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. However, research consistently reveals that many people don’t come close to this and live a largely sedentary lifestyle.

Abildso CG, Daily SM, Umstattd Meyer MR, et al. Prevalence of Meeting Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening and Combined Physical Activity Guidelines During Leisure Time Among Adults, by Rural–Urban Classification and Region — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:85–89.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Releases Updated Maps of America’s High Levels of Inactivity. January 20, 2022.

 

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.

Kany S, Al-Alusi MA, Rämö JT, et al. Associations of “Weekend Warrior” Physical Activity With Incident Disease and Cardiometabolic Health. Circulation. September 26, 2024.

 

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.

Kany S, Al-Alusi MA, Rämö JT, et al. Associations of “Weekend Warrior” Physical Activity With Incident Disease and Cardiometabolic Health. Circulation. September 26, 2024.

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.

 

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 behaviours, 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 herself over the course of one or two days. You can’t reap all the same fitness benefits by being a weekend warrior as 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.

Baz-Valle E, Schoenfeld BJ, Torres-Unda J, et al. The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PLoS One. 2019;14(12):e0226989.

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.