A new fitness study reveals something great about ‘weekend warriors’

It turns out any exercise is better than no exercise at all

By Steph Green Published September 28, 2024

A man and a woman doing jumping jacks. — Ground Picture / Shutterstock

Your body was made to move. Exercise provides a range of health benefits, including feel-good endorphins, hormone release, and improved balance and posture. The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, or a combination of both. Any exercise is better than no exercise at all. The question is: does it matter when you manage to fit those minutes into your schedule? Will you still get the benefits if you only work out on the weekends? Researchers shined a spotlight on this question and yielded interesting results.

The study

two people doing lunges outside — Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels

The study out of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital was published in Circulation. The researchers assessed information on 89,573 individuals in the U.K. Biobank study. These individuals wore wrist accelerometers that recorded their total time spent at varying exercise intensities as well as their total physical activity over one week.

Recommended Videos

The researchers used the AMA and CDC guideline threshold of 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and categorized the participants into three groups:

Regular exercisers
Weekend warriors
Inactive

They looked for associations between physical activity patterns and 678 conditions, including different types of diseases like digestive, neurological, and mental health.

The results

man wearing black and blue jacket running outdoors in nature — Tikkho Maciel / Unsplash

The findings showed that the regular exercise patterns and the weekend warriors were both associated with significantly lower risks of 264 diseases compared to the inactive group. The strongest associations were for the cardiometabolic conditions. For example, the weekend warriors had a 23% lower risk of high blood pressure or hypertension over a median of six years, and the regular exercisers had a 28% lower risk. The associations were clear in all disease categories.

Do what feels best for you

man exercising balancing plank type pose on couch at home wearing sweatpants — Diego Cervo / Adobe

Whether you’re working out more regularly throughout the week or just on one or two days, as long as you’re getting the recommended 150 minutes, you’re taking positive action for your health. That being said, working out intensely for over an hour isn’t suitable for everyone, so do what feels best for you and consult with your doctor, healthcare provider, or physical therapist if you have any questions or concerns about your exercise plan.

Most people who only work out on the weekends say they just don’t have time during the week. The good news is that if you’re one of those people, you’ll still see similar results and lower disease risks, so you should continue powering on and be proud that you’re a weekend warrior.

Topics

Workouts

Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…

Health & Fitness

Plogging is a new fitness trend that’s good for your health and the environment

Not every fitness trend is worth trying, but plogging could help improve your local community.

Man jogging on pavement

Some of the best fitness trends are those that involve the great outdoors or a sense of community. Lately, another trend that’s been gaining momentum is plogging, and it turns out, it’s good for the environment as well as your health and fitness. It’s a simple concept that could make a big difference if enough people give it a try. When a fitness trend benefits your health, environment, and local communities, we at The Manual want to know about it. Here’s the down low on plogging.
What is plogging?

Plogging is an exercise and fitness trend where friends, family, co-workers, individuals, and entire communities take part. The idea is to go jogging while picking up trash to help clean up your town, city, or neighborhood. People take sanitary precautions by wearing gloves and carrying hand sanitizer and bags to put the trash in.
What are the benefits?

Health & Fitness

Here’s why fitness buffs are swapping gyms for TRX suspension trainers

Use gravity and your own bodyweight to optimize your muscle power.

TRX handles

Sometimes, even the most devoted gym lovers end up straying from the gym and trying other ways of getting ripped and optimizing their athletic performance. One of the ways that’s garnering more and more attention in the fitness world is the TRX suspension trainer. While the gym has plenty of interesting machines and equipment to work with, other different and effective fitness tools continue to hit the market. Many of these tools can be used at home or even outdoors, and some are so worthwhile and convenient that people are ditching their local gym. Let’s look at the TRX suspension trainer, how it works, and the benefits.
What is the TRX suspension trainer?

The TRX system, otherwise known as Total Resistance Exercises, is a specialized fitness tool and a form of suspension training. Former U.S. Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick originally designed the TRX equipment based on his own experience and research from the military, pro sports, and academic institutions. When you use the TRX Suspension Trainer, you’re leveraging your body weight and gravity to complete a range of exercises. You can choose from signature products, including heavy-duty straps, foot cradles, padding, and handles.
What is suspension training?

Health & Fitness

Should you take fish oil when training? What are the benefits? New study is in

How does this popular omega-3 supplement affect muscle mass and strength?

fish oil supplement in shape of fish on white background

Evidence is mounting on the benefits of taking fish oil supplements, from lowering blood pressure to protecting your heart and reducing your risk of cardiovascular events. Fish oil has been shown to lower inflammation, improve cholesterol and muscle-skeletal recovery, and more. Protein powders, creatine, and other supplements are common in the fitness world, but you don’t often hear gym buffs talking about fish oil. Recently, researchers set out to discover if taking fish oil supplements helps fuel muscle growth and strength. Let’s look at the research.
What is fish oil?

Fish oil is a dietary supplement containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are extracted from oily fish like anchovies, tuna, herring, and mackerel. The supplement contains two essential omega-3s: docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA. Especially if you don’t eat a lot of fish, taking a fish oil supplement could help you obtain sufficient omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil supplements typically come in capsule or liquid dropper form.