Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Working out every day is definitely not something everyone can do OR should do, but if you have worked up to be able to do a high frequency of 7 days per week and you just simply love exercising and/or being in the gym, then a 7 day workout plan can work for you.
In this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about working out 7 days a week and what are your best options in terms of workout splits for optimal results and recovery.
After we go through all of the pertinent information, we will provide three different 7 day workout plans based on various splits and routines, fitness levels, and overall goals.
Table of Contents:
- Can you workout 7 days per week?
- Prerequisites and goals for 7 day workout plans
- Who shouldn't train 7 days a week?
- Benefits of a 7 day a week workout routine (and some cons)
- Best 7 Day Training Splits
- Your 7 Day Workout Plan
- Weekly gym workout plan FAQs
CAN YOU TRAIN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK?
While working out seven days a week is not the best choice for most people, you most certainly can train seven days a week if you have the right split, variety, and you are eating enough and sleeping right. Moreover, you need to have worked up to this high frequency of training. You can't just go from 2-3 workouts per week to 7.
Let's look at some common goals to get a clear understanding if training seven days a week is right for you:
- Are you a beginner to working out? If so, you will find a 7 day workout plan for beginners is not the most efficient or effective choice. You can see a lot better results with 3-5 productive workouts each week. Plus, the rest days will have you more ready for the next workout, avoiding mental and physical burnouts.
- Do you want to build muscle? If you want to build muscle mass, then you need to damage your muscles through overloading them with stress (in the form of resistance), which means they will need time to rest and recover. Even with a split that gives you plenty of rest between major muscle groups, most people will see better results with a 4-5 day workout schedule. Remember, many exercises incorporate muscle groups outside of the primary muscle group (i.e. bench press is for your pecs but it’s going to hit your shoulders too).
- Do you want to get stronger? Lifting heavy is taxing on the body. You could do 5 strength training session per week as an intermediate to advance lifter, but a 7 day workout plan full of heavy lifting just doesn’t make sense. That said, a few days of heavy lifting mixed in with some lower intensity workouts (i.e. steady state cardio) can work.
- Do you want to lose fat? Training to lose fat can be just as intense (or more) than training for strength or muscle gain. However, it can also be done in a more sustainable manner with less taxing, more consistent workouts. The more you move each day, the more calories you will burn. So, training 7 days a week for fat loss can definitely make sense. You'd be best doing a few weight training sessions per week and several cardio and/or HIIT sessions.
- Are you doing just bodyweight workouts? Body weight workouts are generally easier on the body and nervous system, with exception to advanced calisthenics training and HIIT workouts. So, if you are doing a basic calisthenics workout plan, you should be fine to do bodyweight exercises each day (just take a rest day when you feel too tired).
All in all, you can train 7 days a week, and for any goal. You just need to have some variety in your training, as lifting weights 7 days a week might not be the best option.
WHO CAN TRAIN 7 DAYS A WEEK?
Here are the prerequisites you'll need for a 7 day workout plan AND the most suitable goals for this high training frequency.
|
Prerequisites: |
Suitable Goals: |
|
Good health and fitness condition |
Athlete or multi-fitness goal |
|
Adequate sleep availability |
Weight loss/fat reduction |
|
30-60 minutes of daily training time, every day |
Maintenance and health upkeep |
|
Gradual progressed to 7 days/week |
Daily endorphin boost |
|
In tune with your body |
Intensive short-term plan for muscle gain |
Who shouldn’t do a 7 day workout plan?
- Beginners
- People who want a sustainable and easily manageable hypertrophy plan
- People who want to progressively get stronger
With a 7 day workout plan, you can build muscle and you can get stronger, but it won’t be sustainable. So, if you are into strength training or bodybuilding, only use a 7 day plan for a short training cycle.
You can implement a short 7 day workout plan every 6-12+ months as a way to shock your body. Just be sure to give yourself the rest you need.
All in all, if you like to workout or be in the gym every day and staying active, but you know how and when to turn intensity up and down and can listen to your body when it’s time to rest, then you can workout 7 days a week and potentially see some great improvements in size and strength or at the very least get super lean.
BENEFITS OF WORKING OUT EVERY DAY:
If you aren't convinced yet whether working out every day is the right choice, let's go over why it could be good. There are plenty of great benefits to getting a daily sweat session in, so let’s go over them for your consideration:
1. Avoiding the sedentary lifestyle
Most adults spend around 70% of their waking day sitting down. This is a huge reason for the obesity problem in America (along with poor nutrition, of course).
The vast majority of American adults only take about 3,000-4,000 steps a day.
For reference, "sedentary" is considered less than 5,000 steps per day, "low active" is considered 5,000 to 7,500 steps per day, "somewhat active" is considered 7,500 to 10,000 steps per day, and "active" is anything more than 10,000 steps per day.
However, being sedentary or active doesn’t just come down to how many steps you take, it is just one effective indicator.
