I must admit, I've often dreamed of the life I have right now, minus the scary virus of course. Because I'm not able to work from home, my time is pretty much my own.
I always thought how wonderful it would be to be so financially secure that I did not have to work - like being retired without the pesky "being old" part. I can write! Take classes! Cook all the things!
And the best part...do two-a-day workouts and get shredded.
Sadly, it turns out my body's ability to keep up with my optimism is less than I had initially hoped. And as we all inherently know, getting in the shape you want to be in is always harder and more complicated than just spending time in the gym.
That being said, I have been working out significantly more than I would normally, given the extra time on my hands. Many days, I've been doing two-a-day workouts.
Which leads me to today's topic: Is working out twice a day a good thing or not? Sure, you might think that more time would equal more gains. But there are so many other factors that go into it. Here are a couple of things to consider:
Programming
Most of the academic side of personal fitness training (the basic stuff, really) comes down to workout programming for your clients. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Value as a fitness coach comes from your ability to assess a client's needs and goals and properly tailor a workout program just for them.
Therefore, if you are trying two-a-day workouts, you need to consider more than just adding another hour. What are you going to do for that extra hour that adds to your overall program that will be both complementary and beneficial?
For example, I program about three days of heavy lifting sessions into a typical week. Once I decided to add in more workouts, I looked for things that would be complementary and help prevent injury - like yoga for mobility, cardio and lighter, shorter lifting sessions focused more on muscular endurance.
So, if I planned to do a heavy lifting session in the morning, I would plan a restorative yoga session or steady state cardio session for the afternoon.
If I planned to work out again the very next day, then I would not do another heavy lifting workout. Instead, I would go for a short HIIT or light weight session, followed by a full yoga session later.
This is very general, but the point is always to avoid injury and over-training first, followed by smart programming that is focused on your goals, whatever they might be. Going out there with the general thought of just "working out twice" is a good path towards getting hurt.
Nutrition
It may seem counterintuitive, especially if your goals include weight loss, but you might need to up your caloric intake if you're going to work out more. You still need to do this in a smart way - obviously this does not mean extra chips or cookies. If you are trying to mix in heavy lifting days to build muscle, you may need a bit more protein. How much will depend on you as an individual. Keep in mind that most folks, especially in North America, have no problem eating enough protein and in fact may already be eating too much for their needs.
I have been adding in more carbs lately, because carbs are delicious and also helpful for fueling an extra cardio/HIIT workout. This may or may not be my excuse for quarantine-baking.
You still need good nutrition to see your abs, as I well know. Mine are currently hiding somewhere under a layer of homemade scones and pizza. I can't really say I regret it.
Rest
One of my favorite things about this forced staycation is the ability to sleep. It's glorious. And it's so important if you are going to expend more energy doing two-a-day workouts. Your body repairs itself during sleep, so take advantage when you can. Personally, I've enjoyed both getting adequate sleep at night, and often taking a nice mid-afternoon nap. I'm going to miss that when things return to normal. However, I also won't need it as much because I won't be working out quite as much either.
In addition to sleep, I would also take off one or more days from doing any workouts, or at least scaling your workout session to something very light to work on mobility and flexibility. If you burn yourself out, all your hard work will be for naught.
Don't Do It If You Don't Feel Like It
Honestly, there is likely no discernible benefit to force yourself to do two-a-day workouts if you really aren't feeling motivated. Take this time to do other things that you enjoy and don't stress - your mind and body will probably be healthier.
If you want to try two-a-days but don't want to dedicate all that time, you will likely see tangible improvements just by splitting your regular workout into two different sessions during the day. I can definitely see the advantage of separating a normal lifting session into two in order to give your body time to rest and recover. You'd be able to lift more and thus improve faster just with that one small tweak.
Have fun and let me know if you try this. I'm always curious about what other people do with their workouts and where they've found success.
Articles to consider:
10 Surprising Facts about Working Out Twice a Day
The Pros and Cons of Working Out Twice a Day
5 Things to Consider Before Working Out Twice a Day