Out of bed at 3.30am every day and a 2.5 hour work out: Married CEO credits his bizarre routine for success of his $70million company

An Australian CEO has shared his intense morning routine that starts at 3.30am.

Steve Sidd is the managing director and co-founder of Catering HQ, a catering company based in Sydney, and was interviewed about his lifestyle by the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday.

Sidd shared that he overhauled his lifestyle when he turned 40 after his friend died of a sudden heart attack in his mid-50s, leaving behind seven children.

The loss made him reflect on the unhealthy habits he'd picked up after working in the hospitality industry, noting 'people are constantly eating, drinking and grazing on cheese.'

But the now 49-year-old didn't just seek to up his daily step count and cut back on junk food – he completely changed how his day looks.

Sidd wakes up at 3.30am each morning and heads to the gym for a two-and-a-half-hour session. Those workouts start with an intense round on the treadmill during which he'll burn at least 1,000 calories.

He sticks to that routine seven days a week, no days off. Even while holidaying with his wife and sons, aged 17 and 19.

'When I try taking a rest day, I have a bad day. I manage stress and decisions far better because that morning session is my foundation. I am ready to tackle anything that comes my way,' Sidd said.

Maybe most surprising is the hospitality entrepreneur's diet.

Sidd avoids carbohydrates including rice, pasta, bread and potatoes as they make him feel 'sluggish'.

Instead, he has 'muesli with dairy-free vegan blueberry yoghurt' for breakfast and 'fish and salad' for lunch and dinner.

'If I hit a 3.30pm lull, I make Continental cream of mushroom soup with croutons and cracked black pepper,' Sidd said.

He added that for a 'rare treat' he enjoys a glass of wine but that he can no longer go out to restaurant dinners because they disrupt his bedtime.

'Last week, at my mother-in-law's birthday dinner, it reached 8.20pm, and I became agitated because I needed to get to bed.'

Sidd's 'non-negotiable' bedtime is strictly 8.30pm so he has the energy to properly manage his $70million company, which employs 560 staff.

The company has grown from being worth just $4million, remarkably, using its own cash flow without getting bank loans. 

While Sidd has lost an impressive 40kg since starting his intense routine, several commenters doubted the schedule was suitable for most people.

'Glad it appears to work for him. Not sure there are many great examples of transferable behaviours I would like to adopt,' one wrote.

'Good grief many of these are difficult reading. If I had to endure a mushroom soup salt bomb with nil nutrition I'd be grumpy too. Agitation at 8.20pm is no surprise,' another said.

- READ MORE: Inside Showpo founder Jane Lu's lavish fridge

- READ MORE: Sex therapist's 'vengeful' husband blackmailed tech CEO and stalked his Chanel model daughter after High Court battle over £1.2million home