For reference, 1 minute of weight lifting is the equivalent to 133 steps (so 30 minutes is ~4,000 steps) and an aerobic workout is 145 steps per minute.
So, whether you workout several days a week and get your steps in on the remaining days (we’ll consider it working out everyday) or you do some form of physical activity every day and keep your steps as is, you will be out of the sedentary zone and that is going to be great for your overall health and longevity.
2. More likely to reach your weight loss, body fat percentage, and body composition goals
By staying active every day, you will have a great improvement in your metabolism and in turn you will shed off fat and/or keep it off. With that, you will see great results in your body composition. Your muscles will be fuller and denser, your bones will be stronger, and your body fat percentage will be in the healthy range.
3. Daily Mood Boost
We all know that working out releases endorphins. That natural high after a workout is a fantastic feeling, so why not get it every day. Not only will this make you feel good right after your workout, but it helps keep stress, anxiety and depression at bay. Working out is huge for keeping good mental health, especially considering the endorphins are combined with a more positive self-image.
4. Brain Boost
Exercise has been proven to improve brain function. As long as you are keeping your workouts to a manageable level in terms of fatigue, you will see an awesome improvement in memory and problem solving ability.
In the long run, keeping fit and healthy by working out can help protect you from ever-scary neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Let’s keep your brain synapses firing strong with daily physical activity.
5. Positive Health Chain Reaction
For most people, exercising, eating healthy and sleeping right go together like Moe, Larry and Curly. When you exercise, you make a conscious decision to invest in your health, and you won’t want to ruin the hard work with unhealthy foods.
Moreover, after a long day and a good workout, you are bound to get some restful sleep. In the end, people who workout tend to eat better and sleep better. And both eating healthy and sleeping well are vital for living a long, healthy, and productive life. You can thank daily exercise for this positive chain reaction.
6. Frequency
Studies show hitting each muscle group twice a week is best for hypertrophy, even if the total weekly volume is a little less. While this can be done with a split that doesn't involve training 7 days a week, it can be made very easy with a 7 day split.
Remember, not every workout needs to be weight lifting. You'll easily get to hit each muscle group twice a week, with a day or two to spare for other types of workouts like cardio, HIIT, plyometrics, or any athletic specific training.
POTENTIAL CONS OF WORKING OUT EVERYDAY:
Really, there are only two potential downsides to a 7 day workout plan.
One, if you aren’t recovering properly due to inadequate rest time, your progress can stall or even reverse. For example, if you are trying to gain muscle, but you aren’t recovering properly, you may actually lose muscle. Remember, muscle growth occurs during recovery.
That said, as long as you have the right routine that allows your muscles to have adequate time to repair themselves, you can make exercising every day work for you.
And two, you may end up with a mental and physical burnout. If you are doing high intensity workouts every day, you are going to burnout pretty quickly, both mentally and physically. It’s hard to overtrain with 4-5 days of workouts per week, but it can occur if you do intense workouts and have poor recovery habits.
When overtrained, not only will your body feel fatigued and tired, your mind will too. Just like working out benefits the mind, too much of a good thing can negatively impact it too. This is why varying your workouts in terms of the muscles targeted, the type of exercise, and the intensity is so important to avoid overtraining and mental burnout.
WHAT IS THE BEST WORKOUT SPLIT FOR TRAINING 7 DAYS A WEEK?
There are many ways to go about organizing a workout routine for 7 workout days per week. We recommend a weight lifting split with some form of cardio and mobility training or other physical activity (non-weight lifting days), so you can have tough workouts and easy workouts mixed together.
Because there are so many possible 7 day split options, we have decided to provide you various routines based on different goals and fitness levels. That way you can choose what best suits.
|
Options: |
Workout Split: |
Training Experience: |
Duration: |
|
Option 1 |
Upper Lower Split |
Beginner-Intermediate (1+ years) |
4-8 weeks |
|
Option 2 |
Body Part Split |
Intermediate (1-2+ years) |
4-12 weeks |
|
Option 3 |
The Big 6 Split |
Intermediate-Advanced (2-3+ years) |
4-8 weeks |
We will now lay out workout plans for all three options above...
1. BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE 7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN
Goals: Overall Fitness (Build Muscle, Gain Strength, Lose Fat)
As an early-intermediate (or a beginner on the cusp of being an intermediate), we are going to keep the 7 day workout plan short. The duration of this plan is 4-8 weeks. Start with 4 weeks of training with this 7 day split, and then assess how you feel and your progress before continuing with another week.
Each week you will have 4 strength training sessions, 2 cardio sessions, and 1 mobility session. The weightlifting portion of the plan is based on an upper lower split.
