Learn how the AR-7 program helped Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa put on the major muscle needed to portray the great Khal Drogo.
Workout Summary

Workout Description

The Accelarated Results 7 (AR-7) Program was developed by personal trainer Eric Laciste. More information about him and his training can be found on his personal website: ericlaciste.com

Jason Momoa’s resume is growing. With (literally) big roles such as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and the 2013 remake of Conan the Barbarian Jason is also set to lead in the upcoming DC adventure Aquaman.

With such iconic and demanding roles he has to be in top shape – and I mean crazy good shape since all of the roles mentioned have him with his shirt off most, if not all of his screen time.

In order to do the roles justice, Momoa had to pack on the mass, and quickly. He added 25 pounds to his frame in short order – not an easy feat for even the sometimes catered-to Hollywood type. But he did it.  

Enter AR – 7

Accelerated Results 7 (AR – 7) was the key to Momoa’s success.

This unique program will get anyone in superior shape, fast. Utilizing low reps, low weight and little rest it flies in the face of most weightlifting doctrines. Because of the high tempo, fast pace you will start to feel the burn much sooner as your main goal will be to reach muscular failure.

Workout Routine Used By Jason Momoa To Play Khal Drogo In Game Of Thrones

Simply start with 7 sets of 7 reps with 7 seconds of rest between each set for a predetermined circuit of exercises. Next follow the same sequence with the number 6 (6 sets, 6 reps, 6 seconds of rest). Finally, go for 5 on everything as your final round. Rest 1 to 2 minute between each round.

Another advantage of the AR – 7 program is that you can perform 2 to 3 workouts per day without too much fatigue since you aren’t logging in super heavy weights over and over putting wear and tear on your joints. 

Momoa started out performing just one workout per day for each body part. After a few weeks he adapted and started ultimately performing 2 and 3 workouts in one day. Do you think you have what it takes?

The Jason Momoa AR – 7 Sample Workout

Chest (Monday) Sets/Reps
Flat Bench Press

Do 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round:

  • 1st round 7 sets of 7 reps, with 7 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 2nd round 6 sets of 6 reps, with 6 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 3rd round 5 sets of 5 reps, with 5 seconds rest of each exercise
Incline Bench Press
Incline Bench Dumbbell Press
Plate Push-Up
Chest Dips
Back (Tuesday) Sets/Reps
Medium-Grip Pull-Up

Do 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round:

  • 1st round 7 sets of 7 reps, with 7 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 2nd round 6 sets of 6 reps, with 6 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 3rd round 5 sets of 5 reps, with 5 seconds rest of each exercise
Reverse-Grip Chin-Up
Close-Grip Pull-Up
Seated Pulley Row
Reverse-Grip BB Bent-Over Row
Legs (Wednesday) Sets/Reps
Bodyweight Squat

Do 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round:

  • 1st round 7 sets of 7 reps, with 7 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 2nd round 6 sets of 6 reps, with 6 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 3rd round 5 sets of 5 reps, with 5 seconds rest of each exercise
Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Barbell Back Squat
Bodyweight Jump Squat
Core (Thursday) Sets/Reps
Medicine Ball Slam

Do 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round:

  • 1st round 7 sets of 7 reps, with 7 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 2nd round 6 sets of 6 reps, with 6 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 3rd round 5 sets of 5 reps, with 5 seconds rest of each exercise
Kettlebell Swing
Burpee
Leap Frog
40-yd Sprint
Shoulders & Arms (Friday) Sets/Reps
Barbell Military Press

Do 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round:

  • 1st round 7 sets of 7 reps, with 7 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 2nd round 6 sets of 6 reps, with 6 seconds rest of each exercise
  • 3rd round 5 sets of 5 reps, with 5 seconds rest of each exercise
Bodyweight Dip
Diamond Push-Up
Dumbbell Curls
Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

Note: After each training session Momoa would jump on the treadmill for varied times to trim off the last bit of fat.

Make It Fit You

You may find it tough to go from one station to the next in a crowded gym – a common problem. The remedy? Perform all sets for a particular exercise before moving on to the next exercise.

This is an easy and efficient way to knock out your sets and still get a great, fast-paced workout that will have you leaving spent. The key is to keep the pace of the workout going and adhere strictly to the allotted rest periods in order to get the full benefit of AR – 7.

After a period of time be sure to change up the exercises and slightly increase the amount of weight you are using. Stick with mostly multi-joint movements and practice progression.

78 Comments
A Aftab
Posted on: Fri, 02/23/2024 - 12:17

The back day - Tuesday, that's 330 pullups in a 2 hour session! If I could do that, I'd look bitter than Jason mamoa! That's an insane routine, everything else is doable but that's physically impossible for 99.9% of men on earth

Ken
Posted on: Fri, 04/21/2023 - 15:18

So with the 40 yard dash is that 49 dashes? With 7 second intervals?

