Training Twice a Day: Should You? Can you?

Sometimes it's hard to get to the gym once, let alone twice. But for certain people and goals, it can make sense. Find out here if training twice a day makes sense for you.

If you are an athlete experienced in competitions that require endurance, a second training session may be valuable. It can also work if you're training for marathons, Ironmans or triathlons. A second workout can increase your aerobic volume and endurance, so you might be able to run, swim, bike or whatever it is you need to do for longer.

When to train twice?

Interval training days or speed training can be suitable for this repetition. If, for example, at the beginning of the day you do high intensity interval training, it may be beneficial to end the day with a lighter swimming or jogging session. Training a second time will help “clean out waste” in the muscles and increase circulation so that it delivers more oxygen and nutrients to recovering muscles.

Training twice is not just for Elite athletes.

Even if you don't consider yourself an athlete, you can benefit from training twice a day. Adults should get around 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week (or 75 of intense exercise) to improve heart health. And although you may feel hardcore, training twice doesn't have to be extremely intense and painful. You can do something as simple as training with body weight in the morning and a light jog at the end of the day.

Sleep and nutrition are even more important than training

If you want to start experimenting with “double sessions” there are a few things you should know first. You should have a minimum of 4 hours between each workout, with 8 being ideal. You should also pay attention to what you eat and ingest. On days when you train twice you should make sure you sleep, eat and drink enough water. If you ignore the essential aspects, double training will only lead to burnout and injuries.

Don't exaggerate

You've probably heard the expression “listen to your body” but when it comes to training twice a day this expression takes on even more significant importance. If you've never done these workouts then start slowly. Once a week instead of daily. If you suffer from any pain or difficulties then stop or reduce.

Why?

The final question you should ask yourself is “Why?”. Make sure that every time you train you have a purpose or objective. If you have difficulty fitting a longer session into your routine then double sessions may make sense. At the same time, training twice can be complicated and make you more susceptible to injuries. Find the schedule that best suits you, both in terms of your schedule and your physical fitness.