Weekly Schedule:
- Day 1: Upper Body Workout (Strength Focused)
- Day 2: Lower Body Workout (Strength Focused)
- Day 3: Cardio Workout #1
- Day 4: Upper Body Workout (Hypertrophy Focused)
- Day 5: Lower Body Workout (Hypertrophy Focused)
- Day 6: Cardio Workout #2
- Day 7: Mobility Workout
Notes:
- If you are feeling overworked, then take a day or two off and get back to the plan.**
- Strength focused workouts will emphasize lower rep ranges and heavier loads using compound big-bang-for-your-buck exercises.
- Hypertrophy focused workouts will emphasize moderate rep ranges with moderate loads using both compound and isolation exercises.
- Cardio workouts will vary (just don’t do the same type of cardio back to back - more on this below)
- If you decide to do this plan for 8 weeks, we highly recommend you take 2-4 days off after week 4 and then continue for another 4 weeks. If you really feel great, you can just power through without any rest days for 8 weeks.
Progressions:
On strength days, focus on getting stronger by adding a little weight each week.
On hypertrophy days, focus on reaching the top of your rep ranges for all sets and the bottom of your rest time range before increasing weight load (i.e. if it’s 3x15 reps with 60-90 seconds rest, then you’d want to be around 15 reps for all three sets and 60 seconds rest before increasing the load - this allows for sustainable progression).
As for cardio, don't worry about progression, as your time for cardio will be set, but you will vary cardio to keep things fresh.
Guideline of the repetition spectrum:
- Power: 1-3 reps using 70-95% 1RM
- Strength: 4-6 reps using 80-90% 1RM
- Hypertrophy: 8-15+ reps using 75-65% 1RM
- Endurance: 15+ reps using 50-60+% 1RM
Endurance will be gained in the hypertrophy range, as will hypertrophy in the strength range and vice versa. The above is simply the major emphasis of the rep range/load.
It should also be noted that different muscle groups do better in specific rep ranges (in terms of hypertrophy) simply because of the muscle fiber slow and fast twitch ratio.
DAY 1: Upper Body Workout (Strength)
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Bench Press (BB or DB) |
3-4 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Pull Ups (Weighted if possible) |
3-4 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Seated or Standing Shoulder Press |
3-4 sets x 8-10 reps |
|
Overhand Bent Over Rows |
3-4 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Hanging Leg Raises (or Leg Raises if you can’t) |
2 sets x 6-10 reps |
Notes:
- Do warm up sets before you get to you workout sets.
- "BB" stands for barbell and "DB" stands for dumbbell. Adjust the weights and repetitions according to your fitness level and goals.
- Rest as long as needed between sets, but aim for 1.5-4 minutes. The goal is to lift heavy.
- Focus on good form and full range of motion first, heavier weights second.
- You can implement escalated sets, where you increase the load and decrease the reps each set, but keep within the rep range.
- After 2 or 4 weeks, you can switch up the order of the exercises (but leave hanging leg raises last).
DAY 2: Lower Body Workout (Strength)
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Squat (Back Squats ideally) |
5 sets x 5-8 reps |
|
Deadlifts |
5 sets x 3-6 reps |
|
Hip Thrusts |
5 sets x 6-10 reps |
Notes:
- Do warm up sets before you get to you workout sets.
- Rest as long as needed between sets, but aim for 1.5-4 minutes. The goal is to lift heavy.
- Focus on good form and full range of motion first, heavier weights second.
- You can implement escalated sets, where you increase the load and decrease the reps each set, but keep within the rep range.
- After 4 weeks, you can switch up the order of squats and deadlifts, putting deadlifts first.
DAY 3: Cardio Workout #1
Choose jogging, cycling, or rowing. The goal is to do low intensity long duration cardio, which means after your cardio session you should be comfortably tired, not exhausted lying in a pile of sweat on the floor, or in other words, aim for 60-75% of your max heart rate consistently for the length of the cardio session.
Length of time: 30-45 minutes (up to as much as 60 minutes is ok, no more than that).
If you play a sport, you can also opt to do that sport on this day (i.e. pick up basketball game). However, an intense game can end up being too taxing on the body, so proceed with caution.
DAY 4: Upper Body Workout (Hypertrophy)
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
Rest Interval |
|
Arnold Presses |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-90 seconds |
|
Seated Underhand Rows |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-90 seconds |
|
Incline DB Bench Press (or Decline Push Ups) |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-90 seconds |
|
Close Grip Pull Down |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Cable Chest Fly (middle) |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Lateral Raises |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Rear Delt Fly |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Trap Raises |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-90 seconds |
Notes:
- Focus on full range and time under tension. Don’t speed through reps with poor form.
- You can switch up the order of exercises 1-4 each week. You can also switch up exercises 5-8 each week. Leave the core exercises for the end, and if you’d like you can change up what core exercise you do.