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 05/01/2023 - 13:16

No. Simply run the 40 once to end the set. Repeat with each round you do.

Reid
Posted on: Sun, 06/05/2022 - 21:56

Hello,
I've been doing this workout routine for a while, and I love it! However, I can't get to the gym as often as this routine says, so I've been doing full body workouts with this routine (e.g. bench press, chin ups, back squats, v sit ups, and medicine ball slams in one day). I've also increased the weight mid round when I've found it too light. I'm looking to switch up my routine now. Any suggestions? I want a good mix of hypertrophy training, muscular endurance, strength, and building muscle.

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 06/08/2022 - 10:00

How often can you get to the gym? I don't want to make suggestions that you can't follow due to scheduling.

Noah
Posted on: Mon, 11/08/2021 - 10:37

How many reps do u do and how many sets ?

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 11/08/2021 - 18:33

The sets and reps are included with each workout, Noah. They are on the right side of the charts.

Jordan
Posted on: Tue, 07/06/2021 - 15:12

Hello!

Im starting this workout but I was wondering while the number of reps drop each set should I be changing weight as well or not?

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Abigail
Posted on: Wed, 07/07/2021 - 09:45

Hey Jordan - You'll be keeping the weight the same across all sets.

Jesse
Posted on: Mon, 03/02/2020 - 06:12

I started this workout this morning on the Arm/Shoulder day...
I did it in order... Military Press, Dips, Diamond Push Ups, Bíceps Curls, and Triceps Extensions. ... I did it as advertised...7, 6, 5. I took 90 seconds of rest between moving on to the next exercise and 90 seconds between each round. The workout only took 55 minutes. Is that right? It says 120 to 150 minutes. What am I missing?

Nazim
Posted on: Tue, 08/11/2020 - 04:51

I guess they counted the cardio you could do after the session

Jason
Posted on: Mon, 04/01/2019 - 20:25

I just started my first day of this and so I did the chest day. I found that I was struggling to complete my sets with my non-dominant arm. I am sitting at home now and I feel a good pump in my dominant arm/chest but my non dominant side just overly tight and sore. Should I just drop my weight? I thought I was using a modest weight

Emil Malamov
Posted on: Tue, 02/19/2019 - 15:38

Hello , I want to ask is this workout good to lose weight and gain muscle mass while on a low calory cyclical ketogenic diet . Thanks in advance .

Benj Gulliford
Posted on: Wed, 11/11/2020 - 19:57

You will only lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit. This workout can help but the die will always be the greatest factor.

momo
Posted on: Sat, 01/12/2019 - 11:41

im tall but skinny ectomorph kind of body i want to gain at least 10 kilos i dont think this stuff is relly for me can you recommend to me eny nutrition and training program that can help

Rob Tyler
Posted on: Tue, 12/11/2018 - 16:04

Great stuff!

It mentions that He started out with just one workout per day and eventually built up to three.. could you elaborate?

Does this mean he was eventually doing three completely different muscle groups per day?

Tyler1
Posted on: Thu, 03/14/2019 - 09:06

I'm assuming he means he would do Mondays work out spaced out 3x on Monday, Tuesdays 3x on
Tuesday etc.

Emre Karakaya
Posted on: Mon, 10/29/2018 - 20:37

Can ı use this workout for loseing fat?

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 10/30/2018 - 09:51

Hi Emre,

Sure, this program can be used to aid in fat loss - it might be a lot to try to recover from on a deficit tho, given how much volume is in the program.

Hope this helps!

Malik
Posted on: Sun, 07/22/2018 - 20:22

Hey im 17 years old. I have a question, how much weight do i have to take for example flat bench press and the other workout's?

Michael
Posted on: Wed, 05/23/2018 - 13:38

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Michael
Posted on: Tue, 05/22/2018 - 23:44

Hello, currently I weight about 137 pounds and I'm 6ft tall. My goal is to gain weight (gain 180 punds) through gaining muscle mass. I have been hitting the gym for 4 months now and I have been taking supplements of protein (serious mass) and creatine since about 2 months ago. Taking everything into account, I was wondering if I should try the AR7 workout to fill my purpose, considering I'm an ectomorph since I burn more calories than I consume.

Joel Martinson
Posted on: Wed, 07/11/2018 - 07:15

As long as you are in a caloric surplus you can do this or any other work out. I do this as a supplement to my normal weight training. I work out 4 days a week, hitting all muscle groups, then do this on Saturday, targeting the muscle group that I'm wanting to build faster. You'll burn about 500 calories doing this workout

Fred
Posted on: Sun, 04/15/2018 - 21:53

I'm hoping to start this workout tomorrow. I'm only 14 but looking forward to giving it a shot.

