Working out can be exhausting, especially if you’re a beginner. However, our bodies are masters of adaptation. Over time, the routines become less challenging, and you start powering through them effortlessly. Eventually, you need to work out more to get results that you’d normally get in half the time. Well, a 6 day workout routine for muscle mass can be really helpful when you hit that plateau. Simply put, it’s an advanced strength training routine that targets your major muscle groups weekly. And yes, it is challenging and will end your plateau phase. Here’s how that happens.
What Is A 6-Day Workout Routine?
As mentioned earlier, a 6-day workout routine is an advanced training schedule. This implies that it won’t be the best idea to jump straight into this program if you’re a beginner. We’ll find out why later in this piece.
Ideally, the program is designed to optimize how much time you spend targeting each muscle group weekly. It, therefore, maximizes muscle growth in your body’s most important muscles. It breaks your week into individual training sessions distributed over 6 days, which explains its intensity.
The workout plan primarily targets each muscle group twice per week, then gives them 2 days between sessions for recovery. For instance, if Monday is your chest day, the next session of the same muscle group will be Thursday. The 6-day workout routine is, however, not without complications.
There are 6 major muscle groups that you’re supposed to work on at least once per week. Fitting everything in this one-week plan can be daunting. It only gets worse since the ideal recommendation is to work on each muscle group twice weekly.
It’s important to note that you need to target specific muscles within the said muscle groups. For example, when you’re working on your arms, you focus on your triceps or biceps. That being said, the following are the major muscle groups that you should target in a 6-day routine:
- Arms
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Legs
- Abs
- Back
Fitting every muscle group in your week-long schedule can be tricky. This is because you need to allow for sufficient time for recovery between each muscle. Remember, muscles and muscle groups are not similar. For example, you can’t work on your triceps on Monday then biceps on Tuesday.
You’ll often have to work on multiple muscles in a day. This is because of the limited time available and an extensive number of muscle groups. However, most muscle groups complement each other, so incorporating them in the same session shouldn’t be hard (2).
You could, for example, work on your shoulder and chest muscles simultaneously. Your leg and core muscles are also a good combination you could try out. An example of a 6-day muscle building workout routine for muscle mass building would look like this (2):
- 1st Day: Shoulders, chest, and core
- 2nd Day: Leg muscles and triceps
- 3rd Day: Back and core muscles
- 4th Day: Triceps, biceps, and leg muscles
- 5th Day: Rest day
- 6th Day: Shoulder, chest, and abs
- 7th Day: Back muscles and biceps
Above is a 6-day workout routine for upper body muscle mass and lower body muscle groups. A training program like this incorporates a full and comprehensive workout routine for men and women.
In it, you’ll be working on at least 2 significant muscles in every training session. Additionally, you get two rest days between each muscle and a full day off weekly.
You should always aim to keep the workout schedule as planned. Shifting your workouts each week can mess with your recovery time. This can ultimately increase the risk of injury or fatigue while reducing the overall efficiency of the exercise.
Read More: Leg Workout For Running To Build Strength And Endurance
6-Day Muscle Building Workout Plan
So what are some workout routines to build muscle mass safely and effectively? While we’re at it, what is the best 6 day workout routine out there? See, drawing up a weekly workout schedule with target muscles is one thing. Selecting specific exercises targeting the muscles is another.
Next, we look at sample circuits for each day based on the above 6 day workout routine. The beauty of a 6 day workout routine for muscle mass lies in the flexibility it offers. As such, you should pick workouts you are most comfortable with. Doing that will make the whole exercise more manageable for you.
This muscle-building workout plan includes a mixture of a resistance band, bodyweight, and free weight exercises. Adding resistance band exercises in your weekly plan helps you reduce the element of strain from the activities. Also, they will improve your technique while isolating and targeting specific muscle groups.
This ultimately builds larger muscles while improving your flexibility and mobility. The bonus? You can also include them in your push day workout routines.
Every session should take a minimum of one hour and a maximum of 90 minutes. Also, it would be great if you can get 3 circuits while you’re at it. For the 6 day workout plan to work, you need to push yourself enough to facilitate improved muscle growth.
