Weekend warriors lose as much weight as regular exercisers, research suggests

Exercising just one to two days a week can be just as effective at losing weight as exercising every day.

'Weekend Warriors', people who cram their exercise into one or two sessions a week rather than working out a little every day, had a similar reduction in belly fat, waist circumference and body mass index as those who went to the gym regularly.

While most studies have examined the link between exercise and weight, which is not always an accurate interpretation of health, this study is the first of its kind to look at the link between physical activity patterns and the actual amount of fat on a person's body . .

Lihua Zhang, assistant professor at the National Center of Cardiology Disease in China and author of the study, said: 'The weekend warrior pattern is worth promoting to individuals who cannot meet the recommended frequency in current guidelines .'

World Health Organization guidelines recommend that adults get 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity.

But many find it difficult to combine this with work and family commitments.

Zhang pointed to office workers, bus drivers and other employees who have to sit for long hours during the day.

She said: 'These people struggle to catch up on their exercise schedule in everyday life to compensate for the danger of a sedentary lifestyle, but have less free time to go to the gym.

'Our research could offer them an alternative choice to stay fit.'

Activities such as climbing, hiking, cycling or running are all suitable for weekend warriors, she added.

Researchers used data from more than 9,600 participants in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Data from 2011 to 2018 was studied, including people who ranged in age from 20 to 59 years old.

Excess fat in the abdominal area and general excess fat all over the body were assessed using a non-invasive and easily accessible body composition scan.

Similar to an X-ray, it provides images of fatty tissue, lean mass and bone density.

Physical activity levels were collected from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and classified as inactive, weekend warrior, and regularly active.

The results showed that 772 participants reported a “weekend warrior” exercise regimen and 3,277 participants reported being “regularly active.”

In the group that only exercised one to two days a week, the training sessions were heavier, longer and more intense.

Compared to the 5,580 inactive participants, both the weekend warrior and regularly active groups had lower measures of abdominal fat, waist circumference, whole-body fat mass and BMI.

People in these two groups were younger, more likely to be non-Hispanic white, had higher educational backgrounds, and were less likely to be unemployed or have high blood pressure or diabetes.

Dr. Beverly Tchang, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study, said: 'At a high level, this study reaffirms the old adage about physical activity and health: any activity is better than none. activity.

'Remarkably, the weekend warriors' training was of higher intensity and longer duration, and higher intensity and longer duration correlated with even lower belly fat.

'However, the most important principle is that people should be active in a way that suits their lifestyle.'

The study was published in the journal Obesity.