How many times should we workout per day?

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akafful
akafful Posts: 64 Member
edited November 2018 in Fitness and Exercise
Should we workout one a day? Or can twice be as good depending on type of workout?
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  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    I lift 5-6 days a week, in the evening (along with a bit of cardio), except Saturday morning. I often stop in the gym and do some mobility work in the morning.

    I depends on what you are doing.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
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    Who is "we"? This is really all dependent on your goals, what your workouts are, your fitness, your ability to recover, etc. Sometimes I'm able to do two cardio workouts a day, sometimes I'm not. That, for me, either means cycling, running, rowing, or swimming - my swims are generally pretty low intensity whereas cycling rarely is these days, running isn't for me, and rowing can be but often isn't. I could, potentially, do a morning rowing on the water for an hour and a half and then bike in the afternoon or evening, but the next day (which in the Fall - early Spring is Sunday) would require a very long nap.

    I frequently row on the erg in the morning and then do a very short lower body strength workout directly after with no ill effects. That said goals are probably not your goals.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,153 Member
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    If you're brand new to working out, start with 3 times a week at a moderate, manageable intensity, with a day (two sleeps) in between workouts. If it feels fun and makes you energetic, gradually add more days or longer duration or increase the intensity. Keep gradually increasing to challenging yourself more as you get fitter, as long as it stays fun and energizing, and isn't taking so much time it upsets your overall good life balance (interferes with job, family life, home chores, other non-exercise hobbies, etc.).

    Generally, if you weight train, you don't want to exercise the same body parts two days in a row. You can mix up your workouts, doing different things on different days, if you find that fun.

    If you're not trying to be an elite athlete, but are just trying to be a bit more fit or burn a few extra calories, this stuff is a whole bunch less technical/complicated than a lot of people think.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    If your goal is weight loss, there is not a minimum amount of exercise you have to do. You don’t have to do any exercise at all, and you’ll still lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit.

    For general fitness, others have covered cardio and strength recommendations. If you have more specific fitness goals, then you need a plan tailored to those.

    I generally advise folks not to do two exercise sessions per day if they are new to exercise. You risk injury and/or burnout if you increase your exercise level too quickly. Your body needs rest for recovery.
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,432 Member
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    I guess I fall under the "more specific fitness goal" category .....................

    I do 60-80 min HIIT workout in the morning 4-5 days a week and 30-40 minutes easy cardio..... stationary bike, treadmill, rower at lunch.

    I'm lucky cause:

    a) I'm a little older with less "life" distractions
    b) the gym is like 60 seconds from my office
    c) I absolutely love working out & the feeling of being challenged again <3

    Note: I lost a significant amount of weight with simple cardio exercises like walking and biking BEFORE I started going to the gym. The weight loss and just moving prepped me for the more strenuous workouts I'm doing now.

    I'm scheduled for a simultaneous bilateral (both) knee replacement January 9th. :o

    I'm in Canada and there is a bit of a wait for knee replacements...... 18 months for me as I requested a particular surgeon...... but it was all good as it gave me the time I needed to lose 115 lbs and prep for surgery.

    My goal? lol..... get every last drop out of the two old knees and be as prepared as I can for the new ones. :)

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    What are your goals? For me I have to be mindful of recovery, so I won't overdo cardio on my legs especially on the same day. Sometimes I do some light steady cardio on upper body days, or I do yoga at night after an afternoon workout.
  • crisma1974
    crisma1974 Posts: 52 Member
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    Yikes! More than once a day? I am dying with an one hour session once a day for 5 days. But I guess it is doable if you can keep your strength up and feed your body properly.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    It depends on your goals, current fitness level and schedule.

    I'm with NorthCascades in that you should aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 or more times per week. If your plans include something more strenuous such as running or strength training you need to be mindful of recovery times for example I'd never suggest a new runner runs on consecutive days (there are lots of seasoned marathon runners that will do doubles, for a new runner that's an invitation to get injured) same with strength training.

