Weekend Exercise Lowers Risk Of Cancer, Heart Disease, Study Finds

What did the study find, exactly?

The research, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed health and physical activity data from more than 93,000 people who participated in the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource. The researchers organized participants into three groups based on their activity level:

1. Active weekend warriors: People who get enough moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to meet health guidelines (150+ minutes per week), but at least 50 percent of their activity happens on just one or two days per week
2. Active regulars: People who also hit the moderate-to-vigorous exercise criteria, but who spread it out more evenly across at least three days each week
3. Inactive: People who didn’t meet the recommended 150+ minutes of exercise a week

The researchers discovered that both the active regular and weekend warrior groups had a lower risk of death from all causes (up to 32 percent), as well as a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer. “Engaging in physical activity concentrated within one to two days was related with a similar reduction in mortality risk as more evenly spread activity,” the researchers concluded.

Basically, you shouldn’t sweat it if all you can manage is to crank out your workouts on weekends—it’s still better for your health than being less active.

“Generally, if you’re looking at people who are exercising at all, there is going to be some health benefit compared to people who are not working out as much,” says Jason P. Womack, MD, chief of the Division of Sports Medicine and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

How can weekend warriors earn the same health perks as more consistent exercisers, you ask?

At baseline, the study results suggest that getting in the recommended weekly amount of exercise is beneficial for your health—especially when you’re looking at risk for conditions like heart disease and cancer risk, says Bert Mandelbaum, MD, sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles.

“This [research] really shows that some exercise is good, more exercise is better, and most exercise is best,” he says. Being able to get your heart rate up for a certain period of time will always be helpful for your overall health, no matter when you can squeeze it in, Dr. Mandelbaum notes.

Christopher Berg, MD, a cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, agrees. “Exercise is medicine, and its impact on overall health—particularly heart health—cannot be overstated,” he says. That’s true whether you spread it out or jam it in over a few days, he says.

So, what should women take away from this finding?

If you can only work out on the weekends, you can continue to do just that without stressing that you’re somehow screwing up your health. But the doctors we spoke with still aren’t convinced that only being a weekend warrior is the move if you do have the choice to spread out more exercise out during the week.

There are a few reasons for this. One is that the researchers in this study only looked at seven days of physical activity data to determine what kind of exercise routine people had in place. So, someone who looked to be a so-called weekend warrior on that particular week may have actually been a more regular exerciser on other weeks—possibly skewing the data.

Need a strength program that fits into a busy schedule? Sign up for WH+ for exclusive follow-along programs that work for every lifestyle.

Another is that there are certain health metrics, such as VO2 max, that the study didn’t look at. (VO2 max measures how much oxygen you can use during intense exercise, and it’s considered a good indicator of fitness.) For example, “you can impact your VO2 max favorably by pushing workouts to the weekend, but you’ll have an even better VO2 max if you work out more consistently,” Dr. Mandelbaum explains. The study also didn’t look at factors such as organ health or longevity, Dr. Mandelbaum points out—it only looked at mortality rates from specific causes.

One more thing to consider: Being a weekend warrior can also raise your risk of injury, especially if you’re starting from a lower level of fitness, Dr. Berg says. (If you only exercise once or twice a week, your body may not get accustomed to regular movement and muscle engagement, which can set you up for injury or not allow for proper recovery between intense sessions.)

But ultimately, if working out on the weekends, or only a couple days in general during the week, is all you can manage, then great. But Dr. Mandelbaum recommends trying to do what you can to incorporate more pockets of movement into your schedule where you can. “Wake up a little earlier, and be more creative about when you can exercise,” he says. “The best bet for your health and fitness is to put exercise in some form into your day, every day.”

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.