What happens if I only exercise on weekends?

For a long time, it has been thought that regular exercise, spread throughout the week, was the only effective way to maintain health. But let's face it, with workdays that often exceed twelve hours, it's difficult to allocate time for leisure and physical well-being. Fortunately, recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association challenges that idea and offers good news for those who can only exercise on their days off.

The study, which analyzed data from nearly 90,000 people in the UK Biobank using a wrist-based activity monitor, found that Concentrating exercise on one or two days a week has cardiovascular benefits comparable to those who exercise more frequently.

That is, so-called "weekend warriors"—people who manage to accumulate the recommended 150 minutes of weekly activity in a couple of intense sessions—also reduce their risk of suffering from heart diseases, such as heart attacks or strokes.

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"It's not so much when you exercise that matters, but how much in total," explained cardiologist Patrick Ellinor, one of the study's authors. According to the results, as long as you meet the minimum recommended volume, the benefits for heart health are virtually guaranteed , regardless of whether you spread your exercise out over the week or concentrate it on two days.

Still, experts clarify that more studies are needed to better understand the long-term effects of this type of compressed training, especially in relation to potential injuries.

For now, The differences in the risk of muscle injuries were not significant between those who exercised on a regular basis and those who did so only on weekends. Although some might think that training intensely in a short period of time can overload the body, the data did not show a higher incidence of injuries in the "weekend" group.

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While daily exercise has its own benefits—such as improving mood, reducing stress, and maintaining more stable energy levels—this research offers relief for those who can only exercise at specific times. The key is to add minutes of activity, not obsess over the calendar.

Whether you go for a run at seven in the morning or set yourself a marathon mission every Saturday, the key is to get moving. Remember, your body will notice the difference, and apparently, so will your heart.

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