Why Two-a-Day Workouts Might Jump-Start Your Fitness Routine

If you have been dedicated to your exercise routine and results have started to taper, it may be time to pump up your workout by adding something new - maybe even another workout in a day. Yes, good ole two-a-days. They worked back in high school, preparing for sports. But can you fit two workouts into your day, and will it hurt you to do too much, too soon, too fast?

I only would recommend a two-a-day fitness routine to someone who already has a one-a-day fitness routine going for several months. However, it is possible to break a workout into two parts to better fit your schedule, as most of us have a difficult time fitting in a continuous 90 minutes of training into a day.

Yes, you can overdo this type of training if you continue this for months and if you try to double your current fitness routine overnight. So here are some ideas for you to get off the training plateau, even with a busy schedule:

One of the split programs I like to do when my days are 12-18 hours long is to break my cardio and calisthenics/weights into two workouts:

Workout #1

Wake up with cardio. A steady run, bike ride or challenging swim usually is a great wakeup call and will prepare you for your job or shift work. I would do this type of workout for 30-45 minutes before you go to work. You can break it up with shorter interval workouts of fast bursts for 2-3 minutes, followed by an equal or double rest of easy pace or walking.

Then again, if you do not want to think the first thing after waking up, just go for a steady 30-45 minutes of exercise, even if that exercise is just a walk.

Check out more of Stew's articles for more options.

Workout #2

After work or during a lunch or dinner break, get another quick workout in. Usually a fast-paced circuit or superset workout will do the trick, and you can use weights or just focus on calisthenics such as push-ups, pull-ups, dips and various ab exercises. This will get the metabolism going again and help you stay awake for another 4-5 hours.

I do not recommend getting a workout and trying to go to sleep shortly after, as it will interfere with the quality of sleep you have that night. And if you are busting out two workouts a day for a few or more days a week, you will need quality sleep.

Some quick routines:

Repeat 10 times.

• Jumping jacks 10

• Push-ups 10 (on leg days, do squats in place of push-ups)

• Abs of choice 20

This "warmup" routine takes about 10 minutes if you move through it with little resting; in fact, just rest by working your abs. Resting between any set during a workout with a 20- to 30-rep set of stomach exercises is a great way to fit more into a short period of time. After your warmup, hit a circuit:

Mix in pull-ups or pulldowns on a lat machine and push-ups or bench presses with weights or dumbbells, followed by a multi-joint dumbbell set that mixes in several exercises into one movement.

On leg days, you can mix in a few sets of body-weight squats, lunges and calf raises into your bike or run workout. Here is one example:

• Run a quarter-mile at your goal 1.5- to two-mile pace (usually 90-100 seconds)

• Squats 20

• Lunges 10/leg

• Heel raises 20

• Repeat 4-5 times for a 20- to 30-minute workout plan that gets your cardio and legs pumped up.

These are just some of the many ideas you can try when mixing in multiple disciplines into a workout day.

See the training articles for more details.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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