The 7 Day Split Workout
There's hundreds of different styles of workout regimes in existence, it comes to me as no surprise that the majority of newcomers give up before they even do their first workout - with magazines, websites, books and trainers all preaching and recommending completely different workout styles for the same end goal.
To build muscle mass and increase their strength.
You'll see recommendations from the 2 day split all the way up to the 6 day split.
But what about the 7 day split?
- Is it possible to train every day?
- Will working out every day help or hinder progress?
- Is it better to train 5 days with a couple of rest days or is there benefit to putting in work every single day?
Here's the thing...
Any workout regime can be inefficient.
Any workout regime can make you subject to overtraining.
The 7 day split is a style of workout, the specific exercises and scheduling of these exercises and workout days determine whether you've got a regime built for results or an ineffective mess.
Some guys swear by the 7 day split workout, while others claim it's ineffective, overtraining and just a downright bad idea.
The truth of the matter is yes, you can train and gain on a 7 day split provided you do it right.
Here's Why The 7 Day Split Works...
You're probably thinking "SJ, isn't the 4 or 5 day split better? Or what about a simple 3 day push/pull/legs?"
As we've established, there's many, many options out there - the biggest issue with the 3 and 4 day splits as well as the push/pull/legs regime is that you're training multiple muscle groups each workout. When you're hitting multiple muscle groups per workout you'll likely be cutting yourself short.
If you perform a 3 day split workout you might be bundling up your arm and leg exercises on the same day - there's no way you're going to be able to give it your all on your biceps and triceps exercises after you've exerted all of your energy on the barbell back squat and leg press!
Many workout regimes, regardless of whether they're 3 or 4 day splits will combine shoulders and legs together on one day... once again there's absolutely no way you can give it your all on both heavy squats and military presses in the same workout.
The 7 day split doesn't suffer from that problem.
Here's a look at the 4 big reasons why the 7 day split is a legitimate workout option.
1 - Your Workout Doesn't Take Hours!
As of late training less frequently seems to be the fad.
Many fitness celebrities are promoting their 2 and 3 day workout regimes as the ultimate time saver, allowing you to get more done in your day.
And you'd likely believe them... until you see the the workouts themselves!
With 5 or 6 exercises per muscle group and 3 muscle groups per workout you're going to literally be spending hours in the gym to get through the workout.
The 7 day split is manageable in terms of workout duration, get in, do your sets and go on about your day.
The occasional missed workout can easily be resolved as grouping two muscle groups together (at a slightly lower volume) will allow you to stack on track with your training and rest days.
2 - An Opportunity For More Volume Per Muscle Group Per Week
Training muscle groups 2 or 3 times per week is not necessarily beneficial for the beginner...
But for the intermediate or advanced gym-goer it can be exactly what they need to break through those plateaus and continue to build both size and strength.
The 7 day split can be configured in order to hit each muscle group once per week, making this a viable option for those whose bodies are not yet capable of recovering fast enough to train the same muscle group multiple times per week.
3 - It Allows You To Focus
One workout, one muscle group.
There's no need to get caught up overthinking during your workout or conserving energy.
When you're following the 7 day split you know you've got one target to annihilate each day you step in the gym, that's the allocated muscle group.
When we're able to drill down and focus like this we enter the flow state. When we enter the flow state we're able to put in proper hard work.
If you were on the typical 3 day split your biceps would already be fatigued from training your back, resulting in dismal results when it comes time to hit your biceps curls.
4 - It's Highly Customizable
Training specificity is key.
If your goal is to build freakishly massive legs you're not going to be reaching success in your eyes if you're only squatting once per week.
The 7 day split gives us more than enough wiggle room to fit in additional volume for certain body parts or exercises based on your goals.
Want to throw in some gymnastics work to increase your bodyweight strength? No problems.
Want to squat two or three times per week? No problems.
Once you've defined your end-state goal your 7 day regime can be tailored to suit this.
Don't Be Like Most Guys And make These Mistakes With Your 7 Day Split Workout
Are you making these mistakes with your workout regime?
1 - Poor Scheduling Of Muscle Groups
When it comes to scheduling which day you're training each muscle group there's no guess work - many guys don't understand this and just build their regime around their favorite muscle groups first, the result? Often a poorly scheduled regime.
A prime example of this is training arms the day before your chest workout - when your triceps are still extremely fatigued from the arm workout you performed the previous day your chest workout isn't going to be particularly great, as triceps are the secondary muscle group when we're performing our heavy chest pressing movements.
Performing a shoulder workout the day after training chest is the second most common scheduling mistake I see being made, with excessive stress and tension being placed on the shoulders two days in a row (you'll find that chest dips and incline dumbbell/barbell presses stress the shoulders) this can result in rotator cuff inpingement and niggling injuries over time following this schedule.
2 - Neglecting Recovery Techniques
Putting your work in in the gym and eating right aren't enough. If you choose to follow a 5, 6 or 7 day split you NEED to be performing some recovery work. Why?
