This program is designed to build muscle mass and strength, without wasting your time. You won’t find any nonsense in this 7 week free functional bodybuilding workout plan. You’ll find a lot of hard work, heavy weights, and challenging WODs. I will also provide a few resources for recovery, nutrition, and performance enhancement. Keep reading for all the details.
Functional bodybuilding has become very popular in the last several years. In all my years of coaching, most athletes tend to want the same few outcomes. They want to be lean, strong, and have a decent amount of muscle mass. The funny thing is that you don’t need any super special training methods to get there .
This specific goal can be accomplished with compound exercises, using barbells, and dumbbells. Moreover, you don’t even need much equipment. Don’t believe me, then check out this article where I compare the muscle mass of top CrossFit athletes with natural bodybuilders. Spoiler alert, you’ll find they are almost exactly as muscular.
I also recommend checking out my natural muscular limit calculator. It’s based on some great research and it can accurately predict the amount of muscle you can carry, based on your bone size. Even as someone who’s been doing functional training for years, there’s still room to build muscle and strength.
Give it a look and I bet you’ll find you’re nowhere near your genetic potential. Here’s a quick overview of the 7 week free functional bodybuilding workout plan.
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Workout Plan Overview
- This program mixes strength and muscle building routines, covering your entire body
- Best for intermediate and advanced fitness level athletes
- It is predominately composed of compound functional movements, with some isolation movement patterns
- It is functional because it address all energy systems, and major muscle groups
- Easily scalable, and can be done in most home and commercial gyms
- Follow on training programs included at the end of the article
If you’ve seen other trainers on social media, you’ve probably noticed a lot of bizarre lifts, and training movements. While I do try some of these from time to time, to see if they’re worthwhile, I haven’t found much benefit to these moves.
There doesn’t seem to be anything functional about a kneeling half landmine press. In my opinion, it’s a great way to artificially lower the weight you could do on a regular movement! As such, you’ll find a lot of standard bodybuilding and functional fitness movements in this program. I’ve also included a workout of the day or WOD for every session.
Before we get into the specifics of the program, we need to review what makes this program an effective way to train. There are some very simple, research based guidelines that can help us maximize our strength and muscle mass.
Science Based Functional Bodybuilding Guidelines
If you’ve read any of my other articles then you’ll know that I always like to review relevant research on any given topic. I find it’s best to take their results and blend it with my practical experience, to make a great comprehensive program.
Most research is very clear on this topic, one of the primary drivers of muscle gain is higher volume per muscle group. There are others, which you can read about here, but volume tends dominate much of the research.
After reviewing numerous studies on this topic, I created these two infographics. They highlight the rate of muscular hypertrophy you can can expect in your upper body, and your lower body. Check them out below.
Functional Bodybuilding Guides
The interesting thing about this research, is that you don’t actually need to murder yourself in the gym to make decent muscular gains. In my other research article on bodybuilding volume, I have highlighted that there is a relationship between more volume and more muscle growth, for advanced lifters. In fact you can lift up to 30+ sets per body part, per week, if you have a lot of experience, and are a glutton for punishment.
Part of what makes this program successful is that I’ve already included the right amount of training volume to maximize your gains, without inducing extra soreness that benefits no one. You have the added benefit of lifting some heavy free weights, and some lighter weights quickly, which have been shown to build muscle.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics behind muscular hypertrophy, let’s get to the specifics of the program. Of note, I will include all 7 weeks of the program below, as well as a link to the free PDF download below.
The 7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Workout Plan PDF
7 Week Free Bodybuilding Workout Plan
This plan is a total of 7 weeks in length. It has you in the gym 5 days per week, with two rest days. Most folks choose to take them on the weekend, but you can put them in wherever you like. Do what makes the most sense for your schedule.
Each training session should start with 3-5 minutes of easy cardio, and then it should transition to some mobility drills. You can then work on body weight movement patters for the same specific muscle groups that you’ll be working on.
