14.06.2017
The days are gone that you can compete at national level (or higher) in any serious individual sport with ‘only’ one daily training session. Training twice a day is no longer the privilege of a happy few pros.
What are we talking about? Basically, you have three kinds of combinations:
1. Training twice the same sport on the same day: this is what elite runners or swimmers typically do, with for instance a morning and a late afternoon session. Also triathletes might swim or run twice a day for a certain period of the year, eg. during winter (cfr. ‘block periodization’).
2. Training two different sports per day: this is what many athletes do, when combining their own sport (eg. alpine skiing or tennis or swimming) with strength training. For multisport athletes (duathlon, triathlon) combining two or even three different sports on the same day is the standard, even at the ‘amateur’ level. It is also striking that more and more elite runners combine running systematically with cycling and/or training on special bikes, such as the ‘Elliptigo’, which seems to be ‘the new aquajogging’.
3. In addition, you have some ‘special cases’, such as people commuting to work by bike (or even running): they also have a morning and an evening session, which sometimes – depending on the distance – can be seen as one session. Another exception are the ‘brick sessions’of multisport athletes. Generally, a brick workout consists of a bike/run workout, but a brick could also be a swim/bike or a run/bike workout (usually seen with duathletes). Following the principle of specificity of training, a multisport athlete needs to practice the transitions from one exercise mode to another, because it is part of the sport.
This brings us to the why of training twice a day: is it really necessary to train so much? Does it really have added value for an athlete? It certainly does. First of all, the very essence of training is to get your body (and mind) used to a certain task or effort. Therefore, from a theoretical point of view, the higher the training frequency, the better results might be expected. Manipulating the ‘training density’ is also a very useful way of training for long-distance triathletes or other ultra-athletes to accumulate fatigue. For instance, trail runners might engage in ‘crash weekends’ during the specific preparation period, since ‘overdistance training’ is very often not possible for this kind of events. For multi-stage races it is obvious that consecutive days of training hard (i.e. the product of training frequency, duration and intensity) is the best way to mimic the nature of the event. By the way, it is a fable that large training volumes interfere with training quality (quality of momevement, eg. running or swimming technique) or training intensity. Of course, we are not talking about beginners. At the very elite level, training a lot of hours with many interval sessions are very common.
But I already hear some medical questions arising. Is it still healthy to train 30 hours per week with two interval sessions per day? It is my opinion that it is ‘not unhealthy’, at least if the athlete was gradually – over the months and years – adapted to the higher training load, and if heavy weeks are well balanced with weeks of relative rest. ‘Weekend warrior behavior’ is probably ‘more unhealthy’, as is leading a sedentary life and moving not at all. From my work with cardiologists during the past 20 years I also know that the heart of not everyone is made for these demanding training regimens.
Is it, on the other hand, necessary for your health to train like a beast? No, being physically active and not sitting all day long is what really matters. However, just like most food is not either ‘good or bad’ but rather ‘good for him’ and ‘bad for her’, I do not believe in ‘one size fits all’ regarding the amount of exercise that is ‘good or bad’ for you. However, some general rules apply to everyone. Just like all refined foods, sitting should be kept to a minimum, and everyone has to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity during each day. However, 30 minutes is – and these are official guidelines – not enough for children and therefore probably also not for some adults.
Training twice a day is a journey. Being busy with your body in good and in bad moments is very rewarding. You will discover the way your body works. Your body becomes your very best buddy. Training twice a day is also something that you largely learn by doing. However, I would like to conclude with some practical advice on how to combine two workouts a day:
1. The more rest between the two sessions (except brick sessions), the better for the ‘quality (of movement)’ and for the ‘effectiveness’ of the workout (achieving the goal, especially of heavy interval sessions). If possible, take a nap: you will be surprised of the quality of the second workout !
Some swimmers and sprint runners believe that, in order to increase the 'transfer', resistance training should be followed immediately by some swimming or running, respectively, but I think this is very relative.
2. Plan the easy (endurance) session in the morning, even in the fasted state: there are scientific arguments that it facilitates the next session later on that day (and this is also my own experience). This is also a tip for your race day. In addition, it is almost for everyone – unless you are really used to doing so – very difficult to achieve the same intensity and perform at the same level (eg. achieving the same chrono for a given distance) in the early morning as some hours later on the day.
3. Respect the principle of progression: don’t go overnight from three sessions per week to two sessions per day. This is not going to last. However, for any ‘ambitious amateur athlete’ who didn’t try it yet: it might be a nice variation in your training regimen and one day with two sessions won’t kill you ! It definitely will make you stronger !
