Are Weekend Warrior Workouts Enough?

Some fitness enthusiasts say you can meet all your fitness goals by exercising only two days per week. Others say that puts too much stress on underused muscles and sets them up for injury; and some weight-training experts say one strength workout per week is all you need to build a better body.

The term weekend warrior describes someone who exercises infrequently, but engages in intense workouts on their days off. It also describes someone who is out of shape, but attempts to exercise at the level he did in his more-fit years. A weekend warrior workout doesn't have to take place on a Saturday or Sunday. Any big blast of fitness or exercise qualifies. 

Some people who are in reasonably good shape, but can't find time during their workweek to exercise load up their weekends with fitness activities. They might train for a marathon, spend all day playing basketball with their buddies, or hit 18 holes of golf. But is it enough?

The most current fitness guidelines say you should get 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise that includes cardio, strength, and flexibility training. Ideally, that would include about 30 minutes of cardio (or aerobic) exercise, five days per week and two to three strength-training workouts.

If you play three hours of soccer in a weekend tournament, you've more than met your cardio-quota. If you follow that up with some bodyweight exercises like pushups or pull-ups, you've got your strength training covered. Top it off with a thorough session of stretching and you're done.

According to Adam Zickerman, author of Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution, a weekend warrior-style weight training session is all you need to stay fit. His workout program is designed around weight lifting with hand or machine weights using a super-slow ten-second lift and ten second release for an intense total of 20 minutes. He writes that this style of slow motion weight training works muscles much harder than traditional lifting techniques because it doesn't use the power of momentum.

Therefore, less weight lifting is needed to get the same results. Does it work? Some people say Zickerman's technique is perfect for their busy lifestyles and delivers great results, but others say it's too intense to stick with and doesn't take care of their cardio-training needs.

The problem is that many weekend warriors tend to overestimate their athletic ability or strength and in turn hurt themselves. The American Council on Exercise rates it among the top ten exercise mistakes people make. Emergency room doctors rate weekend warrior injuries among the top reasons why people go to the emergency department. Sprains, strains, and back injuries are common when people push themselves too hard on undertrained muscles.

If exercising two days a week is really all you can do, it might be wise to split it up more evenly. For example, work out on Sunday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Saturday. That gives your muscles time to rest and recover between workouts. Better still, make short bursts of exercise a priority every day and fit more fitness into your week.

Find Your Personal Fitness ID

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) agrees that fitness is not a one-size-fits-all thing. Every person has unique factors that affect their health, fitness level, and fitness goals.

That's why trying to fit into someone else's fitness profile doesn't usually work and, in fact, often causes injury. ACSM says everyone has a unique fitness ID they must discover, develop, and change throughout their lifetime.

Helping people find that fitness ID is the reason why ACSM recently published theirComplete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011). Edited by Dr. Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM Certified Program Director and ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, the book describes how to evaluate personal fitness, set fitness goals, meet and exceed recommended exercise guidelines for aerobics, strength, flexibility, balance, and how to accommodate special health needs.

It also discusses nutrition, weight loss, weight maintenance, age-appropriate fitness standards and a wealth of health and wellness guidelines for every body. It details how to design your own personal exercise program to fit your fitness ID and guides readers through the how-tos of aerobic activity, resistance training, flexibility, and balance exercises.

ACSM emphasizes that exercises in each category should be customized according to personal preference and skill level. "A balanced exercise program is like a sturdy three-legged stool. If one leg is weak or too short, the stool isn't stable," Dr. Bushman explains. "In the same way, ignoring one of the exercise components will put your fitness program out of balance."

Your personal fitness ID evolves over time and changes as your health and strength change. No matter where you start out, physical activity will impact your health and well-being in positive ways. It's important to set realistic, achievable goals that can be accomplished through consistent, step-by-step effort.

"Understanding what it means to be fit, active, and healthy is the first step toward discovering your personal fitness ID," Dr. Bushman says. "With specific information on cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, flexibility, and nutrition, people of all ages and health conditions can take charge of their fitness and develop a fitness ID unique to their needs."

Fitness Trend Alert: Fluid Movements Get You Fit

Gyrotonic® was developed by former ballet dancer Juliu Horvath in the early 1980s after an injury ended his dance career. It incorporates elements from yoga, Pilates, dance, and tai chi, but people who practice Gyrotonic® say it's a lot like swimming due to its fluid movements.

Exercises are practiced on the Gyrotonic Expansion System®. This equipment includes benches, ladders, weight, pulley systems, and straps or handles for hands, arms, legs, and feet. Movements are very integrated, dance-like, and circular. The equipment allows for movement in all directions.

Gyrotonic® is appropriate for people of all fitness levels and those recovering from injuries. It's an exercise system that's often recommended by physical therapists because it allows users to stretch and strengthen muscles and connective tissues around joints. Exercises are synchronized with corresponding breathing patterns, making it a mind-body exercise, but Gyrotonic® can also be vigorous enough to provide aerobic/cardio fitness.

Unless you have the funds and room for your own equipment, Gyrotonic® is best practiced in one of hundreds of studios around the world. The equipment is big, bulky, and expensive. Plus, learning how to use it isn't easy. Specially trained instructors evaluate a new student's fitness needs, guide them through exercises, and teach them to use Gyrotonic® equipment. Most studios offer a variety of Gyrotonic Expansion System® equipment:

The Pulley Tower is a fully adjustable system that can accommodate all body types and fitness levels. The resistance provided by handles and pulleys provide strength and flexibility training in a way that prevents jarring movements and injury.

The Archway looks like a combination jungle gym and ladder. There's no pulley or weight system on this equipment, but straps provide extra support for users to practice bodyweight and stretching exercises.

The Jumping Stretching Board has a bench attached to a rolling track that can either lay flat or be raised to an incline. A pulley system provides slight resistance. Exercises are performed by lying on the bench and pushing off from a foot piece. The harder a person pushes, the higher and farther the bench glides.

The Gyrotoner® could be compared to an elliptical trainer crossed with a stationary bike and weight machine. It was designed so various muscle groups, tendons, and ligaments in the spine, arms, hips, legs, and ankles could be strengthened and stretched simultaneously.

People who don't have access to Gyrotonic® equipment can practice Gyrokinesis®, a mat-based exercise program that works the entire body through seven elements of spinal movement: forward, backward, left side, right side, left twist, right twist, and circular, as well as other movements. Like yoga, movements are coordinated with breathing patterns, but postures aren't held for long periods of time. Similar to dance, smooth, fluid movements are emphasized.

Where can you find a Gyrotonic® or Gyrokenesis® class? Log on to the Gyrotonic website or search online for studios in your area.