Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Using a 7 day workout plan can take its toll on your body. However, it can also lead to huge muscle gains if it's structured correctly. And that's what this article is going to lay out!
We've got three different 7-day workout plans based on different workout splits, fitness levels, and overall goals. We'll also discuss who this plan is best suited for, pros and cons, and answer any 7-day workout split questions you may have. If you think you're ready to challenge your body, you'll find the following programs lead you to big gains in mass and strength.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Have the program customized to your personal needs with one of our expert...
THE BEST WORKOUT SPLITS FOR TRAINING 7 DAYS A WEEK
There are many ways to go about organizing a workout routine for 7 workout days per week.
For example, you could use one of many different types of workout splits, in your program. Now, some people prefer different workout splits, so we have decided to provide you with various routines based on different goals and fitness levels. That way, you can choose what best suits you.
Regardless of what you choose, we recommend you always choose a weight lifting split that includes some form of cardio as well as mobility training or other low-intense physical activity for your non-weight lifting days.
This will help you alternate between more intense workout sessions and lower-intensity recovery sessions.
With that said, we will now lay out 3 different workout plans for a 7 day gym workout plan.
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.
This program will use an upper-lower split for your gym workouts in addition to cardio and mobility.
Here's an overview of the program each week:
- 4 strength training sessions
- 2 cardio sessions
- 1 mobility session
As you see, this is going to include both strength training and cardio sessions. This is the best combination for someone looking to improve their overall body composition.
Using both training modalities adds unique benefits and is ultimately the best way to burn fat while maintaining or building muscle.
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 by 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.
- Make sure to follow a stretching routine before/after your workouts.
- 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.
- Add 5lbs for upper body exercises
- Add 10lbs for lower body exercises
On hypertrophy days, focus on reaching the top of your rep ranges for all sets, then adding weight, which will put you on the lower end. You'll then continue this process. Let's use a 3X8-10 rep range, for example;
- 100lbs - 3X8
- 100lbs - 3X9
- 100lbs - 3X10
- 105lbs - 3X8
- 105lbs - 3X9
As for cardio, just focus on doing more work! The main purpose for cardio is to add some recovery, keep you moving and burn some more calories.
GUIDELINE OF THE REPETITION CONTINUUM
- 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
Above is a simple guideline of what we call the repetition spectrum so you can see what exercises are training what variables.
Note: Keep in mind that the above rep ranges do not work as a light switch, and there's plenty of overlap. Further, when it comes to hypertrophy, we now know you can really build muscle with most rep ranges.¹ Therefore, look at the above as optimal rep ranges for different variables.
DAY 1: UPPER BODY WORKOUT (STRENGTH)
- Bench Press - 4X4
- Bent Over Row - 3X6
- Overhead Press - 3X6
- Dips - 3XRPE8 (If you can't do 6, use assistance)
- Chin-Ups (weighted) - 3X5
- Face Pull + Upright Row - 2X12-15
Notes:
- Do warm up sets before you get to your workout sets.
- Rest as long as needed between sets, but aim for 1.5-3 minutes. The goal is to lift heavy, so you'll need plenty of recovery.
- Focus on good form and full range of motion first, heavier weights second.
- You can implement ramp-up 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 the exercises (but leave hanging leg raises last).
DAY 2: LOWER BODY WORKOUT (STRENGTH)
- Deadlift - 5X5
- Front Squat - 3X6
- Barbell Hip Thrust - 3X6-8
- Bulgarian Split Squat - 3X6-8/leg
- Leg Press - 6X6
Notes:
- Do warm up sets before you get to your workout sets.
- Rest as long as needed between sets, but aim for 1.5-3 minutes. The goal is to lift heavy.
- Focus on good form and full range of motion first, heavier weights second.
- For exercise with rep range, you can implement ramp up sets, where you increase the load and decrease the reps each set, but keep within the rep range.
DAY 3: CARDIO WORKOUT #1
Length of time: 30-45 minutes (up to as much as 60 minutes is ok, no more than that).
Choose jogging, cycling, or rowing.
The goal is to do low intensity cardio of long duration. At the end of your cardio session, you should be "comfortably" tired, not exhausted lying in a pile of sweat on the floor.
This will look like working at approximately 60-75% of your max heart rate consistently for the length of the cardio session.
Also, throw in a good core workout here.
