Is it ok to work out twice in one day?

Your body needs time to recover. I would break up your workouts from one day cardio, another day strength training. Within the strength training, break it up into one day upper body, another day lower body, this way the opposites get to rest. Then change your cardio routine about every 2 weeks – the body “adapts” and gets used to a routine so it will stop changing, which is why you need to mix up your work outs. I would not go twice a day. unless your not going everyday – you didn’t mention if you did. Just remember your body NEEDS to take a break, rest.

I went twice yesterday and today. I feel ok, but I wanted to know if there was any benefit, or if I was really just wasting my time and endangering myself of an injury or something, Thanks!

Its OK as long as you dont over do it. Make sure you’re feeling upto it. Don’t make it a compulsion that you HAVE TO go to the gym twice a day. If you’re not feeling upto it or if you just want to go once or take a break, so be it. Don’t over-stress your body and mind.

If you’re just starting this, I think you should go a little easy on yourself at first, and get to know how much you can handle.
In general, if you feel like you’ve been trampled by an elephant stampede the next day, you’ve overdone it. If not, then it’s probably okay.

Side note: How long do you think you can keep this up?
There are a lot of people who decide they want to lose weight on New Year’s Eve, then go at it with a ridiculous all-out effort for a few days/weeks, then run out of motivation and give up again, with reaffirmed excuses why working out is useless.
It’s better to build it up gradually, with manageable increases. Be patient.

Sure, I used to have to do 2 workouts a day for swimteam, one in the am and the after school workout. Just listen to your body and honor any pain which is a sign you are overdoing it.

I do both cardio and strength training 6 days a week.I am still alive. ;)

It’s okay as long as you get enough rest because you will need it. I am in P.E Tuesdays and Thursdays and those same days straight after school I go for soccer practice. And as @lucillelucillelucille said “I am still alive” :)

I’m doing science and I’m still alive.

Cardio twice a day is fine, assuming you are not really pushing it to very high heart rates both times. If you sit all day at work, some low level cardio is not much different than people who actually work on their feet, nothing wrong with getting everything moving. I recommend a class like zumba, so you are not doing the exact same exercise if you usually bycicle or treadmill. Zumba works a variety of your muscles, rather than something like running, that is the same muscles over and over and over again. There are some stats that doing aerobics for a long time actually can have some negative impact, I can try to find it. But, if you are just moving, low impact, and only raising your heart rate minimally, it would not fit into this stat in my opinion, and it will continue to help you lose weight.

For stregnth training, you have to let the muscle rest to build and repair. You shold not be working with weights on the same muscles groups daily, especially not twice a day.

you can do multiple cardio daily for sure. If you are trying to slim down, then burning calories is certainly one factor. Nutrition and rest are other important ones.
A healthy lifestyle and staying active are key. There is also an overworkout factor you need to watch out for however. Know what you and your body can take. Some days are different, but all in all over a period of time you will be able to drop and stay slim if that is your goal.
Keep in mind that if it is a weight situation, that it took so long for you to put it on and it will take time to take it off.
You have to give slimming down reasonable time. Always check in with your Dr. on what their thoughts are for healthy activity.
There are different ways to slim out, but it depends on you, your body, your interests and what works for you.
Give it time and once there, keep the good balanced habits.

I’d say it’s the total physical stress you put on the body that matters, not the number of workouts. I’ve experimented with everything—multiple workouts per day, daily workouts, and really beating myself up 3–4 times a week with total rest in between. You can improve from, or be injured from, all of these routines. I think two light-moderate workouts per day is a great idea.

If you break your workout into chunks and give your body time to recover in the meantime it should be fine.But if you feel too exhausted one day its perfectly fine to give your body a day of rest. I find that swimming or speed walking twice in 1 day doesn’t put too much stress on my body as say running would. Do what works for your body but won’t injure you.

My workouts usually do vary. In the morning I go by myself and really push it and go all out…then I come home and rest during the day (Im working night shift) Then in the afternoon/evening I wake up and usually do a class with my gym buddy who is not really on the same fitness level as I am, so that workout is usually low cardio or minimal impact. Thanks guys!

I firmly believe working out is to simulate hard physical labor. As long as you don’t go too bananas, you could work out all day long. Low intensity exercises with moderate weights many times a day will build strength quicker than high intensity exercises every other day. Cardio adds to making the body think it is a hard workin’ man/woman and will trigger growth and strength to compensate for the simulated new job. Between sessions, isometric exercises, curls with gallons of milk, cans of fruit, lunges and dips on armchairs,everything can be incorperated into a total body fitness program.

@majorrich
“Low intensity exercises with moderate weights many times a day will build strength quicker than high intensity exercises every other day.”
False.
Low intensity exercises all day long will build stamina, but not strength. You need stamina to keep a moderate effort up for a long time. You need strength to lift something really heavy just a few times.
If you want to build strength, force your body to adapt to a situation that requires strength.

@Fyrius When I was in college (lo those many years ago) I worked as a meat packer to pay my way. I carried beef quarters all night and after a fairly short time it got easy, and I got huge. And was able to carry bigger quarters (front quarters are a lot heavier than hind quarters, and are much more ungainly). Of course, after graduating college I took a sedentary job and lost a lot of size and strength. Kind of wish I had kept the packer job, I made more money.

If I’m not mistaken, you’ll generally have more luck at getting huge with endurance exercise than with strength exercise.