New research shows that weekend warriors — or those who squeeze a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days — can reduce their risk of over 200 diseases just as effectively as people who exercise daily.
The study, published in Circulation, analysed data from 89,573 participants in the UK Biobank project and found that both weekend and regular exercisers significantly lowered their risk for conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and mood disorders, compared to inactive individuals.
The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly.
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Exercise is considered vigorous when it is difficult to finish sentences while exercising.
This study shows that the total amount of physical activity people get is more important than how frequently they train
Using wrist-worn devices to track exercise, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital followed participants’ health over several years.
They discovered that the total amount of physical activity was more important than how often people exercised.
Both weekend warriors and regular exercisers saw similar reductions in disease risk, particularly for cardiometabolic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
For instance, weekend warriors and regular exercisers lowered their risk of high blood pressure by over 20% and diabetes by more than 40%, compared to those who were inactive.
Lead researcher Dr Shaan Khurshid from Massachusetts General Hospital says the findings are empowering: “It’s the total volume of physical activity that matters, not how it’s spread out. Find a routine that works for you.
“It shows that, in terms of health benefits, it’s really the volume of physical activity rather than the pattern that matters.”
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These results are promising for those who struggle to fit exercise into their busy schedules, showing that concentrated bursts of activity can still lead to significant health benefits.
The most significant benefits were seen for cardiometabolic conditions.
Weekend warriors and regular exercisers had over a 20% lower risk of developing high blood pressure compared to inactive individuals, while the risk of type 2 diabetes was reduced by more than 40%.
Read the study here.