You'll feel more energetic, your body will feel looser, your cortisol levels will be reduced and you'll be at least risk of injury.
I recommend picking and choosing a couple of methods and performing them regularly such as:
3 - Keeping Volume Too High & Intensity Too Low
If you're able to hit 25 sets per body part per workout you're not lifting heavy enough and you're not pushing yourself hard enough.
Each workout should consist of roughly 12 sets, with the majority of your lifts being performed in the single digit rep range.
4 - 6 reps.
3 - 4 sets.
3 - 4 exercises per body part.
If you want size and strength focus on your compound movements and focus on applying progressive overload with heavy weight.
Each workout should start with the corresponding mass mover exercise for that body part:
4 - Inconsistency
As discussed above I highly recommend customizing your workout days to suit your schedule to ensure you're consistent.
If you train hard but you're inconsistent you won't see the progress you're after.
If you train inconsistently you won't see anything.
Set your 7 day split workout and follow it for at least 12 weeks before making any adjustments.
Follow the regime, gauge your results and make the necessary pivots, if you're chopping and changing exercises, scheduling and workouts all the time you're not going to be able to gauge what is actually working and what isn't.
Don't fall victim to shiny object syndrome.
Continuously inconsistent with your 7 day split? Change to a workout split you're able to stick to consistently. Be it a 3 day split or a 5 day split.
7 Day Split Workout Examples
7 Day Split Workout Example 1
7 Day PPL Split
Push
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Barbell Military Press -4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Laterals - 4 x 6 reps
- Weighted Triceps Dips - 4 x 6 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension - 4 x 6 reps
Pull
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Weighted Chin-Ups - 3 x 6 reps
Legs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
Push
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Barbell Military Press -4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Laterals - 4 x 6 reps
- Weighted Triceps Dips - 4 x 6 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension - 4 x 6 reps
Pull
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Weighted Chin-Ups - 3 x 6 reps
Legs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
Cardio/Abs
- 20 minutes HIIT (30 fast/30 slow) treadmill or rower
- Hanging Leg Raises - 4 x 10 reps
- Dragon Flags - 4 x 5 reps
- Planks - 4 x 1 minute
7 Day Split Workout Example 2
2 Body Part/Day Split
Chest/Back
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Chest Dips - 4 x failure
- Incline Dumbbell Fly - 4 x 6 reps
- Deadlifts - 4 x 6 reps
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 x 6 reps
Shoulders/Arms
- Barbell Military Press -4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Laterals - 4 x 6 reps
- Close Grip Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Rope Pushdown - 2 x 10 reps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
Legs/Abs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
- Hanging Leg Raises - 4 x 10 reps
- Dragon Flags - 4 x 5 reps
- Planks - 4 x 1 minute
Cardio
- 20 minutes HIIT (30 fast/30 slow) treadmill or rower
Chest/Back
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Chest Dips - 4 x failure
- Incline Dumbbell Fly - 4 x 6 reps
- Deadlifts - 4 x 6 reps
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 x 6 reps
Shoulders/Arms
- Barbell Military Press -4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Laterals - 4 x 6 reps
- Close Grip Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Rope Pushdown - 2 x 10 reps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
Legs/Abs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
- Hanging Leg Raises - 4 x 10 reps
- Dragon Flags - 4 x 5 reps
- Planks - 4 x 1 minute
7 Day Split Workout Example 3
1 Body Part/Day Split
Chest
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Chest Dips - 4 x failure
- Incline Dumbbell Fly - 4 x 6 reps
Back
- Deadlifts - 4 x 6 reps
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 x 6 reps
Shoulders
- Barbell Military Press -4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Laterals - 4 x 6 reps
- Plate Front Raises - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly - 3 x 6 reps
Triceps
- Weighted Triceps Dips - 4 x 6 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension - 4 x 6 reps
- Close Grip Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Rope Pushdown - 2 x 10 reps
Biceps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Weighted Chin-Ups - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Concentration Curls - 3 x 6 reps
Legs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
7 Day Split Workout Example 4
Lagging Legs Split
Shoulders
Legs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
Back
- Deadlifts - 4 x 6 reps
- Pull-Ups - 4 x 6 reps
- Pendlay Row - 4 x 6 reps
- One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 x 6 reps
Chest
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Chest Dips - 4 x failure
- Incline Dumbbell Fly - 4 x 6 reps
Biceps
- Barbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 x 6 reps
- Weighted Chin-Ups - 3 x 6 reps
- Dumbbell Concentration Curls - 3 x 6 reps
Legs
- Barbell Squats - 3 x 6 reps
- Leg Press - 3 x 6 reps
- Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Curls - 3 x 12 reps
- Leg Extensions - 3 x 12 reps
Triceps
- Weighted Triceps Dips - 4 x 6 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension - 4 x 6 reps
- Close Grip Bench Press - 4 x 6 reps
- Rope Pushdown - 2 x 10 reps
