Workout Twice a Day?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

So starting tomorrow I have a new project that I will be working on while I am away from college which is building two sets of bleachers. This has given me the opportunity to workout twice a day if I choose to do so. I will be working out from 6:30am-7:45am give or take. then I will work from 8ish to 5ish and can workout for another hour if I choose to do so.

Now I would really love to do something like this but is it really a good idea to be doing something like this? Or could I do my regular workout in the morning and something else later that day/evening? Thanks

2

Your profile states that you have only been training for about 3 months (you are also 185, 6’1" and majoring in welding technology). There is a chance that you are male and may have posted in the womens forum when you meant to post in the beginners forum, but it doesn’t matter because my advice would be the same for either sex.

It does not sound like you have a lot of training background (in sports or lifting), nor do we know what your goals are. Prior to undertaking two training sessions a day, while working at a physically demanding job (building bleachers, etc.), you should make sure that your General Physical Preparedness (GPP)is up to the task. You also need to make sure you are eating enough (This is where most new trainees fail). Calculate your BMR and daily caloric needs and add 500 cal to it as a starting point.

{Just for an example, I weigh ~160, and train 10 to 12 hours a week. I eat at least 3500 cal a day and 200 to 300 grams of protein). I work a government job and am in the office (or the field) at least eight hours a day.}

You might want to approach as a double split; but start slow and see how you body responds. Try 45-60 minutes of compound exercises in the morning (when you are fresh) and then for your evening workout, keep it under 45 minutes and train smaller muscle groups or do active recovery.

One note, if you are going to be hammering all day, watch out for overuse injurys, like tendonitis. Take my word for it, you won’t be able to pick up a coffee cup if it gets bad, so pay attention.

Don’t do too much too soon.

I personally train twice a day, but I’ve been training for 25 years. So, take my advice; start slow, see how your body responds, eat like it’s your job, and get plenty of rest. Watch out for any overuse injuries as they are slow to heal and will really impede your progress.

The trick is to pay attention to what your body is telling you and fuel it so that it can recover.

Above all, educate yourself on your body, how it works and what it needs to reach your goals.

Good luck.

3

Yes I actually did post this in the wrong forum haha my bad. But I am actually really experienced in sports, 4 years basketball, 4 years football, 2 years track and 2 years golf not including junior high sports of course. Right now I am trying to do a lean bulk and also develop my abs more which I got from another member here he also gave me a good workout routine that I like and seems to be working really well thus far. I currently keep track of everything I eat (calories, fats, carbs, and protein) On multiple supplements. My workout are MONDAY- Bench, Incline Bench,

Standing Cable Crosses, Deads, Pull Ups, and BB Rows. TUESDAY- Standing Shoulder press BB, Shrugs, Side raises DB, BB Curls,
Seated incline curls, Seated Hammer curls, Cable curls, Seated incline press ez bar , Cable pull downs, Dips, WEDNESDAY- Squats, Leg extentions, Leg curls, Lunges, and Cavles, then repeat day 1,2,3 over for the rest of the week and rest on Sunday, I also do some abdominal exercises at the end of eash workout.

Btw, is there any way I could move this to the Beginners section since thats really where it should be.

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I’d have to agree with Gojira, two a days are probably not the best course of action for you right now (seeing as this is in the beginner’s forum). You really have to have built up quite the work capacity to be able to handle twice daily workouts, and even then I personally don’t think they’re optimal for putting on mass (some might disagree).

[quote]Dark_Angel wrote:
My workout are
MONDAY- Bench, Incline Bench, Standing Cable Crosses, Deads, Pull Ups, and BB Rows.
TUESDAY- Standing Shoulder press BB, Shrugs, Side raises DB, BB Curls,
Seated incline curls, Seated Hammer curls, Cable curls, Seated incline press ez bar , Cable pull downs, Dips,
WEDNESDAY- Squats, Leg extentions, Leg curls, Lunges, and Cavles,

then repeat day 1,2,3 over for the rest of the week and rest on Sunday, I also do some abdominal exercises at the end of eash workout.
[/quote]

Even if you were ready to do twice a days, there is no way that you would be able to do the above workouts. With two a days you must keep the volume (and intensity) fairly low per workout session. The total volume per week will wind up being quite high though. The above workouts would have you quickly overtraining and possibly getting injured. Not good.

