Why Workout Twice in One Day

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Working out twice in one day is something commonly heard among body builders, those with a massive fitness goal, athletes, and celebrity super fits. But, why? I have been wondering what the benefits of working out twice in one day are, and if they outweigh whatever the consequences could be. 

Truth is, when I am trying to get in shape for an event or training, I will workout twice per day without giving it a second thought. In college, my roomie and bestie was on a massive two-a-day workout schedule in preparation for Carnivale and the itsy bitsy outfit that she was wearing for it. Both her and I and a few other friends have found that two amped-up, shorter, workouts in one day does get us toned and svelte in record time.

Research has been showing for a while now that high intensity, shorter workouts, say 30-minutes, is better for us than some long and average intensity sweat session. The calorie burn, muscle growth, and overall fitness is much higher with these shorter spurts. For this reason, working out twice a day can actually work.

Depending on your goal and how you go about it, working out twice a day can help you gain muscle, lose fat, lose weight, gain weight, and become the Hulk of your competitive fitness group. Those in the health and fitness profession have found nothing wrong with working out twice per day, as long as you are doing it right.

How to Workout Twice per Day

If you are going to workout twice in one day, best to do it by the book to avoid injury and exhaustion. First, vary the workouts. Two workouts in 24-hours is fine as long as they are not the same thing. Two of the same workout can lead to muscle exhaustion and injury. Switch it up with a cardio session for one and a more calisthenic workout like yoga or Pilates for the other. Just be sure that you are working different muscle groups in each workout.

Second, space your workouts 4-6 hours apart. This will leave enough time for the body to rest and rebuild itself. A great way to make sure that you are waiting long enough between workouts is to complete one workout in the morning and one at night. This will also give you a great workout back-up plan if something happens to stop you from your nightly workout... One workout is better than none.

Next, keep each workout short. Short intervals of high energy output will do more for your body than 90-minutes of average or high intensity exercise. An hour+ of high intensity exercise at one time can very easily lead us down the road of overtraining and no results, or worse, results opposite to what we want. Two workouts of 30-45 minutes each twice a day is enough to get results but will not lead to injury or plateau... As long as they are the right workouts.

And finally, treat your body. You will need better food and more rest if you are working out twice in one day. This does not mean candy bars and thin mints, but it definitely does mean eating withing 40-minutes of each workout and eating foods high in protein and complex carbs. It will also be a smart idea to kick up your pre and post stretches and get all your vitamins. Eight hours of shut-eye will help as well.

Be sure that you are also taking at least one day a week off. Our bodies need this 1-2 day recovery time to rebuild muscles and avoid injury.  

The Pros and Cons of Jogging

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Jogging has now reached the ultra popularity zone. Pretty much every person out there has participated in at least a 5k, and quite a few have gone all the way to tri-athalons and half to whole marathons. Yea, you know jogging is a pretty big deal, but is it good? Depends. There are tons of variations in where, when, and how we jog that can take it from being great to not that great at all.

Pros

One of the biggest arguments against jogging is issues with joints. Well, new research has shown that the risks of osteoarthritis relating to jogging is much less than we initially thought. Those without any current joint issues run (punny, I know) very little risk of increasing joint pain or issues associated with the joints in the future.

People who do currently suffer from joint pain, arthritis, previous joint damage, or those who are overweight still need to be careful.There are two ways to help our joints when it comes to running: the first is to run on a treadmill. Treadmills have more shock absorption than sidewalks or roads. This shock absorption means less pressure on your joints. Second, take a glucosamine supplement. This will keep joints lubricated and healthy, but remember, not all supplements are created equal. Look for one that is organic.

When it comes to our heart, jogging is one of the best forms of exercise we can do, according to Peter Schnohr, MD. Jogging is a massive cardio workout, meaning that it can make our cardiovascular system stronger. When our cardiovascular system is strong, so is our heart. Strong cardiovascular systems have less of a chance of heart attacks and health issues relating to a weak heart and weak arteries and veins.

According to the British Medical Journal, joggers who are consistent with their jogging will be healthier than those who only jog intermittently. To get the greatest benefits of jogging, most health professionals including the American College of Sports Medicine recommend jogging between 2-3 times for 30-50 minutes through out week. It is important to stagger these cardio workouts to reduce the risk of injury. Those that fit all three 50-minute cardio workout into 2-3 days run a much higher risk of injury due to fatigue.

Since jogging is a weight bearing exercise, it causes our bones to become stronger from the constant downward force upon them. The increased bone mass density, or BMD, will decrease the risks of osteoporosis as we age.

Working in jogging with your usual fitness routine throughout the week is one of the best ways to stay fit. Check out a few of these past articles to get a good idea of how to start running, what shoes to buy, and what every runner should have.  

Cons

The biggest cons of jogging relate to where you jog and how you are jogging. Jogging one mile in a heavily populated area with lots of cars and pollutants is as damaging for our lungs as smoking a cigarette. This is from all of the micro-debris that we are breathing in. Although some of this is filtered out before reaching the lungs, some will reach the lungs and form micro-scratches on that delicate tissue. Fortunately, we can reduce the risks to our lungs by running in parks, away from cars, or in doors.

Jogging outside has a few more health related issues as well, one of the biggest is skin cancer. According to recent studies, long distance runner have more skin legions related to basal and squamous cell carcinomas. Anytime we are outside without sunscreen (driving in our car included) we are increasing the sun's damage on our skin and our risk of skin cancer. This can be avoided by applying UVA/UVB 15+ SPF to any bare area of your skin.

