However, research suggests you may need much less than that to shed as much fat as through three weekly workouts.<\/p>\n
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A once-a-week workout may be just as effective at burning fat as three weekly workouts, according to a study. Viacheslav Yakobchuk \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Excess belly fat, namely visceral fat<\/a> around the abdomen, is closely linked to several health issues like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even inflammatory skin conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the next step to lose belly fat could be as easy as a once-a-week workout.<\/p>\n A study published in the journal Nature Communications<\/a> found the effects of one weekly session of high intensity interval training on heart health and body fat were comparable to three days of the same exercise.<\/p>\n Researchers at the University of Hong Kong compared adults with abdominal obesity who did one 75-minute session of interval training on a treadmill per week, or split the 75-minute session into three workouts across the week.\u00a0<\/p>\n The training sessions consisted of four 4-minute high-intensity intervals with resting intervals at three minutes in between, for a total of 25 minutes per session.<\/p>\n The once-a-week group completed each 25-minute session in three sets, with a break of 15 to 30 minutes in between each set.<\/p>\n Total body fat mass, body fat percentage and waist circumference were measured at the beginning of the study, after four months and again at eight months from the start.<\/p>\n Both groups saw significant reductions in total body fat after four months, with the once-a-week group losing around 2.6% and the three workouts a week group losing about 3.5%.<\/p>\n This suggests the total amount of exercise is more important than how exercise is spread throughout the week.<\/p>\n And although fat loss petered out after another four months, participants continued to see reductions in their waistlines<\/a>, an indicator of less visceral fat.<\/p>\n This \u201cweekend warrior\u201d approach \u2014 people who cram exercise into Saturdays and Sundays \u2014 could prove beneficial for those in a time crunch.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of relying solely on high-frequency exercise prescriptions, once-weekly interval training can be considered a feasible and effective alternative,\u201d lead study researcher Professor Parco Siu Ming-fai said.<\/p>\n Weekend-only exercisers lower their risk of more than 200 diseases just as much as those who go to the gym throughout the week, another study found.<\/p>\n High intensity interval training has numerous benefits, even if you leave working out to the weekends.<\/p>\n Regularly upping the intensity<\/a> can reduce blood pressure, boost metabolism, lower blood sugar levels and burn more calories long after exercise.<\/p>\n And some interval training sessions can even be done in as little as 20 minutes<\/a>, using only a wall, a chair and your body weight.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/side-view-two-attractive-sports-62326610.jpg\")
One weekly 75-minute session of high intensity interval training (HIIT) proved to have similar effects on heart health and body fat compared to three 25-minute sessions. Vasyl \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n