MuscleDog.com - Connecting you to a better body!

Is it bad for you  to work out to much? I have a habit sometimes  to workout morning and afternoon… I don’t do this every day, but was curious if it was really helping me, or would my results be the same just working out once a day  5 days a week.

It would depend on the duration and the intensity of both workouts. Just because you work out twice a day does not mean you are working out too much. There are way too many other factors that go into play to determine if it is too much for you (sleep, work, stress, food, duration of exercise, intensity of exerise, mode of exercise). If you are a pretty recreational exerciser I would recommend sticking to one session per day so it is DE-STRESSING. IF you start to stress about going 2x/day it becomes a stressor, which is the exact opposite of the point of exercising for most people.

well put mike..
 
it all depends on your goals and lifestyle… if you are going to the gym and basically doing NOTHING twice a day then its not to much or taxing on the body.. However if you are training balls to the wall, lack good nurition, recovery and sleep it could work against you..
 
 
You have to be smart about training.. In some cases less is more however the average gym goers does not know how to workout with intensity so it all depends..
 
What do you do in the gym??? whats does your workout look like

You are absolutely right. It is all dependent on the individual. But, I do a lot of different things, but never train twice a day as I am just a recreational exerciser. I am not going to try to go be superman so I still use exercise as a de-stressor.

yep i agree mike.. if you are not competing or training for a sport dont go crazy (twice a day) training.. You have one life.. lie it, enjoy, it and make it stress free.. You can still have a killer body and good health if you train once a day, eat healthy and get lots of sleep!!!

Your goals should entirely determine your workout regimen.

what side effects hae you seen from peopel who “workout to much”

There are a lot of different signs. General fatigue, irritability, trouble sleeping, restlessness, etc. Lack of appetite is another thing that you can really tell you might be working out too much

lack of appetite?? really??
I dont think i woudl have an issue with that..

Haha then you’re not working out too much! People who are truly “overtrained” and working out way too much actually show a decreased appetite as well. You would think it’d be the opposite, but, nope!

hahaha, this question really really reminds me of that OVERTRAINING thread we had a few months back where the arguments got super heated. anyone care to pull that one back up just for fun?

Haha!! I do remember that one. That one got a little nasty if I remember right. Some tempers were lost. but, it makes for great reading! I say dig it up from the graveyard and leggggooo

i really dont knwo abotu that.. when i was over training .. training twice (3 hours total) 7 days a week i was flippin hungry all the time.. yeah and i would call that over training in a bad wayy.. it could be one sign but not for everyone

I do backward lunges, 3 reps each, sets of 8.
I also do death marches with weights, total of 40-50, squatts with a 45 lb bar, up to 60 KG. I work my arms on alternate days.
I have been doing cardio when I go back for the second workout.
When i’m doing my weightraining I’m only working out for about 30-35 min, but I found that a strong shorter workout has done wonders for me.
What do you think?

I hear you on that, if I workout out too much or too late my appetite isn’t like it should be.

well mike that is correct, If i workout to late it really disturbs my sleep pattern and eating habits..
Thanks.

 
 
this looks liek a pretty decent workout!
 
How many days a week do you do this?
 
have you thought about doing cardio in fasted state in the morning?
 
what kind of cardio are you doing??
 
do you ever change up  your workouts?

I work out 4-5 times a week with this routine.
I  have been using the climber on high intervals for about 20 minutes. I usually have been working out in the evening, but was thinking I need  to change  to mornings, I have heard its better to work out in the a.m.  Is that true?
I haven’t changed my workouts but was just saying to myself today that i would like to try some classes aty my gym.
What do you think about Yoga, and pilates? Do you think I would gain anything from them?
I have always been curious about yoga, it seems to be very popular… 

Your thoughts?

 
 

 
I have heard its better to work out in the a.m.  Is that true?
 
It’s best to workout in the afternoon because that is when you cortisol levels are high… It’s great for building muscle and burning fat, your body is loosened up with blood flowing and usually good energy levels at that time….. But it really just depends on your schedule…
 

What do you think about Yoga, and Pilates? Do you think I would gain anything from them?
For visual REAL results i think it’s a waste of time (if your goal is to build muscle or lose weight depending on your genetics)
 
If you have the time to get all your weight lifting and cardio sessions in then GREAT!! go for it.. It
 
Its great for flexibility, core strength ect but you wont build muscle or burn much calories doing yoga or Pilates… its better then nothing … that’s for sure..

The best time for cardio to be done is in the morning! For weightlifting and weight training it is best to be done in the afternoons (or late morning). Once you wake up you can really focus on burning fat as opposed to just burning off glycogen stores later in the day. Most bodybuilders do their cardio immediately upon waking to take advantage of this.

She said working out so i assumed she meant weight training..
 
if she was talking about cardio.. early morning in fasted state is not a bad idea depending on your goals…

It is a tremendous way to lean up relatively quick.

I think so to… however when i posted a question about training with short and intense workouts just like Lori you told me that there were alot of variables involved to categorize this as an effective fat burning and muscle toning workout??
 
Now you are telling Lori that it is a tremendous way to lean up??? I do agree with this comment but why were you so quick to say that when you gave me a different answer in another forum…
You never even questioned her diet
 

lori I dont think working out twice a day is overtraining, in fact alot of people do it. Although, you will need to be able to recover from these training sessions, therefore, you will need to know your body and how it works so that you can recover to the best of your ability.
 
For example, if you can do your lunges one day and do squats the nest day then you are recovering very well, but if you can do lunges one day and not do your squats the nest day then you are not recovering fast enough and will have to up your intake on vitamins, sleep, or food. Then after doing this you try again until you get the best recovery method so that you can do your lunges and squats on a day to day basis. This is performed on a trial and error basis and thus most of weightlifting is performed that way, that is why it takes so long for someone to develope strength, because they first have to learn how to acquire it before they can work towards achieving it.
 
I no when I was injured and could not lift anymore I started to just squat, it took me somtime to figure out the best possible methods on how to squat as efficient as I could as well as be able to recover for the next workout so that it could be as productive as the first one. It effinitly took quite a while to master this excercise along with getting stronger, because strength does not come over night, it is something that is acquired through hard work and determination. For all the beggining lifters I think that is the most important aspect of excercising there is, that strength is something that is not an overnight thing, in fact, most things do not come overnight when working out, that is why we can respect people with great physical abilitites. Because most likely they had to work extremely hard for what they have, and that is something to be said about that person and there character.

Max,
 
How much of your life would you say you have worked out 2x per day? IT seems pretty extreme, but, when you are trying to be the absolute best you must do extreme things! I know all other professional athletes pretty much train at least 2x a day, so,w hy would weightlifters be any different?

For non pro athletes i don’t think it’s necessary to go to the gym twice a day unless you are competing, have a photo shoot.
 
I am not saying its horrible however if you watch your nutrition, sleep, stress levels, recovery and kick ASS once a day you could see GREAT results.. I use to do twice a day a few days a week and i got Burt out!
 
I guess it depends on each individual and there actual goals..
 

If you are only squatting 60lbs forget working out 2 times per day.  If you think you need to do that at your level, your doing it wrong.

well it has worked for me. Started at 60 lbs have moved to 66.

 Why is weightraining better in the afternoon just wondering..
Thanks !

 yes I did mean weightraining, sorry if I didn’t clarify.
But i think once a day having a good training session should be sufficient.
Thanks for all the info, very informative..