It’s important that you allow enough time between workouts for recovery. Over time, your strength will increase, and you can:
- Increase the speed of the exercises
- Add the number of reps
- Increase the strength of weights or bands you’re using
That said, let’s take a look at how our 6-day workout routine will look like:
Day 1: Shoulders, Chest, And Core Muscles
Warm-Up:
- 30 seconds of jump rope
- Get in a couple of pushups to get your blood flowing
- Try some arm circles. Adding a 5-pound weight can warm up your shoulders
- A set of pullups can also do the trick
Workout Routine:
- Barbell bench press: 15 reps
- Resistance band chest press: 15 reps
- Military press: 15 reps
- Banded push-ups to failures
- Banded incline chest press: 15 reps
- Lateral raises: 15 reps
- Banded decline chest press: 15 reps
- Resistance band crossovers: 15 reps
- Resistance band raises: 15 reps
- Banded glute bridges: 15 reps
- Resistance band flyers: 15 reps
- Resistance band shoulder press: 15 reps
- Side plank hold: 30 seconds on every side
- Plank hold: 30 seconds
- Crunches to failure
Have a 2-minute break, then repeat. Do this about 3 times for a total of 3 sets.
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Day 2: Triceps And Leg Muscles
Warm-Up:
- 30 seconds of jump rope
- Get in some bodyweight squats or walking lunges
- Try some fire hydrants
Workout Routine:
- Tricep pushdowns: 15 reps
- Banded squats: 20 reps
- Standing calf raises: 20 reps
- Banded squat hold: 30 seconds
- Banded lateral steps: 20 reps
- Seated leg curls: 20 reps
- Banded skull crushers: 12 reps
- Seated calf raises: 20 reps
- Banded squats to failure
Have a 2-minute break and repeat for a total of 3 sets.
Day 3: Back And Core Muscles
Warm-Up:
- 5-minute bike warm-up
- Jump rope for about 30 seconds
- Bodyweight squats or walking lunges
- Pushups
- Arm circles with an extra 5-pound weight
Workout Routine:
- Hammer strength pulldown: 15 reps
- Lateral pulldowns including resistance bands: 15 reps
- Resistance band straight arm pulldown: 15 reps
- Ban-assisted pull-ups: 15 reps
- Barbell shrugs: 15 reps
- Banded glute bridges: 15 reps
- Side plank hold: 30 seconds for every side
- Plank hold: 30 seconds
- Clamshells: 15 reps
- Crunches to failure
Have a 2-minute break and repeat for a total of 3 sets.
Read More: Plank Benefits: 9 Reasons To Add This Exercise To Your Everyday Workout Routine
Day 4: Triceps, Biceps, And Leg Muscles
Warm-Up:
- Jump ropes for about 30 seconds
- Get in a couple of pushups to get your blood flowing
- Try some arm circles with a 5-pound weight or a set of pullups
Workout Routine:
- Band assisted tricep dips: 15 reps
- Barbell curls: 15 reps
- Hammer curls: 15 reps
- Seated calf raises: 15 reps
- Resistance band tricep extensions: 15 reps
- Banded bicep curls: 15 reps
- Standing calf raises: 15 reps
- Banded push-ups to failure
Day 5: Rest Day
It’s crucial that you take the whole day off from any kind of strength training. It is the only rest day in your weekly schedule. Your muscles heal, repair themselves and grow when you’re resting. The program is very challenging and you should not underestimate it. It will push your body to its limits.
You should, therefore, not be tempted to pick up weights or resistance bands on this day of your schedule. However, if you’re feeling a little energetic, some light cardio like jogging or cycling should do just fine.
Some yoga, pilates classes, or stretches can also be useful on this day. These light exercises can significantly improve your flexibility while reducing the chances of injury during your workout sessions (3). Or better still, you could do nothing on your rest day and just rest! It is its purpose, after all.
The point is, how you choose to spend your rest day is entirely up to you. The secret lies in paying attention to what your body needs. Your body is very good at communicating what it needs. So if it wants to do nothing and just lie down, do just that. It can take a two-mile jog, then give it that.
You should also make sure that you’re properly hydrated. Not only during your rest day but also when you’re working out. Your rest day is part of your journey to improve your fitness, so don’t compare it with other people’s.
Day 6: Shoulders, Chest And Abs
Warm-Up:
- 5-minute bike warm-up
- 30 seconds of jump rope
- A set of pushups to get your blood flowing
- Arm circles with a 5-pound weight to warm up your shoulders
Workout Routine:
- Military press: 15 reps
- Resistance band chest press: 15 reps
- Banded flyers: 15 reps
- Side laterals to front raise: 15 reps
- Banded glute bridges: 15 reps
- Decline banded flyers: 15 reps
- Side plank hold: 30 seconds on every side
- Plank hold: 30 seconds
- Crunches to failure
Have a 2-minute break, then repeat for a total of 3 sets.
