Most people think about working out in terms of the more the better and decide that one workout a day isn't enough to achieve their fitness goals. But don't forget that the two-a-day workout isn't for everyone and before starting working out 2 times a day you should really think about the potential advantages as well as drawbacks of exercising twice in 24 hours.

fitness2.JPG

Image source: pexels.com  

You have to decide for yourself how many workouts per day you really need. Of course, your decision will depend on your goals and work schedule. If you want to burn calories or build muscle faster, or maybe if you train for a tough race, the two-a-day workout will be the best thing for you. You just need to figure out that as John Mandrola, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist, claims “Two-a-day workouts can be especially useful, and if used wisely, might lead to safer, more effective training”. Here are some general rules to maximize the benefits of exercising twice a day and get closer to your fitness goals.

Prepare Your Body for Physical Activity

How regularly do you hit the gym? If you`ve missed your workouts over the last few weeks, but now suddenly want to visit the gym twice a day, don't do that! You should realize that your body may not be able to handle that great physical activity and you could increase your risk of injury. To start your two-a-day workouts you have to train once per day steadily for six to eight weeks. You should add the second workout gradually.

By the way, you should think about your gym clothes in advance. If you hit the gym twice a day, you need at least two sweatsuits and two pairs of trainers. Keep in mind, if you have foot problems you should buy a certain type of training shoes according to the type of your pronation. Firstly, identify your pronation, and then choose the Best Cross Training Shoes For Flat Feet or High Arches to make your workouts comfortable and effective. Besides, include special exercises for flat feet or high arches in your training program.

Strike Balance

If you're performing both high-intensity and low-intensity exercises, to avoid overtraining, you should strike balance between the sweat sessions. It would be better to start your first session with the high-intensity work like HIIT or strength training and the second workout should be devoted to the low-intensity exercises like cardio.

Get Enough Rest Each Week

When you're exercising several times per day you have to take at least one complete day off each week. But listen to your body and if you feel that you have to stop, you can take a few days off. You should also get enough rest between sweat sessions every day (five or six hours between the workouts). Your muscle groups need some time to rest and recover.

Think about Nutrition and Hydration

If you`re going to get the benefits of exercising twice a day, you have to focus on eating right. Right food will help your body heal and repair itself. Try to eat a relatively large meal (with both complex and simple carbs, and plenty of protein) after your first session and eat the same meal before your second session. And don't forget to hydrate your body because if you don`t drink enough water during the workouts, you`ll increase the risk of muscle injury and make it harder for them to recover.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is also important for fanatics of two-a-days workouts because if you want to see your workout results, you really need to get enough sleep. Otherwise, when you have a little or poor-quality sleep it will harder for you to repair and perform during your sweat sessions.  If tomorrow you're going to visit the gym more than once in 24 hours, today you should go to bed an hour or two earlier than you commonly would to get a good night's rest.

So it`s up to you how many times a day you should work out! The decision will depend just on you and your goals. Of course, you can achieve your fitness goals faster if you exercise twice a day. But at the same time, the two-a-day workouts require much effort and time.