Are You Suffering From The Weekend Warrior Syndrome?

Is this you: little to no physical activity during the week, trying to catch up between Friday and Sunday?

The problem: intensity over quantity & quality = lukewarm results.

It doesn`t have to be this way.

Here`s the good thing:

As a weekend warrior, you are far ahead of people who don't even find the time on weekends to add more movement and exercise.

But the danger of pushing your body too far is real.

If you want to avoid overuse, injuries and make progress with your training, you have to be smarter than the people who have more time during the week.

More on that in a minute.

First, let us wrap our brains around the mental approach of the weekend warrior.

He is the opposite of the weekday balancer, because he…

• feels the urge to make up for what he missed

• hates the fact that he cannot exercise in the week

• enjoys pushing the body and mind during the 48 hours of the weekend

Like a lion carefully scouting their prey, he knows his time to hunt will come.

Only this time it`s the weekend that he hunts for, but before: prolonged sitting, 9+ hour workdays, an average of 4000 steps with a decent diet.

The strategy: Energy conservation during the workweek.

You wish you had the time to do 1-2 workouts per week, but you don`t.

Not at the moment.

As a family person, you cannot commute to the Gym for 20 minutes, lift weights for 45, and then take another 20-30 minutes home.

You know the common advice:

"Do 3 sessions from Monday to Friday. Take it easier on weekends."

This is what I would tell my clients under favorable circumstances.

But let`s face it, less-than-ideal circumstances require extreme measures.

Pushing yourself lies within your nature, so keeping it chill at weekends, is no way.

Plus, you are no stranger to making the most of your limited time.

With clockwork precision, the voice in your head starts getting louder on Friday afternoon.

"You have been sedentary all week long, now it's time to sweat off that stress"

Challenge accepted.

Friday, 5 pm, the work week is over.

Imagine Sly turning his baseball cap in Over the Top - it`s show time.

Engine on, full steam ahead.

Their war suit consists of a tank top, socks worn under knee level, baseball cap barely above the eyes (A little exaggeration doesn`t hurt).

"Better stay out of my way" - is the unquestionable message.

• 1-hour Full Body session on Friday

• 1,5 hours of running on Saturday

• 45 min. HIIT session on Sunday.

You hammer through 3 grueling sessions.

Once it`s Monday, you peel off your gym clothes and change into your weekday outfit.

The body feels bruised, and exhausted, but since nobody else does it for you - a pat on the back.

Man, you`ve been pushing this 40-year-old horse.

The question is: Do you set yourself up for health issues further down the line?

First, the good: Your body does not care how many days you need to arrive at the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise and 2 strength training sessions per week from the World Health Organization.

The effects are the same about reducing risk factors, such as

• dementia: 23%

• stroke: 13%

• Parkinson’s disease: 49%

• depression: 26%

• anxiety: 28%

¹

But how about injuries, you ask:

A study from the University of Calgary compared the number of people getting injured on weekends compared to those in the week.

They found that "54.8% of the injuries occurred on weekends compared to 45.2% on weekdays."²

Also, the injuries were found in activities, such as motocross, and hiking. The collisions during sports accounted for the majority of injuries, often resulting from falls, collisions with objects or other people, and accidents during high-risk activities.

Here`s the thing:

If you storm the Gym on Friday with no preparation leading up to it from the days before, your body is not ready to switch from first to 5th gear.

Remember how stiff you feel when you get out of your office chair.

Allow this old-horse body to get ready for warrior time.

Also, trying to max out the limited number of hours on weekends often ends up as lifting without a proper warm-up, rushing through exercises with improper technique, and accumulating stress from Friday to Sunday.

Here`s the fact: Doing all of your workouts in 3 days instead of over 7 days will make progress much harder.

But if you do it in a systematic way, your changes are much higher.

Let`s be careful by putting together a sample workout routine you can follow along.