    If you're doing a mix of activities (ie cross training) you're less likely to get an overuse injury and will keep boredom at bay.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    akafful wrote: »
    Should we workout one a day? Or can twice be as good depending on type of workout?

    There's not really a "should." Personally, outside of actually training for something I see little reason to workout multiple times per day with frequency. That said, and as others have mentioned, it really depends on what you're doing, your level of fitness, the intensity at which you're working, whether or not you're getting adequate recovery, etc.

    I did two-a-days pretty frequently when I was training for a sprint triathlon...I was very fit at the time, but it was still quite taxing. I have two-a-days now about 3 days per week...Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. It's nothing crazy though...I do 30-45 minutes of cycling in the AM on Mon/Thur, and lift in the PM. On Saturday I lift in the AM and typically get in either a road or trail ride in the afternoon if the weather is nice. I'm not training for anything at the moment so I'm not putting in tons of miles on my rides and they're at a conversational pace, so it's nothing particularly taxing...just maintaining my cardiovascular fitness.
  • katarina005
    katarina005 Posts: 259 Member
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    akafful wrote: »
    Should we workout one a day? Or can twice be as good depending on type of workout?

    I say it depends on how much you can do, and what you did earlier.
  • Pardyqueenxoxo
    Pardyqueenxoxo Posts: 218 Member
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    I work out 2x a day (6am & 6pm) 3 times a week and once a day 3 times a week . my job is sedentary and i love food. I suffer from craving alcohol at times of stress so I like to keep the cravings a bay by exercising xx
  • lunnon1984
    lunnon1984 Posts: 32 Member
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    akafful wrote: »
    Should we workout one a day? Or can twice be as good depending on type of workout?

    Hey chick, its completely up to you and what you are working towards. I train 5 days a week twice at home 3 days at the gym - somedays I do legs in the morning and some sort of upper body training at night ... it really depends on your goals :smile:
  • RealWorldStrengthLLC
    RealWorldStrengthLLC Posts: 552 Member
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    It really depends on your goals, your skill level, and your food.

    If losing weight is your goal and you're in a deficit, the main focus should be strength training and cardio should be mostly HIIT style stuff - this is the best way to minimize muscle loss at least.

    If you're a beginner at exercise, 3-4 times a week is plenty of stimulus.

    If you're more advanced, 2 a days are ok and can be good if they are properly programmed and you are at maintenence or in a surplus calorie wise, and you can get adequate sleep. From what I know and in my personal exeperience, 2 a days in a deficit would be bordering on overtraining and probably cause muscle loss.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,153 Member
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    youcantflexcardio wrote: »
    It really depends on your goals, your skill level, and your food.

    If losing weight is your goal and you're in a deficit, the main focus should be strength training and cardio should be mostly HIIT style stuff - this is the best way to minimize muscle loss at least.

    If you're a beginner at exercise, 3-4 times a week is plenty of stimulus.

    If you're more advanced, 2 a days are ok and can be good if they are properly programmed and you are at maintenence or in a surplus calorie wise, and you can get adequate sleep. From what I know and in my personal exeperience, 2 a days in a deficit would be bordering on overtraining and probably cause muscle loss.

    Do you have evidence for this beyond personal experience?

    My personal experience included hanging onto muscle pretty well while losing weight, doing things most people would consider cardio (and not usually HIIT cardio**) 6 days a week. No signs of overtraining (increased RHR, moodiness, undermotivation, etc.) as long as deficit was in a sensible range.

    Though I don't have a cite at my fingertips, I've read a bit of mixed-modalities comparison of body composition changes during weight loss; those suggested to me that strength training > pure cardio > inactivity, for retaining lean tissue while losing fat.

    ** I'd distinguish HIIT cardio from the kind of circuit training that is frequently called HIIT these days; you may mean the circuit training. I think beginners mostly shouldn't do HIIT cardio.

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