Day 7: Biceps And Back Muscles
Warm-Up:
- 5-minute bike warm-up
- 30 seconds of jump rope
- A set of pushups to get your blood flowing
- Arm circles with a 5-pound weight to warm up your shoulders
Workout Routine:
- Bent-over rows with resistance band: 15 reps
- Seated resistance band rows: 20 reps
- Deadlift: 15 reps
- Banded bicep curls: 15 reps
- One arm rows: 15 reps
- Barbell curls: 15 reps
- Lateral pulldowns: 15 reps
- Plank hold: 30 seconds
- Band-assisted pull-ups: 15 reps
Have a 2-minute break and repeat for a total of 3 sets.
Finally, is it good to work out twice a day using this plan? Well, the exercises involved in each session are usually very intense. So you should only work out twice a day if your body can handle it.
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How Effective Is The 6-Day Workout Routine?
6 day workout routines are an excellent and natural way of working on your muscle mass. They are also particularly beneficial for losing weight because of the intensity of strength training involved. Multiple studies suggest lifting weights are better for losing weight over low-intensity steady-state cardio (1).
The workout routine ensures you efficiently utilize your workout time and the number of training sessions in your weekly schedule. It will also ensure that you work on all of your major muscle groups.
This results in larger and stronger muscle mass in your body. If you’re a bodybuilder looking for a plan that has full coverage, then this is it. You should, however, bear in mind that you need a balanced and well-put schedule to pull this off.
A 6 day workout routine for muscle mass is particularly effective for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders. That’s primarily because they have an existing training base they can use to develop muscles from. The same can’t be said for beginners.
Potential bodybuilders should understand that a 6 day workout routine can be demanding. It’s very challenging, and it will take a lot to stay motivated and without injuries. You need to identify what’s keeping you motivated to stick to the schedule as rigidly as possible. That’s because it’s created to optimize the time available to you for the recovery of each major muscle group.
Additionally, always make sure you’re stretching properly, warming up, cooling down, and recovering daily. Including a wide range of exercises in the program, weekly can help you stay motivated.
For instance, in the first week, you could use the free weights in your gym. The following week utilize resistance bands at home. If you’ve been wondering how to start muscle building workout at home, this may be just what you’re looking for. Resistance bands are easily available at fair prices. Finally, go back to the gym in week three and continue this cycle.
Beginners and novice bodybuilders can, however, find this program to be too intense. This can be attributed to the fact that they have a limited muscle base. Also, some beginners may not be experienced in performing several exercises and using weights or resistance bands.
By extension, you’ll start overworking your joints and muscles that can lead to injuries. So you’ll end up having more setbacks than beneficial results in the 6 day workout routine. You should therefore consider using 2-4 day routines before moving to 5-6 day plans.
Self-motivation is, however, vital for the success of the whole program. You’ll also require a lot of commitment and dedication to pull it off. But don’t worry, the result is definitely worth it.
Finally, for your 6 day workout plan to be effective, you need to have clear goals in mind. Ensure that your fitness goal is:
- Specific. In this case, aiming for increased strength is considered to be the most objective option.
- Measurable. Have definite ways of tracking your progress. Avoid goals like having “ripped abs.”
- Achievable. Set fitness goals that are within your capabilities and control. It’ll help you have a clear mindset.
- Realistic. Be reasonable in your targets. Always remember that what is possible for others may not be possible for you and vice versa.
- Time-based. Create a timeline for completing and tracking your progress.
Conclusion
The key to working out effectively lies in always presenting a new challenge to your body. It’s only by doing this that your muscles will improve and grow. This principle applies to everyone regardless of your level of training.
It is true that a 6 day workout routine for muscle mass is intense. However, it will also give your muscles the challenge they need to grow into stronger and better versions of themselves. Try this workout plan today and witness a safe and effective transformation in your muscle mass.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- Aerobic exercise and resistance weight-training during weight reduction. Implications for obese persons and athletes (1989, pubmed.gov)
- A Comparison Between Total Body and Split Routine Resistance Training Programs in Trained Men (2021, pubmed.gov)
- Post-Exercise Recovery: Fundamental and Interventional Physiology (2016, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
