03 Nov Should you work out twice a day?

Is more better when it comes to working out? Should you work out twice a day? Can you over train?
Those are common questions from people who are trying to take their fitness to a higher level. In a nutshell, the answers are yes, yes and yes.
If you can exercise more, including twice a day, there are greater benefits to it than just working out once a day. But if you overdo it, then yes, you can also over train and risk injury.
First of all, I commend anyone who is able to exercise more than twice a week because statistics show more than 75 percent of people in our country doesn’t.
If you have the time and determination to consider exercising twice day, you are truly dedicated to fitness. Here are some benefits to two-a-day workouts:
* It’s better for your body to do two short or medium workouts in a day instead of one long workout.
* Many people plod through hour-long workouts, but if you can break them into a half-hour session in the morning and evening the quality of your session is likely to improve. It can be easier to stay motivated for shorter sessions and chances are you’ll be more intense in that shorter increment.
* Doing a cardiovascular workout first thing in the morning, such as 20 or 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, can jumpstart your day. You’ll get to work more alert and ready to roll.
Likewise, a second workout in the late afternoon or early evening can give a second boost of energy. This is a great time to get some weightlifting or resistance training work in, but it’s not recommended to work out too close to bed time as the extra energy could keep you lying awake.
* A double-workout could really help if you’ve had trouble shedding those final pounds you want to see disappear. Your metabolism rate increases after working out, so if you exercise twice a day you’ll become a fat-burning machine.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com