Why You Should Consider Multiple Workouts A Day

   In order to make improvements in your overall fitness & athletic performance you may want to consider multiple workouts in a day.

     Obviously this isn't for everybody. If your schedule doesn't allow it ( very long work hours,classes,traveling time, etc) don't worry. Just do what you can in the time you have, prioritizing.


        However if you do have the time this is something you should consider. Especially for serious/multi activity athletes ( swimmers,boxers,triathletes, military/first responders ,etc) this is a good way to improve your performance.

      Let's go over some of the physical benefits. Some benefits include lower blood pressure, more calories burned & overall heart health. Much of that has to do with increased EPOC ( excess post exercise oxygen consumption ) , basically the after burn of a tough session.

       Other benefits include improved activity performance , whether strength or endurance. Also you can get more work in. For runners this means more miles, for swimmers more meters, or if you're trying to increase your push ups or pull ups clearly two workouts will allow you to get more reps/miles,etc than just one. In fact kettle bell expert Pavel Tsatsouline described this "greasing the groove" method in his book " The Naked Warrior" , having people do pull ups every time they passed a pull up bar! You get the idea.The benefits are clearly there. Of course there are a few factors to consider.

       One thing to consider is your level of fitness. Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced? Obviously if you're a beginner you need to proceed carefully. Start slowly, maybe just one or two doubles a week , increasing the number as your fitness improves. Another thing to consider is your type of activity. Is it a single activity ( track, swimming,etc) or multiple activities ( triathletes, tactical athletes )? Also, if it is a single activity is it skill based, anaerobic ( Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, 100 meter dash) or longer & aerobic ( long distance running ). Some activities are a mix. Examples include boxing, wrestling, 400 meter free style swimming. Recovery time plays another important factor. For example ,anaerobic skill based Olympic lifting requires short workouts & at least a couple of hours between workouts, & that's for top Olympic lifters. Generally 6 - 8 hours is good for most people, regardless of skill & activity. Also make sure you're eating good, nutritious food & staying very well hydrated.

     Next, & this can be tough, is planning your day. For most athletes ( except for people like gymnasts, Olympic lifters) they can benefit from mixing up activities like aerobic work in one work out & actual activity work or strength in the evening. So  for example a boxer could run a few miles in the morning & maybe even do some exercises like push ups & pull ups if there's time, then in the evening he could do his boxing related work ( bag work, sparring,etc ). You can adjust your workouts as needed ( work or school schedule, equipment,etc). Just make sure you're rested and ready for your next workout.

      I hope you found this insightful & of course I hope it improves your performance. So give it a try & let me know how things turn out. Like & follow me for more useful training info. See you next time.