One thing to remember is that you don’t grow in the gym, you grow out of the gym. The gym is simply the stimulus to tell your body to grow. From there you must give it ample time and materials (nutrition) to build itself back up, stronger and bigger than it had previously been.

By the way, I still don’t think you’ve told us your goals. Trying to give you direction without knowing what destination you wish to arrive at is pretty tough.

If your primary goal was fat loss. then perhaps twice a days might be a viable option (though not the workouts that you listed above) as they will certainly allow you to burn lots of calories, thus making it easier to be in a caloric deficit.

If your primary goal was strength or muscle mass though, not a good idea.

What are your goals?

5

[quote]gojira wrote: The most lucid training response I’ve ever seen.

[/quote]

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theres no need for a beginner to do a twice a day, your just trying to find an excuse to be in the gym more because you are associating it with more muscle. While i agree for an advanced lifter twice a days are an option, i dont believe any beginner has the ability to handle them correctly. Can you eat like a horse in between workouts? take a short nap? ensure proper postworkout strategies around 2 workouts instead of 1? even your workout that you are currently doing is overkill. The fact is most beginners have there minds made up that “they can handle” the workload and have “great” recovery ability when they dont. I equate it to the guy with a small back saying i feeel i should include one arm arc dumbbell rows with a pause in my plan, theyve always givin my great results! how so if your back is fuckin tiny? anyway i wouldnt recomend it but if you do, go twice a days for 2 cycles, then only the AM workout for 1, low reps in the morning and either high reps, long tempo like 505 or negatives only in the night session, good luck with whatever you decide

7

What I would like to do is add some more size but also making my abs more defined well actually just getting them to show more really. I think I would like to do a 2 a day workout not because I am under the impression that muscle is made all in the gym but from the recovery mode ours bodies go into. But I know that is I do the same workout twice a day I will not get great results in the 2nd training part and would just be breaking down my body more.

So I was thinking that I would do my normal routine but for the 2nd part I could do all abdominal exercises and maybe a very same amount of cardio nothing serious. Does that sound like it would be alright?

See my problem is I want to put on some size, strength but also keep my lean look. So I dont want to do the whole bulking phase but more of a lean bulk. I’m honestly afraid of how many calories, carbs, and fats that I take in because I’m not sure what exactly I should be at. Last week my “average” calories were around 2400, carbs maybe 100+ fats I’m not sure.

I keep track of everything that I eat and their nutritional facts but am not sure where everything should be. Like I said before I would like to add size but also keep working on getting my abs to show. Thanks for your help everyone :slight_smile:

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Oh I thought I would just also throw this in there because I forgot to in the last topic I posted. One of the reason for me wanting to do twice a day workouts is because I find the weight room to be my “happy place” it may sound weird but I am under A LOT of bad stress right now and I just have a feeling of being free when I’m working out.

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Your second workout can be cardio and abs but you should keep it short and intense in order to preserve muscle. Get your stress under control. Stress is catabolic.

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I’m just going to guess that my stress levels are off the charts right now since knowing that drinking the nights away will hurt my workouts the next morning is basically what is stopping me from doing so. But enough of my sappy stress crap. How should my diet be looking as far as wanting to bulk a little but also keep my abs coming out? Should I have higher calories fats carbs etc? reason I dont say protein is because I know I am very good there.

11

You probably want to cycle carbs so you have more on days you work out and less on days you don’t. Look at a paleo type diet and augment with oatmeal and other carbs on workout days. That should keep you cut but allow some muscle growth.

12

What if I workout 6 days a week? Sometimes 5 days because while at the college they close to early for me to get in on Friday’s but while home I can go whenever. Should I still cycle carbs still then? Thanks for all you help by the way!