Weekend warriors: Are few days of exercise as effective as daily workouts?

For those who struggle to fit regular exercise into a busy workweek, there’s good news: you may still achieve significant health benefits by concentrating your workouts on the weekend. A study of nearly 90,000 participants in the UK Biobank found that “weekend warriors,” who crammed a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days, had reduced risks of over 200 diseases when compared to inactive individuals. This suggests that the total volume of exercise, not how frequently it is spread out, is what matters most for improving health.

The Importance of Total Exercise Volume

Researchers discovered that both weekend warriors and regular exercisers experienced similar health benefits, including a lower risk of conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. This was evident after tracking participants’ health for several years. According to study leader Dr. Shaan Khurshid from Massachusetts General Hospital, these findings empower people to focus on accumulating the recommended volume of exercise, regardless of how it is distributed throughout the week.

Health Benefits for Weekend Warriors

Participants who completed at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, as per NHS recommendations, saw a significant decrease in risks for 264 different conditions, including cardiometabolic disorders. For example, the risk of hypertension was over 20% lower, while the risk of diabetes dropped by more than 40% compared to inactive individuals. Previous studies, including research from 2017 and 2022, have supported these findings, showing similar health benefits for both weekend warriors and those who exercise more frequently.

Optimizing Your Workout Routine

While these results highlight that total exercise volume is the most critical factor, experts recommend that individuals meeting physical activity guidelines could still benefit from increasing exercise frequency to enhance overall health further. Ultimately, whether you choose to exercise throughout the week or concentrate your efforts on the weekend, the key is consistency in reaching your physical activity goals.