DAY 5: Lower Body Workout (Hypertrophy)
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
Rest Interval |
|
Leg Press |
2-3 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Romanian Deadlift (RDL) |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-90 seconds |
|
Split Squats |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-90 seconds |
|
Leg Curls |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Leg Extensions |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Standing Calf Raises |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Seated Calf Raises |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
30-60 seconds |
|
Planks x Side Planks |
2 sets x 30 seconds each |
30-60 seconds |
DAY 6: Cardio Workout #2
Same rules apply as the previous cardio workout, but choose a different medium (i.e. if you ran on a treadmill for cardio workout #1, then do cycling for cardio workout #2).
DAY 7: Mobility Workout
You are going to do a full body mobility routine to end the week. This is essentially an active recovery day.
Mobility training is going to give you a greater joint range of motion and freedom of movement, decrease your risk of injury, reduce muscle tension and soreness, improve your posture and movement efficiency, and increase your overall coordination and energy levels.
Here are three full body mobility routines that you can choose from:
- 10 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
- 14 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
- 10 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
Note: You’ll notice the mobility routines are labeled as warm ups/decompressions in Youtube, but they are in fact mobility routines and perfect for this active yet low intensity day focused on mobility and flexibility. You can switch up which one you do each week.
Feel free to do some more specific static stretches after the routine as well. For example, if your legs feel particularly tight during the mobility routine, pick a few different static stretches for your legs.
WHAT ABOUT HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)?
Working out 7 days a week is already hard on the nervous system, so HIIT is typically better for workout splits with lower frequency. That said, 4 days of weight lifting per week can work with HIIT.
Essentially, you can replace one of your cardio days with HIIT. HIIT workouts are efficient and effective, so they are a good option on days where you are short on time.
A 10-15 minute HIIT workout can be just as effective in terms of fat loss as a 30-40 minute low intensity cardio session since HIIT provides the afterburn affect, which essentially means you’ll be a higher amount of burning calories at rest long after the workout is over.
All that said, only do HIIT when you really feel up to it, as if you do a super intense HIIT workout, it can throw off your routine considering your body will need time to recover.
2. INTERMEDIATE 7 DAY WORKOUT SPLIT
Goals: Build Muscle & Lose Fat
If you are an intermediate lifter (been lifting for more than 1-2 years), the duration of this plan can be 4-12 weeks. It’s up to you how you feel.
Each week you will have 5 strength training sessions with the option of 2 cardio sessions or 1 cardio and 1 mobility session.
In regards to the split, we are going to be using a body part split because it will be medium intensity, which is going to help you sustain this high frequency of weightlifting.
The focus on this 7 day workout plan is hypertrophy without fat gain. However, strength gains should also occur as we are going to include some strength sets into your routine.
Weekly Schedule:
- Day 1: Chest Workout
- Day 2: Back Workout
- Day 3: Arm & Ab Workout
- Day 4: Cardio/Aerobic Class or Mobility Workout
- Day 5: Shoulder Workout
- Day 6: Leg Workout
- Day 7: Cardio or Mobility
While you will only be targeting your muscle groups once a week, they will be high volume workouts. Moreover, there will be some crossover of muscles, so many muscles will be worked more than once per week.
For example, you will do deadlifts on back day, which of course is also a posterior leg exercise.
Be sure to keep the routine in this order as it is designed for optimal recovery of agonist muscle groups (muscle groups that work together for compound exercises/movements).
Rep ranges and load spectrums that you will be working in:
- Power: 1-3 reps using 70-95% 1RM
- Strength: 4-6 reps using 80-90% 1RM
- Hypertrophy: 8-15+ reps using 75-65% 1RM
- Endurance: 15+ reps using 50-60+% 1RM
Note: The above is simply the major emphasis, as strength and size can be gained in any rep range. It should also be noted that certain muscle groups do better in specific ranges (in terms of hypertrophy) simply because of the muscle fiber slow and fast twitch ratio.
WEEKLY WEIGHT LIFTING WORKOUTS:
We will be using different rep ranges, but the major focus is on hypertrophy.
In regards to progression, the following should be implemented in order: range of motion, tempo/time under tension, maximizing rep range, optimizing rest time, and finally increasing weight load. If you feel your workouts are too easy, you can increase the weight load the following week.
Ideally, each week your workouts should be just as hard as the last, but not because you are overtraining or not improving, but simply because you are making them a little more difficult each week. If you were to keep the same exact rep ranges, rest times and loads, your workouts would become easier, and you can’t progress like that.
Assuming your range of motion is optimal...A logical progression would look like this (using bench press as an example):
- Week 1: Set 1 at 15 reps, Set 2 and 13 reps, Set 3 at 12 reps with 70% 1RM and 90 seconds rest time between sets
- Week 2: Set 1 at 15 reps, Set 2 at 15 reps, Set 3 at 15 reps with 70% 1RM and 90 seconds rest time between sets
- It's time to decrease rest time to the bottom of the range
- Week 3: Set 1 at 15 reps, Set 2 at 12 reps, Set 3 at 11 reps with 70% 1RM and 60 second rest time between sets
- Week 4: Set 1 at 15 reps, Set 2 at 15 reps, Set 3 at 15 reps with 70% 1RM and 60 seconds rest time between sets
- It's time to increase weight load (i.e. by 5-10lbs)
This is just a quick example, and may not be this perfect (for example, you may want to jump from 90 seconds rest to 75 seconds), but either way it shows how to make your workouts a little more difficult each week for sustainable progression and thus overload.
