ADVISE NEEDED!!! Working out twice per day... bad idea?!

[Insidious1]

Hey everyone! First of all... THANK YOU for even taking a look at this thread to see if you can give some advise! I won't make it long, so hopefully you stick through and can give me a bit of advise!

Stats:
- 25 year old male
- 5'9"
- 184 lbs
- bodyfat...? Likely 15-17%
- lifting 8+ years... (seriously for 4-5)


Supps:
- KreAlkalyne (fancy name brand creatine! lol)
- RPM (pre-workout)
- Drive (halfway through first bottle)
- daily multi-vitamin (Vitamin Shoppe brand)
- Liver/kidney support

Diet:
- Morning: 1.5 scoops of 100% Pure Whey protein shake in water (about 36-38 grams of protein) and a slice of wheat bread...
- Pre-workout (30-45 min prior): 2 RPM, 3 Drive, half of a whey protein shake
- Post workout: LeanBody Protein Shake (40g protein)
- Afternoon: typically grilled chicken, veggies, etc.
- Early evening: LeanBody Protein Shake
- Late evening: 100% Casine Protein shake before bed... And usually a handfull of slices of turkey breast or cottage cheese...

As you can see... I am on a lower carb, mostly protein shake liquid diet... I will have a solid meal in the early afternoon (3-4pm). I eat something every 3-4 hours... Metabolism is definately up and running... need food every 3 hours or i get DAMN HUNGRY! With my body, i notice the carbs and sugar hit me hardest...

Training:
- 5 days a week, typically as follows:
Monday - Chest and abs
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Back
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Shoulders



I am currently about 7-8 weeks back into working out... I took about a year off after a cycle for many reasons (none of them good; i.e. new g/f, started small business, lack of time, PURE LAZINESS!!!, etc.)... At my "best" (on cycle) i was roughly 192lbs and hydrotested (water tank bodyfat test) at about 7.4% bodyfat... Shortly there after, i let myself go....

Now, back into the gym, i am not trying to "get huge" again... though it would be nice! I am trying to maintain the muscle i had kept (surprisingly a good amount on my shoulders, upper chest and back, and legs)... while reducing my midsection. I have a TERRIBLE predisposition to love handles and only when i'm below 9-10% body fat do they go away...

NOW FOR MY QUESTION!!!!

In the above workout routine, i will usually do cardio 3 times a week... As of last week i kinda got anxious about my lack of results in the midsections and bumped it up to almost everyday! I will do my heavy weights in the AM (between 11:00am-12:00pm in the morning)... Then go hit the elyptical around 9:30pm after i get done working. I did this all last week and am continuing.... I like it as i feel i my results should come faster... BUT... AM I OVERTRAINING??!?!?

I feel ok... not overly tired or run down... after my cardio, i usually feel very "accomplished"... I change it up from Basic fat-burning one day... to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) the next...

I come to you... the vast knowledge base of the AM Forums and HUMBLY ask you to grant me some of your wisdom in this area!!!

 

[EasyEJL]

most real "overtraining" is from overuse of CNS and not enough rest time, so the cardio shouldn't be too bad for that, depending on intensity and amount of time you do it. You'd probably get better results doing 20 minutes daily of moderate intensity first thing in the morning before eating though

 

[chocolatemilk]

Training:
- 5 days a week, typically as follows:
Monday - Chest and abs
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Back
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Shoulders

Cardio daily is fine. It's the intensity + the leg workouts that might lead to trouble.

IMO, since you work out your legs on Tuesday, I would do light cardio on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And to make up for the missed intense cardio, I would cut some calories out of your diet on those days.. after all, it's easier to cut 300 calories from your diet than spend 45 minutes on a treadmill. As I've been told many times, abs are made in the kitchen.

Also, doing back on Wednesday, then arms the next day might be too much for biceps. Maybe you could do:

Mon- chest abs
Tues- back
Wed- legs
Thurs- shoulders
Fri- arms

This will give your arms enough rest to hit them hard on Friday and enough time over the weekend to recover them for the next week of workouts. Or you could do them on Thursday which would give them one day of full rest.

 

[Insidious1]

Thanks for the input! I may change my schedule like u mentioned!

Quick side topic... Rather than posting a new thread.... Anyone of you ever done the DC training routine along with a DC type diet...? If so, how does one change the diet slightly so that I can still shred...?

I've read for HOURS about the program, but the diet aspect isn't touched on very much and none of it is geared towarda cleanly bulking.... Half the posts I read included eating burgers and stuff as a snack... I'm worried I will just bloat up and gain fat back if I were to follow such a routine.... YET, many swear that they don't gain muh excess fat.... I'm heavily confused... Anyone have any experience or knowledge on the topic?!!

 

[shizz702]

Thanks for the input! I may change my schedule like u mentioned!

Quick side topic... Rather than posting a new thread.... Anyone of you ever done the DC training routine along with a DC type diet...? If so, how does one change the diet slightly so that I can still shred...?

I've read for HOURS about the program, but the diet aspect isn't touched on very much and none of it is geared towarda cleanly bulking.... Half the posts I read included eating burgers and stuff as a snack... I'm worried I will just bloat up and gain fat back if I were to follow such a routine.... YET, many swear that they don't gain muh excess fat.... I'm heavily confused... Anyone have any experience or knowledge on the topic?!!

There is no official DC diet, just a few things advocated, and the rest is up to the individual. What they recommend is 1.5-2 grams protein/lb of bw.

Make each meal pro/carb, or pro/fat and to not mix carbs and fats, and to cut off carbs a few hours before bed, leaving carbs in your last 1 or 2 meals to trace (veggies) only.

Here's what the man himself has to say on diet:

* Use a higher protein intake--1.5 grams to upward of 2 grams per pound of bodyweight.

* Drink at least a gallon of water daily in direct relation to your protein times bodyweight ratio. For example, if you take in 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, drink at least one-and-a-half gallons of water daily.

* Except for postworkout carbs, most people should take in no carbohydrates after 6 PM, primarily so morning cardio is done with lower glycogen levels.

* Eat either protein and carbs or protein and fats, but don't mix up those components greatly. You don't have to be absolutely meticulous with this, but it's a generalized way to keep most people from creating insulin spikes and driving fats toward adipose tissue.

* Meals that are protein and carbs are usually eaten in this sequence: protein first, fiber and veggies second, carbs last. This is simply because about half the time you're so full after the steak, salad and broccoli that you don't eat all the carbs, and for bodyfat control, that's a good thing.

* There are some individuals who should eat mainly protein and fats because they are so carb-sensitive, and other people who should take in carbs only pre- and postworkout. It's one of those things where I have to ask a lot of questions of the person, and I come up with a game plan.