Is it bad for your body to exercise twice a day?
If you’re looking for specific fitness results, you may be wondering whether you’ll achieve them twice as quickly if you exercise twice a day. Once a relic of high school athletic training, two-day workouts are now all over social media and even included in some popular lifestyle programs. But should two exercises a day be part of your workout routine? Does training twice a day double the profit or double the risk?
Are there benefits to exercising twice a day?
When it comes to the benefits of two workouts per day, “there really aren’t any unless you’re an elite athlete,” says Trevor Thieme, CSCS. “If you have enough gas in the tank to tackle two daily workouts, you are unlikely to put in enough effort in either workout to optimize your progress toward your goals.”
To be clear, this doesn’t mean you should never exercise more than once a day. “If some days you’re too busy to do all of your training at once, split it up,” says Thieme.
You can also do moderate-intensity cardio exercises on the same day as strength training, or vice versa – although if you’re serious about endurance and/or strength gains, it’s probably better to do them on different days.
But divide and conquer isn’t your only option when you’re pressed for time. “You should think about making one too higher intensity, shorter workouts instead of one longer piece divided into two parts,” suggests Thieme. “When you get to the point, training density is more important than training duration.”
What are the disadvantages of two-day training sessions?
Unless you split a workout into two parts to fit your schedule, exercising twice a day is more likely to slow your progress than speed it up.
1. Increases the risk of overtraining
Your body needs enough time to adapt to the stimuli of your workout recover between them. “If you try too hard too often, you can end up in the fast lane Overtraining“warns Thieme. “It can’t just put you in a situation Training routinebut also increase your risk of injury.”
2. Reduces physical performance
Burnout caused by overtraining includes: Loss of performance during training. What’s worse, the effects of overtraining can impact your everyday life, causing mood swings, insomnia, and loss of appetite.
3. Negatively affects muscle growth
Build muscle mass is a process in which micro-damage occurs in your muscles, triggering repair and adaptation processes that make you stronger and fitter than before. But Overtraining hinders Muscle repair, recovery and growth. If you don’t build muscle effectively, it will be harder for you to achieve your goals.
Should beginners train twice a day?
In general, beginners are not recommended to exercise twice a day. “There is almost no reason to do two a day,” says Thieme. “Plus, most people find it difficult to find time for one workout per day, let alone two.”
If you’re just starting out, focus on being consistent and not overzealous. Adding a second workout to your day can actually hinder your goals.
Thieme explains that beginners have the same risk of overtraining as everyone else. This is because overtraining “occurs when you push yourself too often and too hard Fitness levelregardless of your fitness level. No matter your fitness level, overtraining will stunt your progress and increase your risk of injury.”
3 ways to achieve your goals faster
“When it comes to fitness, more is not necessarily better,” says Thieme. Instead of working out twice a day, consider the following workout ideas to help you train smarter, not harder, to reach your goals faster.
1. Focus on the quality of the workout, not the duration
How long that you train is far less important than How You train. “As long as your workouts are aligned with your fitness goals and you challenge yourself several times a week, you will achieve your goals,” he says.
2. Prioritize rest
Rest days are just as important as your training and you should make them a priority. Even if you’re already taking rest days in the gym, you should watch out for signs of overtraining such as increased fatigue, insomnia, decreased athletic performance, mood swings, and a decline in motivation.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s time to reduce your training volume and intensity and increase your training intensity Recovery after training until your performance is back on track.
3. Increase your daily activity level
Daily training does not compensate for an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. That’s why it’s important to become more active in general.
“Focus on increasing yours Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)“These are all the calories you burn during the day outside of training,” says Thieme. “If your goal is to lose weight or just be healthier overall, you need to give NEAT as much attention as exercise.”
