3 Day Full Body Workout Routine for Hypertrophy

If you want a simple but highly effective 3 day full body workout routine designed for muscle growth, one that doesn’t involve doing weird exercises you’ve never heard of, counting rep tempos, or spending hours in the gym, this page will show you how it’s done.

Before you continue, I do want to point out a few things.

First, building muscle is hard work. It takes ferocious consistency, discipline and sustained effort over a period of several years.

While the typical beginner can make significant changes to their physique in a matter of months, it will take a lot longer before you get anywhere near the upper limit of muscle mass you’re capable of adding to your frame.

Even if you’re following the best full body workout ever devised in all of human history, adding muscle to your frame takes persistence, hard work and patience.

Second, I can’t make any promises about how long it’s going to take to gain muscle, because I don’t know you. I don’t know how long you’ve been training, what your genetics are like, or how close you are to your maximum muscular potential.

All of these things can have a big impact on the speed at which muscle is built.

Third, this is a 3 day full body split designed to stimulate muscle growth. It’s not meant to help you prepare for a Spartan race, give you the conditioning of a UFC fighter, or turn you into a serious contender for the title of World’s Strongest Man.

Don’t try to improve multiple physical qualities at the same time. To make progress as fast as your genetics will allow, you’ll need to focus on one major fitness goal to the exclusion of everything else.

Finally, if you want to drop some fat, there’s no reason why you can’t combine this 3 day full body split with a diet geared towards fat loss (which I cover in more detail inside my Gutless nutrition manual).

It is possible, for some people at least, to gain muscle in calorie deficit. However, you won’t gain muscle as fast as you would have done had your diet put you in a calorie surplus, with everything set up for the sole purpose of adding mass.

With all that out of the way, here’s what the 3 day full body workout program looks like. It involves hitting the major muscle groups three days per week. I’ll talk more about why it’s set up the way it is in just a moment.

For a few of the movements, I’ve also included links to video demonstrations, so you can see how they’re done.

You’ll find a link to the 3 day full body workout PDF at the bottom of this page.

3 Day Full Body Workout Routine

Workout A

• Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps
• Incline Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Triceps Pressdown 2 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout B

• Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Leg Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15-20 reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout C

• Cable Crossover 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Leg Extension 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Cable Face Pulls 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Preacher Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Lying EZ Bar Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps

The number of sets listed are the actual work sets only, and don’t include warm-up sets.

It’s always a good idea, especially if you’re using heavy weights, to do several progressively heavier warm-up sets. This will prepare the joints, the muscles and the nervous system that controls those muscles for the heavy work to come.

In most cases, somewhere between 1-3 warm-up sets will do the job. However, the exact number of warm-up sets you do will vary depending on the temperature of the gym you’re training in, how your joints feel, the amount of weight you’re lifting, the exercise itself, and where that exercise is placed in the workout.

There have been times when I’ve been training in a cold gym, it’s early in the morning and my joints are feeling a bit stiff, where I’ve ended up doing 7-8 warm-up sets before getting into the heavy stuff.

On the flip side, with some of the exercises that come later in the workout, the muscles being worked are already warm, so you won’t need many, if any, warm-up sets.

The 3-Day Full-Body Gym Workout Program: Weekly Schedule

This is the default version of the 3-day full-body workout split. You do three workouts per week, training your entire body on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• Monday: Full Body Workout A
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Full Body Workout B
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Full Body Workout C
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

However, the days of the week that you train aren’t set in stone. If you can’t make it to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you could always train on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

And if you miss a workout, you can just push things back a day. For example, let’s say that you miss your Wednesday workout. Here’s how your week might look:

• Monday: Full Body Workout A
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Full Body Workout B
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Full Body Workout C
• Sunday: Off

In an ideal world, you’ll have a day of rest between each workout. That is, if you train on Monday, you’ll have Tuesday off, then train again on Wednesday. That gives you a total of four rest days per week.

How To Progress a Full-Body Training Program

No matter how your training week is set up, it’s important to train hard and focus on improving your workout performance over time.

Do the same exercises, for the same number of sets and reps, while lifting the same amount of weight, for the next five years. Nothing much is going to happen.

That’s because the training you’re doing is a challenge your body has already adapted to. As a result, no new muscle will be gained.

I’m not saying you’ll make progress in every single workout. To do so indefinitely would be impossible, and there’ll be times when you end up lifting the same amount of weight, for the same number of sets and reps you did before.

However, your focus should always be on pushing yourself to increase the amount of work your muscles are doing, whether that’s lifting heavier weights, doing more reps with the same weight, or doing more sets.

You need to give your muscles a reason to get bigger, or you’ll remain stuck at the same size you are right now.

So make sure to keep a training diary, write down your numbers, and always try to beat your previous workout in some way.

You’ll notice that the workouts use rep ranges, such as 5-8 or 8-12, rather than a fixed number of reps in each set.

