From cardiovascular and resistance exercise to stretching and balance work, there are so many aspects to fitness that it’s hard to know what’s best or where to begin. One guideline is fairly consistent, though—the recommended amount of exercise we’re supposed to get each week. Experts recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity per week. And some guidelines go so far as to break it down, saying that healthy adults should participate in moderate intensity aerobic activity (cardio) for at least 30 minutes on five days of the week or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on three days of the week.

If you’ve been taught that you have to strictly follow the guidelines to gain any real benefits, but find it almost impossible, we’ve got some good news for you. Researchers in China wanted to know if people who exercise just once or twice a week could lower their risk of dying early or dying from heart disease or cancer. They published their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association in April 2025. Let’s take a look at what they found.

How Was This Study Conducted?

Researchers drew data from the UK Biobank, a database and research resource containing de-identified genetic, lifestyle and health information and biological samples from half a million participants living in the UK. Out of the half a million Biobank participants, 93,409 agreed to wear a wrist accelerometer for a week—an accelerometer records most movements. The accelerometer group was just over 54% female and 97% white, with an average age of 62. 

Besides age, sex and race, other demographic information that served as potential confounders was collected, including BMI, education, socioeconomic status, smoking status, drinking status, healthy diet pattern, employment status, sedentary time and diabetes status.

Based on accelerometer data, these 93,409 participants were split up into three groups: people who completed most of their exercise in one or two days (“Active Weekend Warrior”: 42% of participants), those who spread their activity throughout the week (“Active Regular”: 24%) and participants who did not complete the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of weekly physical activity (“Inactive”: 34%).

Participants were followed for an average of 8 years, during which time 4,000 died from any cause, with about 17% dying from cardiovascular disease and 45% from cancer.

What Did This Study Find?

After several statistical analyses were run, including adjusting for potential factors that could influence or skew the results, researchers found that compared to the inactive participants, the weekend warrior and active regular groups had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes. In this case, “all causes” simply means dying for any reason. 

Both active groups also had lower risks of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer as long as they completed 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Specifically, compared to the inactive group, they found:

• The risk of death from all causes for the weekend warriors was 32% lower, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 31% lower and the risk of dying from cancer was reduced by 21%.
• For participants in the active regular group, the risk of dying from anything was 26% lower, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 24% and the risk of dying from cancer was 13% lower.

Researchers concluded that there were no significant differences in the risk of death between the weekend warrior and regular active groups.

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

“This study shows how powerful movement is and that any and all movements come with significant health benefits—whether spread out over the week or encompassing a couple of days,” says Michele Scharff Olson, Ph.D., FACSM, CSCS, senior clinical professor in the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education and Director for the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Subjects Research at Huntingdon College. 

This is not the first study to show that a weekend warrior pattern of physical activity has benefits. We previously reported on a study that suggested that a weekend warrior pattern of exercise was associated with a 43% lower risk of diabetes. Other studies that had a better mix of ethnicities than this current study have shown similar results to this current study regarding death rates.

But the authors of this current study note that, to the best of their knowledge, this is the first study to use wrist accelerometers as opposed to accelerometers worn on the hip. Some previous studies also had participants self-report their physical activity, which is not as accurate as wearing an accelerometer. 

Because these results are similar to previous studies, that means the evidence is mounting that any pattern of physical activity has benefits. In this study, weekend warriors still got the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week, but they squeezed it into one or two days. So what might that look like for you?

If you’re going to spread it out over two consecutive days, Olson suggests doing 20 to 30 minutes of cardio, such as indoor or outdoor cycling, walking, hiking or swimming, and coupling it with an upper body resistance exercise circuit and core work on day one. The next day, do another 20 to 30 minute cardio workout and couple it with a lower body workout. Olson notes that the cardio on the second day could be less intense.

“Varying the cardio and resistance exercises across the two days will provide head-to-toe-to-heart benefits, while using different movement patterns and muscles,” says Olson. “This can help prevent repetitive stress injury and balance the entire body.”

Olson adds that if you have time, try ending your workouts with some stretching and yoga or Pilates to end your workouts on a mindful note, allowing your body and mind to feel rested yet energized. 

If you don’t work out on two consecutive days, you could do a full-body strength training workout on both days. You want to avoid regularly performing resistance training on the same muscle groups two days in a row, as the recovery period is important. And if you’re a recreational athlete who plays sports a couple of times a week, make sure you’re warming your body up well before jumping into your activity. Recreational athletes tend to have a higher rate of injuries, especially if they’re not supplementing their sport with strength training and stretching.

If you don’t have time for formal exercise but want the benefits that come with it, then make everyday chores your workout. Crank up the music and do your housework with a bit more vigor. Push-mow the lawn; plant and tend a garden. Become less efficient by making more trips back and forth from the car to the house with groceries or more trips up and down the stairs carrying smaller armfuls of laundry. 

The Bottom Line

This new study suggests that two days of exercise can be just as beneficial as a week of exercise, assuming you hit the goal of 150 minutes of active time per week. The study adds to the mounting evidence that there is no one perfect pattern of physical activity. All movement matters. With that said, varying amounts and types of exercise will provide different results. To gain health benefits, including a reduced rate of disease or risk of dying from the disease, you don’t have to engage in as much physical activity as you do to improve your fitness level, which requires more effort. 

It’s also important to note that physical activity goes hand-in-hand with a healthy, balanced diet, quality sleep and managing stressors for reducing disease risk. When changing any health habit, start where you’re at and gradually change your habits over time. Starting with your end goal typically results in quickly burning out and rarely ends in success. Over time, small sustainable steps will add up to big results.