2721: Should You Work Out Twice A Day by Eric Leija on Muscle Recovery & Growth

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Should You Work Out Twice A Day by Eric Leija of Eric Leija.com and I'm Dr. Neal, your host and narrator.

[00:00:09] Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or OHD where I act as your narrator of popular health and fitness blogs

[00:00:16] and always provide a little bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:00:19] Now we have a bunch of shows doing just that, search for Optimal Living Daily in your podcast app to find them.

[00:00:26] Now, should you be working out twice a day? Well, let's find out and get right to today's article and start optimizing your life.

[00:00:38] Should You Work Out Twice A Day by Eric Leija of Eric Leija.com?

[00:00:44] Ramping up your regime to two-a-day sessions seems like the next logical step if you're looking to lose fat faster or hit more muscle groups more times per week.

[00:00:54] However, and this is a big however. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to fitness,

[00:00:59] fat loss and health in general is that more doesn't always equal better.

[00:01:05] While working out more to get more results may seem like the right thing to do,

[00:01:11] the fact of the matter is that the body is an intricate biological machine with reactions that aren't always as straightforward as one plus one equals two.

[00:01:21] And unless you're doing two workouts a day the right way, you can easily set yourself up for burnout and even adrenal fatigue.

[00:01:28] Let's uncover why this is. So, should you work out twice a day?

[00:01:33] The answer to this question isn't to straight forward yes or no, simply because it depends on a few factors such as what type of workouts you're doing twice a day

[00:01:43] as well as your fitness level and your food intake. For example, if we're talking about doing high intensity workouts or high intensity interval training,

[00:01:52] also known as hit or heavy lifting twice a day, my answer is usually going to be no.

[00:01:59] High intensity interval training and heavy lifts not only put tremendous stress on your muscles but also your entire metabolic and endocrine systems.

[00:02:08] When done correctly and with enough recovery time, this pressure has been official helping your energy systems work more efficiently to optimize fat burn and maximize endurance.

[00:02:18] However, if these types of workouts are done too often like twice a day, this stress can be too much simply because there isn't enough time allotted for recovery.

[00:02:29] Stress hormones can end up being released in large amounts for a longer period of time, leading to chronically elevated cortisol levels, while adrenaline and nor up in effort can also remain elevated and tax your adrenals.

[00:02:41] If this occurs for a long enough period of time, your nervous system can easily become overwhelmed, leading to extreme fatigue.

[00:02:49] Now, if by asking, should I work out twice a day? You mean, should you do a high intensity interval training workout in the morning followed by walking or light jogging a mile or two or doing yoga in the evenings? I'll say go for it.

[00:03:04] These latter two activities are more focused on moving your body rather than pushing it to its limits, which always has a benefit.

[00:03:12] Just make sure you're getting an adequate amount of calories from whole nutrient dense foods every day to support your movement levels and be sure you have at least one recovery day.

[00:03:22] Quality over quantity.

[00:03:24] So, if you're not working out twice a day, what do you do to take things up a level? One of my rules with fitness is to always focus on quality over quantity.

[00:03:35] While it goes for most things in life, it seriously applies here.

[00:03:39] Find new ways to increase the quality of your sessions.

[00:03:42] Add more weight. Add in new movements and unique pieces of equipment like sandbags and tires and so on.

[00:03:50] Create a time challenge or add more time.

[00:03:53] The key is to work during your sessions so that you're feeling it, even if that requires restructuring things a bit.

[00:04:00] Also, be sure to add in mobility and flexibility worked to your sessions to reach your maximum potential and range of motion.

[00:04:07] You'd be surprised at how much mobility can help you, for example, squat deeper.

[00:04:13] Are there exceptions?

[00:04:15] As with anything, there are exceptions to working out twice a day, although they're usually limited to hardcore athletes.

[00:04:21] If you've been competing in a sport and your body has been conditioned, he words, to handle higher levels of workouts more often, then two a days could be okay for a short period of time.

[00:04:32] Of course, you'd want to consult with your coach first and always listen to your body before diving in.