Another option you have is to increase the total volume over time by adding more sets. For example, on week 4, you could increase some exercises from 2 sets to 3 sets or 3 sets to 4 sets if you feel that exercise needs more volume.
CARDIO & MOBILITY WORKOUTS:
Do at least one cardio workout each week. However, some weeks can be two times cardio and one time mobility.
Remember, strength training if done with a proper range of motion is a form of dynamic stretching, so mobility and flexibility training can be implemented for days where you feel somewhat tired and need something easy and/or if you are feeling tight.
Be sure to switch up your form of cardio each session or week. You can rotate between something like jogging, cycling, elliptical, rowing, etc. The goal is to do low intensity long duration cardio (30-60 minutes). This will keep you in the fat burning zone.
Other options for cardio are a fun sport you like or hiking or even a short HIIT session.
As for mobility routines, here are three 10-15 minute full body mobility routines you can follow:
- 10 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
- 14 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
- 10 Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
You can also do a Yoga class if your gym has them! But yoga can be quite challenging!
Now, let’s get into this intense workout regimen!
DAY 1: Chest Workout
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Flat Bench Press (BB or DB) |
3 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Incline Bench Press (BB or DB) |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Chest Dips |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Cable Fly Low to High |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Cable Fly High to Low |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Cable Fly (Middle) or Dumbbell Fly (flat) |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Push Ups |
1 set x max rep burnout |
Rest time: 60-90 seconds between sets and exercises
DAY 2: Back Workout
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Deadlifts |
3 sets x 3-6 reps |
|
Pull Ups or Chin Ups (weighted if possible) |
3 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Overhand Bent Over BB Rows |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
T-Bar Rows or Close Grip Seated Rows |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Rear Delt Fly |
2 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Face Pulls |
2 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Single Arm Farmer’s Carry |
2 sets x 30-60 yds (m) each side |
Rest time: 60-90 seconds between sets and exercises
DAY 3: Arm & Ab Workout
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Barbell Bicep Curl |
3 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Hammer Curl |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Reverse Curl |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Close Grip Bench Press |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Tricep Pushdowns |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Tricep Overhead Extensions |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Hanging Leg Raises |
2 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Plank |
2 sets x 30-60 sec |
|
Side Plank |
2 sets x 30-60 sec |
Rest time: 30-60 seconds
Feel free to change up your core exercises each week. Here are some of our favorite core exercises.
DAY 4: CARDIO
Do any cardio workout you'd like lasting 30-45 minutes. We recommend state state cardio on a treadmill (or running outside), elliptical or stationary bike.
DAY 5: Shoulder Workout
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Standing or Seated Overhead Press |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Arnold Press |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Lateral Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Plate Front Raise with Twist |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Trap Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Wall Handstands |
2 sets x max hold |
Rest time: 30-90 seconds
DAY 6: Leg Workout
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Back Squats |
3 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
Split Squats (each side) |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
RDL (Romanian Deadlift) |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Hip Thrusts or Glute Bridges |
3 sets x 8-12 reps |
|
Leg Extensions x Leg Curls |
3 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Standing or Seated Calf Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
Rest time: 60-120 seconds (depending on intensity of exercise)
DAY 7: CARDIO OR MOBILITY
Think of this as a free day to do what you need most. Do you need another steady state cardio session? Do you need some mobility work? Do you want to work on some athletic movements? This is the day for you to do something light and "fun".
3. INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED 7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN
Goals: Strength & Muscle
This advanced routine can also work for intermediates. We think this 7 day workout plan is a very interesting and creative approach to working out every day. You can run this plan for 4-8 weeks to see how it works for you.
This plan is designed to build strength and muscle. It focuses on the 6 most fundamental human movements (horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push, vertical pull, squats, hip hinges) and core/rotation will be added in where appropriate.
To best explain it, let us first show you the 7 days routine...
Weekly Routine:
- Day 1: Bench Press Day
- Day 2: Squat Day
- Day 3: Pull Up Day
- Day 4: Accessory Day
- Day 5: Deadlift Day
- Day 6: Overhead Press Day
- Day 7: Bent Over Row Day
As an intermediate-advanced trainee, we won’t be breaking down an exact plan for you (meaning every single exercise), as this plan allows for variety. But we will give you the essential information.
The basic principle is this: Each day focuses on one main lift, and thus attempts to build strength in that lift and basically kill the muscles associated with that lift. With that, based on the big 6 exercises we’ve chosen, you will essentially be hitting each muscle group twice a week (at least to some degree, with one day having certain muscle groups as the major emphasis).
