CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's 5:23 a.m. the Thursday before the Carolina Panthers play at Washington, and quarterback Cam Newton walks into a Charlotte area fitness studio for a spin class.

It's 5:50 a.m. the Friday before the Panthers play at Philadelphia and the 2015 NFL MVP is at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center to swim laps.

Newton routinely works out at these local spots before many of his Panthers teammates rise out of bed. He does this even though he has an 8 a.m. meeting at Bank of America Stadium, followed by a full day of practice, film study and workouts.

That a celebrity of Newton's status chooses to work out in public venues often catches the regular clientele -- and even management -- by surprise.

"It's funny, I actually have never seen him," said Matt Jakubowski, the facilities manager at the aquatic center. "As soon as I walked in the door the first time he was here, my staff was, 'Oh, my God! Cam Newton came in here!'"

Newton doesn't hide these workouts even though he politely declined to talk about them when approached recently in the locker room. He posts pictures of the facilities on social media when he's about to enter.

It's not like a 6-foot-5, 245-pound man whose face might be the most recognizable in Charlotte can hide, anyway.

But in an era when celebrities often avoid public places, Newton embraces them. Remember, this is the same person who often showed up at "Food Truck Friday" in Charlotte in 2015 after he signed a $103.8 million extension, the same person who used to ride his motorized hoverboard down the sidewalks to work.

Newton loves being among people.

"Every time a person sees me, I just want them to admire my love for life above everything," Newton said during training camp before the 2015 season in which Carolina went 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl. "Yeah, I love playing football. Yeah, I love interacting with fans and you guys. But the real winner is that I love life."

That Newton loves getting up well before the sun rises impresses even his teammates.

"Crazy," outside linebacker Thomas Davis said. "I couldn't imagine doing all that stuff at my age [35] right now. You think about all the stuff your body has to go through during the week.

"I saw him post something of him working at 7 at night after he left here. That just shows his commitment, man. It's showing up for us on the field."

Newton is off to his best season, statistically. He has 13 touchdown passes to only four interceptions, in addition to four rushing touchdowns. He's on a career pace for completion percentage, at 66.4, after averaging 58.5 in his first seven seasons.

And he's working out more than ever, perhaps in part because he's doing less physically in practice.

Last week, Newton was limited on Wednesday and Thursday to rest a sore shoulder for maintenance purposes -- same as the training staff did last season when the quarterback was coming off shoulder surgery.

That, coach Ron Rivera said, is Newton's new norm in practice. So the shoulder isn't a big concern, but Newton is concerned about getting enough of a cardiovascular workout in so he is in peak shape to handle all the running and throwing he does on Sundays as the league's top dual-threat quarterback.

"I find it pretty fascinating, honestly," backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. "Usually during the season you have guys kind of take it easy in the weight room and with workouts because of all the stuff we do on the field.

"But this guy's a machine. If he's not working out he's in the film room. In the film room, he's got a huge plate of food. I see him eat at least six, seven meals a day. He works out three or four times a day. It's pretty impressive. I can only praise him for it. It's just a testament to him, how much he wants it."

On the timing of when exactly Newton began going to public places to work out, the facility managers couldn't say because of privacy issues. Newton began posting these appearances on social media only in August.

But it's not so much that Newton chooses to work out in public places that impresses his teammates. It's the hours he does it.

Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, known for his extreme work ethic, doesn't get up for workouts until 6:15 a.m. By then, Newton might be halfway through a spin class.

"I don't know what makes him want to do that," Kuechly said. "He's just a guy that likes to work out and take care of himself. If that makes him feel better, that's what he's going to do."

Wide receiver Torrey Smith said Newton's morning workouts are "way too early" for him.

"I'm sleeping," he said. "I have to get eight hours. If I have to get up that early, I've got to adjust my day before."

Newton has no choice but to use a public facility for swimming since the Panthers don't have a full-size pool. That he chooses the public spin class is most intriguing, but not surprising.

"It shows he's not too big to do regular stuff," wide receiver Jarius Wright said. "He's Cam Newton. Everywhere he goes he's going to be noticed. So for him to show up in public places is good. It's good for the city, for regular people to see him out and about.

"I went to the dentist the other day and somehow we got to talking about spin. He was, 'Yeah, I think that's the place Cam goes. We see him all the time.' That's good."

Though Newton gets noticed, those working out around him typically leave him alone. He avoids any hoopla over his arrival to spin, usually walking in a few minutes after the class has begun and leaving a few minutes before it ends.

At the swim center, Newton occasionally will interact with the lifeguards or other swimmers, but for the most part he focuses on the workout while others focus on him.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson also works out at the same aquatic center, but at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, the driver often comes and goes without being noticed.

"Jimmie just fits in. A regular-looking guy," Jakubowski said. "The first thing they told me when Cam came in is how big of a man he was. ... It's been pretty neat. They talk about it all the time."

Running back Christian McCaffrey insists people would be surprised at how many local places athletes go to work out with little to no fanfare.

"I've got my own routines I do," McCaffrey said. "You'd be shocked. You're not recognized as much as you'd think."

Davis agreed, noting he worked out at a local sports performance center while he was suspended the first four games.

He also reminded that Newton isn't just any celebrity, which makes what he's doing special.

"Not only is he a 6-foot-5 man, but Cam Newton going anywhere in Charlotte it has to be hard," Davis said. "He's committed to doing what he has his mind set to do. It's showing up."