I am looking at a change in my work schedule starting in May and it’s going to work out that it will be much more convenient to do most of my two-a-day workouts during the work week one right after the other.
Anyone out there do this currently? I feel like so long as one of those workouts is a swim it shouldn’t be too big of a problem but I could be wrong. I am curious what others have experienced.
I do that all the time. Usually both in the evening. I don’t do them as a brick, but I usually take an hour break in between to refuel/relax/watch TV.
I often run EARLY in the am, from 5-8 sometimes 10 if I get up super early, then commute to work, then go to gym and spin pr swim. I dont work til ten am so get a lot done this way. Of course nights out and staying up late are out of the picture—well except tonight I am tapering for Boston. In the AM I pretty much every day do 2 workouts, with an hour and a half ‘rest’ in the middle…during that time I have a good recovery snack with protein and carbs, whatever works for you…
Every single work out I do is a brick. And it always starts around 4pm. Biking gets priority first for my fresh legs (and day light). Then running. I am a runner so i don’t mind running on tired legs, because, well I got into triathlons from running and I am use to racking up 60-120 miles a week.
Swimming is not an issue.
If i have to weight lift i attempt to do that first thing in the morning
You get use to the brick, i believe it helps me more then anything. But i am sure about 50% of people on this site will disagree with me.
I’m no sports scientist but I’d reckon that as long as the two workouts are different, e.g bike/run, swim/weights, then there shouldn’t be an issue.
Doing back to back bike/bike or swim/swim workouts is trickier. Having said that, I’ve often done an short bike race or training session, followed by an afternoon or evening session.
It’s not a problem at all…that is unless you are getting in to some serious volume…then your body will tell you that it can’t do it.
FWIW, I do a brick every Tuesday/Thursday morning and have all winter and probably will continue to all year.
Same here my workouts are 90% bricks. Is it the smart way ? I dont know, but I enjoy it!
Two schools of thought on this:
This is triathlon we are talking about. The swim is the only leg you do “fresh”, so if you take the specificity model to it’s end point then, doing workouts this way is very beneficial.
The other view-point is that the quality of the second work-out will suffer. You will not be able to go absolutely as hard/fast as you can in that second workout and thus will not get the max benefit from it.
Of course, the best model is to incorporate both into approaches into your training. Some workouts you will start fatigued and tired from a first workout session and other sessions, typically high quality interval/tempo type of sessions, you will do fresh to get maximum benefit from those workouts.
**it will be much more convenient to do most of my two-a-day workouts during the work week one right after the other. **
Isn’t that just 1 longer workout?
All the time. This morning I ran 10 miles, then swam 4k.
If it winds up being a couple hours, just make sure you get some carbohydrate.
I find, too, if I am trying to get three sports in this works really well. If I do three completely separate workouts, by the time I get to the third one, I am mentally “not there” - my head balks at “I already trained twice today!!!” but, like this morning, I got in a run and swim and there’s the morning session… and I will likely ride later. Then it’s not a triple, it’s a double 
Hey! good luck in Boston 
will likely be there cheering.
Ahh…the joys of scheduling training around life!
I submit…don’t look at it as an either/or, black/white situation.
Lets say you have 1.5 hours a day during the week in the afternoon to train. Some weeks you could focus on short, intense efforts…say…a shorter 45 minute intense threshold or VO2 bike session followed by easy swimming or running. Or other combinations of the sports to get intensity in all three sports during the week, but cover multiple disciplines. I don’t do a lot of bike/runs these days, but it depends on the “life-logistics” of the day. If I can’t get to a pool…I can still usually do a bike/run from the house. A lot of times these are great workouts to work skills like transitions. Do something like ride 5 miles hard, transition, run 1 mile, repeat until you’re out of time. You don’t have to always make the two workouts a swim. That can be a real challenge from a logistics standpoint since that involves getting to a pool.
Other weeks you could focus on more sustained efforts. Take that 1.5 hours and do a 1/2 IM-paced bike or a solid mid-long run. Keep some intensity in there, but not so much that you can’t finish the workout, or shell yourself for the following day.
Either way, put in the 1.5 hours of work and you’ll be moving in the right direction.
Make the best of your schedule…look at the overall period before your race(s) and address all the components of fitness. Be creative and look at ALL of the components of multisport performance. And be able to adjust on the fly. That’s one reason you will NEVER find me without running shoes, shirt, shorts during the week. If all else fails, you can be out the door on a run in 5 minutes or less.
I do two workouts in a row all the time and I don’t consider them bricks cause I usually rest for a few min. or stretch etc. in b/w them. It is the only way I can train and balance family life. I have a 4 year old and 16 month old at home so most of my afternoons are with them. I am usually up around 4:45 to 5:15 and headed out for a swim or a run. I usually do something at lunch also but I just can’t get a complete workout during my lunch time. Plus naturally I am an early morning person therefore the early workout just jump starts my day.
When I worked nights, I used to do this all the time. Get up at 8ish in the morning do two workouts and be at work by 2pm. I’d vary the rest between workouts depending on what I was doing, so for example, if the 2nd workout was a quality run, then I’d make sure to rest longer, get some carbs, stretch a bit then hit it.
The worst part is when you have a heavy training week; you’ll get pretty wiped out by the end of the week. But just think about your rest weeks, when you can do just one workout and get more sleep. Now those weeks are heaven…
Can I work for you?
That sounds like a nice routine.
What line of work?
PM me.
Every day. Run then ride. Ride then run. Sometimes swim workout then ride or run. I don’t know how people get any sort of decent volume in without doing workouts back to back. It sames changeover time as well.
Chad
90% of my workouts are done together, I work from around 10 am until 9 or 10 pm most of the time, so I always to everything in a 90 minute - 3 hour time period. Often three together, such as an hour+ on the bike, followed by strength/ weights (i do a lot because of a previously broken leg and herniated disk) then finish off with swim… really no alternative for me, no way I’m can summon the energy to workout at 10 at night after a 12 hour day.