Weight training workout is one of the best ways to build strength and endurance. One who is looking to build muscle mass should opt for weight training. Our body is designed to move, so you need to exercise or play a sport at least three times per week. The seven-day weight training program is a lifestyle to follow to be fit for life.
The compound movements used in weight training increase your testosterone levels. In today’s sedentary lifestyle, we sit all day long which lowers our testosterone levels. Incorporating weight training can bring a massive difference in how you look and feel.
Weight training decreases stress levels and increases happy hormones in the body. Everybody part gets involved in the different movements used in weight training which keeps our body fit.
Weight training also increases the strength of our bones, keeping them healthy over a long period. This prevents osteoporosis. (1)
Types of Workout in Gym
Full Body Workout
The full-body workout routine is one of the best routines for building muscle and strength for beginners. It incorporates all the compound movements with one or two isolation exercises that are perfect for gaining muscle mass, especially if you are skinny.
This is an alternate day routine where you get a rest day between your working days.
- Day 1 – Full body
- Day 2 – Rest
- Day 3 – Full body
- Day 4 – Rest
- Day 5 – Full body
- Day 6 – Rest
- Day 7 – Rest
Now, the intensity should be kept in mind because your body may not recover for the next session if you go a little intense.
If you are a hard gainer, you should try this full-body workout routine.
Push-Pull Legs Workout
Push-pull legs is a 3-day workout routine that is considered one of the best when it comes to building muscle strength and endurance. You can hit the muscle groups once or twice a week in this split.
You can work out six days a week, hitting the muscle groups twice per week. This increases the frequency of muscle activation, which results in fast muscle growth. But then, you have to keep the intensity and volume of the workout low.
- Day 1 – Push
- Day 2 – Pull
- Day 3 – Legs
- Day 4 – Push
- Day 5 – Pull
- Day 6 – Legs
- Day 7 – Rest
People who want to join the gym without having any background in fitness or sports can try this 6-day routine for at least two months. This will activate and strengthen your muscles.
If you do a high-intensity workout with more sets and reps, your muscles will take more time to recover, and the frequency of muscle activation will decrease.
In this case, you can work out alternate days, i.e.,
- Day 1 – Push
- Day 2 – Rest
- Day 3 – Pull
- Day 4 – Rest
- Day 5 – Legs
- Day 6 – Rest
- Day 7 – Rest
Here, you get three working days and four rest days. Your muscles can recover quickly and get ready for the next week. If you are not able to put on muscle mass, you should try this 3-day strength training routine.
Push-Pull Workout
A push-pull workout is similar to the push-pull legs. But, here, the exercises for the legs are included in the pushing and pulling movements. The squat is a pushing exercise where you push your body away from the ground. Similarly, leg extension is a kind of stretching exercise.
Depending on your goal, a push-pull routine is done 2 to 6 days a week. But, the 2-day practice reduces the frequency of muscle activation, so try to follow a 4-day or 6-day routine.
4-Day workout routine:
- Day 1 – Push
- Day 2 – Pull
- Day 3 – Rest
- Day 4 – Push
- Day 5 – Pull
- Day 6 – Rest
- Day 7 – Rest
6-Day workout routine:
- Day 1 – Push
- Day 2 – Pull
- Day 3 – Push
- Day 4 – Pull
- Day 5 – Push
- Day 6 – Pull
- Day 7 – Rest
If you choose the 4-day push-pull workout routine, the intensity of the workout will be moderate, and your muscles will get time to recover. This routine is best for beginners who have just started weight training. (2)
If you choose the 6-day workout routine, it should be a low-intensity workout. If you increase the intensity, your muscles may not get recovered completely, and you will not be able to perform the next workout session properly.
Muscle Split workout
A muscle split workout routine is effective when you have some experience with weight training. Here, a group of muscles is chosen exercise per day as given below.
- Day 1 – Chest and Triceps
- Day 2 – Back and Biceps
- Day 3 – Cardio and abs
- Day 4 – Rest
- Day 5 – Shoulders and traps
- Day 6 – Legs
- Day 7 – Rest
You exercise the chest with triceps together because they push muscles that support each other. The back and biceps are pulling muscles, so they are combined.
While we exercise our shoulders, traps get activated. Here combining shoulder and trap exercises makes the routine efficient.
There are no strict rules regarding which muscles to choose per day. You can select any group of muscles if it makes sense. I mean to say, if you choose chest and biceps on day one and back and biceps on day 2, you are activating triceps and biceps twice per week. This will perhaps increase the frequency, hence reducing the intensity.
Here’s another muscle split workout routine with a different approach:
- Day 1 – Chest
- Day 2 – Back
- Day 3 – Arms(biceps and triceps)
- Day 4 – Rest
- Day 5 – Shoulders and traps
- Day 6 – Legs
- Day 7 – Rest
You can keep the intensity high in this split because fewer muscles work each day. Day 1 is a chest day that involves the triceps in almost all its movements. Day 2 is a back day that involves biceps in all its actions. This makes the frequency of the triceps and bicep exercises twice per week. (3)
Exercises to perform in Gym
Chest Exercises:
- Pushups (All variations)
- Barbell bench press (flat, incline, decline bench)
- Dumbbell bench press (flat, incline, decline bench)
- Dumbbell flies (flat, incline, decline bench)
- Cable flies or cable crossover (all three angles)
- Chest dips
- Dumbbell pullover
- Pec deck
Back Exercises:
- Pullups
- Chinups
- Lat pulldown (Wide grip, narrow grip, supinated grip, and v-grip)
- Bent over rows
- T bar rows
- Seated rows
- Dumbbell rows
- Deadlifts
Leg Exercises:
- Squats
- Lunges
- Stiff leg deadlifts
- Single leg deadlifts
- Leg press
- Leg extension
- Lying leg curls
- Good mornings
Shoulder Exercises:
- Barbell overhead press
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Front raise
- Lateral raise
- Bent over dumbbell reverse flies
- Reverse cable crossovers
- Reverse pec deck fly
Tricep Exercises:
- Diamond pushups
- Kickbacks
- Close grip bench press
- Bar pushdowns
- Rope pushdowns
- Overhead tricep extensions
- Lying tricep extensions (dumbbell or tricep bar or EZ bar)
Bicep Exercises:
- Barbell curl
- EZ bar curls
- Dumbbell curls
- Hammer curls
- Incline dumbbell curls
- Cable curls (at all angles)
- Concentration curls
- Preacher curls
Abs Exercises:
- Crunches (bodyweight and with weights)
- Leg raise
- Hanging leg raise (body weight and with weights)
- Planks (Body weight and with weights)
- Cable crunches
Obliques Exercises:
- Single-leg side planks (Body weight and with weights)
- Rotating side planks
- Dumbbell side crunches
- Russian twists
- Mountain climber
- Windshield wipers
Cardio Exercises:
- Jumping jacks
- Burpees
- Squat jumps
- Running in place
- Jogging