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Working Out Twice A Day How to safely and effectively double up your workouts for faster progress and better performance BY AMBER SAYER, MS, CPT, CNC NASM-Certified Nutrition Coach and UESCA-certified running, endurance nutrition, and triathlon coach and senior fitness and news editor with Marathon Handbook, from Westfield, MA. MARATHON.HANDBOOK
AMBERSAYER
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orking out twice a day, sometimes called “doubles” or “two-a-days,” can mean anything from running twice a day to running every morning and strength training in the evening to doing a yoga class at lunch and a cardio or strength workout at night, and anything in between. In a nutshell, it simply means you perform two bouts of exercise, either of the same or different types, within the same day but separated by a period of time. While doubles can be a powerful tool to enhance performance, it’s important to approach them strategically to avoid overtraining or burnout.
SHOULD YOU WORK OUT TWICE A DAY? In general, doing doubles can be healthy and beneficial for your progress. Still, there are also scenarios in which two-a-days are counterproductive, if not a definitive net negative on your body. The differences lie in the specifics of your workout sessions and overall health and fitness goals.
BENEFITS OF TWO-A-DAY WORKOUTS Depending on the type, intensity and duration of your workouts, working out twice a day can double down on many of the positive benefits of exercise. 1. Promotes Overall Health Any minutes you accrue being physically active with your daily workouts can contribute to positive benefits such as reduced blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, lowered blood lipids, regulated blood sugar, and reduced risk of several lifestyle diseases. 2. Enables Increase in Training Volume The benefits of two-a-days are likely amplified if you can fit in a 45-minute workout in the morning and a 30-minute workout in the evening rather than just a single 60–minute workout in the morning. This results in a total of 75 minutes of exercise.
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3. Improves Strength and Endurance Studies have shown that doubles can lead to greater improvements in muscle strength and size due to enhanced muscle protein synthesis, fat oxidation, mitochondrial development, and power output. It can also cause favourable metabolic adaptations that contribute to glycogen sparing, leading to improvements in aerobic endurance. This bodes well for distance runners looking to stave off the dreaded bonk around miles 20 to 24 of the marathon. 4. Boosts Mental Health Exercise produces endorphins, which elevate one’s mood and provide a sense of well-being. Low and moderate-intensity exercise also lowers cortisol levels, helping your body and mind feel less stressed. Exercise can also improve your focus and energy, so training twice a day can give you a double boost of feel-good chemicals, reduce pent-up stress, and help your brain feel sharp. 5. Helps You Fit It All In Many people have inflexible schedules and don’t have enough time to fit longer sessions in their workout plan. For example, if you want to run five days a week and weight lift three times a week, you need to fit in both on at least one day. You can do your threshold run in the morning then head to the gym for a warm-up and strength training before dinner. Working out twice a day allows for a mental and physical reset before hitting your second workout. Try to leave an ideal six-hour rest window between workouts for maximum results.
DRAWBACKS OF TWO-A-DAY WORKOUTS There is the risk of overtraining, injury, and mental and physical burnout, particularly if you are increasing your training volume. Moreover, working out twice a day reduces the time your body has to rest between bouts of physical exertion and stress.