An Effective 7-Day Workout Routine

Transform your fitness with this 7-day training plan that will increase strength and endurance. Ideal for all fitness levels.

To get the benefits of physical activity, you need establish a well-balanced workout plan that you can stick to. Regular exercise can improve your mood, lower your risk of heart disease, and help you sleep better. The key to an efficient workout plan is to challenge your body and engage your mind by incorporating a variety of exercise types such as aerobic, full-body workouts, stretching, and weight lifting.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise per week, which equals 30 minutes per day, five days a week. The CDC also suggests two days of muscle-strengthening exercises.

Your training schedule is determined by your goals, such as muscular development and strength gain. Here’s an example weekly workout routine created by Jacklyn Romano, CPT, a certified physical therapist based in New Jersey, and Sharon Gam, PhD, a certified personal trainer and health coach, to help you set your goals and get started.

Workout Schedule

Romano and Gam created this seven-day training regimen to help you build a consistent fitness program. Here’s what each day of the itinerary includes:

• Monday: Cardio.
• Tuesday: Lower Body.
• Wednesday: Upper Body and Core
• Thursday: Active Rest and Recovery.
• Friday: Lower body, focusing on glutes.
• Saturday: Upper Body
• Sunday: Rest and recovery.

Warm Up and Cool Down

Spend five to ten minutes warming up before each workout to avoid injury. Try dynamic stretches like butt kicks and high knees to increase blood flow to your muscles and move your joints. Finish your workout with a cool down by stretching your muscles or going for a short walk to safely return your heart rate to normal.

Upper-Lower Splits

This sample workout routine contains four muscle-strengthening sessions per week, divided into two upper-body and two lower-body days. Maintain the same exercises throughout each workout, progressively increasing the weights and reps as you develop strength.

Progressive Overload

Romano suggested progressive overload, which involves performing the same workouts but challenging yourself with higher weights or more reps. Begin with 10 reps for three sets, with one minute of rest between each set for each exercise.

According to Romano, ten reps are the perfect range for a beginning. If you go over, you risk compromising your form, and if you go under, you won’t become as accustomed with the move. If an exercise feels too easy, raise the weight to challenge your muscles.

The importance of stretching

Many folks don’t stretch enough. However, flexibility is essential for preserving joint range of motion and preventing injuries.

Hold each of the following stretches for 30 seconds before repeating on the opposite side.

Calf stretch: Stand against a wall and flex your right foot upward such that your toes rest on the wall. Get closer to the wall until you feel a stretch.

Hamstring stretch: Lie down on the floor beside a wall. Raise your right leg, putting your heel on the wall. Straighten your leg till you can feel a stretch.

Stretch your hip flexors by placing a towel under your left knee while kneeling on the floor. Place your right foot in front of you and bend your right knee. Shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch, then place your weight on your right leg.

Stretch your shoulders by holding your right arm over your chest with your left.

Quad stretch: Keep your balance by holding onto a wall or the back of a chair. Grab your right ankle and pull your heel up and back towards your buttocks. Keep your knees squeezed together.

Monday: Cardio

Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as biking, jogging, running, or walking. The CDC suggests that you aim for moderate intensity, which means a heart rate of 64% to 76% of your maximum heart rate. You will be able to converse while exercising. In contrast, vigorous intensity allows you to say only a few words without hesitating.

A reasonable rule of thumb for calculating your maximal heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. If you’re 40, your maximum heart rate would be 175 beats per minute (bpm). You want to keep your heart rate between 112 and 133 beats per minute.

Steady-state cardio (endurance training) improves heart and lung stamina while also lowering your chances of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Your body learns to more efficiently transport oxygen and nutrients into your muscles while moving waste out.7 As a result, the exercises will become simpler with time, so gradually raise your pace.

Tuesday: Lower body

Your first muscle-strengthening exercise of the week will focus on your lower body, specifically your hamstrings, glutes, and quads, using four complex movements. Compound lifts are exercises that include several muscular groups. A deadlift, for example, works the lower body, arm, and core muscles.

Perform 10 reps for three sets of the following exercises, with a minute of rest between each set:

Deadlifts: Spread your feet shoulder-width apart, push your buttocks back, bend your knees slightly, and bend forward while keeping your back straight. Hold a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in your hands. Lift the weights by pushing your hips forward and maintaining your back flat. Slowly lower the weights to the floor.

Hip thrusts: Sit on the ground, with your shoulders supported by a bench or stable chair. Keep your feet on the ground and thrust your hips up. Squeeze your glutes until your knees form a 90-degree angle. Lower your hips to the ground.

Lunges:Stand in a split stance, with one foot a few feet ahead of the other. Maintain a straight torso, then bend your knees until your back knee is a few inches off the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor.

Squats: Lower yourself as if sitting in a chair. Keep your feet shoulder width apart and flat on the floor. Push back up to standing.

