Get your exercise in with this weekend-warrior workout plan 

Never mind if you don't have enough time to exercise during the week, experts say you can catch up on Saturday and Sunday and get the same benefits 

Pic: iStock

FOUND no time to work out this week? Stop feeling guilty and get your trainers on. 

Researchers have found that ‘weekend warriors’ who pack their physical activity into two days a week can get the same benefits as working out throughout the week. 

According to a team of cardiologists from Bejing, reporting recently in the journal Obesity, if you pack most of your physical activity into a weekend it will deliver the same health benefits as week-long activity.

According to government guidelines, adults should undertake at least two hours and 30 minutes and up to five hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (the type that leaves you puffing but able to chat) or at least one hour and 15 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (the all-out variety which means it’s hard to hold a conversation) throughout the week.

This level of exercise should ideally be spread evenly over four to five days a week, or every day, a target that many struggle to meet. 

Even if you start the week with good intentions and plan to exercise daily, by Friday you may find you are nowhere near the goals you had set on Monday.

Yet the recent evidence, based on findings from more than 9,600 participants aged 20-59, suggests that those who condense the weekly quota of activity into one or two days still reap similar health benefits as those who spread their exercise over a week. 

Results showed that the weekend warrior and regular active groups had lower belly fat, waist circumference, whole-body fat mass and BMI than the sedentary group.

It’s not the first time that researchers have shown the benefits of this approach. 

Three years ago, researchers who analysed lifestyle data on 350,978 mostly middle-aged adults reported in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that it didn’t matter whether participants packed their physical activity into two days or spread it more evenly through the week, both approaches enhanced longevity and reduced the risk of premature death compared to a sedentary lifestyle.

Last summer, a team from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital analysed UK Biobank data on 89,573 people in their 60s and found that all exercisers, whether weekend warriors or not, were at a much lower risk of heart disease than those who did nothing.

Sports psychologist Dearbhla McCullough, says the message is not to beat yourself up if you can only exercise at weekends. 

“This research suggests it is the total amount of physical activity and not so much the pattern of exercise that matters for health gains,” she says. 

“If you are too busy in the week, then doing something at the weekends is a good payoff, and you should not feel that it is falling short.”

As a weekend warrior you would need to commit to 75 minutes of moderate or 38 minutes of vigorous exercise on Saturday and Sunday. 

“There are fitness benefits to exercising even if you can only fit it in at the weekends,” says Patrick McGrath, trainer to several of Ireland’s top athletes.

“While it’s always better to exercise more often, anything is better than nothing and weekends are an important time to pack in workouts for many.”

Pic: iStock

Here are the rules for working out at weekends:

Stretch before exercise and last thing at night

Your muscles will need some attention if you plan to fit all of your exercise into two days and do dynamic stretches — high knees, leg swings, arm circles, prior to any aerobic workout, but also to ease down at the end of the day with some gentle stretching. 

“If you can squeeze some yoga-style stretching in on a Friday evening that would be great,” says personal trainer Dalton Wong.

“Even five to 10 minutes of gentle stretching over the weekend would be advantageous for muscle health and flexibility.”

Go for a five-minute walk on a Saturday morning

Getting up and heading straight into an exercise session when you are not used to it is asking for trouble. 

Heading outside for five minutes means you clock up valuable steps as well as exposing yourself to natural daylight which helps to re-set your body clock.

“A blast of fresh air and movement is the best way to start the weekend,” McCullough says. 

“Gradually pick up the pace towards the end of the walk to get endorphins and feel-good hormones flooding through your body.”

Pic: iStock

Try circuits, a bootcamp or an interval session mid-morning on Saturday

When workouts are squeezed into two days, you need to factor in time for recovery. 

Waiting until afternoon or evening to do a more vigorous form of exercise means you have less time for the muscles and mind to recover and reboot before you go again on Sunday.

“Think of it as recovery gap and the greater the amount of time between your weekend sessions, the kinder it is on your body,” Wong says. 

“Make sure you rehydrate and eat something after a tough workout to set the recovery process into action.”

Aim long and slow on Sunday mornings

Sunday mornings are likely the time of the week when people have the most free time to exercise. 

For that reason, make this the time you do your longer-duration, moderate-intensity exercise, the type in which you hit 50-60% of your maximum heart rate or are able to chat when on the move.

“Depending on your fitness base, start with about 45 minutes of walking or moderate cycling and gradually build up the duration over successive weekends,” McGrath says. 

“Ultimately, you are aiming for an hour to 75 minutes of this type of activity.”

Pic: iStock

Take up a new sport or exercise class

Trying any new sport or activity requires mental focus as well as different demands on muscles. 

Many constitute a vigorous form of exercise and because you are playing with or against others, the time can seem to pass more quickly.

“I recommend trying a new sport which will challenge the body in different ways and also means you don’t get bored and lose motivation,” says McCullough. 

“Anything that gets your heart rate up and includes elements of twisting, turning and jumping will build strength and mobility but crucially also keep you interested and motivated.”

Pic: iStock

Squeeze in 20 seconds of squats and lunges

Although the latest study focused only on the benefits of weekend warrior aerobic workouts, government guidelines suggest we also need to add in resistance training each week.

A circuit session would be ideal, but if that’s not for you any added extras will be beneficial. 

Think about incidental extras, not things like holding a plank for three or four minutes to the point of discomfort which will sabotage your weekend efforts.

“Carrying heavy shopping to and from the car, adding 100 extra steps to your daily tally, and fitting in a 20-second wall-sit or squat are the kind of things that you and fit in easily and that will make a long-term difference to muscle preservation and bone density if you keep them up over time,” Wong says.