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)
- T-Bar Row - 3X6-8
- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 3X8-10
- Lat-Pulldown - 3X8-10 + Rest Pause
- Narrow Grip Bench Press - 3X8-10 + Rest Pause
- Seated Row (Wide) - 2X8-10 + Rest Pause
- Reverse Fly + Chest Fly - 2X10-12
- Cable Lateral Raise - 3X8-12
- Arms as needed
Notes:
- Focus on full range and time under tension. Don't speed through reps with poor form.
- For the end, you can add in time for arms if you have time (biceps and triceps. If you have time, superset and use high reps.
DAY 5: LOWER BODY WORKOUT (HYPERTROPHY)
- Squat - 3X6
- Hack Squat - 3X8-10
- Romanian Deadlift - 3X8-10
- Leg Press* + Calf Raise - 3X15-20 + Failure +Rest Pause
- Leg Extension + Leg Curl - 3X10-12
- Standing Calf Raise** - 3X6-20
DAY 6: CARDIO WORKOUT #2
Same rules apply as the previous cardio workout, but choose a different modality (i.e. if you ran on a treadmill for cardio workout #1, then do cycling for cardio workout #2).
Now, if you wanted, you could also opt to use this functional workout program. If you do, just use lighter loads with the exercises.
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
- 4-Minute Full Body Follow Along Mobility Routine
Note: You'll notice the mobility routines are labeled as warm ups/decompressions on YouTube. However, in fact, they're mobility routines and perfect for an active yet low intensity recovery 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 such as toe touch, standing wall calf stretch, or quad stretch.
REST-PAUSE SETS
You'll see some of the exercises have the option to perform rest-pause sets. A rest-pause is when you do 2-3 mini sets after your last set. To do these, follow this format:
- Perform a set to failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
You can do either 2 or 3, depending on how you feel.
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.
All that said, only do HIIT when you really feel up to it. Iif you do a super intense HIIT workout, it can throw off your routine considering your body will need time to recover. In addition, if you're sore from your gym training, low-intensity cardio would be better for recovery. All that to say, just be smart about your training.
INTERMEDIATE 7 DAY WORKOUT SPLIT
Goals: Build Muscle & Lose Fat
This program is for those who are at least an intermediate lifter (have been lifting for more than 1-2 years of progressive training).
When running this program, we always suggest at least 6 weeks and could go for 12 weeks. It's up to you how you feel.
Here's an overview of what this plan looks like each week:
- 5 strength training sessions
- Option of 2 cardio sessions or 1 cardio and 1 mobility session
The focus on this 7 day workout plan is hypertrophy without fat gain or even fat loss. We know that includes both components as they each have unique benefits. However, strength gains should also occur as we are going to include some strength sets into your routine.
Now, if you would prefer another 5-day split that has more focus on strength, go ahead and check out this 5-day workout program.
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.
Be sure to keep the routine in this order, as it is designed to alternate between opposing muscle groups for optimal recovery.
GUIDELINE OF THE REPETITION CONTINUUM
Follow the same as the above section.
WEEKLY WEIGHT LIFTING WORKOUTS:
This program will use different rep ranges, but the major focus will be muscle 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, 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
- Decrease Rest Time: 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
- Now Increase Weight: 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, hiking, or even a short HIIT session.
As for mobility routines, you can check out the videos in the above section.
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
DAY 2: BACK WORKOUT
DAY 3: ARM & AB WORKOUT
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 steady state cardio on a treadmill (or running outside), elliptical or stationary bike.
DAY 5: SHOULDER WORKOUT
DAY 6: LEG WORKOUT
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."
INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED 7-DAY WORKOUT PLAN
Goals: Strength & Muscle
This is a plan for both advanced and intermediate lifters. It's designed to build both strength and muscle by focusing on the 6 most fundamental human movements;
- Horizontal push
- Horizontal pull
- Vertical push
- Vertical pull
- Squats
- Hip hinges
It then uses a relatively small selection of exercises (3 primary and 2 optional accessories) with a lot of volume. This makes it a "simple" workout program but will be tough as it's using both heavy weights and volume.
However, it will divide the training days into;
- Upper body pulling
- Upper body pushing
- Legs
Obviously, this looks similar to a PPL split. However, the major difference is you'll do deadlifts on the leg day rather than pulling. Further, the emphasis is on improving the primary movements.
WEEKLY ROUTINE:
- Day 1: Upper Pushing: Bench Press Day
- Day 2: Legs: Squat Day
- Day 3: Upper Pulling: Chin Up Day
- Day 4: Accessory Day
- Day 5: Legs: Deadlift Day
- Day 6: Upper Pushing: Overhead Press Day
- Day 7: Upper Pulling: 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.
