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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. We hope one of these will be your new weekly gym workout plan.
Table of Contents:
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:
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
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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
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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 working out every day.
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-INTERMEDIATE 7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN
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:
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.
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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
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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:
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
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:
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
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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)
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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:
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...
Click here to view the article.
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. We hope one of these will be your new weekly gym workout plan.
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
- 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 7 days 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).
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
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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
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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 working out every day.
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-INTERMEDIATE 7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN
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
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.
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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
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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
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
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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)
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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
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...
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