For example, in the first push workout, the prescription for the bench press is 3 sets of 5-8 reps.

The idea is that you select a weight that allows you to perform at least 5 reps in each set, but no more than 8.

Every time you go to the gym, you try to do more reps than you did the workout before. Once you’re able to do 8 reps in every set, increase the weight for the following workout.

It’s a form of progression known as the double progression method. Here’s an example of how it might look in practice:

Workout 1

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 5 reps

Workout 2

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 3

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 4

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 8 reps

Workout 5

• Set 1: 105 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 2: 105 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 3: 105 pounds x 5 reps

As you can see, in workout four, once you’re able to do 8 reps in all 3 sets, you add weight in the fifth workout and repeat the cycle. 

This simple double progression method can work well for most exercises, and will produce decent gains in muscle mass over several months, just as long as you stay consistent and work hard.

It’s also important to make sure that your technique remains solid from one workout to the next. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ve gotten stronger, when all you’re doing is cheating on those last few reps to get the weight up.

The exact number of workouts it takes to reach this point will vary from person to person, and from exercise to exercise.

It might take 10 workouts or it might take 5. But wait until you can do 3 sets of 8 reps before adding weight.

How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

Take 2-3 minutes rest between sets. If in doubt, err on the side of giving yourself too much rest rather than not enough.

As a rule, I’d suggest resting for longer between sets of compound exercises that work a large amount of muscle mass, such as squats, rows, deadlifts, leg presses and so on.

You won’t need as much rest between single-joint exercises, such as dumbbell curls, lateral raises and pressdowns.

Don’t try to save time by cutting your rest periods short and racing from one exercise to the next. The hypertrophy stimulus generated by a given workout will be that much greater if you get a decent amount of rest between each set before tackling the next one.

A better way to save time is to use paired sets, which involve exercises that target opposing muscle groups performed back-to-back.

Example:

Bench Press
Rest for 45-60 seconds
Lat Pulldown
Rest for 45-60 seconds
Bench Press
Rest for 45-60 seconds
Lat Pulldown
Rest for 45-60 seconds
Bench Press
Rest for 45-60 seconds
Lat Pulldown

This way, you’re making better use of your inter-set rest periods by doing another exercise.

As well as saving time, paired sets may even make you stronger. In one study, a group of trained men was able to do significantly more reps on the leg extension when they did the leg curl beforehand [2].

In fact, the men were able to crank out, on average, three additional reps on the leg extension machine when they did leg curls immediately, 30 seconds or 60 seconds earlier.

On the diet side of things, maximizing your rate of muscle growth requires eating more calories than you need to maintain your weight, as well as a sufficient amount of protein.

In practical terms, that means consuming between 250-500 extra calories per day over and above your maintenance requirements. The exact number will vary from person to person, but it’s going to be within that range for most people.

Aim for around 0.7 grams of protein per pound, or 1.6 grams per kilogram, of bodyweight each day.

Who Should Use a Full-Body Workout?

Full-body workouts can be made to work for beginner, intermediate and advanced trainees alike. In fact, some advanced lifters prefer a high-frequency (4-5 times per week) full body workout plan over more conventional body part split routines.

However, full-body workouts are particularly well-suited to beginners, who typically don’t need as many sets as intermediate and advanced trainees (such as bodybuilders) to stimulate growth.

That is, training your whole body three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday may have been an effective way to build muscle when you were starting out.

But there’ll come a point when the gains slow down, or even grind to a halt completely. Once you get to that point, chances are you’ll need to ramp up the amount of training you’re doing to continue making progress.

Gaining more mass will typically require a higher weekly training volume, which usually entails the addition of an extra training day, and the transition to a body part split routine, such as a 4-day upper/lower split, Arnold split or PPL routine.

That is, if you’ve moved past the beginner stages of training, and you’ve got both the time and motivation to train 4-6 days a week, a body part split would be the way to go.

The Benefits of Full Body Workout Routines

Let me talk a bit more about the science behind this full body workout program, and explain why the program is set up the way it is.

First up, we have training frequency, which refers to the number of times you train a muscle group each week.

Training each muscle once a week can and will make that muscle bigger. However, for most people at least, it’s probably the least effective way to train.

In most cases, working a muscle group 2-3 times per week will produce a faster rate of hypertrophy than training it once a week.

The higher frequency of training also lends itself well to greater strength gains, as it allows for more frequent practice of a particular lift, such as the squat or bench press.

Full-body workouts can be done 5-6 days a week, but you’ll need a training program designed specifically for that purpose, which this one isn’t. If you want to train 5-6 times a week, you’ll be better off with a body part split routine.

You also vary your reps from workout to workout. While this isn’t essential, it has been shown (in some studies at least) to have a small but beneficial effect on muscle growth [3].

That is, alternating between low, medium and high reps will build muscle faster than sticking to the same number of reps all the time.

Doing some of your training with higher reps and lighter weights is also a good way to give your joints a break from the constant pounding they get if you’re always lifting heavy.