Muscles grow at rest, so there is no point in hitting the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

Given the short time we have, we need to hit as much muscle mass as we can to trigger muscle and strength growth, but without risking overuse.

Therefore we divide into upper and lower body exercises.

The 3 sessions in short:

• Friday) Upper Body Strength + core

• Saturday) Lower Body Strength + HIIT

• Sunday) Full Body + Cardio

Make no mistake, this is for you when you have prior training experience.

A more individualized workout requires an assessment of your training experience, preferences, movement restrictions, and time availability.

This is what I do with my clients before setting them up for a routine.

Here`s a sample routine:

Friday: Upper Body Strength + Core

Warm-up (10 minutes):

• Arm circles, band pull-aparts

• Light cardio like rowing or jumping jacks

Strength Workout (45-60 minutes):

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise with 60-90 seconds rest between sets.

1. Bench Press or Push-Ups – Chest, shoulders, and triceps

2. Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown – Back and biceps

3. Seated Rows or Dumbbell Rows – Back and biceps

4. Dumbbell Overhead Press or Arnold Press – Shoulders and triceps

5. Core Circuit (3 rounds):

   • Russian Twists (15 reps per side)

   • Leg Raises (15 reps)

   • Plank (hold for 30-60 seconds)

Cool Down (10 minutes):

• Stretch shoulders, chest, and arms

• Foam rolling for upper body

Saturday: Full-Body Strength Training + HIIT

Warm-up (10 minutes):

• Dynamic stretches (e.g., arm circles, leg swings)

• Light cardio (e.g., jogging or jump rope)

Strength Workout (45-60 minutes):

Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise, resting 60-90 seconds between sets.

1. Squats or Deadlifts – Targets legs and glutes

2. Push-Ups or Bench Press – Targets chest, shoulders, and triceps

3. Pull-Ups or Bent-over Rows – Targets back and biceps

4. Overhead Press – Targets shoulders and triceps

5. Plank or Hanging Leg Raises – Targets core

Sunday: Cardio + Functional/Core Workout

Warm-up (10 minutes):

• Dynamic stretches, light cardio (walking or rowing)

Functional Workout (45-60 minutes):

Circuit style workout, 3 rounds of 10-15 reps per exercise with minimal rest between exercises.

1. Kettlebell Swings – Full-body power

2. Bodyweight Squats or Goblet Squats – Legs and core

3. Push-Ups or Dips – Chest, shoulders, and triceps

4. Inverted Rows or TRX Rows – Back and biceps

5. Farmers Walk or Weighted Carries – Core and grip strength

6. Plank with Shoulder Taps – Core stability

Cardio (30 minutes):

Pick an activity of your choice at moderate intensity.

• Cycling

• Running

• Swimming

• Rowing

Cool Down (10 minutes):

• Full-body stretch

• Deep breathing and foam rolling

You cannot afford 3 sessions during the weekend?

Limit yourself to one upper and one lower body workout.

The cardiovascular effects will be more limited than in an actual cardio workout but still be beneficial to your your heart.

Look, I know time constraints are one of the biggest obstacles to consistent exercise. Limiting your workouts to 3 consecutive days is challenging, but done in a proper way - sufficient warm-up, the right choice of exercises, correct exercise technique, sets, and reps - the weekend warrior won`t leave the battlefield beaten too soon.

P.S.: I don`t want you to be a weekend warrior forever.

Why?

Even with the best plan, it can take a toll on your body and mind, because weekends are often full of activities that you need your workout to plan around.

Compensating the lack of frequency with intensity is challenging.

Therefore it`s the right approach for a limited amount of time.

Bottom line:

It helps you build a routine.

It helps to find pleasure and peace of mind only exercise delivers.

It will open the door to integrating some exercise into your busy weekday schedule.

"Get a high-performing body in under 3 hours per week" - if my clients can, you can too.

Finding a schedule that works for you while enjoying the results of your efforts is key.

Quick question: When do you train?

1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2794038

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035407/