Weekend Warrior Summary Article
- The study categorizes participants into three distinct physical activity patterns: inactive, weekend warrior, and regularly active. Additionally, the study examines the differences in health outcomes, specifically abdominal and general adiposity, between these groups using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
- Results from the study indicate that weekend warriors who compress their physical activities into one or two days a week exhibit similar reductions in body fat, BMI, and waist circumference as those who are regularly active (spreading their activities throughout the week). Therefore, this challenges traditional views that weekend workouts are not beneficial for health and fitness.
- The study therefore supports the viability of the weekend warrior exercise pattern as an effective alternative for achieving comparable health benefits to regular activity patterns for those with busy jobs. Additionally, this suggests that the intensity and total volume of physical activity might be as important as the frequency of exercise sessions, providing a flexible approach that could fit better into the schedules of those who may find daily workouts impractical.
What is a Weekend Warrior Workout?
Obesity impacts approximately 650 million adults globally, presenting substantial health challenges for medical providers.(Roberto et al., 2015) It is a known risk factor for various chronic diseases, including cancers and osteoarthritis. (Jiang et al., 2011) Regular physical activity is beneficial in reducing obesity risks; furthermore, this is dependent on the optimal balance of frequency, duration, and activity intensity.
The World Health Organization guidelines recommend adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity weekly or a combination of the two. (Bull et al., 2020) Moreover, individuals who condense their physical activity into one or two weekly sessions are often termed “weekend warriors.”(Jang et al., 2022) However, weekend warriors, individuals who engage in high-intensity physical activity mainly on weekends, have gotten attention in the realm of fitness and health research. Can working out on weekends only improve health?
Are Weekend Warriors Workouts Beneficial?
Research has indicated that the health benefits experienced by weekend warriors are comparable to those who are regularly active, showing similar reductions in cardiovascular risks and death rates.(Kunutsor et al., 2023) However, many people believe that workouts must be spaced over the week for steady progress; however, a new study disproves previous assumptions and supports the effectiveness of the weekend warrior lifestyle in achieving health outcomes comparable to daily exercise routines. (Lei et al., 2024)
Review of the Literature on Weekend Warriors
Extensive studies underline the relationship between consistent physical activity and lowered risks of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. The less studied weekend warrior pattern, where individuals compress a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days, may also offer significant health advantages, challenging the traditional guidelines that recommend regular activity distribution throughout the week (Lei et al., 2024). Studies have shown that weekend warriors can have varying fitness levels, with some individuals exhibiting moderate to high levels of fitness that can help lessen the adverse effects of being overweight on cardiovascular health. (O’Donovan et al., 2018) Furthermore, the quality of physical activity, particularly its intensity, appears to play a crucial role in the health benefits derived from weekend warrior patterns. (Hamer et al., 2017)
Research has indicated that weekend warriors can achieve health benefits even with lower total activity levels, emphasizing the potential advantages of this activity pattern.(Leskinen et al., 2023; Shiroma et al., 2019) Some studies suggest that intensive physical activity over two consecutive days, as weekend warriors do, can yield similar benefits in cardiovascular fitness compared to spreading the same activities over five days. (Alaca et al., 2017) Therefor, this challenges the conventional belief that spreading out exercise sessions is always superior.
Overview of the Study Protocol
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018 for participants aged 20 to 59, a new study categorizes physical activity into three patterns: inactive (<150 min/week of total PA), weekend warrior (at least 150 min/week in one or two sessions), and regularly active (at least 150 min/week in more than two sessions). Additionally, these categories are further divided by frequency (1 or 2 sessions for weekend warriors; 3–4 sessions or ≥5 sessions for regular activity), session duration (≤30 min, >30 to 90 min, or ≥90 min), and intensity levels.
Results
Interestingly, weekend warriors and regularly active participants, who were predominantly younger and more likely to be Non-Hispanic White with higher education and socioeconomic status, showed less likelihood of unemployment and lower rates of hypertension and diabetes compared to inactive participants. Surprisingly, among these, weekend warrior participants showcased the highest intensity (60.3%), total PA per session (214.1 minutes), and duration of sessions (147.6 minutes), underscoring a significant commitment to condensed exercise periods [10].