The program also involves different exercises for each muscle group, which has a number of benefits.

The first is a reduction in the risk of “repetitive stress” injuries. Doing the same exercises week after week, especially if you’re pushing heavy weights, can take a big toll on your joints.

Second, maximizing the development of a given muscle group requires the use of several exercises, and not just one.

The quadriceps, for example, is made up of four different muscles. And if all you’re doing for your legs are squats, those muscles won’t all grow to the same extent.

In one study, a training program that included several exercises for the quads – the leg press, squat and lunge – led to muscle hypertrophy in all heads of the quadriceps, while a squat-only program did not [4].

While the squat leads to high levels of muscle activation in vastus lateralis and vastus medialis, the leg extension preferentially recruits rectus femoris – the large muscle that runs down the middle of the front of your thigh [5, 6, 7].

While the potential shape and size of each muscle is determined by the genetic blueprint you were handed at birth, you can make the most of that potential by using different exercises to emphasize different regions of a muscle group.

3 Day Full Body Workout PDF

Click here to download the 3 day full body workout PDF.

Other 3 Day Workout Splits

• 3 Day Dumbbell Workout Plan – Push/Pull/Full Body Split
• 3 Day Upper/Lower Split
• Upper/Lower/Full Body – 3-Day Split
• Full Body/Push/Pull Split: 3-Day Workout Routine

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you follow a full body workout program for?

There’s no fixed length of time that you should follow a full body workout program for. As long as you’re making gains, then keep doing what you’re doing. Are you gaining muscular body weight? Are your numbers in the gym improving? If so, there’s no need to change your program just for the sake of it.

Can I do additional cardio on rest days?

As far as cardio is concerned, you can do some on your rest days. But I’d suggest limiting the amount of moderate- to high-intensity cardio you do to a couple of hours a week maximum.

Focus mainly on low-impact cardio, such as cycling, rowing or even incline treadmill walking, rather than running.

Low-impact cardio doesn’t tend to cause as much muscle damage as running, meaning it’s less likely to interfere with post-training repair and recovery.

Are dumbbells enough to perform full body workouts?

If you’ve got a pair of adjustable dumbbells, that’s all you need for a decent full body workout hitting all the major muscle groups. You’re not going to build muscle as quickly compared to doing all your training in a well-equipped gym.

However, you can still make impressive gains using nothing but a couple of dumbbells and your own bodyweight to supply resistance, especially if you’re a beginner just getting started. See this full body dumbbell workout for more.

Can you do a full-body workout every day?

Doing a full-body workout every day is not ideal if you want to build muscle. Your muscles need a chance to recover and grow, which they can’t do if you’re training them every day.

Most people will be better off with a full body workout plan that involves lifting weights 3-4 days a week.

Which exercise is best for the whole body?

There’s no single exercise that’s going to stimulate muscle growth in your entire body. At a minimum, a whole body workout comprising 4 exercises (i.e. bench press, squat, leg curl and pull-ups) would do a reasonable job of working your whole body.

How can you do a full body workout with the least amount of different exercises?

Most of the exercises you do can be put into one of these categories:

• Horizontal push (e.g. bench press)
• Horizontal pull (e.g. barbell row)
• Vertical pull (e.g. lat pulldown)
• Vertical push (e.g. overhead press)
• Quadricep Dominant Leg Exercise (e.g. squat)
• Hamstring Dominant Leg Exercise (e.g. leg curl, hip hinge)

An effective workout with the least number of different exercises would need to include an exercise from most (but not necessarily all) of these categories.

For example, you could alternate between these two different workouts, training 3 times a week on alternate days:

Workout A

• Bench Press
• Barbell Row
• Squat
• Leg Curl

Workout B

• Bench Press
• Lat Pulldown
• Overhead Press
• Leg Press
• Romanian Deadlift

Even with just 4-5 exercises in each workout, you’re covering a surprisingly large number of muscles.

Are full body workouts better than split routines for fat loss?

Neither one is inherently better than the other for fat loss. Losing weight is more a function of your diet than it is anything else. For the same number of weekly sets, you’re likely to see similar results with both full body workouts and split routines (assuming the split routine is set up properly in the first place). Go with the one you’re most likely to stick with.

How long should my workouts last on a 3 day full body split?

In general, it’s probably going to take somewhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours, with the sweet spot for most people being between 45-90 minutes.

Can I replace this exercise for that exercise?

While the exercises listed work well, there’s no reason why you can’t replace them with something else that does a similar job. Don’t have access to a leg press machine? Do Bulgarian split squats or reverse lunges instead. Prefer pull-ups to pulldowns? Then do pull-ups, or any of these effective pull-up alternatives. You can also throw in some exercises for your abs and calves at the end of each workout, whenever time allows.

If you’re pushed for time, just do the first 4-5 exercises in each workout. Your shoulders and arms will get some stimulation from the other exercises.