'Weekend warrior' workouts lower the risk of 200 diseases

Have you ever crossed paths with someone who exhausts their energy during the week and leaves all the fitness goals for the weekend? These folks are widely acknowledged as “weekend warriors.”

A new study led by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) suggests that these weekend workouts might be paying off in a big way.

Invasion of the weekend warriors

For the majority of us, keeping up with a regular workout schedule during the weekdays can be a herculean task. That’s where the weekend warriors come in, condensing all their exercise into a day or two each week.

According to a research study conducted under the expert guidance of MGH, this pattern of concentrated physical activity can be just as beneficial for reducing disease risks as a more spread out workout regime.

Miracles of physical movement

The magic of physical movement and its impact on our well-being is no secret.

Study co-senior author Dr. Shaan Khurshid is a faculty member in the Demoulas Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Physical activity is known to affect risk of many diseases,” said Dr. Khurshid.

“Here, we show the potential benefits of weekend warrior activity for risk not only of cardiovascular diseases, as we’ve shown in the past, but also future diseases spanning the whole spectrum, ranging from conditions like chronic kidney disease to mood disorders and beyond.”

The universal recommendation is to clock in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise every week for overall health. Now, an intriguing question arises – does it really matter how these 150 minutes are divided throughout our weekly schedule?

Weekend warriors vs. regular exercisers

The research team also included co-senior author Dr. Patrick Ellinor, the acting chief of Cardiology and the co-director of the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The experts investigated the fitness patterns of 89,573 individuals. Based on the data logged from wrist accelerometers, participants were categorized into three sectors: weekend warriors, regular exercisers, and the inactive.

The results? Quite surprising, to say the least! Both the weekend warriors and the regularly active exhibited significantly lower risks of more than 200 diseases in comparison to their inactive counterparts.

This included not only robust links with cardiometabolic conditions like hypertension and diabetes but also an array of other disease categories.

Dissecting exercise patterns

The research team further investigated the nuances between weekend warriors and regular exercisers, exploring the intensity and duration of their activities.

While both parties achieved the recommended 150 minutes per week, weekend warriors leaned towards longer, intense sessions while regular exercisers displayed a more balanced distribution.

Interestingly, this research points to unique benefits that weekend warriors might reap such as enhanced metabolic efficiency and improved endurance.

However, the sudden intensity can pose injury risks, flagging the need for meticulous exercise planning and progression.

Broader implications of the study

The insights from this study stretch beyond individual exercise habits and pave the way for public health recommendations.

The revelation that weekend warrior activities can match up to regular exercise routines might steer more people towards physical activity without the rigid confines of a strict weekly schedule.

Moreover, this flexibility can reduce the burden of daily routines for those with packed lifestyles, leading to a potentially more active population.

It is crucial to extend these studies across diverse groups and understand the long-standing impacts, but these preliminary findings are definitely encouraging.

Total volume of activity

“Because there appears to be similar benefits for weekend warrior versus regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most,” said Dr. Khurshid.

“Future interventions testing the effectiveness of concentrated activity to improve public health are warranted, and patients should be encouraged to engage in guideline-adherent physical activity using any pattern that may work best for them.”

As this study reveals, whether you choose to pack your exercise into the weekend, or spread it out through the week, the key is merely to keep moving.

The study is published in the journal Circulation.

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