This actually makes a lot of sense in simple physical principles. The best way to relax your muscles is to stretch them as far as possible and then let go. It also conforms to the extreme lifestyle--work hard. play hard. If we work hard during the six-day week, we can relax and enjoy harder on the seventh day of מנוחה.
But, still, why does doing it once mean you've got it made? The Maor Eynayim (פרשת ויקהל) explains that if you keep Shabbath properly once, then it sticks around with you during the following week, and hands you off to the coming Shabbath, all the while aiding you in your intense work-week easing your labors, helping you succeed. So, by the time you get to the next Shabbath, you've had another successful and spiritually productive six-day week, and you can groove right into Shabbath. Now you're on a roll, you've built up the momentum and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Now, the week is a down-hill instead of an uphill and you can push harder, pedal faster, and you fly into the next Shabbath.
Rinse and repeat. This never needs to end. You can get higher and higher every Shabbath. Only you can get in the way of yourself. [That last part was a note to myself :)]
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