This total warm up shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. After that, you’re free to get to the functional bodybuilding workouts. Let’s talk about week 1 of this 7 week program. Before we do that, don’t forget to join our email list below.
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7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 1
Here is the first week of the weight training program. As you can see, there’s a lot going on each session. Most functional athletes will perform each session from top to bottom, finishing with the WOD. That’s how I normally do it, but there’s nothing wrong with mixing the daily order up a bit. I recommend taking a 5-10 minute break between your last lift, and the start of the WOD.
During this break, you can warm up the specific lifts that you will be doing in the WOD. The goal is to get a feel for the pacing of the workout.
Feel free to scale some of the more difficult movements. Most often you can simply reduce the weight; however, you can also swap movements to something similar if the prescribed one is too hard. I recommend checking out this guide on scaling METCONS and WODs.
It’s also important to note that I use the terms reps in reserve (RIR) ands reps in the tank interchangeably. This means that you should select a weight that leaves the requisite number of reps in reserve, by your final rep. You shouldn’t be maxing out on every set, as that will lead to overtraining.
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 2
In week two you can see that I have increased the difficulty. The rep schemes have generally stayed the same, but you will be leaving less reps in reserve, as you work through each session. Don’t sweat it if you accidentally go too hard or too easy. Just don’t make a habit of it.
I’ve written this functional program to create a progressive overload. This training methodology applies more stress to your body, so that it adapts by getting stronger and fitter. It only works if you apply the right amount of stress. If you go too hard all the time, there is no adaptation.
I also recommend that you wear a lifting belt for the heaviest sets in the program. You can check out this list of recommended lifting belts if you need something for this type of program. Make sure that you are taking in a big breath, and trying to break the belt as you lift. This will allow it to work more effectively and improve your safety.
If you want to try my most popular functional bodybuilding hybrid program then check it out below.
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 3
This week of this high intensity program starts to become difficult. The general trend for this plan is to increase volume and load every week, so that you continue to make progress. You’ll have a small respite in week 5, when we rotate exercises, and ratchet down the intensity.
I always recommend that my athletes listen to their bodies. If they need an extra rest day here or there, then take one! You aren’t ruining your gains by taking rest that you need. You shouldn’t be doing this every week, but recovery is actually the part of this equation where you improve. I’ll cover more on that topic later on in this article. Including how to increase your reps per set by up to 30% for free.
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 4
This is the week where you’ll probably be cursing my name. There is a lot of volume, and the last few sets of each functional movement are very challenging. That’s ok. Part of getting stronger is spending time straining with heavy weights, and learning that you can actually move them.
As a coach, I’ve seen way more athletes bail on a heavy lifts because they mentally gave up. Spending time with heavy weights makes you physically stronger, and mentally so as well.
I always recommend athletes try to get a little extra sleep, and eat a bit more this week, compared to the previous weeks. It is a very challenging program, and that bit of extra recovery can keep you healthier, and making solid progress. Remember that you’ll have a an easier week coming up.
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 5
In this week we rotate many of our functional exercises. We also start each session with more reps in reserve, meaning that the weights should be lower. This is a very common mistake both athletes and coaches make. You shouldn’t stick to the same exercises for too long. Your body is smart, and it will adapt quickly.
You’ll notice that the same body parts, and muscle groups are trained each day of the week, but I’ve changed the particular exercises to work different parts of your musculature.
There are a few exercises like nordic curls, and hex bar deadlifts, that you may not have as much familiarity with. I recommend you follow the links above to make sure you know how to do them. Research confirms they are both incredibly beneficial and quite functional. After all, not having knee pain is peak functional fitness!
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 6
This is the second to last week, and you should definitely be feeling the strength gains at this point. I find this is also about the point where friends and family will start noticing that you’ve made some improvements in your physique, which is a nice bonus.
