Exercise is well recognised for boosting mood, improving health and lowering blood pressure. With such great benefits, it’s easy to understand why some fitness fans may wish to work out multiple times a day, and why some personal trainers may recommend it to some of their clients.
Working out twice a day increases your physical activity level which can help you maintain weight, increase your fitness level, improve your overall performance and work towards your fitness goals. But you also risk overtraining and pushing your body beyond its limits.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of working out twice a day and how to decrease the risks that come with doing so.
What is classed as working out twice a day?
Working out twice a day can include anything from a run in the morning and again at night, a run in the morning followed by a weight workout at lunch, an evening gym session followed by an exercise class and everything else in between.
Exercising multiple times a day looks different to everyone but it’s essentially exercise which gets your heart pumping and is carried out at two different times in the day. For example, a personal trainer may recommend cardio in the morning and weights in the evening as a way of balancing your training and reaching your goals.
Pros of working out twice a day
By working out twice a day, you are doubling your physical activity levels, and in turn, you are more likely to reach fitness goals faster.
Any time you spend exercising will improve your overall health, fitness levels, weight loss, muscle mass and strength. If you work out twice a day you will see and experience these benefits in a short space of time. Plus, working out more than once a day can also improve endurance and stamina.
Be careful not to overdo it, however, as excessive exercise can have a negative impact on your progress. Space out training sessions throughout the day and pay attention to how your body feels.
Cons of working out twice a day
Although working out twice a day can be safe, healthy and maintainable, it also comes with an increased amount of risk to your body.
Training more than once a day increases the risk of overtraining. Overtraining occurs when you exceed your body’s limits and do not allow it to recover from exercise. Also, pushing your body beyond its capabilities can decrease your performance and cause burnout. Burnout can reverse the benefits you feel from exercise and cause increased lethargy, decreased motivation and poor moods. If you have a personal trainer and start feeling burnout, talk to them. They’ll be able to readjust your training to ensure you don’t experience burnout.
How to prevent injury and burnout from working out
Here are some helpful tips to help you prevent injury and burnout from working out.
Warm-up and cool down
No matter if you’re working out alone or with others, warming up and cooling down is an important part of any workout. Warms-ups will pump an increased amount of blood and oxygen to the muscles in use which will decrease the risk of a muscle-related injury. By raising your heartbeat and blood flow during a warm-up, you put less strain on your heart throughout the workout.
Cooldowns ensure your heart returns to a regular beat and reduces the build-up of lactic acid that can cause muscle soreness. By adding both a warm-up and cool-down to every workout, you’re less likely to burnout.
Make time for recovery
Your body needs time to recover from all physical activity. When your body is not able to make a full recovery, it results in burnout. Overtraining can leave you feeling physically fatigued, mentally exhausted, anxious and unmotivated.
Train on rotation
To avoid exhaustion, create a plan that details what exercise you will do on certain days. Ensure to leave some days blank as it is important to have regular rest days. This plan will allow you to monitor your workouts and rest days and allow you to train on a healthy rotation. Regular rest days are great for letting your body recover from previous workouts and physical activity.
Listen to your body
It may sound obvious but listen to what your body needs. Your body will let you know when it needs time to rest and recover.
Be mindful not to exceed your body’s ability and capability. Build your exercise plan up slowly to allow your body to adapt to an increase in fitness activity. If your body starts to become fatigued, revisit your exercise plan to see how you can adapt it to your body’s wants and needs.
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