If you are new to the gym and want to lose fat while building muscle, you may feel overwhelmed by the many different tips online. Should you lift heavy weights four days a week? Or should you lift lighter weights with high repetitions six days a week? Should you do a lot of cardio, or avoid it altogether? These conflicting ideas can be confusing.
The good news is that any consistent mix of strength training and cardio will help you make some progress. But if you want to get the best results quickly, there is a right way to train—and a wrong way. In a recent interview with Steven Bartlett, Jeff Cavaliere, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, shared the exact 7-day workout plan he uses to burn fat and build muscle at the same time.
Cavaliere recommends training with either an upper-lower split or a push-pull-leg split. He explains, “If you do a push-pull-legs split, include your shoulder exercises with your chest and triceps on the push day. This is because it is the only day you work your shoulders during the week, and since shoulders are pushing muscles, they fit best there.”
Here is an example of the 7-day workout schedule Cavaliere suggests:
Monday: Upper body push
Tuesday: Rest or conditioning
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Rest or conditioning
Friday: Upper body pull
Saturday: Full body
Sunday: Rest
Bartlett notes that Cavaliere does not schedule cardio on lifting days. Cavaliere agrees but says you can combine cardio and strength training if needed. However, if building muscle is your main goal, you should prioritize lifting first and do cardio after your workout.
He says, “If your priority is to build muscle, then put muscle building first. Do your cardio conditioning at the end of your workout.”
Regarding reps and sets, Cavaliere says the amount depends on how you use Saturday’s full-body day. If Saturday is for cardio or light recovery, you can train hard Monday through Friday. But if you plan to lift on Saturday, reduce your total training volume during the week to avoid overtraining.
Typically, Cavaliere recommends doing between nine and sixteen sets for each muscle group per week. For example, if you do one chest workout with three sets per exercise, you would do about three chest exercises to reach that total. You do not need as many sets for triceps because they are worked during the bench press and other pressing movements.
