Morning Routine for Guys

My morning routine for guys, from a man who coaches men to be their best.

The best morning routine for guys is centered around setting a quality tone for the day. I want to create accomplishments, improve my health, and establish perspective. If I do these three things, the rest of the day generally goes well. A good morning routine for you might be far less involved. You have a family and a career. I get it. Maybe the night before your morning routine, due to how your schedule is, will be when you workout. Whatever works for you.

1. A great morning routine starts the night before.

I set an alarm for bedtime. If I do that, I won’t need to wake up to an alarm. I take my daily vitamins with only enough water to get them down. Too much water means I’ll have to get up at night. No bueno.

• The alarm clock SUCKS.
• Waking up naturally to the sun is paramount for good health. This means your body has the amount of sleep it needs to take on the day.

2. My bedroom is for 2 things only, and neither of them is TV or my phone.

Both of those are in my office. I hit my knees at the side of my bed and practice gratitude. Say things out loud to remind myself that things are going well. Go to sleep with positive thoughts in my head. The perfect morning routine for guys doesn’t include a lack of sleep from the night before because you were on your phone all night.

3. I wake up naturally and give myself a solid 10 minutes before I get out of bed.

I use that time to practice more gratitude.

• What events am I hopeful about?
• Who am I happy to have in my life?
• Who do I wish I could help more?

4. I built my house with my largest master bedroom windows facing south.

This is so, if possible, I can start the day with natural sunlight on my skin.

• Sunlight feels great and has positive health benefits
• Making my body aware of the sun’s position in the sky helps with circadian rhythm as well. That’s what makes you want to go to bed, and it also helps you wake up.

5. Once I’m up, I make my bed.

It’s my first accomplishment, and that feels good. This sets the tone for further accomplishments throughout the day. I’ve already got one checkmark completed. This is a huge step in having a great morning routine for guys. If you don’t start with success, it’s likely you won’t end on it either.

6. The best morning routine for guys starts with hygiene. Brush your teeth and stay hydrated.

Not that brushing my teeth is a workout! I follow that with a quart of water and my morning supplements.

• Water is essential. I’m going to sweat during my workout, and I’d rather have some replacement water in my system ready for the occasion.
• My morning supplements consist of vitamin D and a prostate support supplement. Most Americans live indoors. Sunlight is essential to health, since among other things, it helps you produce vitamin D. The D improves libido and mood for me. I’ve been happy with it.

7. If it’s a weekday, I go right to my office for a half hour or so and check Emails, texts, and other things that might have happened overnight.

If it’s a weekend, I go to my guitar and spend that time playing instead.

• Playing music is something I talk about often in my books and podcast. It’s a structured meditation. You’re controlling your breathing, focusing your energy, and feeling the power of music.
• Find a way to make music. Anyone can sing.

8. Next, I get in the truck and go to the gym.

I like to work out with no food in my stomach. It makes everything more comfortable. Once my workout is done, I head home to clean up and start my day.

• Working out on an empty stomach means the only fuel my body has available is stored fat. That means I’m burning what is stored, which helps maintain my bodyweight and aesthetics.
• My workouts start with a warmup, usually a half-mile run. Next, I go to heavy weightlifting. Unless it’s leg day, I set a timer on my wristwatch for 40 seconds between sets. I like to move quickly between lifts. Generally, 20 sets is enough for me to feel exhausted. After that, I like to get in some hard cardio. A 3-mile run (I try to stay under 24 minutes), 30 minutes of intense rowing, or an hour on a spin bike will get the job done.
• This is just how I’ve evolved over my athletic career. You might choose totally different movements. The key is to use your body through its entire range of movement with resistance. And if you’re just a beginner, don’t try to do it like I do. You’ll fucking die.
• While cardiovascular work improves how you look, the most important factor for me is that it gives me perspective. Once I’ve suffered in this way, nothing else in the day seems as bad. No phone call is as hard as running your third mile in the 6-minute range.

This is only the beginning of your journey to becoming a master of your own morning routine. I’ve written 3 books that will change your life, and how you approach what it means to be a man. Explore them here or find them on amazon.