Question: should I work out twice in one day?
Answer: I think the answer to this one involves a few layers. So I’m going to divide my answer into two questions that you can consider if you’re wondering about this:
- What is your intention behind doing it?
- If you’re doing it to accelerate your results I’d say this. More isn’t better. BETTER is better. I’d rather see people do ONE quality workout, than do TWO sub-par. It’s not likely that you’ll be able to do your best in both – so in essence you’re doing two OK workouts. Which is…OK. But it’s also stress. And if you’re looking for results…stress (and the cortisol cascade that even “good stress” causes) stalls results (for most people). So in this case I’d say no. Not ideal. Do one workout. ROCK it with the best you’ve got. All great balanced programs should have a variety of higher intensity & lower intensity workouts. Not all days are hard efforts. Rest & recovery is when you make gains from your hard work. Make sure you make it. The other MAJOR factor here to consider is the over-training effect. Doing too much can lead to injury, illness & overall burnout. Burnout = loss of enthusiasm for your program and usually leads to stopping entirely. And I don’t know about you, but stopping entirely really puts a dent in my ability to feel great & get the results I’m after (aka kicking butt and rocking my goals).
- If you’re a triathlete or other athlete doing it for scheduling purposes (trying to get it all in) I would say that sure, its certainly something you can consider. But please keep this in mind: it’s not ideal. Unless you’re training for triathlon or adventure racing where the end goal is being able to do multiple things in one day then the benefit likely doesn’t outweigh the cost. And the cost is this: it is unlikely that you can put your best effort/ best focus onto both. Meaning the quality of one of the workouts will suffer. So circle back to the intention. Do you have to do it in one day? Or could you get creative and split it all up better (and still ensure you have at least one active recovery day)?
- If you do it please consider the following:
- If you have to double I’d rather see a cardio paired with a strength workout. It’s more balanced and better for recovery. Layering in a core/ total body strength or yoga is a great way to go.
- Choose your priority and dial DOWN the intensity in the workout that is less important. And ideally do the biggest priority FIRST when your energy is BEST!
- Make sure your fueling & hydration are ON POINT! Good quality whole foods and mindful use of good quality supplementation (I tend to use an electrolyte replacement & a recovery protein with BCAA’s on super heavy days, Click here for more info on the products I use).
Need some help figuring it all out? I provide private or small group (partner or groups of up to 5) coaching to help you figure it out! Click here for more info!