Does anyone exercise twice a day?

[GymEnthusiast]

i exercise twice a day 7 days a week. I swim 2k or do a Pilates session in the morning. I then do a cardio session in the evening after work. I keep being told this is too much (mostly by people who never exercise) , but I spend the rest of my time sleeping or sitting behind a desk at work. I don’t have a specific goal, I only want to keep fit, healthy and slim.
Anyone else do twice a day sessions? Please share your routines with me.

I appreciate some will be able to assess their rest needs however "train smart, rest when needed" suggests everyone knows when they need a rest. Even Premier League footballers are constantly monitored (Those pretty little bras they wear) during training and matches to assess when they are in the red zones to protect them from over working/training. If a premier league footballer cant assess his own fatigue level what chance has a punter just trying to get the most out of themselves?

When is rest needed? I would prefer Train Smart, rest smart.

I have tried to keep abreast about REDs and appreciate the implications with 'weaker bones' etc. I wonder if under fuelling/malnutrition/eating disorders would play much less of a part in women's football where power, strength etc are pretty much prerequisites. Not fuelling their bodies would be much more of a negative than say ballet or climbing. I look at gymnastics now compared with 20 years ago and the change in body shape is astonishing. Training facilities, dietary needs etc are much more monitored at PL levels than ever before.

Biomechanical is very interesting. Hadnt really given that a lot of thought. Thanks.

Plenty of elite athletes train up to 3 times a day.

That is a lot of cardio - swimming and then cardio in the evenings. I'd swap out the evening cardio for something that builds a bit more muscle.

Plenty of elite athletes train up to 3 times a day.

With constant monitoring, optimum nutrition, massages, physios etc it's not really comparable

Sort of, if brisk walking counts.

Dogs get an hour long walk every morning, and as it's summer, we do the same around 7pm. I usually get 12k steps in just from dog walks.

No choice in the matter, it's that or have two spaniels staring at you constantly.

Me too. 7 days a week as well.

We usually have a decent walk every day, so if I do something else (Pilates, weights or whatever) then it's 2x, which definitely isn't too much (I'm 60 and ok fitness).

What the OP describes is probably a lot less than many people with physical jobs do 5 days a week! Having a rest day is probably a good idea but in general I think our ideas about what the human body can (and should) do are quite distorted nowadays.

I think so. I walk the dog 2-3 times a day, my “step count” is usually between 12k-28K per day and I go to yoga 6 days a week. I’m a fast walker and the dog often gets walked up a hill, not much of what I do feels like conscious “exercise”.

I don't have the time. I work 12-hour shifts and I'm on my feet the whole time.

I used to, before DS came along. Usually swimming or running before work, and then bike ride or swimming after work. My commute was 5 mins and I had no other responsibilities so it was easy. Now I’m lucky if I manage 2-3 times a week! If it makes you feel good and you enjoy it and it fits in with your life, go for it!

And agree with post above about spaniels…

I think as long as you're careful
Keep the hard days hard and the easy days easy, it's tempting to overdo it on the easy days!

A recent study has found that doing exercise more than 23 times a month, or exercising for longer than 90 minute sessions is associated with worse mental health

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322734

I am a triathlete so often have to do 2 sessions a day to fit in swim, run, bike, strength and mobility work. Though I do find a rest day helps.

It's a lot of exercise but if it's working for you then great. A few things to think about though to make sure it continues to help you;
-Are you fuelling well enough? REDs can creep up on us.
-Are you aware of the signs of exercise addiction (it doesn't sound like you are addicted but it's good to know what the signs of it are so you can monitor).
-Being sedentary between bouts of exercise isn't great for the body, so it can help to dial back on workouts a little if that means you get more non-exercise activity into your day.
-I don't know your age but Stacey Sims argues that women in peri and beyond need to do less volume and more intensity to get maximum benefits - you don't say what intensity of cardio you do but might be worth thinking about this.

Otherwise, happy training!

5 days here. Have to have rest days from weights.

But I'm of the mind if you listen to your body and you're used to it I think people probably have easier sessions in between training hard. You couldn't go full throttle pushing your body to it's maximum 7 days a week I wouldn't have thought. It's an intuitive thing.

My current routine looks something like;

Monday 1hr swim with hard efforts, 30-45 mins strength.
Tuesday 1hr bike with intervals
Wednesday 1hr+ run with intervals, 30 mins strength
Thursday easy bike, hard swim.
Friday rest
Saturday 1hr run with high intensity intervals
Sunday 2 hr bike with threshold intervals, 20 min easy off the bike run.

So 4 double workout days, 2 single and one rest day.

I also use a floor desk to minimise chair sitting and try to stay mobile during the day. I walk or cycle for errands and make sure I get at least 8000 steps even on rest or bike days (my average is more than twice that due to runs!) I try to do 20-30 minutes of yoga at the end of the day but that's more for mobility and to wind down.

I cut my work hours to enable me to do this, and I feel so much better for it.
Not an option for everyone, but it worked wonders for me.

This is really interesting and inspiring. I am back exercising after a year or so off when life has just thrown a lot of things at me and the exercise really dropped off (and the weight went on!)

I've started running again, slowly building up as I have a place in the London Marathon in April. Also enjoying morning HIIT sessions at the gym, and would also like to add some heavier weight sessions as I really enjoy it and I find it great for my mental health. I'm just really struggling to work out how to combine all of these without knackering myself!

Obviously as the marathon gets closer, the running will be the priority, but for now I'm really enjoying it and want to keep going. Any suggestions on how to juggle all three and stay awake for a day at work greatly appreciated. 😊

@Tessasanderson fair pushback on the monitoring. I do wonder whether it's less about knowing when to rest and more about helping to manage load and intensity when training. By the time it's obvious you need to rest, it's often too late. Rating of perceived exertion (e.g. Borg scale) is a relatively good proxy for metabolic testing and could be in everyone's phone and used as a guide to managing intensity. Feedback on how you feel on the day can be used to adjust the intensity on the fly.

For those struggling to find time, especially with small kids, I found it useful not to think of exercise as something that needs to be structured and requires a set place and time. When mine were small I definitely couldn't do what I do now. Instead looking for opportunities to move, taking them for fast walks in the pram, visiting an outdoor gym or even doing a park run with a stroller are all doable.

You might want to look up that word in the dictionary.

Don't confuse it with dedication.

It's not competitive to answer a direct question from the OP FFS

There not dissimilar in my eyes just one has more positive connotations.

Gwyneth Paltrow would say she is dedicated to wellness. I would call it an obsession (& rich persons boredom).

Tbf, if I still lived in the US our daily walks (typically 6-8 km) would be a form of masochism rather than a pleasure.

Hi,

Sounds like you’re doing a lot!

Combining marathon training, HIIT and regular heavy weight training after extended time off sounds way too much. I guess you have lots of options depending on what’s the most important to you.

If you’re really enjoying the heavier weight training I’d stick with it and focus. If it’s an option, I’d personally not do the marathon.

For HIIT, one session, maximum 2 sessions per week, is enough. Perhaps even too much depending on weightlifting volume. Also depends on what you mean by HIIT.

For aerobic, I’d take it really easy and just build a base. If weight training, brisk walking, slow jogging or moderate cycling will help save the legs for weight training while building the aerobic engine.

For weights, if possible, I’d reduce the intensity of each session and do more sessions rather than fewer hard sessions that knacker you out.

Or, reduce the heavy weights (go lighter for fewer sets) and focus on the marathon training.