Working out for hours and/or 2-a-days

It just depends, really. If you find yourself starting to have joint pain or you start regressing in your progress you might want to reassess your schedule.

I tended to over do things. I am like you....I will spend 90 minutes in the gym (if not longer) every single day. I am 50 so the recovery takes a little bit more. I did not see the gains (on my body) that I would have liked, but the strength was there. And, yes - sometimes I did twice a day sessions.

I am doing Strong Lifts 5x5 right now and being mindful of recovery. It is more challenging than one thinks, but it is important.

However, as already stated, if that works for you then go for it. I did heavy squats for 34 days in a row, took a few days off and then did heavy squats again for 17 days in a row. I would not recommend that for most folks....I tend to recovery better than most (just not from cyst removal! LOL!).

Recovery is a HUGE part of the program. Mike Israetel's article is likely really really useful (I have not read it but the man is pretty brilliant so I am making an assumption - I am also going to read it once I hit the "Post reply" button).

There is such thing as overtraining, and without adequate recovery, it can cause diminished muscle building. You don't want that.

However, regarding working muscles back to back, it is not always the case... as it will depend on your programming. I've worked glutes 5-6x a week before, but obviously my program was intelligently designed for that and I didn't just go hard and heavy everyday.

I would be sure to follow a program designed for your training level (ex. don't do an advanced program if you are a beginner or intermediate) and don't try to add more stuff thinking it is better for you, usually it is not.

CWShultz27105 wrote: »

+1 to what Miss Steph says. I am the perfect example of doing toooooo much. Smarter now.

Ohh believe me, I've been there too. I always thought more was better and my muscles had to be aching and burning by the end of each session in order to see results. I still get those moments of "am I doing enough?" But then I see my progress and clearly I am doing it right

@sardelsa - Yes, ma'am! I am super competitive and used to think the same way.....if something ain't falling off then I did not do enough. Case in point - 34 straight days of heavy squats, a few days off and then 17 more (or 14 more, whatever it was). Glad that I have the experience doing that but not going to repeat.

Recovery is something that we often overlook in our plan design. And, at 50 I do not recover like I used to 20 years ago (but I still recover pretty well....far better than most, I would say). Anyway, not going to put myself in that position any longer. That article from the awesome Dr. Mike Israetel (which I did indeed read after making the post) really explains things well.

So, no matter what the age of the person doing the training, recovery HAS to be a part of the program. Otherwise, you are just spinning your wheels (for the most part.....and that depends on how much you are "overdoing" things. I tend to go big or go home.....).

I think that it is awesome to be strong and smart! Man, my ex-wife is a fool! LOL!

I'm similar to the poster, I love working out. I'm a former x-c runner (now 20ish miles a week) but I adore lifting and HITT and OrangeTheory and barre too. In trying to do everything, I usually end up with a couple of 2x-a-days or 90 minute workouts. To eliminate the risk of overtraining and/or injury, I *really* pay attention to how my body feels, build in recovery/light days, make sure I get enough sleep, stretch, and EAT (especially protein) to compensate for the ton of calories I'm expending.

I mix it up a lot. I'll run/lift in the morning then do barre class at night. Or Orangetheory in the morning and then run or walk at night. Or only Orangetheory. Or only hot yoga. Or just a walk around the neighborhood. And usually during the week I take a friggin day off and eat pie (or something delicious). If my body says 'take it easy' welp, I take it easy. Ain't nobody got time for injuries! I've also intentionally targeted the same muscle groups back-to-back before. There's a lot of strategies/methodologies out there, the key is to really do your research and be safe. I usually end up working out 9 times within 6 days, weekly.

I’m with you
Everything to Excess
That’s my lifestyle choice
Doesn’t always give success but hey ho.

i go back sometimes and re-do a workout that i called off early because mornings just are not my time. so i've done it and it doens't seem to do any harm. it's worth it if a) my form on the first try was *kitten* and b) i can do it properly second time round.

and i've hung out for long stretches of time at the gym. i like it there. doesn't mean i'm going all out the whole time, but i'm not dicking around socializing or watching youtube clips on my phone either. i think up various 'just one more' something type things to get done. like eating potato chips kind of thing.

twice a day though, consistently . . . to be totally honest with you if i found myself doing that after the honeymoon phase had worn off, then the face in the morning mirror would start asking me 'is there something we should be talking about?' because life should not be < the gym.