Two Months of Hitting the Gym Before Work

It Started Simple

I found out that the gym near my office opens at 6 AM. Since work starts at 9, I figured if I showed up at 6:30, I could get an hour of exercise, shower, and be right on time. Signed up for a 49,000 won/month membership and went three days the first week.

But that Tuesday morning, when my alarm went off at 5:50 and I opened my eyes -- the sheer despair. (I finally understood why people say the world outside the blanket is dangerous.) It was still dark out in late March, my room was cold, and the blanket was warm. I went that day. I didn't make it Wednesday.

The First Month Was Basically a Failure

My attendance rate for the first month was 47%. I set out to go five days a week but only actually showed up 9 days out of 20 weekdays. Less than half. Wednesday was the worst -- if I stayed late at work on Tuesday, there was no way I was getting up early Wednesday.

Looking at the pattern of days I skipped, almost all of them were preceded by staying up past midnight. If I got less than 5 hours of sleep, I'd unconsciously turn off the alarm even when it went off. I even put my alarm across the room, but I'd walk over, turn it off, and go right back to bed.

The cause was obvious. I was trying to wake up early without going to bed early.

I Fixed My Sleep Schedule First

I ended up making going to bed at 11 PM my top priority. Even if I had overtime, no more working from home afterward. Cut out Netflix on weekdays too. (Honestly, this was harder than the exercise itself.)

11 PM bedtime, 5:50 AM wake-up, 6:30 gym. Once this routine clicked, my second-month attendance jumped to 78%. That's about 16 out of 20 days.

The Tangible Effects of Morning Workouts

I'll be honest -- I didn't see dramatic muscle gains. In two months, a beginner should normally add about 5kg to their bench press, and I went from 40kg to 47.5kg. Not bad, I guess.

But the real payoff is morning focus. On days I worked out before coming in, code just flowed from 9 AM to noon. I could stay alert without coffee. On days I skipped, I'd noticeably space out more during the morning hours.

The afternoon drowsiness got better too. It didn't go away completely, but instead of my eyes drooping around 2 PM, it shifted to about 3:30. Gained an hour and a half, I suppose.

The Real Problem Is Diet

I've managed to keep going to the gym one way or another, but I can't get my diet under control. If I work out on an empty stomach, I end up binge-eating at lunch. If I want to eat breakfast, I need to wake up at 5:30, which is just too early.

Right now I've settled on eating a protein bar after my workout, heading to the office, and having a light bite around 10. It's not optimal, but it's where sustainability meets reality.

The Vibe at the Gym in the Early Morning

The gym at 6:30 AM is dead quiet. There are only 7 or 8 people, and you never have to wait for equipment. Everyone has earbuds in doing their own thing, so there's zero social pressure. I've been to the evening slot -- 30+ people and you have to queue for the bench. Turns out quite a few of us are morning regulars specifically to avoid that.

You do end up with the nod-of-acknowledgment thing with other early birds, though. (I don't know anyone's name, but I've got internal nicknames like "squat guy" and "deadlift noona.")

Two Months In

It's too early to say the routine is fully locked in. I still miss 1-2 days a week, rainy days make me not want to go, and post-overtime mornings are rough. But one thing is clear: on days I don't go, the whole day feels slightly off. Like something's missing.

If I can hit 85% attendance in month three, I'll call it a success. But who knows what'll happen once summer hits.