As for Accessory Days, it involves accessory lifts, which can be smaller compound movements and isolation exercises to hit specific muscles that need more attention, such as your side delts, triceps, biceps, etc. Whatever muscles you feel are lagging for you specifically.
The order of the routine is strategic, as you obviously don’t want to do squats and deadlifts back to back or bench press and overhead press back to back or pull ups and bent over rows back to back. That said, you can change up the order of the days, but keep this same strategy in mind as it will allow you to put the best energy into each day and recover properly.
Notes:
- Exercise 1 and 2 will be the same exercise except on Pull Up Day. The difference is that you are changing the rep range and upping the load. Essentially, the first group of sets for the exercise will be hypertrophy-strength and the second sets of the exercise will be strength-hypertrophy.
- Work up in weight each set. When you reach the second group of sets, you can do as many sets in that rep range as you feel comfortable with or until you have killed the muscles for that exercise (for a lack of a better word). However, you can switch things up on some weeks too by doing more sets in the hypertrophy-strength range rather than the strength-hypertrophy range.
- We strategically chose the rep ranges for each day. Certain muscle groups need different rep ranges/loads.
WHAT ABOUT CARDIO?
As you can see, this plan does not include cardio. However, if cardio is important to you, you can add 20-30 minutes of cardio a 2-3 times per week.
Some of these workouts will be only 30 minutes long, so you can do some incline walking or light jogging after on a treadmill or you can take a nice brisk walk outside after. Alternatively, you could do a little cardio in the morning a couple times a week or replace an accessory day with a cardio day.
DAY 1: Bench Press Day
On bench press day, you have two options that you can do, flat bench or incline bench (slight incline 15˚). You can also alternate between using dumbbells and barbell.
Obviously the major focus of this workout is bench press.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps/Range |
|
Bench Press (65-75% 1RM) |
5 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
Bench Press (80-90% 1RM) |
5-10 sets x 5-8 reps |
|
Horizontal Pushing Exercises |
2-3 sets x 8-20 reps |
|
Horizontal Pushing Exercise |
2-3 sets x 8-20 reps |
As for exercises 3 and 4, you can choose any horizontal pushing exercise you’d like on that day, such as cable flys, dumbbell flys, decline presses, push ups, and so on. If your chest is really wiped out, you can just do one exercise rather than two or you can do none at all.
Related: Complete Guide to the Bench Press
DAY 2: Squat Day
We highly recommend sticking with barbell back squats for the duration of this plan. However, if you have some limitations, you can perform another quad dominant movement in its place.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps/Range |
|
Back Squats (60-80% 1RM) |
5 sets x 8-15 reps |
|
Back Squats (80-90% 1RM) |
5-10 sets x 3-8 reps |
|
Quad Dominant Exercises (Lunges, Split Squats, Leg Press, Hack Squats) |
2-3 sets x 10-20 reps |
Related: Complete Guide to the Squat
DAY 3: Pull Up Day
For pull up day, you will be doing various types of pull ups. Essentially, you want to mix up your sets with pull ups, chin ups, and neutral grip pull ups. Moreover, you can alter grip width.
If you can, work in weighted sets as well.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Pull Ups |
5 sets x 5-10 reps |
|
Chin Ups |
5 sets x 5-10 reps |
|
Neutral Grip Pull Ups |
5 sets x 5-10 reps |
Notes:
- Start with the more difficult exercise (wide grip pull ups) and weighted sets (after warming up) and work your way to bodyweight only sets.
- Performing a quick core workout (preferably with some rotational exercises) after your 15 sets is optional.
Related: Pull Ups vs Chin Ups Muscles Worked
DAY 4: Accessory Day
An accessory day is totally up to you. You’ll have to see which areas of your body you want to work on. The beauty of this plan is all the other days are made up of the big 6 compound lifts which hit all 6 fundamental movements (horizontal pulls, horizontal pushes, vertical pulls, vertical pushes, quad dominant, hip/hamstring dominant).
As such, we like to do smaller compound exercises and isolation exercises for areas that may need a little more attention for growth. This may be a good day to do a little core work too.
An example workout is as follows:
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Cable Lateral Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Bicep Curls |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Tricep Kickbacks |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Trap Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Calf Raises |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
|
Rear Delt Flys |
3 sets x 15-20 reps |
You’d be using relatively lightweight here and focus on time under tension.
Alternatively, you can take a break from weightlifting and have a cardio day.
DAY 5: Deadlift Day
The primary exercise is the standard barbell deadlift. Deadlifts show best results when performed in relatively low rep ranges with heavy loads, so you will notice the lowest rep ranges on Deadlift Day.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps/Range |
|
BB Deadlift (65-80% 1RM) |
5 sets x 6-10 reps |
|
BB Deadlift (80-95% 1RM) |
5-10 sets x 1-5 reps |
|
Hip/Hamstring Dominant Exercise (RDLs, Hip Thrusts, Leg Curls) |
2-3 sets x 10-15 reps |
As always, adjust the weights, reps, and sets to match your fitness level and objectives. The percentages of 1RM (rep max) for BB Deadlift indicate the relative intensity of the weight you should be using.
