Is is detrimental to strength train 2x a day?

PositivelyFlawed · February 2012

So here is my situation. For the last month i've been hitting up the gym with my best gal pal. We get in 40 mins of cardio and it flies right by because we're chatting, but when we get to weights we have such different goals and she is a little unfocused (she's 5'5 and 114lbs of absolutely nothing - no muscle tone at all). I find it hard for me to be focused and feel, altho I get a fantastic cardio in because i work harder for longer when we are together, my strength training isn't as solid as I'd want.

She wants to do strength training to build muscle tone and core strength for horseback riding, which she does 2x a week. With me there I sort of push her slightly passed her comfort zone, otherwise she'd probably be doing 10 reps of 5 lbs on every body part(she's convinced she's absolutely a weakling and won't push).

So with that said, what I want to do is going in the morning (5am) and get a good focus strength train and a little cardio in and then in the evening (7pm) go with her and do what we typcially do - cardio, circuit strength training and some free weights/core exercise.

I'm at the gym with her on Mon and Fri. Wed I go with the hubby and get to be incredibly focused as hubby is very serious and pushes me hard. Tuesday I'm on my own and stay focused, but I don't always get in that Tues workout ( i commit to 3 gym days/wk).

Will I be undoing the benefits if I strength train the same muscle group twice in the same day?

SteveHunt113 · February 2012

The short answer, once you work a muscle doing strength training, you want to let that muscle recover. For instance, if you did curls in the morning and then curls in the evening, you biceps having recovered yet.

I know people who go 2x a day, but they mix up what they are working on. They may do something for the upper body in the AM, and something for the lower body in the PM.

hawtpep · February 2012

Yeah you could break up your muscle groups and be more specific about your workouts at each interval. Like in the morning do bi/tri in the afternoon do shoulder/forearm, or be even more specific and do bi in the morning tri in the afternoon.

PositivelyFlawed · February 2012

Hmm, breaking it up each workout as opposed to each day could work. That way I could really focus on 1 or 2 muscle groups each workout.

To that affect, how many different types of strength training exercises would be good/ muscle group. I'm used to doing a upper body/ midbody/low body type breakup, but doing say 2 muscle groups i'd have more time to do more/muscle group.

hawtpep · February 2012

Have to set something up yourself with exercises you are comfortable with. Like for BIceps I do... preacher curls, 15s, and Inner leg Curls. For tris I do... Tricep extension Tricep kickback and Skull crushers/close grip bench.

ninerbuff · February 2012

So here is my situation. For the last month i've been hitting up the gym with my best gal pal. We get in 40 mins of cardio and it flies right by because we're chatting, but when we get to weights we have such different goals and she is a little unfocused (she's 5'5 and 114lbs of absolutely nothing - no muscle tone at all). I find it hard for me to be focused and feel, altho I get a fantastic cardio in because i work harder for longer when we are together, my strength training isn't as solid as I'd want.

She wants to do strength training to build muscle tone and core strength for horseback riding, which she does 2x a week. With me there I sort of push her slightly passed her comfort zone, otherwise she'd probably be doing 10 reps of 5 lbs on every body part(she's convinced she's absolutely a weakling and won't push).

So with that said, what I want to do is going in the morning (5am) and get a good focus strength train and a little cardio in and then in the evening (7pm) go with her and do what we typcially do - cardio, circuit strength training and some free weights/core exercise.

I'm at the gym with her on Mon and Fri. Wed I go with the hubby and get to be incredibly focused as hubby is very serious and pushes me hard. Tuesday I'm on my own and stay focused, but I don't always get in that Tues workout ( i commit to 3 gym days/wk).

Will I be undoing the benefits if I strength train the same muscle group twice in the same day?

Yes. Muscle needs to recover and rebuild and rebreaking it back down the same day doesn't give it a chance. Now your nutrition could PROBABLY help deter this (staying in a positive nitrogen balance) but it would be hard to achieve.
IMO, train a body part you're NOT going to do the same night with her. If you're going to do legs in the evening, then train arms or shoulders hard.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

IronSmasher · February 2012

There are plenty of programs designed for twice a day, but they won't help you anyway because you're too busy trying to please your friend.

Either you're her personal trainer, and shouldn't be training, or you're there to train.

The only way to hit your goals is to put yourself first.

Just re-read your own post, you're actually going to go to the gym for an extra session just because your friend is so selfish during the other one?

PositivelyFlawed · February 2012

There are plenty of programs designed for twice a day, but they won't help you anyway because you're too busy trying to please your friend.

Either you're her personal trainer, and shouldn't be training, or you're there to train.

The only way to hit your goals is to put yourself first.

Just re-read your own post, you're actually going to go to the gym for an extra session just because your friend is so selfish during the other one?

I full acknowledge her "all about me" type attitude, but it isn't domineering. She's a good person, she's just very much about herself. We've been friends for 16 years and we have a friendship that works for us. She hasn't asked me to help her or focus on her, but the part of me that wants to see her work hard is the part that is putting my full focus aside to push her that lil extra.

Like I said we do have different goals. i'm looking to drop weight and build muscle and she's merely looking to gain strength on an already very tiny frame.

I think overall it could end up being good if I force myself up in the mornings and do a different muscle group at every workout. might just be the push I needed. It isn't that I haven't seen muscle gains and strength and definitely cardio development by working out with her, it's just not as much or as focused as I want to be.

Thanks for all the advice.

SteveHunt113 · February 2012

My previous workout routine was designed to take into account secondary muscles groups.

Monday: Chest - triceps are secondary
Tuesday: Back - biceps are secondary
Wednesday: Lets - all lower body
Thursday - Shoulders - there was a little triceps secondaries here, but not much
Friday - Arms

So basically, Friday hit the secondaries from Monday and Tuesday.

hawtpep · February 2012

Yeah this is currently what I do too.

Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Shoulder/farm
Friday - Bi/Tri

Is is detrimental to strength train 2x a day?

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