With kind regards,
Karel
#TrainHardButSmart
PS: in the above picture, my tennis players are having fun during a weight training session.
What are we talking about? Basically, you have three kinds of combinations:
1. Training twice the same sport on the same day: this is what elite runners or swimmers typically do, with for instance a morning and a late afternoon session. Also triathletes might swim or run twice a day for a certain period of the year, eg. during winter (cfr. ‘block periodization’).
2. Training two different sports per day: this is what many athletes do, when combining their own sport (eg. alpine skiing or tennis or swimming) with strength training. For multisport athletes (duathlon, triathlon) combining two or even three different sports on the same day is the standard, even at the ‘amateur’ level. It is also striking that more and more elite runners combine running systematically with cycling and/or training on special bikes, such as the ‘Elliptigo’, which seems to be ‘the new aquajogging’.
3. In addition, you have some ‘special cases’, such as people commuting to work by bike (or even running): they also have a morning and an evening session, which sometimes – depending on the distance – can be seen as one session. Another exception are the ‘brick sessions’of multisport athletes. Generally, a brick workout consists of a bike/run workout, but a brick could also be a swim/bike or a run/bike workout (usually seen with duathletes). Following the principle of specificity of training, a multisport athlete needs to practice the transitions from one exercise mode to another, because it is part of the sport.
This brings us to the why of training twice a day: is it really necessary to train so much? Does it really have added value for an athlete? It certainly does. First of all, the very essence of training is to get your body (and mind) used to a certain task or effort. Therefore, from a theoretical point of view, the higher the training frequency, the better results might be expected. Manipulating the ‘training density’ is also a very useful way of training for long-distance triathletes or other ultra-athletes to accumulate fatigue. For instance, trail runners might engage in ‘crash weekends’ during the specific preparation period, since ‘overdistance training’ is very often not possible for this kind of events. For multi-stage races it is obvious that consecutive days of training hard (i.e. the product of training frequency, duration and intensity) is the best way to mimic the nature of the event. By the way, it is a fable that large training volumes interfere with training quality (quality of momevement, eg. running or swimming technique) or training intensity. Of course, we are not talking about beginners. At the very elite level, training a lot of hours with many interval sessions are very common.
But I already hear some medical questions arising. Is it still healthy to train 30 hours per week with two interval sessions per day? It is my opinion that it is ‘not unhealthy’, at least if the athlete was gradually – over the months and years – adapted to the higher training load, and if heavy weeks are well balanced with weeks of relative rest. ‘Weekend warrior behavior’ is probably ‘more unhealthy’, as is leading a sedentary life and moving not at all. From my work with cardiologists during the past 20 years I also know that the heart of not everyone is made for these demanding training regimens.
Is it, on the other hand, necessary for your health to train like a beast? No, being physically active and not sitting all day long is what really matters. However, just like most food is not either ‘good or bad’ but rather ‘good for him’ and ‘bad for her’, I do not believe in ‘one size fits all’ regarding the amount of exercise that is ‘good or bad’ for you. However, some general rules apply to everyone. Just like all refined foods, sitting should be kept to a minimum, and everyone has to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity during each day. However, 30 minutes is – and these are official guidelines – not enough for children and therefore probably also not for some adults.
Training twice a day is a journey. Being busy with your body in good and in bad moments is very rewarding. You will discover the way your body works. Your body becomes your very best buddy. Training twice a day is also something that you largely learn by doing. However, I would like to conclude with some practical advice on how to combine two workouts a day:
1. The more rest between the two sessions (except brick sessions), the better for the ‘quality (of movement)’ and for the ‘effectiveness’ of the workout (achieving the goal, especially of heavy interval sessions). If possible, take a nap: you will be surprised of the quality of the second workout !
Some swimmers and sprint runners believe that, in order to increase the 'transfer', resistance training should be followed immediately by some swimming or running, respectively, but I think this is very relative.
2. Plan the easy (endurance) session in the morning, even in the fasted state: there are scientific arguments that it facilitates the next session later on that day (and this is also my own experience). This is also a tip for your race day. In addition, it is almost for everyone – unless you are really used to doing so – very difficult to achieve the same intensity and perform at the same level (eg. achieving the same chrono for a given distance) in the early morning as some hours later on the day.
3. Respect the principle of progression: don’t go overnight from three sessions per week to two sessions per day. This is not going to last. However, for any ‘ambitious amateur athlete’ who didn’t try it yet: it might be a nice variation in your training regimen and one day with two sessions won’t kill you ! It definitely will make you stronger !
With kind regards,
Karel
#TrainHardButSmart
PS: in the above picture, my tennis players are having fun during a weight training session.