To avoid damage, master your form before increasing the weights. Add just enough weight such that the last few reps leave your muscles burning and your heart racing.

Wednesday: Upper body and core

Your legs, which are probably sore, will get a respite today because you’ll be working on your arms. These exercises will work your biceps, triceps, and chest muscles.

 Bicep curl: Use both hands to hold a barbell or a dumbbell. Allow your elbows to rest at your sides, with your forearms stretched parallel to the floor. Bend your elbows to transfer weight to your shoulders, then return to the starting position.

Chest press: Lie back on a bench, feet flat on the floor, and hold a dumbbell or a barbell in each hand. Keep your arms perpendicular to your body, palms facing forward. Extend your elbows and push the weight up. Lower the weight to get back to the starting position.

Tricep dip: Sit on a chair or bench and grab the edge near your hips. Slide your buttocks off the chair and descend yourself, bending your elbows at a 45- or 90-degree angle. Push yourself back into the beginning position.

Perform 10 reps of each exercise for three sets, with one minute rest between each set. Finish the session with a brief core circuit. Choose some of your core moves, such as crunches, planks, and Russian twists, and perform them for 30 seconds each, followed by 10-15 seconds of rest. Repeat the exercises for 10–15 minutes.

Thursday: Active Rest and Recovery

Allow your body to rest and recharge. Muscle-strengthening activities cause small microtears in your muscle fibers, leaving them aching and uncomfortable. That may sound scary, but it only means that your muscles will grow back stronger than before. Not allowing your muscles to heal increases your chance of injury and stops them from strengthening.

If you are not too injured or weary, you may be able to get some exercise done even on days off. Walking and stretching can help ease post-workout muscle soreness.

Friday: Lower Body and Focus on Glutes

This lower-body workout will focus on your glutes. Warm up your glutes with five resistance band exercises, including bridges, clamshells, and squats, for three rounds.

Once you’ve activated your glutes, you’ll progress to weighted workouts. Romano suggested performing 10 reps of three types of hinge movements: deadlifts, hip thrusts, and single-legged hip thrusts. These exercises work your glutes and hamstrings.

Saturday: Upper Body

For your week’s final workout, focus on your back and shoulders. Before you begin working with weights, you need warm up your muscles. Try three sets of push-ups and pull-ups, each with ten reps. You can gradually increase your strength by doing incline push-ups and aided pull-ups.

You will then perform five weighted workouts for ten reps and three sets. Those workouts include:

Dumbbell single-arm row: Place one hand beneath your shoulder, arm straight, on a bench. Rest your corresponding knee on the bench, with your other leg to the side and your foot flat on the ground. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand and row your elbow up to your side until it is parallel to the floor. Lower and repeat on the other side.

Lat pulldown: Hold the bar of a cable machine with your palms facing away and shoulder-width apart. Make sure you’re sitting on a bench or kneeling on the floor. Pull the bar down to your chest before slowly returning to the starting position.

Lateral raise: While standing or sitting, engage your core and slowly lift the dumbbells out to the side until your arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly return to your starting location.

Reverse fly: Bend slightly at the waist while gripping a dumbbell in either hand. Raise both arms to the side and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return to your starting position.

Shoulder press: Sit or stand, holding a dumbbell in both hands at shoulder height. Keep your palms facing away and your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Press the weights upwards until your arms are straight and the weights are touching above. Slowly return to the starting position.

Sunday: Rest and Recovery Day

Allow your body time to heal after a long week of work. Yoga or stretching might help prevent your muscles from becoming stiff and sore.

It’s also okay to take an entire day off. Our weekly pattern includes both active and relaxed days off, whether it’s reading a book on the couch or watching Netflix.

Tips

It might be challenging to maintain a consistent fitness program. Here are some strategies for making physical activity a constant habit:

Invite your pals: Make a plan to work out with a friend, which can help you stay accountable.

Make exercise fun: Finding something you enjoy is the best way to stick to a training routine. This sample weekly fitness program is a fantastic starting point for varying your routines while incorporating your favorite activities.

Schedule your workouts: Set aside about 30-45 minutes each day to ensure you always have time to exercise.

Track your progress: Begin a journal in which you record the distance you cycle, jog, or walk, as well as the amount of weight you lift. Seeing your progress might provide incentive to continue pushing forward.

Try an exercise class: Sign up for a Pilates or Zumba class near you to try something new.

Don’t Forget Nutrition

A consistent fitness plan, combined with a well-balanced diet, is critical for general health. A nutrient-dense diet reduces the risk of various chronic illnesses, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Make sure you consume enough carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein to satisfy your hunger and keep you energized.

Here are some suggestions for a balanced diet:

• Select low-fat or nonfat dairy products.
• Eat a mix of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
• Drink lots of water.
• Make sure you consume adequate calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and other critical nutrients.
• Limit your intake of added sugars, alcohol, salt, and saturated fat.
• Choose lean meats, poultry, and fish over red meat.