By analyzing a broad, nationally representative sample, it was found that weekend warrior and regularly active patterns correlated with significantly lower levels of abdominal and overall body fat, BMI, and waist circumference. Additionally, these results expand on previous research that has documented similar benefits in fat reduction and health improvements with increasing physical activity. Notably, these findings suggest that the weekend warrior pattern, which condenses exercise into one or two sessions weekly and does not adhere to some regular activity guidelines(Arnett et al., 2019), can still achieve health benefits comparable to those of more frequent exercise routines.
Weekend Warriors Train With Higher Intensity
While weekend warriors may achieve the recommended physical activity levels, the quality of the exercise, particularly its intensity, may play a crucial role in reaping the full benefits (Hamer et al., 2017). Moreover, it has been noted that weekend warriors often engage in vigorous-intensity exercises, which could be a critical factor in the positive health outcomes associated with this pattern.
Conclusions: Weekend Warriors Can Make Fitness Gains
In conclusion, the weekend warrior and regular activity patterns are linked with similarly lower measurements of DXA-assessed fat mass across the abdominal region and the entire body, as well as BMI and waist circumference. Therefore, the intensity and quality of exercise seem to be crucial factors in determining the effectiveness of the weekend warrior approach. Thus, advocating for the weekend warrior pattern may provide a viable and beneficial alternative for individuals unable to adhere to recommended exercise frequencies.
References
Alaca, N., Uslu, S., Suyen, G. G., İnce, Ü., Serteser, M., & Kurtel, H. (2017). Effects of Different Aerobic Exercise Frequencies on Streptozotocin–nicotinamide‐induced Type 2 Diabetic Rats: Continuous Versus Short Bouts and Weekend Warrior Exercises. Journal of Diabetes. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-0407.12561
Arnett, D. K., Blumenthal, R. S., Albert, M. A., Buroker, A. B., Goldberger, Z. D., Hahn, E. J., Himmelfarb, C. D., Khera, A., Lloyd-Jones, D., McEvoy, J. W., Michos, E. D., Miedema, M. D., Muñoz, D., Smith, S. C., Jr., Virani, S. S., Williams, K. A., Sr., Yeboah, J., & Ziaeian, B. (2019). 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation, 140(11), e596-e646. https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000678
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Frayn, K. N., Tan, G. D., & Karpe, F. (2007). Adipose tissue: a key target for diabetes pathophysiology and treatment? Horm Metab Res, 39(10), 739-742. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-990270
Hamer, M., O’Donovan, G., Lee, I. M., & Stamatakis, E. (2017). The ‘Weekend Warrior’ Physical Activity Pattern: How Little Is Enough? British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097538
Jang, Y. S., Joo, H. J., Jung, Y. H., Park, E. C., & Jang, S. Y. (2022). Association of the “Weekend Warrior” and Other Physical Activity Patterns with Metabolic Syndrome in the South Korean Population. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013434
References
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Kunutsor, S. K., Jae, S. Y., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2023). ‘Weekend warrior’ and regularly active physical activity patterns confer similar cardiovascular and mortality benefits: a systematic meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol, 30(3), e7-e10. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwac246
Lei, L., Li, J., Wang, W., Yu, Y., Pu, B., Peng, Y., Zhang, L., & Zhao, Z. (2024). The associations of “weekend warrior” and regularly active physical activity with abdominal and general adiposity in US adults. Obesity (Silver Spring), 32(4), 822-833. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23986
Leskinen, T., Lima Passos, V., Dagnelie, P. C., Savelberg, H., BE, D. E. G., Eussen, S., Stehouwer, C. D. A., Stenholm, S., & Koster, A. (2023). Daily Physical Activity Patterns and Their Associations with Cardiometabolic Biomarkers: The Maastricht Study. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 55(5), 837-846. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003108
O’Donovan, G., Sarmiento, O. L., & Hamer, M. (2018). The Rise of the “Weekend Warrior”. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2018.0611
Roberto, C. A., Swinburn, B., Hawkes, C., Huang, T. T., Costa, S. A., Ashe, M., Zwicker, L., Cawley, J. H., & Brownell, K. D. (2015). Patchy progress on obesity prevention: emerging examples, entrenched barriers, and new thinking. Lancet, 385(9985), 2400-2409. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61744-x
Shiroma, E. J., Lee, I. M., Schepps, M. A., Kamada, M., & Harris, T. B. (2019). Physical Activity Patterns and Mortality: The Weekend Warrior and Activity Bouts. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 51(1), 35-40. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000001762