This cycle of the program is difficult. You’ll see several sets that are listed as AHAP, or as heavy as possible. I want you to be smart, and make sure you’re lifting with good form. No one cares about crappy dangerous reps. We need heavy reps with solid form. You won’t be making any progress if you’re battling an injury because you were being unsafe!
7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Plan: Week 7
This is the last week of the program, and you guessed it, it’s the hardest. The volume is way up, and you’ll be lifting near your max multiple times. This is key for making improvements. You don’t build strength and muscle mass with easy training!
If you like this functional bodybuilding workout plan then I recommend checking out some of the follow on programming options below. I’ve written dozens of programs on this website, and I have something for everyone. There are pure bodybuilding programs, powerlifting programs, hybrid programs, endurance programs, and pure functional fitness performance programs. Look through a few and see what you like.
Programs to Build Muscle Mass
- The 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program
- 6 Weeks of Muscular Growth for Functional Fitness Athletes Program
- 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program
- The 11 Week High Intensity Bodybuilding Program
Programs to Build Strength
- 9 Week Functional Strength Program (Part 1)
- 9 Week Advanced Strength Program for Functional Fitness
- 7 Week Free Strength Training Program
Hybrid Programs: Strength, Muscle Mass, and Conditioning
- 15 Week Lift Heavy Run Fast Program for Functional Fitness
- 10 Week Functional Powerbuilding Program
- 9 Week Sprint Program for Running
In this next section we’ll review some basics on your nutrition and your recovery. I’ll also cover a few tips that researchers have shown to increase performance naturally. No this isn’t an infomercial for sex pills. Sorry guys.
If you liked this program, and want my most challenging functional bodybuilding program, then this is what you’re looking for.
Recovery and Nutrition Resources
Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated, but you do need to understand the basics of nutrition to achieve the best results for this functional bodybuilding workout plan. The best way to do this is to read my Ultimate Nutrition Guide, and then download my nutrition calculator. The calculator is a great tool to make sure you’re optimizing your progress. After all, there’s no point in doing millions of bench press reps, and pull ups, if you aren’t eating well.
This will cover the basics of nutrition, and also give you a great diet plan to shoot for in terms of calories and macros. The important thing is to make sure you’re eating enough carbs, protein, and fats. If you want some great resources for cooking high protein meals, check out the meals section in my 12 Week Weight Loss Program. Next we’ll talk about some great recovery tips.
Recovery Tips for Building Lean Muscle
Recovery is definitely a misunderstood topic. Just mentioning the word brings up images of cryo baths, and weird spa treatments. The research is pretty clear, while there may be some mental benefit to those things, they aren’t directly helping your recovery.
Read this article were I review some scientific studies on the topic. Your best bets are fairly simple. Make sure you’re sleeping enough, and eating adequately. Very easy cardio, like cycling or walking, can help you recover, as it increases circulation without incurring more damage to repair.
There is also some indication that wearing compression tights helps you both when you’re working out, and afterwards. Check out this article where I review the research on compression tights for building muscle and strength.
Lastly, one of the most useful inter-set recovery methods I recommend is hyperventilation breathing. Read this article where I talk about the benefits of HV breathing. It’s very simple. You just breath deeply for 20-25 breaths 30 seconds before your set, and you should be able to complete up to 35% more reps. It sounds like nonsense, but it works.
Final Thoughts
This has been a very thorough functional bodybuilding workout plan, and I want to highlight a few key points. The most important aspect of any functional fitness program, is being consistent. The more training days, and sessions you can accomplish the fitter you’ll become.
It’s important not to obsess over the minutia of the program. Don’t worry if this scale is better than that other scaled movement. Just go with something challenging that you can execute well.
Your biggest performance gains will come from your recovery, and nutrition. Don’t think you can train hard and eat like crap, while sleeping 5 hours a night. That won’t help you at all. Get into a healthy fitness routine, and soon enough you’ll be stronger and more jacked than ever before. Now get out there and get training!
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