Since we are on the topic of skin, let's talk one of the other most conned cons of jogging for women... Sagging. Every time we jog we are increasing the sag in our chest. Jogging without a sport bra will increase the sag, but jogging with a sport bra will reduce the sag by 78%. If only it was 100%...  

Overall, the benefits of jogging far outweigh the risks. If you are new to jogging, take it slow and start with intervals of jogging slow and walking. For some, walking may be the better option until a healthy weight has been reached and jogging will not cause damage on the joints. Most of us can enjoy jogging safely without any massive health risks as long as we wear the right clothes, SPF, and jog in safe, less polluted areas.  

15-Minute Thigh Workout

Thighs are one of my hardest areas to keep in shape, and therefore, one of my most needed areas to work. This workout is geared towards toning those thighs for those super gorgeous gams!

If you are not already warmed up, start by completing 2-minutes of alternating between 30-seconds of jumping jacks and running in place. Complete each exercise for 30-seconds, then repeat the entire circuit two more times. For best results, complete this workout after your usual cardio session 2-3 times per week.

Chair Kicks

These are great for the glutes and inner thighs. For intermediate, place a chair facing towards you, advanced, place a chair facing away from you. Stand to the side of the chair and kick the right, then the leg leg over the chair back (advanced) or seat (intermediate). Be sure to keep the abs engaged, back straight, hips even, and legs controlled during the entire exercise. Continue for 30-seconds.

Hip Risers

This is great for the upper thigh and glutes. It will also work the lower abdominal muscles like madness! Sit with your heels under the bum and knees about one fist apart from one another. Begin by lifting the bum slightly off the heels so the calfs and backs of your legs are not touching. Begin to move the pelvis forward and backward slowly. The back should be straight and the abs should be engaged and doing the pelvic movements while the legs keep you up. Continue for 30-seconds.

Tucked Fetal Curl

I have recently come across these and love them! It will work your inner thigh, glutes, and outer thigh muscles. Lay on your right side with you head being held by the right arm and legs tucked up towards your torso. The closer your legs are to your torso, the more advanced the movement.   

Straighten the left leg and point the left toe, making sure that the left leg stays at the same level as the right. Slowly lower the leg so your toes barely touch the floor, then raise it back up until your foot is about 12-inches from the ground. Continue for 30-seconds before alternating sides.  

Bridge Dips

These are my favorite exercise for the thighs and bum! Lay on your back with your legs bent and feet on the ground. Tuck the shoulders under so the neck is flat against the floor. Raise your pelvis off the ground as high as your are able to bring it. Lower the pelvis so it is almost touching the ground, then raise it back up. Continue this for 30-seconds. For advanced, elevate the feet so you are only resting on the balls and toes.  

Side Lunge Leg Lift

This will work all areas of the upper leg and bum along with the oblique abs. Start with feet hip width apart then step the right foot out and complete a side lunge. Step the foot back to starting and raise is up to the side as high as you can while keeping hips even and the knee facing forward. For advanced, try not to let your right foot touch the ground between the lunge and the leg lift. Continue on the right side for 30-secnds, then alternate to the left.

Inner Thigh Squeeze

This isometric exercise will work all of those tiny muscles in the inner thigh and bum. Lay on the floor, making sure that the lower back is flat against the ground. Bend your legs and lift them off the ground at a 90-dregree angle. Place a small pillow between the knees and begin squeezing the knees together and expanding them back out while keeping the pillow held in the same position. Continue this movement for 30-seconds.

Side Extensions

These work the inner thigh, bum, outer thigh, abs, and arms. Start with all fours on the ground and wrap a resistance band under the right foot. Hold both ends of the band in the right hand and raise both the hand and foot off the ground. Both the arm and the leg should be parallel to the floor and bent towards the mid-line of the body. Extend the leg back and the arm out in front until both are straight. Hold, then return to starting. Continue for 30-seconds, then alternate sides. 

Chair Kicks

Hip Risers

Tucked Fetal Curl Part I

Tucked Fetal Curlc Part II

Bridge Dips Part I

Bridge Dips Part II

Side Lunge Leg Lift Part I

Side Lunge Leg Lift Part II

Inner Thigh Squeeze

Side Extensions Part I

Side Extensions Part II

Toned Legs and Bum

So, do you remember me saying last week how my legs are in total boot camp for that dress i am wearing in about a week (a week?!)? Well, they completely are. Here are the three exercises I will be doing today in order to get them toned and ready for next weekend's All Children's Miracle Ball. Do this and we can commiserate together on our sore legs tomorrow morning!  

For the Calves

Yea, I have ballet dancer calves... Which means they are anything but slim. This will help elongate those muscles and give stronger, slimmer ankles and calves!  

For the Thighs

Did you know that most women want slimmer thighs? Thigh exercises are some of the most popular out there. Here is a workout that will give your thighs a growth spurt in the muscle category!

Legs and All Over

Both of these first exercises will get me warmed-up and ready for the final yoga flow by my new favorite YouTube yogi. This Yoga for the inner Thigh added to all the other leg workouts is sure to leave me as a puddle of sweat on the floor. Whoohoo, strong legs, here we come!

If you are feeling extra strong, you over-achiever you, do this workout about 15-minutes before dinner. This will help tone those muscles, burn more calories, and reduce the calories stored from your meal.