Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions remain my own. You can learn more about our editorial policies here.
Most people either work out too much or not enough, then wonder why they aren’t seeing results. This article is going to show you the benefits of splitting your workout routine up into three days per week and how you can get the most out of your workouts in a short amount of time.
Why A 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine Will Benefit You
It’s impossible to follow the 5-day split made famous by a lot of professional bodybuilders and fitness athletes, but that doesn’t mean that your training needs to suffer as a result. Rather, it’s a matter of finding a workaround that works for you.
One or two major muscle groups every session is probably more to many of you than training five days a week. When it comes to getting in shape, you’ll need to spend a lot of time in the gym every week, which isn’t going to work for most people.
Don’t forget the Cardio, Maximize Your Cardio Treadmill Workout Plan
With each passing day, full-body training programs are becoming more and more popular. If done correctly and deliberately, these workouts can deliver a great workout that produces amazing results in a short period of time, even if they are shorter and contain less volume than other workouts. A 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine will target each major muscle group, last an average of 45 – 50 minutes per workout, and only require you to spend 3 days a week in the gym.
What Are the Benefits of A Full Body Workout?
A 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine is going to burn more fat, while muscle building won’t suffer too much either. In fact, you’ll get a lot of the same benefits that bodybuilders get from training each major group twice a week by working out 3 days a week with this routine.
In terms of intensity and calorie burning, you will be able to push yourself harder in every workout by splitting your routine into 3 days. Lifting less weight for more reps will help you burn fat, while increasing the amount of sets performed will give you a large calorie deficit and a lot of time under tension.
Find out if pre-workout is for you, Pros and Cons of Pre-Workout Supplements
The key takeaway is that a full-body workout routine will help you burn more fat, while muscle building won’t suffer too much. You’ll also get a lot of the same benefits that bodybuilders get from training each major group twice a week by working out 3 days a week with this routine.
How to Structure A Workout Routine
Unlike a traditional routine where we only workout certain muscle groups on certain days, a full body workout routine will focus on a variety of muscle groups during each workout session.
Days to Train
Ideally try to allow for a recovery day in between sessions. So if you are completing your workout on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule to allow for the most rest.
Duration
Don’t be surprised when you see that 30-40 minute workouts are plenty enough time to get in an intense full body workout; this is what will make or break your progress. If you’re trying to burn fat while building muscle, you should train each major muscle group at least twice a week. So if you’re completing the routine once on Monday and again on Friday, it means that you’ll need to spend an hour in the gym three times per week, or just under 40 minutes per session.
Set and Rep Range
Keep the rep range around 8-12 reps to get a nice mix of strength and hypertrophy training. Also don’t be afraid to bump up the weight, because your going to need it for this workout.
How Much Weight to Use
The weights you select should allow you to just about finish the minimum number of repetitions for each exercise before you achieve failure. ‘Failure’ Make sure you workout to failure in order to properly punish your muscles and put them through their paces. For example, if the program instructs you to execute ten to twelve repetitions, but you are able to do more than that, the weight may be too light, so move up a notch until you approach failure.
Warmup
Start with a 5-minute warmup on the elliptical or treadmill to get your heart rate up and gradually build up the intensity until you’re ready to train. The final warmup should involve some dynamic stretching for the muscles that will be worked during the workout, such as legs and back.
Stay Hydrated
Both before and during the workout, make sure that you are properly hydrated. A good gauge of proper hydration is to look at your urine color, which should be clear or very light yellow.
Post-Workout Protein
Getting your nutrition in order is essential to getting the most out of your training, and that involves making sure your post-workout smoothie is exactly what you need.
Drink your shake as soon as you get home from the gym, as soon as you’ve mixed it with water as feasible. Isolate or concentrate whey protein is best, although you can get away with using concentrate. For better protein synthesis and post-workout recovery, including a scoop of dextrose powder to help boost insulin levels. Amino acids such as L-Glutamine can also assist ferry more nutrients into the body.
Ultimate 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine Schedule
Example Workout Routine: Day 1 Monday
Four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions on a flat bench with a barbell for the chest
4 sets of 8–10 reps of barbell bent-over rows for the back
Four sets of eight repetitions of barbell squat – Legs
4 sets of 10–12 repetitions on the standing barbell military press for shoulders
Four sets of 15 reps EZ bar preacher curls on arm – Biceps
4 sets of 15 to 20 reps on rope pushdowns – Triceps
30 reps on the hanging leg raises – Strength training for the core
Example Workout Routine: Day 2 Wednesday
4 sets of 10–12 reps of either wide-grip pull-ups or close-grip lat pull-downs. – Back
4 sets of 10 rep alternate dumbbell curls for each arm. – Biceps
incline dumbbell press – 4 sets of 10 – 12 repetitions for the chest
four sets of 20 repetitions of overhead tricep extensions. – Triceps
Seated dumbbell presses — 4 sets of 12 repetitions – for the upper arms and shoulders.
Four sets of 12 to 15 reps on a leg press machine for the legs
30 reps of stomach crunches to strengthen core
Example Workout Routine: Day 3 Friday
Three sets of 10 reps of incline dumbbell press for the chest
Two sets of 12 to 15 reps of hammer curls on each arm – Biceps
Three sets of 8–10 rep standing calf raises for legs
4 sets of 15 reps of skull-crushers for triceps
Cycling crunches: 3 sets of 30 repetitions for the core.
Four sets of 20 repetitions of side raises for the shoulders
Conclusion 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine
The key is to follow the 3 Day A Week Full-body Workout Routine program outlined in this article, without changing anything except for adding more weight to increase intensity. If you are feeling the burn on every rep, then you know that you are giving it your all and getting results!
With just three days of training per week, you’re giving your muscles all the time they need to recover and grow in size at their own pace. It’s about quality over quantity, so don’t feel guilty for taking that break when it’s really needed!
Give it your all in the gym and let us know what you think in the comments below!
