some to get this training load in outside of their day to day job and responsibilities without waking up early and getting it done before their other obligations.

these folks aren’t crazy or “built different” than you or i, they just have a goal in mind, want to be the best and will sacrifice things in order to achieve (or get as close as possible) to excellence as they can. you gotta respect it.

no.

Now there’s another subset of internet folks who think people who preach about waking up early are biohacking freaks who do everything in pursuit of optimal performance and are annoying try hards. aggressive, yes, but not totally invalid. these people, let’s call em’ non 5am-ers, aren’t lazy, they aren’t any less driven or less likely to succeed than the 5am-ers they just prioritize different things. when you have a goal in mind (like most 5am-ers) you’ll do things that others think are crazy and will often get criticized for it, welcome to the internet… and life. but the idea that you need to wake up at 5am to “get ahead” isn’t that strong of an argument in my opinion.

when we boil everything down, the act of waking up at 5am alone isn’t what makes you successful. it’s what you do with your time that drives success. You can wake up at 5am, eat big mac’s, watch netflix and scroll social media, is that giving you an edge over someone who slept another 2 hours? absolutely not. it’s not hard to conceive that someone would be better off by waking naturally and using their time wisely to get everything done they needed to versus someone who forced themself to wake up at 5am to get their workout in but then needs a nap in the middle of the day to catch up on lost sleep. yes, you may not get the satisfaction of waking up before anyone else or building “mental toughness” but looking at the cost-benefit analysis, is what you’re actually gaining from an early wake up worth what you’re giving up with less sleep? that’s up to you to decide.

maybe so.

I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do but it seems clear that you need to figure out what you value and prioritize which will answer the question, do i really need to wake up at 5am?

generally it seems safe to say that you should wake up early if (a) you have things you need to do but don’t have time to do them (or can’t do outside of morning - pool’s busy, gym’s closed after work, running route is filled with cars/people, etc) by waking up when you normally do (b) you value mental grit and resilience and truly want to get that competitive edge, either for yourself or to succeed in an event you’re training for.

it’s also safe to say you don’t need to wake up early if (a) you’re working out for general health, you can improve your health in 250 minutes per week it doesn’t take hours upon hours (b) waking up early would cut into your sleep requirements (7-9 hours for most adults) those 1-2 hours can really make a difference in future development of chronic diseases! (c) you procrastinate later in the day - replace this doom scrolling time with something you’d do at 5am (journaling, exercise, a hobby, meditation, etc).

:)