Each day focuses on one main lift, and thus attempts to build strength in that lift with a primary movement and accessory work. Essentially, it will look somewhat similar to PPL program.
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).
In addition, you'll only do 3 primary exercises for each session. However, these exercises will use relatively high volume. In general, the format will look like this;
- 6X6, 6X3 (Ramp Load)
- 10min EMOM
- 5X10
- Accessory
- Accessory
Below, we will list some possible accessory work for each day. However, if you feel wiped, you can opt-out and just do some core work.
As for Accessory Days, they involve 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.
Notes:
- These programs will use both Load Ramping and EMOMs.
- Load Ramping means you'll perform a prescribed amount of reps each set. However, you'll start with a lighter load (around 70%) and perform 3 reps. This should be light. You'll then add weight and work up to what will essentially be a 3 rep max.
- An EMOM is when you perform a prescribed amount of reps at the start of every minute. Check this page out for more details.
- On the 4th week, you'll also use a Ramp-Up set to a heavy single. This is when you will increase the load and decrease the reps such as 6X70%, 5X75%, 4X80%, 3X85%, 3X90%, and 3X92%.
- You'll also use either a 5X10 or 6X6 rep scheme for some exercises.
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 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: Upper Pushing: Bench Press Day
- Incline Bench Press - 6X6
- Military Press - 10min EMOM X 3
- Flat Dumbbell Press - 5X10 OR 6X6
- Accessory
- Accessory
For your accessory work, you can choose from cable flys, dumbbell flys, decline presses (light weight, 12+ reps), push-ups, dumbbell pullovers, and triceps extensions.
DAY 2: LEGS: 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.
- Back Squat - 6X3 (Ramp Load)
- Deficit Deadlift - 6X6
- Hack Squat - 5X10
- Accessory
- Accessory
For your accessory work, you can choose from walking lunges (light), leg extensions, calf raises, leg press (unilateral, light), step-ups
Check out our Complete Guide to the Squat for information on best form, mistakes to avoid, and variations.
DAY 3: UPPER PULLING: CHIN UP DAY
- Chin-Up - 6X6
- Pendlay Row - 10min EMOM X 5
- Lat Pulldown - 5X10
- Accessory
- Accessory
- Performing a quick core workout (preferably with some rotational exercises) after your exercises
For your accessory work, you can choose from seated row, back extension, reverse fly, face pulls, or any biceps curl.
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 that 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:
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: LEGS: DEADLIFT DAY
The primary exercise is the standard barbell deadlift. Deadlifts show the best results when performed in relatively low rep ranges with heavy loads, so you will notice the lowest rep ranges on Deadlift Day.
- Barbell Deadlift - 6X3 (Ramp Load)
- Trap Bar Deadlift - 10min EMOM 5 Reps
- Barbell Hip Thrust - 5X10
- Accessory
- Accessory
For accessory work, choose between: Romanian deadlift, leg curls, good morning, GHD, leg press.
As always, adjust the weights, reps, and sets to match your fitness level and objectives.
DAY 6: UPPER PUSHING: OVERHEAD PRESS DAY
For your overhead pressing day, you'll start with the Push Press
- Push Press - 6X3 (Ramp Load)
- Sitting Dumbbell Press - 10min EMOM X 5
- Close Grip Bench Press - 6X6
- Accessory
- Accessory
For your accessory work, you can choose from lateral raise, cable high pull, face pull, or any triceps isolation.
To learn correct form and some great variations of the OHP, check out our Complete Guide to the Overhead Press.
DAY 7: UPPER PULLING: BENT OVER ROW DAY
This day is all about the best possible horizontal pull exercise, the BENT OVER ROW.
- Bent Over Power Row - 6X6
- Pull-Up - 10min EMOM X 5
- T-Bar Row (Close Grip) - 5X10
- Accessory
- Accessory
For your accessory work, you can choose from reverse fly, shrug, back extension, face pull, or any biceps curl.
RUN 4-WEEK BLOCKS
Run this program for 3 weeks using progressive overload. In the 4th week, you'll then perform 6 sets of load ramping for the main movements for each day.
This basically means you're going to work up to a heavy single, which should be about 95-97% effort. For the remainder of the movements, drop the load by 25-50% (depending on how you feel).
REST-PAUSE SETS
We'll also give you the option to perform a rest-pause set on the 3rd set of your 3rd exercise or accessories. To do these, follow this format:
- Perform a set to failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
- Rest 20 sec
- Perform a few more reps till failure
You don't have to, but if you're feeling it, go for it!
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?
