Can You Really Skip the Gym All Week? Research Says Yes!

A recent study revealed that so-called “weekend warriors”—people who pack their exercise into weekends—can achieve health benefits comparable to those who exercise regularly.

This research, published in the journal Circulation, examined the risks of over 200 diseases based on weekly exercise duration and patterns.

Many people struggle to find time for exercise during their busy workweeks, leading them to squeeze all their physical activity into the weekend. While some might assume that daily exercise is more effective than cramming workouts into a few days, previous studies indicate that weekend warriors can attain similar health benefits as those who exercise consistently. This includes improved brain health, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, and lower mortality rates.

A team of researchers in the UK analyzed medical data from approximately 90,000 adults with an average age of 62. They explored how weekly exercise duration and patterns influence the risk of 200 different diseases and had participants wear accelerometers for a week to track their exercise habits.

The participants were categorized into three groups. The “inactive” group consisted of individuals who exercised for less than 150 minutes per week. The “weekend warrior” group included those who concentrated on 150 minutes or more of exercise in one or two days. The “regular activity” group consisted of individuals who spread their exercise evenly throughout the week, totaling over 150 minutes.

The study found that weekend warriors and the regular activity groups had a lower risk of over 200 diseases than the inactive group. The diseases most strongly associated with these findings included hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea, all of which fall under cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Interestingly, the difference in disease risk between the weekend warriors and the regular activity groups was negligible.

The researchers concluded that exercising intensely on weekends can provide health benefits comparable to regular, moderate weekly exercise.