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8:30 a.m.
It’s early for Ethan Semendinger ’21 to be at Kirby Sports Center. He typically exercises from 4 to 5 p.m. But the neuroscience major from Wyckoff, N.J., set his alarm for 6:40 a.m. to get a hit of endorphins before his 9:30 a.m. chemistry class.
“This is my first time coming here in the morning,” says Semendinger, who is now heading back to Watson Hall to shower. “I’m trying to drink less coffee, and I think exercise is a better way to get my brain going in the morning.”
It’s dreary outside, making it tempting to hit snooze and roll back over, but Semendinger didn’t struggle.
“Early morning exercise isn’t exactly new to me,” he says. “My entire life I was woken up by my dad on the treadmill; he was always up early to run.”
Recreation Services’ Ted Waxmonsky, who is greeting the morning regulars, says Semendinger picked an ideal time to visit Kirby.
“There are probably just about a dozen people here now,” says Waxmonsky, who opens the gym at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. “I’m told that peak traffic hits between 4 and 6 p.m. I always tell people that if you don’t like crowds, this is a good time to come.”
Semendinger, who would like to go to medical school and specialize in sports medicine, thinks the new early-bird workout routine will stick. The real test will be tomorrow—when he has an 8 a.m. class.