Working out twice

Is working out twice a day bad?

I workout twice a day and it really works for me. I do my strength training at 5am, then go to work, then go back to the gym around 5pm for cardio. I have gotten great results since I started doing this about 2 months ago. As long as you don't overdue it, I say go for it. Good luck!

Heck, sometimes I work out three times a day, depending on the day.

I try to do yoga every morning and walk the dog for a half an hour each night.  These are non-negotiable.  But several days a week I also have karate in the afternoon, so on those days I end up doing a (very light) yoga workout in the am, karate in the afternoon, and then walking the dog at night (he'd be so disappointed if I didn't, and he needs to lose weight, too). 

As long as you're not obsessing, you still have time to live a normal life, and you're making sure your deficit isn't too large, I don't see a problem with it.

Original Post by linz6700:

Is working out twice a day bad?

 No.

It depends, are you working out the same muscles or doing the same cardio over and over again?  Are you straining anything?  Are you recovering from an injury?  Are you recovering from an eating disorder?

In general I'd say no as long as you feel good, but there are situations when it could be bad.

if you can workout  two and three times a day, you clearly have too much time on your hands.

Original Post by geturdone:

if you can workout  two and three times a day, you clearly have too much time on your hands.

 That's an ignorant comment. Maybe some people don't fill there free time with hours of TV and web surfing, or any other mind numbing activity.

Workout before work, easy, wake up early. During lunch, easy(though, this can be hard if one has a short lunch break). My instructors did it all the time during Tech School, with a hour lunch. After work, easy. If you know how to train, a good workout only takes 20mins.

I hate when people complain about not having time for anything. It's often a statement made while they are not doing anything. I've met maybe one or two people who don't "have time" to workout more than once a day.

Nope. Do whatever works best for your schedule. I worked out twice a day when I was training for my triathlon. It was basically the only way I could squeeze all the training in. 

Original Post by geturdone:

if you can workout  two and three times a day, you clearly have too much time on your hands.

Not really.  Sure I'm a stay at home mom and a student, so I set my own schedule to some extent.  But I also have a house to take care of, two kids, several pets, plenty of homework (I'm going to school full time), and a small business I'm trying to grow.  As a family, we go to karate several times a week, which takes several hours because we're in three different classes.  I take work to do with me while the kids are taking their classes.  We practice together at home.  I'm also learning two languages and trying to find more time for photography - which would be pretty great, because I could combine it with a nice long walk, but I haven't found a space for it yet.

My free time on most weekdays consists of the time I use to check my email and forums during breakfast and lunch, after I've counted my calories.  That's my online time.  Right now, I'm between breakfast and lunch putting in calories for the day, since I probably won't have as much time for those meals today.  A few evenings a week, my husband and I curl up and watch some TV shows that we DVR on days we can't watch.  Saturday nights are usually reserved for going out or having friends over.  So yeah, I don't do badly for free time, but I certainly wouldn't say I have a lot of time on my hands.

My three workouts are just a part of my day.  I get up and do 30-45 minutes of yoga while my daughter is getting ready for school - though I'd like to start getting up earlier.  I'm just trying to find the motivation there.  On karate days, I meet my husband and go to an early class (I'll be leaving in about 15 minutes) because he is working and also going to school full time, and this semester that's the class that fits his schedule.  It's an hour-long class, and I take him a healthy lunch that he can take back to his office.  Later tonight, I'll take the dog for a brisk half hour walk. 

Between those times, I have homework to do (a short essay, but programs to write later in the week) and housework to do (laundry, cooking, and some light cleaning today, I think - no time for anything else).  I have to take care of my 4-year old son, get my daughter from school, and make sure we get some family time in somewhere.  I may also have some web design work to do, if my client sends me the information he wants added today.  Luckily, tonight is one of the few nights my husband doesn't have classes, so we'll be making time to relax this evening, though I'll probably still be working on my Hungarian at that time. On evenings when he's not home, I'm still doing things around the house, programming, or coding web sites.

So... Do I have too much time on my hands?

There are some people who don't have time, true.  But most people just need the motivation to find time.  Once you've squeezed in a 20 minute workout somewhere, it's not hard to expand it by a few minutes, or find time for a second 20 minutes at the end of the day.  It finally clicked for me that I had to make time to take care of me.  No one could do that for me, and I want to set a good example for my kids.  I also try to combine things - like karate was a way to make family time more active.  If I find myself sitting (while waiting for the kids to finish their classes, for example, or folding laundry), I try to get some work or reading done.