3 Day Full Body Routine
This routine is a 3 day a week workout routine. Each workout day is followed by 1 rest day and the third workout is followed by 1 or 2 rest days (as most people will take the weekend off entirely).This routine is typically used by beginners and involves full body workouts.
It is great for beginners because of many reasons:
- It allows you to get familiar with the exercises by repeating them many times throughout the week.
- Since most beginners do not possess the same strength levels as more advanced lifters, it is good to trigger the muscle more often because the amount of weight lifted is significantly lighter and you will not need as much time to recover and repair before their next workout.
- As a beginner, your body will actually experience greater gains training less rather than training more. Take advantage of this time in your training as you will experience the 'beginner gains' that you may never experience again. You need to allow your body to adapt to exercises and recover in order to grow. 3 days is a good start for beginners and it will allow you to eventually progress to more volume and more frequency if desired.
Sample 3 Day Full Body Routine
Day 1:
- Squats: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Bench Press: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Pullups: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Military Press: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Barbell Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Ab Roller: 4 sets of 8 reps
Day 2: Off
Day 3:
- Deadlifts: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Bent Over Rows: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Lateral Raises: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 5 sets of 5 reps
- Hammer Curls: 5 sets of 5 reps
Day 4: Off
Day 5:
- Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dips: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Chin-ups: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Push Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Plate Twists: 3 sets of 12 reps
4 Day Split
This is the next step from the 3 day full body workouts.This routine is typically performed by intermediate trainers.
There are many variations that are floating around but the most common template to follow is performing upper body then lower body on the following day, then a rest day, then repeat (upper body/lower body).
As in the 3-day workout program, you have the choice to take two days off for the weekend or to continue after only 1 day of rest. The disadvantage of only taking one day off instead of the two day weekend is that it throws you off schedule for your next week (if that is important to you).
The reason why this routine is categorized as intermediate is because now that you have been training longer and you have become stronger in your lifts, you will need more rest to allow proper recuperation between body parts you've trained in your workouts. You will back off the frequency you train each muscle but you will increase your training by one day.
Once you have completed about 3-6 months of a 3-day routine, you can move up to this split to start seeing more muscle gains.
Sample 4-Day Split Routine
Day 1: Upper Body
- Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Bent Over Row: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Bicep Curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Rope Tricep Pull-downs: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Day 2: Lower Body
- Front Squat: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Deadlift: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lunges: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Hamstring Curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Day 3: Cardio/Off
Day 4: Upper Body
- Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lat Pull-down: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Front Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Dips: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Day 5: Lower Body
- Back Squat: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- One-Legged Squats/Leg Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Hamstring Curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
5 Day Split
The 5 day split is the most advanced routine that I would recommend for anyone.Sure, there are routines that could make you train 7 days a week or even twice per day for a total of 14 workouts per week. But eventually the line has to be drawn and I draw it at 5 days per week for 99% of natural trainers.
After training for many years and developing your maximal strength and growth, you may need to start training using a 5 day split routine focusing on only 1-2 muscle groups per workout.
When you train for more than 2 years or so, the strength gains experienced in the beginning (due to an adaptation in your central nervous system) due not occur at the same rate. You will reach a point where it will be very tough to add more weight to your lifts or even grow additional muscle.
It's not to say that you can't, it just becomes a lot harder.
At this point, it is better to increase the volume trained on the muscle on the day you work it and allow a longer cycle for it to repair fully and to stimulate growth.
Sample 5 Day Split Routine
Day 1: Chest
- Flat Bench Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Decline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Cable Crossover: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Chest Pullover: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Weighted Crunches: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Ab Twists: 3 sets of 12 reps
Day 2: Back
- Deadlifts: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Weighted Pull Ups: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Yates Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 12 reps
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Shoulders
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Arnold Presses: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Side Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Front Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Wide Grip Upright Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Weighted Crunches: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Ab Twists: 3 sets of 12 reps
Day 5: Legs
- Squat: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Donkey Calf Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
Day 6: Arms
- Close Grip Bench Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
- V-Bar Tricep Extension: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Pull Downs: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Bicep Barbell Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Preacher Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Reverse Grip Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Weighted crunches: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
- Ab Twists: 3 sets of 12 reps
