Is exercising twice a day bad for your body?

If you’re pursuing specific fitness results, you may be wondering whether exercising twice a day can help you achieve your goals twice as fast. Once a high school athletic training tradition, twice-a-day exercise is now all over social media and even incorporated into some popular lifestyle programs. But should twice a day be part of your exercise routine? Does exercising twice a day double the benefits or risks?

Are there any benefits to exercising twice a day?

When it comes to the benefits of exercising twice a day, “there really isn’t any benefit unless you’re an elite athlete,” says Trevor Thieme, CSCS. “If you have enough gas in the tank to get through two daily workouts, you’re probably not working hard enough in any one workout to optimize your progress toward your goals.”

To be clear, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise more than once a day. “If you’re too busy to do an entire workout at once on certain days, break it up,” says Tim.

You can also do some moderate-intensity cardio on the same day as your strength training, or vice versa—though if you’re serious about endurance and/or strength gains, it’s best to do these exercises on different days.

But when you’re pressed for time, “divide and conquer” isn’t your only option. “You should also consider doing a Higher intensity, shorter exercise time Instead of splitting the longer one into two pieces,” Tim suggests. “When you get down to it, workout density trumps workout duration.”

What are the disadvantages of exercising twice a day?

Unless you split an exercise into two parts to fit your schedule, exercising twice a day is more likely to hinder your progress than speed it up.

1. Increased risk of overtraining

In order for your body to adapt to the training stimulus provided by exercise, it needs sufficient time restore between them. “Pushing yourself too often can put you on the fast track overtraining,” Tim warned. “Not only does this get you into trouble training routinebut also increases the risk of injury.

2. Decline in body function

Burnout caused by overtraining includes Decreased performance during exercise. Even worse, the effects of overtraining can affect your daily life, including mood swings, insomnia, and loss of appetite.

3. Negatively affects muscle growth

Build muscle mass It is the process of causing micro-damage in your muscles, which triggers a process of repair and adaptation, making you stronger and healthier than before. but Overtraining can hinder Muscle repair, recovery and growth. If you’re not building muscle effectively, you’ll have a greater challenge achieving your goals.

Should beginners exercise twice a day?

Generally speaking, it is not recommended for beginners to exercise twice a day. “There’s almost no reason to do it twice a day,” Tim said. “Additionally, most people struggle to find the time to exercise once a day, let alone twice.”

When you’re first starting out, focus on being consistent rather than being overzealous. Adding a second workout to your day may actually prevent you from achieving your goals.

Tim explains that beginners are at risk of overtraining just like everyone else. This is because overtraining “occurs when you demand too much of yourself, too often, that you fail to achieve your goals.” fitness levelregardless of fitness level. No matter your fitness level, overtraining can hinder 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,” Tim said. Instead of working out twice a day, consider the following training ideas so you can train smarter, not harder, to reach your goals faster.

1. Focus on workout quality, not duration

how long Your workout is far less important how You exercise. “As long as your workouts are aligned with your fitness goals and you challenge yourself multiple times a week, you’ll achieve your goals,” he says.

2. Prioritize rest

rest day As important as your sports are, you should prioritize them. Even if you’ve taken a few days off from the gym, you should be aware of signs of overtraining, such as increased fatigue, insomnia, decreased performance, mood changes, and decreased motivation.

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s time to reduce the volume and intensity of your training and adjust the intensity of your training. recovery after exercise Until your performance gets back on track.

3. Increase daily activity

Daily exercise does not offset a sedentary lifestyle. That’s why it’s crucial to become more active overall.

“Focus on increasing your Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)which is all the calories you burn throughout the day outside of exercise,” says Tim. “If your goal is to lose weight, or even just to get healthier overall, you need to take NEAT as seriously as exercise.”