Weekend warriors are defined as the people that work business hours and then exercise like crazy over several days. “Weekend warrior” completed their 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity in 1 or 2 days per week,
This article in the January 9, 2017 issue of JAMA looks at the question of whether intense exercise twice a week is effective at decreasing mortality. Leisure time physical activity is associated with reduced risks for mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer. The World Health Organization recommends that individuals aged 18 to 64 years should perform at least 150 min/wk of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, at least 75 min/wk of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or equivalent combinations. More research is needed to determine how frequency, intensity, and duration of activity might best be combined to achieve health benefits.3 The frequency of activity is not specified, and one could meet prevailing guidelines by taking part in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on 5 days of the week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity on 1 day of the week. Those who choose to do all their exercise on 1 or 2 days of the week have been termed weekend warriors.4
Although less frequent bouts of activity might be more easily fit into a busy lifestyle, little is known about the benefits of the weekend warrior physical activity pattern.4 Data from the seminal Harvard Alumni Health Study suggest that all-cause mortality risk might be lower in weekend warriors than in sedentary men.4 Seventy-three deaths occurred in the 580 weekend warriors in the Harvard Alumni Health Study, and the authors acknowledged limited statistical power to investigate mortality risk in the weekend warrior, insufficient, and regular physical activity patterns.4 Because cardiovascular disease and cancer are among the leading causes of death,5 the primary objective of the present study was to investigate associations between physical activity patterns and all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality in a pooled analysis of 11 population-based cohorts. With much greater statistical power than the classic weekend warrior study,4 the secondary objective of the present study was to investigate how frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity might influence mortality.
Question What are the associations of physical activity patterns with mortality?
This pooled analysis of population-based surveys included 63 591 adult respondents.
The authors concluded that “all-cause mortality risk” decreased about 30% lower compared to inactive adults, concluding that weekend warriors activity is healthy compared to inactivity.
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