[00:04:39] If you aren't competing for sport and haven't been doing intense workouts for a longer period of time, meaning you really aren't conditioned yet, twice a day workouts aren't necessary and may backfire.

[00:04:50] So focus on quality over quantity.

[00:04:54] The bottom line.

[00:04:55] Quality over quantity is the most important thing to remember regarding workouts.

[00:05:00] Performing more than one high-intensity training style workouts or heavy strength workouts each day may be stressful on your body and result in burnout, unless you're a high level conditioned athlete.

[00:05:11] Working out in the morning and going for a light walk or jog or doing yoga in the evening isn't necessarily working out twice a day.

[00:05:19] So in those cases, go for it.

[00:05:22] And increase the intensity of your workouts rather than adding extra workouts.

[00:05:31] You just listen to the post titled, Should You Work Out twice a day by Eric Leia of Eric Leia.com.

[00:05:37] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:05:40] Taking charge of my health has been a priority for me, but navigating today's one size fits all healthcare system can feel overwhelming.

[00:05:47] That's why I'm so excited about 23 and me plus total health.

[00:05:52] It's not just a health membership.

[00:05:54] It's a way to get personalized insights that matter to me.

[00:05:57] For me, reaching the next level of health means understanding my genetic blueprint and what it says about my future risks.

[00:06:04] It's about being proactive, not reactive.

[00:06:07] With 23 and me plus total health, I've begun leveraging advanced genetic screening and comprehensive blood tests.

[00:06:14] Getting started was a breeze.

[00:06:16] I received a sleek kit in the mail which made diving into my health journey both easy and exciting.

[00:06:22] What intrigues me the most is the biological age analysis.

[00:06:25] It's fascinating to see how lifestyle changes can influence how old I really am inside,

[00:06:31] plus having access to clinicians with genetics expertise to guide me through a personalized health plan feels incredibly empowering.

[00:06:38] Advocate for your health today, go to 23 and me.com-OHD to receive 10% off.

[00:06:47] That's 10% off at 23andMe.com-slash-OHD.

[00:06:53] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:06:56] I want to be sure to further clarify something that Eric mentioned.

[00:06:59] Eric's article may not apply perfectly to someone that's looking to simply increase their overall activity levels.

[00:07:06] I'll explain.

[00:07:06] Say someone isn't a structured with their workout routine.

[00:07:10] Let's say because of their job, they find themselves at their desk most hours of the day every day.

[00:07:15] They want to incorporate more activity into their day, but after hearing today's article, they may feel confused.

[00:07:22] That's because I've talked many times about how it's important to squeeze in multiple belts of activity throughout the day,

[00:07:28] even if it's for only five or ten minutes at a time.

[00:07:31] But today's article seems to say the opposite.

[00:07:33] Well, it's actually because we're talking about two different situations.

[00:07:37] In today's article, Eric was really addressing those who are already following a structured routine,

[00:07:43] where each workout session is fairly taxing already,

[00:07:47] but these individuals may be looking to ramp things up a bit.

[00:07:50] But if you're not quite there yet, meaning your activity may be a bit more sporadic or less intense,

[00:07:57] then I would say multiple activity sessions each day is perfectly fine.

[00:08:00] An example of this would be someone who wants to increase their activity because they find they sit most hours of the day.

[00:08:08] So going for a ten minute walk during a morning break, a 20 minute walk during a lunch break,

[00:08:13] and another ten minute walk during an afternoon break is perfectly fine and probably a really good idea.

[00:08:20] Now notice these activity sessions walking are less intense.

[00:08:23] Walking doesn't tax the body like a heavy weightlifting session would,

[00:08:28] or high intensity interval training session would.

[00:08:31] So basically, multiple moderate to low intensity activities throughout the day is perfectly fine.

[00:08:38] But if you're really into pushing your body to its limits each exercise session,

[00:08:43] then two days may not be the best thing to do.

[00:08:46] I'll write that. I'll do it for today. I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday if you're listening in real time,

[00:08:51] and I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Wednesday show and where you're optimal life awaits.