Weekend workouts help with weight loss, researchers say

Looking to lose weight but have little time to exercise during the workweek? You can still achieve your goal with weekend workouts, researchers say.

Using 2011-2018 data from more than 9,600 people (ages 20-59) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a team from the Obesity Society assessed participants’ body fat, abdominal fat and other body measurements. Based on physical activity levels, the participants were placed into three groups: inactive, weekend warriors and regularly active.

Findings show that the latter two groups had lower levels of abdominal fat, lower body mass indexes and smaller waist circumferences. Among the participants who reported the same volume of total weekly physical activity, weekend warriors – those who worked out once or twice a week – tended to have less abdominal fat and whole-body fat and smaller waist circumferences.

Women in the weekend warrior and regular-activity groups had lower BMIs than their male counterparts.

The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week. The researchers say the weekend warrior approach may be a good alternative for anyone who doesn’t have time to regularly exercise during the week.

The study was published online in the journal Obesity.