TAKE RECOVERY DAYS AS NEEDED
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 Focus
- Day 5: Upper Body Focus
- 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/Mobility
- 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
One more great option is to trade one of your training days (with this awesome functional workout link Functional workout). By functional, we mean a legitimate training session that's going to train your body dynamically with full-body conditioning work as well as some traditional exercise. Some of the exercises include:
- Box squat
- Farmer carry
- Sandbag wok
- Sled work
You could swap it for one of your gym sessions or decrease the loads and use it for a cardio day.
CAN YOU TRAIN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK?
Working out seven days a week is not ideal for everyone. But, for lifters who have the right split, variety, and are eating enough and sleeping right, yes, you can train seven days a week. It's also important that you 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 at 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 by 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 and 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.
WHO SHOULDN'T DO A 7-DAY WORKOUT PLAN?
If you fall into one of the following categories, a 7 day workout plan may not be best for you.
- 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 A 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 of 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 maintaining 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 likely ideal for hypertrophy.² This allows you to maximize the amount of effective volume. 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 EVERY DAY
Really, there are only two potential downsides to a 7 day workout plan.
1. MAY NOT BE ENOUGH RECOVERY TIME:
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.
2. AT RISK FOR 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.
*TRY A CHALLENGE*
Using a 7-day training plan isn't always appropriate for everyone. They can be highly demanding and simply too much work for many people. It requires a high level of conditioning as well as self awareness to properly gauge your recovery levels.
With that said, if you want to challenge yourself, you could try a short-term challenge. There are many ways to do a short-term challenge but it's basically where you complete a program where you train every day for a prescribed amount of time.
Some examples could be perfect for beginners, like the 21-Day Fix from Beachbody.
Another choice could be a 28-day calisthenics challenge you could check out if you're a fan of bodyweight movements.
If you do these multi-week challenges, just keep in mind they're not meant to be long-term programs.
7 DAY WORKOUT PLAN FAQS
Let's answer some frequently asked questions regarding 7-day workout plans.
CAN BEGINNERS WORK OUT EVERY DAY?
We really don't recommend beginners to work out 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.
If you need a good 3-day training split, check out this article, as it has two 3-day training plans you can try.
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 sessions for overall general health and fitness (i.e. 2-3 strength training sessions with 2-3 cardio sessions 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. However, you could do seven low to medium intensity workouts or alternate between high-intensity and low-intensity workouts.
This can also depend on your current fitness levels. If you are already in good shape and can handle the volume, you could prosper on this 7-day plan. However, if you're new or out of shape, 7 days will likely be too much.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT YOU ARE WORKING OUT TOO MUCH?
If you decide to work out every day, you need to pay attention to what your body and mood tell you. Here are a few signs that you are working out too much or you simply need a rest:
- SERIOUS DOMS: DOMS, known as delayed onset muscle soreness, is a normal part of working out.³ However, if your muscles are excessively sore, your performance will drop, and more training will cause even greater deficits. If you notice your muscles are unusually sore for 3-4 days+, you may need to chill for a little bit and check your recovery. During this time, you could use some active recovery like a light jog, hike, yoga, or mobility routine. DOMS can differ for everybody, so you'll need to judge yourself and be honest. Taking a day off could be the best thing you can do.
- 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. 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 abnormal, both up or down, it can be a sign that something is off. Yes, you'll be more hungry if you work out, 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 ghrelin to increase.⁴ 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 you'll eventually need to take weeks off or more. Running a 7-day split is tough so be sure to give yourself the time needed to recover when needed. You can't out train lack of rest (even though many people try!
WHAT ARE SOME MISTAKES TO AVOID IF TRAINING EVERY DAY?
The mistakes to avoid if following a 7-day workout plan are:
- 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.
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 work out 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.
We also don't recommend it year round unless you really know when and how to implement rest periods. Make sure you listen to your body and take recovery days when needed.
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References
- Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum.” Sports, vol. 9, no. 2, 22 Feb. 2021, p. 32, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7927075/.
- Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 46, no. 11, 21 Apr. 2016, pp. 1689–1697, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
- Hackney, Kyle J, et al. “Resting Energy Expenditure and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness after Full-Body Resistance Training with an Eccentric Concentration.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 22, no. 5, Sept. 2008, pp. 1602–1609, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31818222c5.
- SCHMID, SEBASTIAN M., et al. “A Single Night of Sleep Deprivation Increases Ghrelin Levels and Feelings of Hunger in Normal-Weight Healthy Men.” Journal of Sleep Research, vol. 17, no. 3, Sept. 2008, pp. 331–334, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00662.x, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00662.x.
Garett Reid
Author