If you’re after specific fitness results, you may wonder if working out twice a day will help you achieve them twice as fast. Once a relic of high school sports training, the two-day workout is now all over social media and even included in some popular lifestyle programs. But should two-a-days be part of your workout routine? Does working out twice a day double the pay or double the risk?
Are there benefits to working twice a day?
When it comes to the benefits of a two-a-day workout, CSCS, Trevor Thiem says, “There really isn’t much unless you’re an elite athlete.” “If you have enough gas in the tank to tackle two daily workouts, you’re probably not going hard enough to optimize your progress toward your goals.”
To be clear, this does not mean that you should not exercise more than once a day. “If you’re too busy to complete your entire workout at once on some days, go ahead and split it up,” Thieme says.
You can perform some moderate-intensity cardio on the same day as strength training, or vice versa — though if you’re serious about endurance and/or strength gains, you’re probably better off doing them on different days.
But “divide and conquer” isn’t your only option when you’re pressed for time. “You should consider doing a high-intensity, short workout rather than a long one split into two,” advises Thiem. “When you get down to it, the intensity of the workout outweighs the duration of the workout.”
What are the disadvantages of two-a-day workouts?
Unless you split a workout into two to accommodate your schedule, working out twice a day is more likely to stall your progress than accelerate it.
1. Increases your risk of overtraining
To adapt to the training stimuli provided by your workouts, your body needs adequate time to recover between them. “Pushing yourself too much can lead you to overtraining on the fast track,” warns Thiem. “This can not only throw you off a training session, but also increase your risk of injury.”
2. Decreases physical performance
Burnout caused by overtraining will include a Decrease your performance during workouts. What’s worse, the effects of overtraining can spill over into your daily life, and include mood swings, insomnia, and loss of appetite.
3. Negatively affects muscle growth
Building muscle mass is a process of creating micro-damage in your muscles, which triggers repair and adaptation processes that make you stronger and fitter than ever. but Overtraining hinders Muscle repair, recovery and growth. If you’re not building muscle effectively, you’ll have a more challenging time reaching your goals.
Should beginners work out twice a day?
In general, it is not recommended for beginners to practice twice a day. “There’s almost no reason to do two-a-days,” says Thiem. “Also, most people have trouble finding time to do one workout a day, let alone two.”
When you’re just starting out, focus on being consistent, not overzealous. Adding a second workout to your day can actually hinder your goals.
Thiem explains that beginners are just as vulnerable to overtraining as everyone else. Because overtraining “happens when you push yourself too much, for your fitness level, whatever that fitness level is. Regardless of your fitness level, overtraining will put the brakes on your gains and increase your risk of injury.”
3 ways to reach your goals faster
“When it comes to fitness, more is not necessarily better,” Thieme said. Instead of working out twice a day, consider the following training ideas to help you reach your goals faster, smarter, not harder.
1. Focus on workout quality, not duration
how long You are much less important than working how You work out “As long as your workouts align with your fitness goals and you challenge yourself multiple times a week, you can reach your goals,” he says.
2. Make rest a priority
Rest days are just as important as your workouts and you should prioritize them. Even if you’re already taking rest days from the gym, you should watch for signs of overtraining such as increased fatigue, insomnia, decreased athletic performance, mood swings, and decreased motivation.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s time to dial back your training volume and intensity and dial back your post-workout recovery until your performance is back on track.
3. Increase your daily activity level
A daily workout doesn’t balance out an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. That’s why it’s essential to be more active in general.
“Focus on increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which is all the calories you burn throughout the day outside of exercise.” “If your goal is to lose weight, or even if it’s to be healthier overall, you need to pay as much attention to NEAT as you do to working out.”