Weekend warrior workout: 10 exercises to reduce disease risk

Weekend warrior workout: 10 exercises to reduce disease risk | XpertsReviews.com

Exercising only on weekends can be as effective as working out all week, according to a new study. Try to exercise regularly on weekends to reduce the risk of illness.

Do you barely have time for physical activity throughout the day? While some people remain physically inactive all year round, others take at least 30 to 40 minutes to break a sweat, but if you only have time on the weekends, there’s good news for you! It turns out that getting the recommended amount of exercise during your weekend can still reduce your risk of disease. If you can make up for the loss of training during the weekend or two days off, you can still be healthy. Weekend warrior training is easy to incorporate into your life, and you get the same health benefits as people who are regularly active, according to a new study.

Who is a weekend warrior?

A weekend warrior is someone who does physical activities, such as exercise or sports, primarily on the weekends, rather than spreading them out throughout the week. They typically have busy weekday schedules (e.g., work or family responsibilities), which make it difficult to exercise regularly. “Weekend warriors often indulge in longer, intense bouts of physical activity to compensate for the lack of exercise during the week,” says fitness expert Yash Agarwal.

Be a weekend warrior for good health. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock

Doing warrior training on weekends may reduce disease risk: study

Even if you can’t exercise every day, exercising every weekend can help you stay fit and healthy. A study, published in the Traffic journal in September 2024, found that weekend warriors had a lower risk of developing more than 200 diseases compared to inactive people. The list of illnesses included hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and mood disorders. Those who managed to do at least 150 minutes of exercise were considered regular exercisers if their training program was spread out. Weekend warriors were the category of people who crammed their 150 minutes of exercise into one or two days a week. Participants who exercised less than 150 minutes per week were in the inactive group. The study, which involved almost 90,000 participants, showed that the total amount of exercise people did was more important than how often they worked out.

Another study, published in August 2024 in Natural agingshowed that the weekend warrior training model was associated with lower risks of stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and depressive disorders.

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Another study, published by the JAMA Network in 2023, showed that exercise concentrated over one to two days was associated with an equally low risk of cardiovascular problems as more distributed physical activity.

So if you’re a weekend warrior, make sure at least 150 minutes of exercise is spread out well over the weekend. “You would need to exercise for around one to two hours on Saturday and Sunday,” says Dr Aijaz Ashai, physiotherapist and fitness expert.

Weekend Warrior Workout: 10 Exercises to Try

Here are some of the exercises you can include in your weekend warrior workout to improve your fitness:

1. Run

  • Start by walking at a pace that suits you.
  • Increase walking speed then start running for 30 to 60 minutes.

“Running can improve your cardiovascular health, burn calories, and improve your mood,” says Dr. Ashai.

2. Jumping jacks

  • Stand and jump with your legs apart.
  • Raise your arms above your head while doing jumping jacks.
  • Return to the starting position then do two more sets of 30 to 60 seconds.

“This improves cardiovascular endurance, warms the body and improves coordination,” says Agarwal.

3. Squats

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body by bending your knees while keeping your back straight.
  • Return to the starting position then do two more sets of 15 repetitions.

Squats can strengthen the legs, glutes and core; improve posture and flexibility.

4. Plank

  • Lie face down on the floor and raise your body on your forearms and toes.
  • While doing the plank, keep your body straight and hold the position.
  • Do three sets of 30 to 60 seconds to build core strength, improve posture, and improve stability.

5. Push-ups

  • To do push-ups, a strength exercise, start in a plank position.
  • Lower your body to the floor while bending your elbows, then rise back up.
  • You should do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions to strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps and core.

6. Lunges

  • Stand with your feet together in lunges, then take a step forward.
  • Lower your hips until both knees form a ninety-degree angle, then return to the starting position.

“Do three sets of 12 reps per leg,” says Agarwal. Lunges can improve your leg strength, balance, and hip flexibility.

7. Burpees

  • Start in a standing position and squat down.
  • Return to plank position then do push-ups.
  • Jump forward and jump into the air. Three sets of 10 repetitions should be enough.

It improves strength, endurance and coordination.

8. Jump rope

  • Hold a handle of jump rope in each hand, rotate it, and jump on it repeatedly.
  • “Three sets of 2 to 5 minutes can improve your cardiovascular health, improve your coordination and burn calories,” says Agarwal.
jump rope to lose weight
Skipping rope is one of the most effective exercises! Image courtesy: Adobe Stock

9. Deadlifts

  • To do deadlifts, stand with your feet hip-width apart and lift weights off the floor while keeping your back straight.
  • Disassemble the equipment and do two more sets.

This exercise can strengthen your back, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles.

10. Mountaineers

  • Start in a mountain climber plank position and bring one of your knees toward your chest.
  • Then quickly change legs.

Do 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds to improve cardiovascular endurance, core strength and agility.

Even if you don’t exercise every day, make sure you’re a weekend warrior. You don’t have to exercise regularly, as being a weekend warrior can also help reduce the risk of disease. However, remember to consult your healthcare professional to avoid any complications.

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