Doing two training sessions daily is getting popular, but how safe is this? Before making a biased judgment towards obsessive-compulsive disorder, you have to know that if you do it correctly, this can bring you quick results, as well as benefits.
First of all, you shouldn’t do two full workouts a day : divide your routine by doing half in the morning and the other half in the afternoon or evening. That is the basic concept.
Doing it this way helps you rest your body, allowing you to train at the highest level of intensity, says coach Mike Donavanik, who spoke to the specialized sports magazine, Men’s Health.
Think of your training as your job. The reason we take breaks to go to eat is to give our body and mind a break and thus, when we return to work and be more productive, “he explains.
Just the training time you need
Although the exact length of your routine depends on your activity level and your goals, you can try exercising for 30 minutes in the morning and then doing another 30 minutes at night.
It’s worth remembering that some workouts can be longer than others – for example, lifting weights can take more time than cardio, so you don’t necessarily have to break them up.
“Those 60-90 minute sessions, where you drop everything, can leave you physically and mentally exhausted, but by dividing the exercise you can be more focused and have more energy,” he advises.
What happens to your body when you do a double session
As you raise your heart rate during the first workout, you boost circulation and blood flow to your muscles and you start to sweat; the body is stressed and the muscles begin to tire, says Donavanik.
However, once you’re done, resting for a few hours allows your body to recover and return to homeostasis levels, he explains.
“The heart rate, the blood flow, the hormones, everything begins to balance, so your body is not in a state of ‘stress,” he says.
At that point, you can start over and train again, especially if you eat a snack after the first workout or use a foam roller first.
The results of training twice a day
As a bonus, if you hit the gym twice a day, your muscles can increase in size and strength over time, explains Dr. Paul Mostoff, Head of Physical Therapy at New York-based All Sports Physical Therapy.
By activating each muscle twice a day, you literally double the amount of stimulation they receive. Every time you train, you give your body a boost that promotes greater protein synthesis and muscle adaptation.
So by training twice a day, you’re giving your body the signal to ‘ grow and get stronger ‘ twice as often.
You can also take advantage of the benefits of Post-Exercise Excess Oxygen Consumption, known as the “afterburner effect“:
E fect afterburner : means your metabolism is triggered during the hours following your workout .
With this, you will burn more calories in a natural way and more effectively you will end the calories of your post-workout meal.
When you do two workouts a day, you get that kind of afterburner twice. However, this is no excuse for gorging on pounds of pizza after training.
Some research indicates that the
afterburning effect is relatively small.
The post-combustion effect
If you have a really heavy day at the office and then a social engagement in the evening, splitting your workout in two for a rush of energy in the morning and cooling off in the afternoon might be a good idea.
“Each time you train, the hormones are activated so that you are more alert and productive at that moment.
Your body will also fight fatigue for a time after training, ”says Donavanik.
If you suffer from insomnia, your sleep may also improve if you exercise at night:
“Most people will find it easier to fall asleep because they put more demands on their body, so they will naturally feel more exhausted and will be able to fall asleep more easily.”
Warning: If you are not used to exercising and going straight for the double session, you could be slower than usual, he warns.
The risks of double training
We have to be very honest with you. If you are dividing a workout in half and your body is not used to it, seek guidance from a coach before attempting it.
It is important to note that not all workouts need to be repeated, for example working with weights twice in a day could put too much pressure on your muscles and make recovery difficult.
“I always encourage people looking to train twice to make one session more focused on strength and the other more focused on cardiovascular exercise, to get the most out of both workouts,” says Donavanik .
Cardio in the morning, weights in the evening
If you’re looking for strength-building and “bulking” workouts, you may want to ditch the heavy for the night.
“Trying to lift super heavy weights and go for maximum effort upon waking up in the morning is a disaster in the making, as your joints haven’t really warmed up yet and your spine may not tolerate such a heavy load after being all night in bed, “he says.
It’s best to have the least intense session earlier in the day and save the heaviest session for later in the evening.
Who should train twice a day?
If you are trying to do more cardio and burn more fat, you are probably a good candidate to train twice a day.
Someone who is trying to get bulky puts too much strain on the muscles, plus weight workouts range from 60 to 90 minutes per session.
«Pay special attention to proper warm-up, hydration, sleep, nutrition exercises and get enough rest between training sessions (at least 4-5 hours). This will help avoid the pitfalls of overtraining.
If you start to see results in no time, you’re welcome!