The 4:30 am Start: The Routine, Diet, and Exercise.

As most people know, being a CEO is a tough job, especially when you’re building a company from scratch. Business is the toughest sport you can play as an athlete. You need the endurance to deal with the highs and lows, the stamina to handle the rejection, and the courage to master the art of sacrifice. Discipline becomes your biggest strength and time your biggest enemy.

Doing all this while maintaining your health becomes challenging. But, like anything in life, we can do it – we just have to put in the effort by showing up and increasing our tolerance for pain.

Many people asked what my diet, routine, and workout regimen looked like. This was my personal routine in 2019, not a prescription for anyone else:

How I tracked my starting point

I tracked my weight, estimated body-fat percentage, and basal metabolic rate (BMR). BMR is an estimate of the energy the body uses at rest. These measurements gave me a consistent way to compare my own progress, but they did not tell the whole story and were not a timetable for anyone else.

In March 2019, my recorded BMR estimate was 1,700 calories. So, in order to understand everything, I looked at everything as a simple math equation.

Input calories = How many calories I consume through food.

Output calories = My BMR + Exercise.

Weight Loss = A Caloric Deficit

I used a calorie deficit as a rough planning tool, combining what I ate with the energy I estimated I used at rest and through exercise. The arithmetic helped me stay disciplined, but bodies do not follow a perfect equation and changes in weight are not a direct measurement of fat or muscle.

Get A Routine Going

I needed a routine every day. This was mine in 2019.

4:30am: Wake Up

4:30am – 5:30am: 1 Hour Steady-State Cardio (Incline Jog, 4.0mph with an 8.0 incline)

5:30am – 7:00pm: Work

7:00pm – 8:00pm: 1 Hour Strength Workout (Weights)

8:00pm – 8:15pm: 2 Mile Evening Run

8:15pm – 12:15am: Finish Work

1:00am – 4:30am: Sleep

Sunday was my only rest day from strength training. At the time, I still repeated the steady-state cardio and evening run every day.

At the time, I did not drink alcohol or party. When I had time to unwind, I chose to rest.

Exercise:

These were five workouts laid out by my personal trainer, Victor Tsui. The weights and volume below record my own starting point in 2019.

Daily Cardio

Morning Steady-State Cardio for 1 hour. 4.0mph with 8.0 incline on the treadmill.

15 minute, 2 miles run in the evening. It also helped me unwind mentally for the day.

Workout #1 Legs Shoulder

A1) Walking Lunges 16kgs x 12 reps

A2) Dumbbell Shoulder Press 26kgs x 12 reps

B1) Goblet Squat 28kgs x 12 reps

B2) Arnold Press 16 kgs x 12 reps

C1) Single Leg Step Ups 16 kgs x 12 each leg

C2) Side Raises 8 kgs x 12-15 reps

D1) Kettlebell Swing 16kgs x 1min

D2) Plate Hold (in front of body) 10kgs x 1 min

Workout #2 Chest Biceps

A1) Push Ups 15 reps

B1) Flat Dumbbell Press 30kgs x 10 reps

Or Flat Smith Machine Bench Press 60kgs x 10 reps

B2) Standing Bicep Curls 14kgs x 12 reps

C1) Incline Dumbbell Press 24kgs x 10reps

C2) Hammer Curls 12kgs x 15 reps

D1) Flat Dumbbell Flyes 14kgs x 15 reps

D2) Incline Bicep Curls 14kgs x 12 reps

Workout #3 Back Triceps

A1) Dumbbell Row 30kgs x 10-12reps

A2) Skull Crushers 10 kgs x 10-12reps

B1) Chest Supported Row 18kgs x 12 reps

B2) Cable Straight Bar Tricep Pushdown 17.5kgs x 10-12 reps

C1) Seated Single Arm Cable Rows 17.5kgs x 12 reps

C2) Tricep Bench Dips (20kg plate on lap) x 12 reps

D1) Lat Pulldown 40kgs x 12reps

D2) Alternating Single Arm Tricep Extension 7.5kgs x 15 reps

Workout #4 Shoulder Core

A1) Smith Machine Barbell Shoulder Press 45kgs x 12 reps

A2) Plank 1min

B1) Arnold Press 16kgs x 10-12 reps

B2) Reverse Crunch 1min

C1) Side Shoulder Raises 8 kgs x 12 reps

C2) Russian Twist 12kg kettlebell 1min

D1) Front Shoulder Raises 10kgs x 12 reps

D2) Plate Crunch 20kg x 15 reps

Workout #5 Full body (minus shoulder)

A1) Smith Machine Incline Chest Bench Press 20kgs (each side) x 12 reps

A2) Bent over Dumbbell Row 22kgs x 12 reps

A3) Heel Tap 60 reps (each side)

B1) Cable Chest flyes 12.5 kgs x 12 reps

B2) Walking Lunges 16kgs

B3) Mountain Climbers 1 min

C1) Decline Push-ups 15 reps

C2) Chest Supported Row 18kgs x 12 reps

C3) Reverse crunch 1 min

You Make Muscle at the Gym and Make Abs in the Kitchen.

Diet was essential to the fitness goal I had set. It was my “input” of calories. To make my life easier, I prepared my meals so I knew roughly how much I was consuming. When I did not measure a meal, it was easy to eat more than I had accounted for.

My diet at the time was low carb, medium fat, and high protein. On weekends, I chose a similar breakfast and ate extra chicken with salad for lunch and dinner. I also ate Quest “Hero” Protein Bars, made at least one protein shake, and had two tablespoons of peanut butter after dinner.

At 170 pounds, I aimed for 170 grams of protein from food each day. That was my own target, not a universal requirement.

I measured three meals a day from Monday through Friday.

These Were My 2019 Results

When I put my mind to anything, I obsessively push myself to get it done. I was focused on achieving my fitness goals all while never compromising my demanding and hectic 18 hour workdays.

Starting results from March 2019.

Weight: 204 lbs

Body Fat: 38%

BMR: 1700 calories

Results at September 2019 (six months, 26 weeks):

Weight: 170 lbs

Recorded Muscle Increase: 26 lbs

Calculated Fat Loss: 60 lbs

Weight Reduction: 34 lbs

Body Fat: 7.2%

Recorded BMR estimate: 2900 calories

This was a personal decision to get back into my normal shape and make health a priority again. If I wanted to be successful in my professional life, I needed to make it a priority to take care of my health. Otherwise, if I can’t take care of myself, how could I take care of my company?

Take everything one day at a time. Results will vary, and the routine has to fit your health and circumstances. What mattered to me was simple: routine, diet, and exercise.

P.S. The benefit of going to the gym for 2 hours a day, is not to look good. It’s to increase your tolerance for pain in the real world.

P.P.S. The thing you’ll resent isn’t whether or not you can make it. The thing you’ll resent is now that you know you can…will you actually try?

I wish you luck in your fitness journey.