Weekend Warriors Phenomenon: Only Weekend Sports

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Exercising every Saturday or Sunday morning may have become a routine for some people. However, did you know that by only actively moving on weekends, do you still include someone who is less active in physical activity? Especially if at work you tend to spend time sitting while working which tends to be on your own. This phenomenon is known as a sport pattern weekend warriors where someone is only actively engaged on weekends.

Why weekend warriors not considered physically active

An active lifestyle can be achieved by actively moving and being carried out within 3 days a week. While the pattern of physical activity weekend warriors is a pattern of physical activity that is only done on weekends and tends to be inactive on weekdays. In general, exercising on Sundays is also done in a shorter time and may be less than 60 minutes.

When viewed from a long time, the need for adult physical activity is as much as 150 minutes a week for moderate intensity physical activities (such as cycling, swimming, walking, doing homework, playing sports games) with a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise sessions. WHO too recommend to strengthen muscles, fulfill the time needed for 150 minutes of physical activity per week in 2-3 days. Being physically active on a regular basis will help the muscles develop better.

Am i weekend warrior?

Someone meets the criteria weekend warriors if he spends more time sitting on weekdays and only about 150 minutes of physical activity on weekends. But if it does not meet these criteria, then he still includes having a sedentary pattern of physical activity even though he has been exercising on weekends.

What is the effect if you only exercise on weekends?

Typical sports on weekends are done in a short time and maybe with too high intensity. The body needs adaptation to exercise, body muscles that are not ready to move with high intensity will be more at risk of experiencing various injuries, including:

Achilles Tendon Rupture - is damage to the tissue or torn muscles of the tendon of the foot, usually caused by activities that use the foot to walk and run. Symptoms of this injury can be easily observed marked by swelling in the part of the leg tendon that is experiencing rupture aka torn. This includes serious muscle damage and even requires surgery for healing.
Plantar fasciitis - is an injury to the back of the foot (heel) caused by excessive pressure and is often characterized by pain. The effects of pain from this injury tend to last long even to the annual duration to completely disappear.
Lateral epicondylitis- in the form of injury to the area around the elbow. Repeated bending of the wrist accompanied by supination or pronation causes minor damage to the muscles and elbow collagen tissue. Movement of sports using hands and sports equipment such as golf and tennis are the main causes of this injury.
Ankle sprain or ankle sprained - is one form of injury to the joints of the foot because of the movement of the rotating foot which is the normal limit of its movement. Excessive pressure to spin your legs while exercising is the main cause. If this happens usually the joint area in the back of the foot with the tibia will experience swelling and pain.
Shin splints - is an injury caused by excessive pressure of the tibia (shin), the pain originates from the tendon around the bone that is under pressure. This is due to the increased intensity of exercise on hard surfaces or uneven surfaces.
Increases the risk of heart attack - Exercising does have benefits, but too high an intensity will be harmful to health. In addition to injury, a greater risk is a threat to cardiovascular health in individuals with a pattern of activity weekend warriors. Something research indicates that a heart attack (cardiac arrest) when exercise is more common in less active individuals who experience increased physical activity in a sports session. This is because the work of the heart will be heavier if we are not accustomed to physical activity with an intensity that is too high so that it triggers a malfunction and heart attack. This can also be aggravated by risk factors for heart disease.

To avoid injury when exercising on weekends, you need to prepare your body by starting a low intensity exercise or being one or two days before the weekend. Gradual increase in intensity is needed to prevent injury when exercising with high intensity. Also do heating and cooling by stretching the muscles before and after exercise.

Something studies to find out the benefits of activity patterns weekend warriors finding this pattern of activity will be useful for preventing various chronic diseases in someone with a healthy body, but this does not have a significant effect on individuals with risk factors. In addition, recommendations for active physical activity for at least 3 days per week aim to make routine activities for individuals and increase their intensity so that they can be useful in preventing obesity and the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome. So that the pattern of activity weekend warrior will be less effective if you have a goal of weight loss and the application of a healthy lifestyle.

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