With the pressure of social media, it’s easy to feel the need to exercise at least four or five times a week to stay in shape. But the reality is that any physical activity, no matter how small or infrequent, is good for you. And setting realistic goals is key to maintaining consistency in your workout routine, which will help you progress over time. “If you can exercise, it’s a good thing, no matter what it is or how many days,” says Laura Andersonpersonal trainer and gym founder based in Edinburgh Cave Adjustment.
And new research confirms that just exercising twice a week can significantly improve your health. THE study specifically studied people with type 2 diabetes who identified as “weekend warriors,” meaning they only exercised on Saturdays and Sundays. Researchers found that this reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 21% and the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 33%. The researchers noted that other studies have found similar results regarding people who follow a “weekend warrior” schedule in the general population.
Is exercising twice a week really enough?
Researchers found that being a “weekend warrior” reduced all-cause mortality to the same extent as people who exercise regularly. Crucially, however, people in the study who only exercised twice a week still exercised 150 minutes a week in total. This is the amount of exercise recommended by most health organizations, including the CDC.
According to Anderson, two days a week is a good goal for people who are currently inactive. “I think (exercising) twice a week is a really good place to start,” she says. “If you start with more than that, you run the risk of overdoing it: your body isn’t trained for it, recovery may be slower, and it can feel overwhelming.”
However, she cautions that it’s important to try to stay generally active every day, even if you don’t do a dedicated workout. “We want to view exercise as part of a healthier, more active lifestyle at the most basic level,” she says.
Is it OK to exercise on two consecutive days?
This study specifically looked at people who exercised for two consecutive days. Anderson says many of his clients only train on weekends due to work and other responsibilities, and it works for them. “It definitely depends on what fits your lifestyle best, because that’s what will be sustainable for you, so the consistency will be there,” she says.
However, exercising two days in a row, especially if you are not active at the moment and doing intense sessions, could potentially lead to injury. “I think the weekend model can sometimes be risky and lead to more musculoskeletal injuries,” Anderson says, adding: “If the sessions are quite intense and you’re not used to it (…) it takes a long time to exercise, which could potentially overtax your body a little too much.”
If you’re following a “weekend warrior” plan, recovery is key. “The best thing you can do if you’re training on consecutive days is to get a good night’s sleep,” says Anderson. “Avoid screens before bed and try to get seven to nine hours of sleep.”
She adds that diet is also crucial for good recovery. “Just because we went to the gym doesn’t mean you have to fall face first into a bag of donuts. We need to make sure we’re giving our bodies the nutrients they need, as well as eating fun foods,” says Anderson. “Prioritize plenty of carbs to fuel your muscles, make sure you stick to your protein intake, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, too.”
In addition to this, Anderson suggests doing light stretching between sessions and a short walk – 15 minutes is enough – to maintain blood circulation, remove lactate from muscles and improve your recovery.
What should you focus on if you can only exercise twice a week?
The type of workout you should do depends on your goals and what you enjoy. But Anderson recommends trying to incorporate a mix of strength and fitness activities if you only exercise twice a week. Below, she shares a workout plan that will help you build strength, improve your fitness, and work on your mobility in two sessions.
They both involve a combination of strength training and cardio. “Balance what you want to do over two days, rather than thinking of them as two individual sessions,” she advises. Anderson recommends dividing your strength workouts into “push” and “pull” movements, rather than workouts targeting specific areas of the body. “I find that ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ is a more functional way to train, and it also means you’re performing more movements more frequently, basically if you’re only training twice a week,” she says.
You don’t necessarily need to incorporate machines or dumbbells into your workouts to build strength, especially if you’re trying to make the most of your time. “At the beginner level, I think the best thing to do is grab some dumbbells and find a space in the gym where you can almost set up a circuit,” advises Anderson. “So you can do four or five exercises in a row, take a few minutes of rest, and then repeat that for maybe four or five rounds.” Over time, Anderson recommends trying to reduce the rest time between sets and also gradually increasing the weights you use, to ensure you continue to progress.
Below, Anderson shared a specific workout format for each session and some exercise ideas.
“Weekend Warrior” Training Plan
First session
Warm-up: 10 minutes
Five minutes of gentle cardio followed by five minutes of gentle stretching.
“Push” exercise circuit: 30 to 40 minutes
Perform 10 to 12 consecutive repetitions of the following exercises, then take two to three minutes of rest, for four to five sets:
- Squats with dumbbells
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Dumbbell lunge
- Dumbbell chest press
Aerobic workout: 25 to 40 minutes
Anderson recommends finishing your workout with 25 to 40 minutes of moderate cardio exercise, keeping your heart rate in zones one through three. “It could be running, rowing – maybe you have access to a swimming pool,” she says.
“Heart rate zones one through three should mean working at a conversational pace,” says Anderson. “This is where you build your cardio base, which will then allow you to get fitter and faster over time. These sessions should feel pretty easy.”
Second session
Warm-up: 10 minutes
Five minutes of gentle cardio followed by five minutes of gentle stretching.
“Pull” exercises: 30 to 40 minutes
Perform 10 to 12 consecutive repetitions of the following exercises, then take two to three minutes of rest, for four to five sets:
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
- One-arm dumbbell
- Dumbbell Bicep Curls
- Row of Renegades
Cardio finisher: 15 to 25 minutes
Anderson recommends a HIIT circuit to finish your second workout. “Zone four and especially zone five, that’s where you then train your VO two Max, which is sort of your high-end performance, really increasing your fitness level at that point,” she explains. “These kinds of sessions can be done in 10 to 15 minutes,” adds Anderson.
She recommends doing intervals on a machine like a treadmill, rower, or bike. Or you can do running intervals. Anderson recommends 30 seconds of sprints – either running or on a specific machine – followed by two minutes of walking, cycling or rowing slowly. Alternatively, you can try one of the best HIIT workouts for beginners.
Then spend five to ten minutes cooling down by walking, jogging slowly, or cooling off on the machine you were using.
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