Who needs a wakeup coffee when you are ready to face the day in ‘fight mode’. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s morning routine is anything but conventional, proving that sometimes it’s a set of small habits that work wonders for billionaires, boosting their energy levels, brain power, focus, and memory.
Many people start their day with tea, coffee, or energy drinks. Not Zuckerberg, who kickstarts his morning without any of these stimulants, preferring a workout routine that naturally energises him. ‘I’m rawdogging reality,’ Zuckerberg said on the This Past Weekend podcast. He further revealed how he does that, and it’s no less than inspiring.
How he wakes up
Zuckerberg is married to pediatrician and philanthropist Priscilla Chan and has three daughters – Maxima (10), August (8), and Aurelia (2). He doesn’t need an alarm bell as he wakes up to his kids’ ‘noise around the house’. So what does he drink in the morning? It’s not what you would have thought.
Mixed martial arts instead of morning super-drinks
“Yeah I get up and I fight people … I probably wake up like 7-7:30 whenever the kids start making noise around the house it’s like all right sleep is done,” he said on comedian Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast earlier this year.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) might not be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ in the morning considering it involves ground fighting, using techniques like joint locks, compression locks, chokeholds to defeat an opponent.
Yet it works for Zuckerberg’s productivity and is perhaps the secret of his success.
‘Ditch coffee, embrace action’
Lazy mornings are definitely not for Zuckerberg who likes energetic jumpstart to his day with jiu-jitsu and a little bit of MMA. He revealed that on the podcast that he consumes ‘a very large amount of protein’ in the morning instead of tea and coffee.
“What is a thing that is both super engaging physically but also intellectually, where you can’t afford to focus on something else? MMA is the perfect thing because if you stop paying attention for one second, you’ll end up on the bottom,” he said.
“I think [jiu-jitsu] is the greatest sport. It’s neurologically stimulating, it’s good cardio, good strength. I used to run around the neighborhood, but it’s not as thrilling as jiujitsu,” the billionaire revealed in the podcast.
The morning trick helps Zuckerberg maintain his energy levels and focus, and powers up his productivity.
“I found that is really important for me in terms of what I do, to be able to maintain my energy level and focus. After an hour or two, now I’m ready to go solve whatever problem at work for the day. I’ve fully processed the different news that’s come in, and I’m ready to go,” he said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2023.”
Acing the Murph workout
The billionaire has upped his fitness game in recent years and has completed the grueling ‘Murph Challenge’ workout, which involves completing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and a one-mile run. Murph, a CrossFit Hero workout is named after U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died heroically in the line of duty.
Drinking coffee on vacation
Zuckerberg may not rely on caffeine for waking up, but drinks it recreationally on vacations, he revealed on the podcast.
“Sometimes on vacation I’ll drink it recreationally. I don’t like any chemicals or anything like that,” he said.
Nutrients that Zuckerberg prefers
Zuckerberg also revealed that he prefers creatine and vitamin D for nourishing his body, but stays away from performance-enhancing drugs. A good choice from the point of view of fitness experts too as creatine supplements are preferred by high-intensity athletes to increase energy production in the muscles. Vitamin D can help improve muscle function and help repair them after injuries.
