Double Workouts: All you need to know about the twice-a-day fitness routine
Summary
Runners and recreational athletes in India are choosing to exercise twice a day to improve endurance, performance and mood
Ever wondered what separates a professional athlete from the rest of us? If you are thinking it’s their skills and gifts, it’s something much more basic: it is discipline and dedication to train twice a day. That’s what makes them physically fit to perform at a high level over long periods of time without losing their edge. A majority of us don’t even manage or try to carve out the time to exercise, train or play a sport even once a day. However, there is a growing tribe of regular people —especially runners and those who play some sport recreationally—making time for physical activities two times a day multiple times a week.
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This two-sessions-a-day structure, known as ‘training periodisation’, helps athletes separate high-skill, high-intensity, and high-volume sessions to avoid interference effects and optimise recovery, explains Preeti Shetty, senior sports scientist for strength and condition at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai.
“Typically, morning sessions may focus on technical or aerobic conditioning, while evenings are reserved for strength or tactical work. According to research on elite endurance and team sport athletes, twice-a-day training can enhance overall training volume and adaptation without increasing injury risk provided [their] recovery is adequate," says Shetty. However, professional athletes’ entire lifestyle is built around optimising performance, warns Gauthaman Ramesh, fitness expert at Cult Fit. He adds that they sleep 8 to 10 hours, nap between sessions, get regular massages and sessions with a physiotherapist, and follow tightly controlled nutrition plans. Their only job is to train, recover, and repeat.
BENEFITS OF DOUBLE WORKOUTS
“It’s hard not to be inspired watching professional athletes go through their rigorous two-a-day training schedules. Whether they are long-distance runners, footballers, or elite athletes, the idea of training twice a day seems like the ultimate commitment to fitness," says Ramesh.
Vaibhav Anand, Tanuja Gajria and Kavitha Reddy are among the inspired lot who make time to workout or play twice a day. Anand, 44, a consultant in Bengaluru, often plays badminton before and after work a few times a week. Gajria, 44, a marketing and brand specialist, in Bengaluru does yoga and strength training in the mornings and often follows it with a walk or a session of badminton, squash or padel later in the day. The Instagram feed of Reddy, 50, a Pune-based recreational runner, is packed with her training, which often includes different kinds of runs in the morning and strength, stretching and mobility sessions later in the day.
The double workouts have done wonders for Reddy’s endurance and speed. For Anand and Gajria, the double sessions have resulted in more energy, better weight management and better mood.
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A few years ago when I used to run full marathons, I had resorted to two training sessions a day in the hope of improving. I would do HIIT or strength training in the mornings and, after at least 4 hours of rest and a full meal, head out for a run in the evenings. I did this up to four times a week for four to five months only because the flexible nature of my lack of work allowed me to. The structured dual sessions helped me improve running efficiency, strength, endurance and speed.
START WITH CAUTION
While double sessions might be tempting for those who find their progress plateauing, it is important to be aware of one’s own fitness levels, recovery needs, daily routine, nutrition and sleep before jumping into it. “Starting with low-intensity or skill-based secondary sessions is a safer and more effective strategy. Their training must be adapted to their recovery capacity, nutrition, work stress, and sleep quality," advises Shetty. When carefully implemented, training twice a day can significantly enhance neuromuscular adaptation, cardiovascular conditioning, and technical skill acquisition. From a performance standpoint, dividing sessions improves focus and allows more precise targeting of energy systems.
Shetty feels that splitting sessions by type (e.g., aerobic in the morning, resistance or mobility in the evening) not only reduces systemic fatigue but also allows for targeted adaptation. “For general fitness enthusiasts, this strategy allows variety, promotes adherence, and supports long-term progression with reduced injury risk," says Shetty. For endurance athletes, it’s a strategy to increase weekly volume without compromising movement quality. In strength and hypertrophy-focused individuals, it can permit better intensity control and reduce the risk of central nervous system burnout. Additionally, spreading sessions across the day elevates non-exercise activity thermogenesis contributing to improved body composition and metabolic health.
However, for the average person juggling work, commuting, social life, and other responsibilities, fitting two training sessions in a day can lead to more harm than good.
PRIORITISE RECOVERY
“It can cause fatigue, affect sleep, increase stress, and potentially lead to burnout. Contrary to popular belief, not all elite athletes train twice a day. It depends on the sport, the season, and the specific goals of their training phase," says Ramesh. Also, without the recovery support available to elite athletes, recreational athletes turning to double sessions are at an increased risk of overtraining, muscle breakdown, and diminished returns due to insufficient recovery.
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“Research shows that training frequency beyond an individual’s adaptive capacity can elevate cortisol levels, suppress immune function, and impair sleep quality especially when compounded by work or lifestyle stress," adds Shetty. To mitigate these risks, recreational athletes must prioritise recovery with precision.
Recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts, Ramesh says, ought to remember that consistency, recovery, and progressive overload are far more effective than just adding more hours to their training, but that a sports science-based approach could work. The key is to plan the double sessions keeping in mind the sports science principles of training specificity and energy system management, wherein each session is complementary to the other. Another thing one needs to keep in mind is to never have two back-to-back hard training days.
To truly benefit, anyone adopting double workouts must ensure they are getting optimal nutrition (adequate carbohydrate and protein intake), particularly around training windows, and at least 6–8 hours of quality sleep. It is also important to monitor for overreaching symptoms (e.g. chronic fatigue, decreased performance, mood disturbances). Incorporating modalities like mobility work, active recovery, and guided breath-work as part of the sessions can help maintain training frequency without systemic stress.
Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.