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Mon, 04/16/2018 - 09:07

Hi Fred,

This may be a bit too advanced for you. At 14, I'd recommend performing an A/B split and focusing on really learning how to execute each lift properly.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/2-day-simple-ab-split-by-stev...

Hope this helps!

Fred
Posted on: Sun, 04/15/2018 - 21:49

I'm only 13 do you think this workout is too advanced? I'm looking forward to this and hoping to start tomarrow

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Mon, 04/16/2018 - 09:08

Hi Fred,

I wouldn't recommend this program for a 13 yr old. If you are looking to start weight lifting start with the basics and practice your form without weight until you've nailed it down.

Hope this helps!

Benjamin
Posted on: Fri, 12/01/2017 - 12:33

I gave this workout a try for chest day. Due to time constraints I did 4 exercises, bench press, incline bench press, incline dumbbell press and cable flys; taking me 60 minutes to complete. As I am not rich or famous with my own gym I completed all three sets on each exercise before moving to the next. I started on 65% 1RM but failed first set. Realistically I completed the workout at around 55% of 1RM. The first sets of 7x7 are pretty brutal for each exercise and you quickly learn if you are using the correct weight. The second sets of 6x6 I found to be the worst. The additional fatigue from set 1 added with a second less rest makes the pump pretty intense. By the third set 5x5 your mind has given up giving up and the reps are low enough to make this the easier of the three. What I tried to do was make sure I kept to the 7, 6 and 5 second rests within the set, but I needed about 2-3 minutes rest between the 3 sets. I found myself rushing to start after each 7 second break causing me to not reset my form properly to begin again. My tip would be to make sure you reset yourself properly each time and not rush too much. I did this by sitting up and counting out the rest period, 7, 6 or 5; then lying back and setting my lift up properly each time just like I normally would with any workout. I really enjoyed the workout. I got a really good pump and my chest felt full and well worked. I would rate it 8/10 and will be doing it again.

George Williamson
Posted on: Fri, 02/10/2023 - 20:52

I apologize if my response sounds a little condescending. I've been reading a lot of comments and responses and it seems to me that almost no one understands how this workout is actually performed. Fundamentally, this is a circuit type workout. For instance, you perform five exercises. You perform exercise #1 for seven reps and move to exercise #2 taking no more than seven seconds to get there and begin the seven reps. Then, move to exercise #3 taking no more than seven seconds and begin your seven reps and so on until you've completed your five exercise circuit. Then you rest for a minute and a half and you do it again six more times, 7 sets total. Then you do it all over again for six sets total. Then you do it all again at 5 sets total. Then you'll be dead. The other variation to this would be to do all seven sets on one exercise and moving straight to the next exercise and doing seven sets of seven reps (i.e., flat bench-7 reps wait 7 seconds, 7 reps, wait 7 seconds, 7 reps wait 7 seconds etc.) The problem is you'll never make it to the 7th set with the same weight as someone suggested because it can't be done if you're going to failure on each set. In circuit training, you're not really going to failure on each set, you're using several different exercises to put a heavy load on a particular muscle group and bring it to failure. In order to benefit from the circuit, you perform the circuit as it was intended (i.e., bench press-7 reps, incline press-7 reps, incline dumbell press-7 reps, cable flys-7reps, decline bench press-7reps). Then you do it all again 6 more times. Seven seconds is just enough time to move from one exercise to the next. You don't complete 7 reps, count to 7, then move to the next exercise, situate yourself, make sure your form is good then begin your next exercise. In this particular program you'll find that you won't be able to use heavy weights and make it to the end of all the sets keeping the same weight. It's not about weight it's about hammering the chest 5 different ways over and over and over with almost no rest, which will exhaust any normal human being. Someone else had suggested they, instead of doing 7x7, 6x6, 5x5, they would do 6x10 then 5x10 and that would equal the same number of sets. If you vary the program in this manner then you're not really doing this program. In this program you're basically doing 245reps then 180reps, then 125reps. The key to hypertrophy is bringing the muscle to failure regardless of weight used (according to one theory). Here's the math: 5 exercises x 7 reps is 35 total reps x 7 sets is 245 total reps. Then you do 6 sets then 5 sets. In other words, you choose 4 or 5 exercises for your circuit. You do that circuit 7 times performing 7 reps on each exercise taking no more than 7 seconds to move to the next exercise. Then you take a breath and do it all over again 6 more times using 6 reps and no more than 6 seconds to get to the next exercise. Then you take a breath and do it all over again 5 more times with 5 seconds to get to the next exercise (i.e., faster). You'll find that in order to complete this entire program you'll be using a light weight. So, the key would be to find a weight that will allow you to complete the entire circuit and then build from their. Either way the muscle you are training will be sufficiently exhausted. Maybe I'm completely way off base on the math. Someone please let me know. Also there is no reason why a young teen couldn't do this circuit since heavy weights don't have to come into play. Heavy weights will obviously stunt one's growth, at least that's one theory.