Related: Complete Guide to the Deadlift
DAY 6: Overhead Press Day
For this, we recommend the standard overhand grip overhead shoulder press (aka OHP) However, you can alternate between standing and seated overhead presses. You can also alternate between using dumbbells or a barbell.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
OHP |
5 sets x 10-15 reps |
|
OHP |
5-10 sets x 5-10 reps |
Another interesting option for shoulders specifically is to do something like:
20 sets x 20 reps with 30-60 seconds between sets using the same weight (only going down in weight truly if needed).
You’ll be sore as heck after this kind of high volume low rest shoulder workout. We only recommend this for Overhead Press Day because of the anatomy of the deltoids. Something like this would not be ideal for deadlifts (although it could potentially be effective for bench press, squats, and row days, which you can test out).
Notes: Performing some core workout after your sets is optional.
Related: Complete Guide to the Overhead Press
DAY 7: Bent Over Row Day
This day is all about the best possible horizontal pull exercise, the BENT OVER ROW.
With this one, you can alternate each week by doing different variations, such as overhand bent over rows, underhand bent over rows, Pendlay rows or Yates rows.
|
Exercise |
Sets x Reps |
|
Bent Over Row (12-15 reps) |
5-10 sets x 12-15 reps |
|
Bent Over Rows (6-12 reps) |
5-10 sets x 6-12 reps |
Notes:
- You can change up the type of bent over row each week.
- If your total sets for this day are on the lower end (i.e. 10-15 sets) and you feel like you need more, then you can add another horizontal pull after your bent over rows, such as single arm rows, seated rows, or t-bar rows.
WARM UPS:
Be sure to do dynamic warm ups before lifting weights. 3-5 minutes of dynamic stretching and 3-5 minutes of light cardio is good, then do as many warm up sets as you need.
NUTRITION & RECOVERY TIPS:
- Aim to get 8 hours of good sleep per night.
- Fuel your body with plenty of food, using a well-rounded macro diet. If you want to lose weight, then aim for just slightly below maintenance level and if you want to build muscle then go around ~500 calories above. If your diet is not on point, it’s going to be hard to workout 7 days a week for any decent period of time.
- Best supplements to take for working out everyday are protein powder, creatine, and EAAs (although complete proteins like whey includes EAAs and BCAAs).
- Drink lots of water.
Related: Pre-Workout vs BCAA, Which is More Important?
**ATTENTION: RECOVERY DAYS**
For all three 7 day workout plans above, if your body is feeling fatigued and performance is dropping, then take the rest you need. You can take 1-7 days off and then get back to the plan. Listen to your body and rest when needed (even if it’s just one day off and then you continue where you left off).
BONUS 7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN IDEAS:
We aren’t going to break down a complete plan like the one above, but as we said, there are plenty of ways to go about working out everyday.
Here is a prime example for someone who wants to get lean and athletic using full body workouts:
- Day 1: Full Body Workout
- Day 2: HIIT Sprints
- Day 3: Mobility Training
- Day 4: Full Body Workout
- Day 5: Cardio
- Day 6: Agility Drills & Plyometrics
- Repeat
Here is a good example of someone who wants to get lean and athletic but with a little more emphasis on muscle gain and strength:
- Day 1: Full Body
- Day 2: HIIT
- Day 3: Mobility
- Day 4: Lower Body
- Day 5: Upper Body
- Day 6: HIIT or Cardio
- Day 7: Mobility
Here is one more example using the famous push pull leg split (PPL):
- Day 1: Push
- Day 2: Pull
- Day 3: Legs
- Day 4: Cardio/Rest
- Day 5: Push
- Day 6: Pull
- Day 7: Legs
The options are plentiful. Work on what you desire to improve at or what you find fun.
OTHER GOOD WORKOUTS & ACTIVITIES TO THROW INTO YOUR WEEKLY ROUTINE:
- Any sport (i.e. basketball, tennis, golf!)
- Boxing classes
- Aerobic classes
- Yoga
- Spinning
- Hiking
7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN FAQS:
Can beginners workout every day?
We really don’t recommend beginners to workout every day unless you are doing low intensity workouts like jogging, cycling, or yoga. As a beginner, if you workout 7 days a week, make at least 4 of those days low intensity.
That said, if you want to be smart about your fitness, just start with 2-3 days a week of 30-40 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity workouts. Then you can ramp it up in terms of frequency from there and play around with intensity.
