Two a Days?

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    morganinspires wrote: »
    How much strength training would be adequate? I go running so I'm not too concerned about my lower body but other areas such as much arms and stomach would need work. Should I do it after my cardio or replace one of my two 30 minute sessions for toning?

    Running doesn't replace "leg day". I'm a cyclist and I work a 3x weekly full body lifting program and hit my legs hard on all three days.

    Also, be careful with two-a-days...as it is, it sounds like you're only doing 30 minutes of cardio 2x daily for a total of 60 minutes which should be fine...but two-a-days can get you if you're increasing time and intensity. I do two-a-days only twice weekly which includes 60-90 minutes of cycling in the AM and an hour of lifting in the PM...I generally follow these days up with an easy spin the following day and I make sure I take 1-2 rest/recovery days per week. My nutrition is also pretty spot on (including plenty of calories) and I prioritize sleep for recovery.

    If I were you, I'd dedicate a full 60 minutes to lifting 3x weekly with an established program to get you started and do cardio on your non-lifting days.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    I used to do two a days when I first started. It was just easier for me time wise to break up my day and it was natural to me as that was how I trained throughout my sports life. I also wanted to do the same things I did back in the days to see why I had very low stress and couldn't put on weight.

    I stopped for a while but now that I am back working in a high stressed environment, I am back to multiple times a day but the intensity is a lot less.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
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    I do this... of course it's only for 20 minutes at a time so it adds up to a 40-45 minute workout.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I do this too. Have been doing it for quite a while. Mentally it is really great medicine for me.

    Edited to add, mine is cardio 5:30 a.m. and lifting during lunch hour and then eat lunch (first meal of the day).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    morganinspires wrote: »
    At this point in the game, I really need to do two a days for managing my anxiety. I'm involved in a high stress, high pressure profession. I found this is the best way to cope temporarily. I can try to switch one work out session to some strength training. That seems to be the consensus.

    While the effect of exercise having a positive impact to help with anxiety is well documented, there is a fine line here about imposed stresses on the body. Exercise is a stress and while it may help with the anxiety, coupled with the stressful nature of you profession it could be taking a toll physically on you. Hopefully this is just an interim fix to a healthier long term solution. In the mean time, get a lot of sleep and sufficient nutrient intake.

    I was going to say pretty much this as well. I have bouts of anxiety and during my most recent one I was really pushing myself over the edge physically...yes, it did help with my other stresses and anxiety, but I also ended up physically a mess because my body and mind were being overly stressed from everything. I basically drove myself into the ground with stress from work then overload in the gym and on the bike combined with stress at home with my 3 and 5 y.o. and little sleep, etc...I ended up very sick from all of this...not only did I become ill, but I also started having weird cardiac issues for which I could not get my blood pressure below 165/110 despite my medications.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    As a triathlete there is no way I could fit in all the training I need to do in one session a day. At least 3, sometimes 4 days a week I end up with two sessions. AM swim, PM bike. Or AM run, PM swim, etc. Even on long run days I will usually get in the pool for a recovery session.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    i often work out twice a day only because i don't get a stretch of time long enough for my entire workout so i split it into two parts.
  • morganinspires
    morganinspires Posts: 20 Member
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    Thanks for all the input! I greatly appreciate it.
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
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    i do two a days m-f

    m-w-f 30 minutes cardio and weights (legs/shoulders, chest/triceps, back/biceps) (4am) and then afternoon cardio - 60 minutes

    t-th 60 minutes cardio again at 4am and 60 minutes at 4pm

    i go to planet fitness and its just easier to wake up early and lift weights than it is to fight the madness in the afternoon
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    edited February 2016
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    UG77 wrote: »
    If you're going to do two a days you're going to need to make sure you're getting enough sleep and enough food, or like others have said, you'll burn out.

    When I was active duty I would lift in the morning and then run in the afternoon. I felt like this helped my recovery from lifting.


    I had a similar lifestyle back when I was still required to run for the service, but I flipped it and would run in the mornings and do resistance work / lift in the afternoon. And I still do cardio at one time of the day and weights at another time. As a result, it didn't really feel like having two workouts in a day as much as simply splitting one workout into two parts separated by work.

    A benefit I found was that keeping them split with rest in-between prevented them from interfering with each other. So I think having them separated meant I got more out of each component than I would if I had cardio and weights back-to-back.

    As far as when you should implement some strength training, I'd say ASAP. Especially if you have a morning / evening split, if one session is cardio and the other is resistance, you should be just fine. And if you're just starting with strength training, you don't even need to worry about a gym membership or anything like that just yet because bodyweight workouts offer a great starting point.


  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,034 Member
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    If you are working out to relieve stress and anxiety, I think it makes sense. However, it can be undo strain on your body if you're not training for a specific sport or event. Have you thought about trying yoga as a second work out? Implement strength training as soon as you can. It will help you maintain lean muscle mass. If you did a cardio/strength training one session and yoga the second, you might see the changes you want in your body and your mind.
  • morganinspires
    morganinspires Posts: 20 Member
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    Awesome, I'll be sure to implement strength training into my workout tonight. Should I be focusing on different areas of my body each day (leg day, arm day ect.) or just coordinate a variety of exercises that utilize my entire body? I would prefer keeping the time frame of 30 minutes because it's usually 11pm by the time I finish up, showered and in bed. Not counting the half hour I spend browsing on my phone.
  • mean_and_lean
    mean_and_lean Posts: 164 Member
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    Just got back into doing 2 workouts a day: weights in the a.m., cardio in the pm

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