You only have to exercise this many days a week for benefits, new study shows
Finding time to work out consistently throughout the week can be tricky with everything else you have going on. But new research finds that so-called 'weekend warriors' yield the same health benefits as those who exercise more consistently during the week.
This isn’t the first study to find that only working out on the weekends can still help your health. A 2022 JAMA study concluded that fitting in 150 minutes of exercise a week whenever you can—even if it’s jammed into one weekend—still lowers the risk of early death.
But what did the latest research find, and how will it impact your exercise routine? Here’s the deal.
Meet the expert: Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, a co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.
What did the study find?
The study, which was published in the journal Circulation, analysed information from nearly 90,000 people in the UK who wore wrist accelerometers. The devices logged both their physical activity and the times they were active.
The researchers found that people who only worked out on the weekends (a.k.a. 'weekend warriors') and those who had more regular physical activity patterns both lowered their risk of developing 264 diseases, compared with people who were more inactive.
The links were strongest when it came to cardiometabolic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, although regular exercisers had a slight edge in each case. (Weekend warriors had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing hypertension, while regular exercisers had a 28 per cent lower risk. For diabetes, weekend warriors had a 43 percent lower risk, while regular exercisers had a 46% lower risk.)
'Associations appear similar, whether physical activity follows a weekend warrior pattern or is spread more evenly throughout the week,' the researchers concluded.
Another recent study's results further supports the impressive health benefits of weekend exercise. A team analysing data from around 10,000 participants found that the 7.2% of 'weekend warriors' who reported exercising once or twice a week had a 25% lower risk of mild dementia compared with the inactive group, while the regularly active group had an 11% lower risk. What's more, only 14% of the weekend warriors met the criteria for mild dementia, compared with 18.5% of the regularly active group and 26% of those who said they were inactive.
Is it better to exercise over the weekend or throughout the week?
The first study didn’t determine whether one was better than the other—although, again, more consistent exercisers had a slightly lower risk of developing certain diseases. It’s just important to point out that the difference was small.
Also worth noting? The accelerometer data was only from one week, so it's hard to know if this was the norm for these people.
Overall, the study found that aiming to hit the recommended 150 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week was best, no matter when you do it.
In general, it’s best to find a workout routine that you’ll maintain, says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, a co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. However, he recommends trying to keep up your fitness during the week, too, if you can.
'The ideal state for your body is not completely sedentary during the week and then going through an epic workout over the weekend,' he says.
However, Matheny says it can be helpful to aim to do a few shorter workouts during the week and then something bigger, like a long mountain bike ride or long run, on the weekend. 'It's even helpful if you just go for a walk during the week,' he says.
If you can, Matheny suggests trying to plan out your week in advance, factoring exercise into your time. 'You can use the weekend to back things up,' he adds.
Should this affect my workout routine?
Not necessarily. If you have a workout routine you like and it fits your schedule well, you’re good to keep on doing just that. 'Definitely go with what works for you and what you’ll stick with,' Matheny says.
But if you’ve been struggling to exercise consistently throughout the week, it’s good to know that you’re still doing your health a solid if you can only work out on weekends.
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