The WHO recommends that adults engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity, 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity or an equivalent combination of both intensities. However, many individuals find it challenging to meet this recommendation due to physical activity being time consuming in a fast-paced society.
The new study found that people defined by researchers as “weekend warriors”—individuals who condense their exercise into one-to-two days a week—can also lose weight similar to those who exercise regularly during the week as long as they achieved the recommended goals.
“The weekend warrior pattern is worth promoting in individuals who cannot meet the recommended frequency in current guidelines,” said co-author Lihua Zhang. “Those people are struggling to catch up in their exercise plan in daily life to offset the hazard of a sedentary lifestyle but have less free time to get to the gym. Our study could offer them an alternative choice to keep fit.”
Researchers extracted data from more than 9,600 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2018. Participants ranged in age from 20- to 59-years-old.
Abdominal and general adiposity were assessed and physical activity levels. Results showed that 772 participants reported the weekend warrior pattern and 3,277 reported the regularly active pattern. Compared to the 5,580 inactive participants, both the weekend warrior and regular active groups had lower abdominal adiposity, waist circumference, whole-body fat mass and body mass index.
"On a high level, this study reaffirms the old adage about physical activity and health: any activity is better than no activity. Notably, the weekend warriors' workout was of higher intensity and longer duration, and more intensity and longer duration correlated with even lower abdominal fat. The main takeaway, though, is that people should be active in any manner that suits their lifestyle,” commented Beverly Tchang, MD of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Weill Cornell Medicine.