Train early

Do this

• Train in the first 3–4 hours after waking when you can, at roughly the same time each day.
• Strength, 3 days a week: about 45 minutes of compound lifts (pull-ups, rows, dips, presses, squats, deadlifts), 2–3 hard sets each, close to failure.
• Cardio, 3 days a week on the alternate days: one long easy session of about an hour, one of about 30 minutes at moderate effort, and one short interval session (an easy minute, then 30 seconds all out and 10 seconds easy, repeated).
• Take a rest day after your hardest leg session.
• Training later is fine. Bring yourself down afterwards with slow exhales and a hot shower.

Why it works

Hard exercise raises cortisol, which is what you want early in the day. Training at a regular hour also teaches the body clock to expect it, so after a few sessions you start to feel ready before you begin. He says the four hours after an intense session are a good window for learning.

What the research says

The benefit of regular strength and cardio training is as well established as anything in health research. The case for the morning is thinner: exercise does shift the body clock, but trials have not shown that morning training gives better health outcomes than training later.

• Bull et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviourAdults should get 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle strengthening on two or more days.
• Youngstedt et al., Journal of Physiology, 2019Human circadian phase-response curves for exerciseExercise at 7 am or between 1 and 4 pm moved the body clock earlier. Exercise between 7 and 10 pm moved it later.
• Šrámek et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2000Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperaturesAn hour in 14°C water raised noradrenaline by 530% and dopamine by 250% while cortisol did not rise. This backs his point that cold water is not a cortisol stressor. Cold exposure is an optional extra, not one of the ten.

Watch out

Build up gradually, and get medical clearance first if you have a heart condition or have been inactive for a long time. Cold water carries real risk for people with heart disease. Never combine it with hyperventilation.