Your goal should be to work up to around 1-2 hours of aerobic work per week and two to three 30-40 minute strength training session for overall general health and fitness (i.e. 2-3 strength training sessions with 2-3 cardio session per week). FYI - cardio sessions are best around 30-40 minutes.
Should you do a 7 day gym workout plan?
Honestly, if you want to workout and/or be in the gym every day, you can make it work simply because of that. Do what makes you feel good and happy. You’ll just have to structure your weekly routine in a way that is sustainable.
For example, you can’t do an intense workout every single day of the week but you could do seven low to medium intensity workouts with the right split if you are already in good shape OR you could do a few tough workouts along with a few easy workouts.
You also have to ask yourself if working out every day is more important than your overall goal.
For example, if your goal is to build as much muscle mass as possible, you may have to sacrifice a day or two (or even three) in the gym to rest BUT if your goal is maintenance, general health, staying lean, and just feeling and moving better, then you can definitely workout seven days a week by planning a proper routine that manages fatigue well.
Some more advanced trainees may even be able to see some good gains on a 7 day a week workout plan when done in cycles (i.e. not year round, but maybe a month or two of working out 7 days a week each year).
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT YOU ARE WORKING OUT TOO MUCH?
If you do decide to workout every day, you need to pay attention to what your body and mood is telling you. Here are a few signs that you are working out too much or you simply need a rest:
- SERIOUS DOMS: DOMS is delayed onset muscle soreness, which is a normal part of working out. However, if your muscles are sore, you won’t want to target them during your workout, and while you could just focus on other muscles, for many exercises, those sore muscles may have no choice but to work (i.e. your shoulders during chest exercises and vice versa). More to the point of muscle soreness, if you are noticing your muscles are unusually sore, and for more than a few days, that probably means you are not recovering optimally and a rest is needed OR at the very least, you need to take a break from the weights and do something else like a jog, hike, yoga, or mobility routine. All in all, if you feel super sore all over, take a rest day or two to get back to 100.
- MOOD & ENERGY IS OFF: If you are feeling irritable and fatigued, you are most likely overdoing it or you just aren’t getting enough sleep, in which case you need to take a rest day. And while working out can make you feel better, mentally speaking, if the irritability is coupled with fatigue (i.e. your body feels heavy and sluggish), it is likely because of too much exercise. So, you’ll have to pay attention to what’s causing your irritability, as in some cases, like work stress, the workout can help your mood.
- APPETITE CHANGES: If your appetite is off, both up or down, it can be a sign that something is off. Yes, you’ll be more hungry if you workout, but if you have cravings for junk that you normally don’t, it’s probably due to poor recovery and a lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is shown to cause the hunger-stimulating hormone gherlin to increase. Conversely, overdoing it in the gym may actually reduce your normal appetite.
- PERFORMANCE DECLINE: If you notice your performance is declining, it’s time to take a few days or week off. Give yourself the time needed to let your body completely recover. You’ll have more appreciation for working out after the break.
WHAT ARE SOME MISTAKES TO AVOID IF TRAINING EVERY DAY?
- Not splitting your muscle groups and body parts correctly.
- Not taking sleep and diet seriously.
- Not altering the intensity of your workouts.
- Not methodically varying your workouts (i.e. weightlifting, cardio, mobility, sports, and other physical activities).
- NOT working up to the frequency of 7 days.
We are going to break down our plans strategically to avoid these mistake. Yet, the nutrition and sleep is on you (although we will give you some advice on that as well).
WHY DO OUR 7 DAY GYM WORKOUT PLANS WORK SO WELL?
The 7 day workout plans we provided you work well because:
- We split the muscle groups appropriately to allow for optimal recovery.
- We alter the intensity so that you have tougher days and easier days, which will help you avoid fatigue accumulation while still achieving real results. Our goal is not just to workout for the sake of working out, we want you to see considerable results, but to do so in a sustainable manner at such a high frequency of 7 days.
- Similar to the aforementioned point, we provide the right variety of workouts and exercises so that you can achieve your goals without overreaching and overtraining.
- Our workouts are efficient, avoiding unnecessary fluff and redundancy to ensure you are right in the “Goldilocks zone” for workout durations.
- We implement rest periods strategically, as well as training program cycles, which make working out 7 days a week actually doable.
Ultimately, our goal is to make your fitness as well-rounded as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE 7 DAY SPLIT WORKOUT:
If you think you are ready for a 7 day workout plan, then give it a go. But again, only start this if you are at an appropriate fitness level and don’t go from not working out at all to working out every day. Work your way up to a 7 day a week gym routine. Moreover, we don’t recommend it year round unless you really know when and how to implement rest periods.
Have questions about working out everyday? Feel free to reach out to us by email or ask your certified personal trainer (our team are all certified btw!)
Related: The 5 Best Workout Splits Ever
2 Responses
Jeremy Brewer
Awesome information. It is comprehensive and useful. Thanks!
Kristina
Awesome content! Hands down one of the best I have seen.
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Garett Reid
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