TriksterHD
Posted on: Mon, 10/09/2017 - 10:22

I'm going to have a try at doing this a little differently just to simplify it a little. I was thinking instead of 7x7, 6x6, 5x5, I'd do 6x10, rest and then 5x10. This equals to the same amount of reps for each exercise (110). Any reasons why this wouldn't be as good?

Rafael J Germosen
Posted on: Sat, 07/29/2017 - 11:49

What should be the recommended weight to use when doing this workout ? In terms of percentage of your o.r.m

Malik
Posted on: Sun, 07/22/2018 - 20:26

yes i really want to know that too

Stephen0310
Posted on: Thu, 06/01/2017 - 11:00

What is a leap frog?

Jasmeet singh
Posted on: Sun, 04/23/2017 - 01:45

I started this workout and i started it from BACK .... And i would say that next day i felt the most horrible pain in my back.... I hope it shows a gr8 result

Chris
Posted on: Wed, 03/15/2017 - 12:22

For the core workout., do you think they intend 7 (then 6, then 5) 40 yd sprints with 7 sec rest in between as the final excercise in each round or just one 40 us sprint?

Kyle
Posted on: Mon, 09/19/2016 - 15:01

Would this workout be productive using body weight only?

Steve
Posted on: Mon, 07/25/2016 - 22:42

So for every rep I perform am I increasing weight? Decreasing? Maintaining?

Sebastian Solís...
Posted on: Sun, 05/22/2016 - 19:54

So, we have to do for example:
7 sets, 7 reps with 7 seconds between set of flat bench press and when I have done that go and do 7 sets of the other exercises and when I have done that rest 2 minutes and start again but now 6 sets?

That's how it's done?

yue
Posted on: Wed, 05/11/2016 - 09:27

I'm a girl. And I interpret AR7 as 7*7+6*6+5*5 for one movement. And use 3 different types of movements to work 1 muscle group in one day. So that is one muscle group once a week, 5 days a week. Is that correct?

Zac
Posted on: Mon, 02/25/2019 - 21:16

Yes that's correct.

Dan
Posted on: Fri, 04/15/2016 - 11:51

I'm still a bit confused as to how exactly this is supposed to be done. Is it 7 reps of exercise 1, 7 second rest, 7 reps exercise 2, 7 rest, ..., rest 1 min, then 7 reps of exercise 1 again? That's the only way the 777 name makes any sense, but that means the plan has 18-36 minutes of just rest.

Mark M.
Posted on: Mon, 01/11/2016 - 00:35

I'll be 54 in May. Last year I went from 212 to 175, lost 4" off my waist. Lifting weights 4 days a week (something I have never done before.). Starting the AR-7 tomorrow.

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BradBorland
Posted on: Mon, 01/11/2016 - 09:50

Awesome, Mark!

Gary
Posted on: Sun, 07/23/2017 - 07:05

That's fantastic Mark how did you lose the bulk of your weight mate.

Matthew
Posted on: Fri, 01/08/2016 - 18:52

Hey, I'm coming off my second back surgery and really like the layout of this workout. But I probably shouldn't do stiff legged dead lift. What would you replace it with?

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BradBorland
Posted on: Mon, 01/11/2016 - 09:59

Hi Matthew. Hmm. First I would address this issue with your doctor. There are many alternatives to RDLs. Lying leg curls, seated leg curls, standing leg curls, dumbbell leg curls just to name a few.

Chris Brown
Posted on: Thu, 10/29/2015 - 13:21

I am just coming off working nights and i am just wondering if i am reading this wrong:
FLAT BENCH:- 7X7; 6X6; 5X5 = 18SETS
INCLINE BENCH:- AS ABOVE
INCLINE DB PRESS:- AS ABOVE
PLATE PUSH UPS:- AS ABOVE
CHEST DIPS:- AS ABOVE

TOTALLING 90SETS

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MikeWines
Posted on: Thu, 10/29/2015 - 14:09

Chris,

Sounds crazy, right? I've never tried it but the trainer who worked with Jason swears by his system.

Chris Brown
Posted on: Thu, 10/29/2015 - 15:13

I will give a go and try it out for 4-6weeks

TriksterHD
Posted on: Wed, 10/04/2017 - 17:00

Sounds crazy doesn't it. You'll be doing 110 of each exercise!