Maybe it’s more convenient. Maybe you have a super busy schedule. You could even be an athlete training for a race or other event. Whatever the case is, training twice a day is nothing new to the athletic world. If you’re wondering if it is safe to train twice a day; the shortest and most straight forward answer is, it depends. First lets go over some situations that training twice a day may benefit you. Then lets go over some safety precautions in case you decide to try it.
Personally I like doing cardio after strength training, but many people are fond of getting it out of the way in the morning. If you do cardio before resistance training it may be wise to train twice a day. That gives you the opportunity to get some rest before you start lifting heavy weights. For example, doing your cardio in the morning followed by a rest period, then lifting. To look farther into which type of training should be done first, take a look at Should You Do Cardio Or Lift Weights First?
Busy schedules often affect how long we can train. If you only have short windows of open space in your day, you may have to train twice to get a complete workout in.
Bodybuilders and figure competitors often do resistance training twice a day to get a maximal amount of hypertrophy and fat loss. Other athletes, like football players, may also perform resistance training along with a recovery workout in order to prepare for competition.
If you are going to take part in two a day workouts it is very important to make sure you are aware of the symptoms of overtraining, and know how to avoid it.
Training multiple times a day puts you at a much higher risk of overtraining, especially if both of the workouts are at a high intensity. Some symptoms may be dehydration, extreme fatigue, longer recovery time, etc.
To avoid overtraining and its negative symptoms, there are important precautions to take. Vary the intensity of the workout. For example, if your first workout is a hard ten mile run, don’t make your second workout of the day be a long bike ride.
Give yourself time to rest, especially if muscles that were used in the first workout will be involved in the second one as well. 4 to 6 hours is a reasonable amount of time. If you feel yourself struggling to keep proper form on lifts then it may be wise to give yourself more time to rest.
Use one of the workouts to perform recovery activities like stretching and yoga. If you only workout once in a day you may have the tendency to leave the gym right when you are done and completely neglect stretching. A second workout may give you the time to focus on recovery and flexibility, especially if you dedicate a whole workout to that. You may be interested in how to Optimize Your Workout Through Active Rest.
Eat and hydrate properly. Doing two workouts can drain you of water and calories. It is important to keep your water and energy levels up to par. This will decrease your chances of experiencing overtraining, or getting hurt.
Sleeping well has numerous health benefits, among them being recovery. To keep up with two a day workouts you have to recover properly. Sleep should be a top priority when it comes to recovery and performing a two a day workout plan safely.
In my opinion two a day workouts are extremely safe and practical if you do it right. They can make workouts more effective and allow you to workout longer, even with a busy schedule. The biggest danger is overtraining. If you take care of your body and recover properly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with two a day workouts. It can actually help you reach your fitness goals faster if you are up for the challenge. If you have any unanswered questions about training twice a day please contact me and I will respond quickly.
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