. Their analysis published in The Journal of the American Medical Association is a beacon of hope for the overworked and overstretched. Those who spread their activity across the week lower their risk of a heart attack by 35 per cent, but weekend warriors diminish theirs by a comparable 27 per cent. Stroke risk reduced by 21 per cent for weekend warriors, and 17 per cent for those who were regularly active. The groups also had a similarly lower risk of musculoskeletal conditions. 'I usually work well into the evenings during the week and I find it difficult to be disciplined enough to go to the gym at, say, 8pm,' says Garin Dowd, a 58-year-old university professor from London. Since 2019 he has trained every weekend instead, with Frances H Mikuriya, founder of Frances M Fitness in Chelsea. On one day, he will do a high-intensity indoor cycling session for between 60 and 90 minutes. On the other, a 60-75 minute TRX session (standing for Total Body Resistance Exercise) followed, if time permits, by a yoga session. This approach, he says: 'quickly delivered tangible results, I began to feel stronger and fitter.' Today, he feels more agile, has more stamina, and because his regime has been carefully designed, he does not believe he is any less fit or healthy than he would be if he w){kind=link}
Here’s what you need to know about having a weekend warrior’s fitness programme
Are you aged between 19 and 64? The NHS recommends that you do at least 150 minutes of “moderate to vigorous” physical exercise, spread evenly across each week, not to mention strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups at least twice a week too. But what if, between Monday to Friday, your main exercise consists of brief dashes to the water cooler, and the repeated lifting of your laptop lid?
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have recently conducted the largest study to-date into what happens if you cram this exercise into just two days of the week – if you are, in other words, a “weekend warrior” or a “Saturday stroller” (depending on how you see yourself).
Their analysis published in The Journal of the American Medical Association is a beacon of hope for the overworked and overstretched. Those who spread their activity across the week lower their risk of a heart attack by 35 per cent, but weekend warriors diminish theirs by a comparable 27 per cent. Stroke risk reduced by 21 per cent for weekend warriors, and 17 per cent for those who were regularly active. The groups also had a similarly lower risk of musculoskeletal conditions.
“I usually work well into the evenings during the week and I find it difficult to be disciplined enough to go to the gym at, say, 8pm,” says Garin Dowd, a 58-year-old university professor from London. Since 2019 he has trained every weekend instead, with Frances H Mikuriya, founder of Frances M Fitness in Chelsea. On one day, he will do a high-intensity indoor cycling session for between 60 and 90 minutes. On the other, a 60-75 minute TRX session (standing for Total Body Resistance Exercise) followed, if time permits, by a yoga session.