'Weekend warrior' trend: Health perks for busy physicians
Key Takeaways
Research shows that ‘weekend warriors’ who cram exercise into one-two days can lower their risk of chronic diseases.
Mixing up activities helps prevent injury and burnout. Switching between different types of exercise over the weekend can help avoid straining the same muscles repeatedly.
With all of the competing demands sucking up our time and energy throughout the week, it’s no wonder that so many Americans struggle to meet their weekly fitness goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. But research consistently reveals that many people don’t come close to this and live a largely sedentary lifestyle.[][]
One group of people, who call themselves ‘weekend warriors,’ may have found a solution. Instead of working out regularly throughout the week, they cram a week’s worth of exercise into just one or two days. According to a new report published in the journal Circulation, the fitness trend may be just as effective as spreading out your workouts over the course of a week.[]
Milica McDowell, DPT, MSPT, PT, a certified exercise physiologist and Vice President of Operations at Gait Happens, says it’s difficult to smash the right amount of cardio and strength-training activity into a weekend, but by mixing up your activities, you can keep your risk of injury and burnout low. “Something is better than nothing, and if you are going to become a ‘weekend warrior,’ variety is absolutely the most important principle,” she tells MDLinx.
Working out just on the weekends appears to lower disease risk
To better understand how our physical activity patterns impact our overall health, the researchers evaluated the health data of nearly 90,000 individuals sourced from the UK Biobank project.[] The participants wore an accelerometer for one week between June 2013 and December 2015. The researchers then looked at each participant’s activity patterns along with any diagnosed health conditions.
The team found that compared to those who were inactive— those who exercised fewer than 150 minutes a week—weekend warriors, who concentrated all of their weekly physical activity into one or two days, had a significantly lower risk of chronic disease. They were significantly less likely to have a cardiometabolic condition such as hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea. The researchers also discovered that there were no significant differences in the health benefits of the weekend warrior approach vs spacing out one’s workouts.
Brad Donohue, PhD, a licensed sports psychologist and Distinguished Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, says the findings are promising but that more research is needed. The current study was not controlled or randomized, he points out, and other factors may have contributed to the effects. “It may be that people who engage in relatively less frequent, more intensive exercise may be more inclined to engage in other healthy behaviors, such as having an optimum diet or being more motivated to engage in social activities,” he says.
What experts say about weekend warriors
McDowell says she’s all for people working out, period. If the weekend is the only time people can exercise, they should maximize that opportunity. “Ideally, I'd rather folks do workouts more consistently, more days per week, but if schedules don't allow, some working out is better than not working out,” she tells MDLinx.
She has some concerns about over-exerting oneself over the course of one or two days. You can’t reap all the same fitness benefits by being a weekend warrior than you can through working out three to four days a week with scheduled rest days, she says. “Rest and recovery days are key to helping the body adapt and change, and doing workouts back-to-back without a rest day doesn't quite optimize the recovery and rebuilding time your body needs for the most optimal improvements,” McDowell says.
'Weekend warrior' trend done safely and efficiently
For some people, the weekend warrior trend is more practical than squeezing exercise into the workweek. If that’s the case, it’s worth keeping a few tips in mind to avoid burnout and reduce the risk of injury.
“Assuming the physical exam looks good, vigorous physical exercise even at a low frequency appears to evidence long-term health benefits,” says Dr. Donohue.
McDowell suggests switching up the length and intensity of your weekend workouts.[] For example, “you don't want to do the same trail run, at the same intensity, in the same direction both days,” she says. Change up your movement patterns and avoid putting too much stress on certain body parts. Maybe you do a team activity, like pickleball, on Saturday and a fitness class on Sunday. Or you swim one day and bike or light weights the next.
The takeaway: When it comes to being a weekend warrior, variety is key. “You won't give the body a chance to recover properly if you do the same thing both days, so that's a key to being successful if the weekend is the only time you've got,” McDowell says.