You should do something that makes you sweat every single day, right?
At least, that very loose metric has long been the standard for anyone who wants to stay fit, live longer and healthier, and stave off any number of diseases that are associated with inactivity. According to federal guidelines in both the U.S. and UK, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise (like walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (like running) each week to reduce the risk of long-term health issues like dementia and heart disease.
However, according to a new study published in Circulation, a journal from the American Heart Association, it might be perfectly fine to cram a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days. In fact, the study says that doing as much—becoming a “weekend warrior,” so to speak—can lower the risk of developing more than two-hundred diseases when compared to wholly inactive people.
The study, led by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzed information from nearly 90,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank project and categorized their physical activity as weekend warrior, regular, or inactive based on federal guidelines. Researchers found that weekend warriors’ approach of going hard on their days off seemed as effective at reducing disease risk as regular exercise spaced more evenly throughout the week.
“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,” the study’s co-senior author, Dr. Shaan Khurshid, said in a news release.
It’s hardly a shock that doing something is better than doing nothing. But seeing the positive impact of just a few workout sessions per week backed by scientific research is reassuring, especially for people who may not have the time to get sweaty every day.
All that being said, don’t give in to the temptation to skip your warmup so you can pack all of your fitness goals into a compact timeframe.
“Even if your time is very limited, I would never tell an athlete to go into a workout cold,” says Mandy Gallagher, a level-one USA Cycling coach based in Durham, North Carolina. Gallagher also says you should still move your body as much as possible during the week, even if that just means taking a short walk every day, lightly stretching and loosening your body during work hours, or, if you’re a parent, getting outside and playing with your kids.
“Do something active during the week, even if it’s just for ten minutes a day,” she says.
Matt Sanderson, a human performance coach at the fitness company SOFLETE, stresses the importance of approaching a reduced workout load for exactly what it is.
“Don’t try and pack five days of working out into two days,” says Sanderson, who has a master’s degree in strength and conditioning and was previously a physical training instructor with Britain’s Royal Air Force. “Approach it as a two-day-a-week training plan.”
So how do you become a weekend warrior? How do you wring the most out of those 75 or 150 minutes? Here’s how to optimize your weekend workouts.
Change Up Your Zones
To get the most out of your two-day-a-week workout plan, both Gallagher and Sanderson agree that varying your level of intensity is key.
Alternating workouts between two of the five heart-rate training zones is an effective way to build aerobic and anaerobic fitness, Sanderson says. He recommends exercising in zone two, which is typically 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, for one of your workouts. Then on the next day, try exercising in zone five, which should push you to 90 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate. (To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, a 35-year-old would have a maximum heart rate of 185 beats per minute).
If you don’t have a way to track your heart rate, Sanderson says you can estimate your workout intensity by your ability to talk. While exercising in zone two, you should be able to hold a conversation; a zone five workout will require “everything you’ve got,” he says.
Depending on your level of cardiorespiratory endurance, a zone two workout could be an hour of brisk walking, jogging, or alternating between walking and running at a leisurely pace. For another moderate intensity workout, Sanderson recommends rucking—an increasingly popular fitness trend that involves walking with a weighted backpack.
“Go ruck for 400 meters,” he says. “Then ditch your pack and walk for 400 meters. Then throw your pack back on for 400 more. Alternate that for an hour.”
Your zone five workout may include sprint repeats or shorter, max-effort runs. For these efforts, Sanderson stresses focusing on how close you are to your endpoint, whether that’s your home or your car.
“Pick a loop around your neighborhood or go work out at the local track,” he says. “The last thing you want is to have done hard efforts five kilometers down a trail only to say, ‘OK, I’m done,’ and have to walk five kilometers back.”
Ride Your Bike
If you’d rather spend your weekend cycling, Gallagher also recommends varying the pace and length of your bike rides.
“One day focus on endurance or a longer ride, one day focus on intensity or a shorter ride,” she says.
To build a strong endurance base, Gallagher recommends a 90-minute ride at a steady, conversational pace. Bookend that ride on either side with a 15-minute warmup and a 15-minute cool down and stretch. For your warmup, Gallagher suggests an easy ride peppered with some quick speed bursts, where you’re pushing your pedals over 100 RPM.
To increase your anaerobic capacity, your next workout should focus on intense efforts. For those, Gallagher recommends the following with the same warmup and cool down efforts.
“Find some short climbs, under three minutes, and do hill repeats,” Gallagher says.
She advises starting with a set of three to five climbs with about two to three minutes in between efforts. As your fitness increases, you can add additional sets.
Gallagher also suggests finding some flat terrain and focusing on 15- to 30-second-long sprints. Start with five to eight sprints with about two to three minutes of moderate cycling in between efforts, and add more sprints as you are able.
Finally, Gallagher encourages one-to-one bursts, where efforts and rest come in equal measure. In other words, ride hard for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. As you gain fitness, increase to one minute on, one minute off; three minutes on, three minutes off, etc. Repeat the efforts three to six times per set with five to ten minutes of rest in between sets.
Keep It Fun
The key to staying consistent as a weekend warrior is having fun. If you don’t enjoy running, don’t run. If you have limited time to achieve your fitness goals, it’s best (and easiest) to get your exercise in by planning an activity you’ll look forward to.
“It’s essential to do something that you enjoy rather than something you hate that you think is going to be beneficial to you,” Sanderson says. “You have to think of it like, ‘What’s something I’m going to do for the rest of my life?’ rather than, ‘This is something that’s going to be beneficial to me over the next six weeks.’”
Sanderson also says that exercise can be a social activity. In particular, the conversational nature of zone two workouts allows you to connect with a workout partner in a way that intense efforts may not.
“Find a flag football league or a softball league, a running club or a cycling group,” he says. “That helps massively, not only for fitness but also accountability and mental health.”
If you enjoy your workout, it will feel less like work, Gallagher says.
“The big thing is that you don’t want to make it seem like another job,” she says. “If you’re out on your bike, that’s a good thing.”
Too often, we associate fitness with suffering in a gym or miles thumping underfoot. In reality, fitness can and should be fun. And when it is, you’re more likely to keep coming back to it, even if it is just for a few hours each week.
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