Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeFull Body
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration4 weeks
- Days Per Week3
- Time Per Workout30 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
This 3 day workout is designed for people who want to tone and strengthen their muscles, without the bulk. Because of its versatile full body properties, you can incorporate this workout into an existing cardio or weight loss program.
If you wish to incorporate cardio, these workouts can be completed on the same day as cardio or on separate days.
Related: 15 Min Post-Workout Fat Blasting Circuit Routine
Don't let this program fool. It may be short, but it packs a punch by hitting all of the major muscle groups. Keep rest periods short, anywhere from 30s to 45s between sets.
Below is an example of what a weekly schedule may look like.
- Monday: Full Body Toning Workout 1
- Tuesday: Off
- Wednesday: Full Body Toning Workout 2
- Thursday: Off
- Friday: Full Body Toning Workout 3
- Saturday: Off
- Sunday: Off
Full Body Toning Workout 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 45 Degree Leg Press | 3 | 20 |
| Seated Row | 3 | 20 |
| Chest Dip | 2 | 15-20 |
| Machine Shoulder Press | 2 | 20 |
| Cable Curl | 2 | 20 |
| Tricep Extension | 2 | 20 |
| Plank | 3 | 1 minute |
Full Body Toning Workout 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Squat | 3 | 20 |
| Seated calf Raise | 2 | 25 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 20 |
| Dumbbell Flys | 3 | 20 |
| Tricep Kickback | 2 | 20 |
| Standing Dumbbell Curl | 2 | 20 |
| Decline Sit Ups | 2 | MAX |
Full Body Toning Workout 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Lunge | 4 | 10 each leg |
| Wide Grip Pull Up | 3 | MAX |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 15-20 |
| Standing Barbell Curl | 3 | 15-20 |
| Tricep Bench Dip | 3 | 15 |
| Horizontal Leg Raise | 2 | MAX |
515 Comments
Hi, I came across your article and I'm looking over the 3 day workout plan. I'm wondering if I can use only dumbbells. I don't always have access to a gym, and would like to know if I can do these workouts at home. Thank you for your time
I believe you can, Karen. As long as you're capable of putting in the same effort, dumbbells can be a great option. Thank you for reading M&S, and I hope you'll let us know how this program serves you.
Just wanna say THANK YOU!!! This program was GOOD to follow.
I did my first work with work out 1, and I feel good.
Your page and alternatives is excellent.
I wil recommend your page to everyone!!!
God bless your souls and grant you guys whatever is best for you.
That is so nice of you, Lilya! Glad you like the workout, and we always appreciate people spreading the word for us. We are glad you are here on M&S!
I've had 2 c-sections and really would like to know the best exercises to tone the lower part of my stomach where my scar is. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for your advice.
Hi Rachel, diet is going to be your best plan of attach for getting leaner. However, lying leg raises and reverse crunches are going to certainly help.
I completed this and really liked it; I was able to increase weights throughout the 4 weeks and noticed myself feeling leaner. What should I do next? I'm an intermediate lifter and life long runner.
Check this out, Liz. I think your next program could be found at this link.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
When do I go up on weights with this?
Hi Katherine, if you can perform two reps over the recommended rep range without reaching failure, then it would be wise to go up. Hope this helps!
3 sets of 20 reps. Do 20, rest, do 20, rest, do 20, then rest and move on.
Am I doing 3 sets of 20? Is the second number a total or for each set?
Last question! If I wanted to build muscle could I just make these sets 3 sets of 10?
Yes, that would be a solid idea!
It does not seem to have equal amount of leg exercise. It ks more upper body strength. Will this be ok?
It can be, but if you need more leg work yourself, feel free to add one or two exercises to this. We have many to choose from in our Exercises section at the top of the page.
I'm interested in this program for the goals, time and level, but don't have access to machines or a pull-up bar. Are there effective alternatives I can use? I have dumbell sets (3-35lbs), a bench and lots of resistance bands with vertical floor-ceiling mounts, but thats it.
Head up to our Exercises section at the top of the page, and you can click on each major muscle group to find alternatives that you can do based on the equipment you can use. You should still see good results.
Can we continue doing this program long term beyond 4 weeks. For general fitness and of course following progressive overload. Bcos it looks like a good well rounded gym plan
Vaishali,
Yes, you can continue doing this program beyond 4 weeks. Just make sure you take a deload week before cycling through this workout again.
A de-load week is when you take a week from hard training to perform basic movements with lighter weights. You're pretty much just going through the motions, but not taking a week off of training completely.
What is a de-load week?
I'm a beginner in week 2 of 3-day split program. Really like it. What do i do after week 4?
Hey Janet - you can move on to another full body workout 3x per week or you could move up to a 4x per week upper/lower program depending on your schedule.
Thanks, Abigail. My gym is populated with serious male and female bodybuilder competitors. I don't wish my 5'4" 120# frame to look like theirs. I looked at the other 3x/wk workouts, but they seem to focus on developing mass. How to I convert those workouts to meet my tone/strength goals? Lower weights & reps? Thank you for your help. Janet
For women, it takes years of intense training and nutrition to become "bulky". You can follow any of the other routines.
Thank you, Abigail. I shall follow your original advice with confidence.
Is there an app you would recommend to incorporate into this program?
Hi Jennifer,
Personally, I use "Heavy Set" -> It's a one time purchase of $15ish dollars and keeps track of the weight you've used displaying progress on graphs and such.
Hope this helps!
Hi . I wanna be slim guy with muscle like model body this workout will guide me to my goal??
new on this lifestyle thats why. thanks in advance!!
Great workout. Would like some sets of deadlift in this schedule. What exercise could I replace?
Hi Hendrick,
Sure, I'd suggest substituting them in for one of the first exercises on any given workout day. Although, I wouldn't recommend performing them for sets of 20. Stick to the 6-12 range.
Hope this helps!
So the workout says it takes about 1 hour or so. I've been taking one minute rest breaks between sets. The workouts only takes me 30 minutes, is that normal.
Daniel,
That's completely fine. The 1 hour is just an estimated duration of this workout. Some will be able to do it faster or slower depending on how long their rest periods are.
Really appreciate this 3 day split, doing it with cardio 6 days a week. Not really looking to get big jut fat loss so this fits my needs just fine. I tweak whatever I need to fit my needs. (Lol at all the questions)
Can i do cardio in between days and rest on Saturday and Sunday?
can I do single leg extensions instead of the dumbble lunge?
I just want to come back to lift weight after 3-4 month without lifting (shoulder injury), do you think this is a good workout to start again? I see that only have one exercise for shoulder, and other thing, can I do one arm cable pushdowns instead of the dumbbell kickback? thank you
Hi, this workout looks great. Just wondering if it would be appropriate to incorporate more core workouts at the end as I am particularly interested in strengthening that area. Thanks!
Love the workout, its just a shame that after 10 weeks i still haven't gotten any results. still stuck at the same weight and havent gotten any stronger and haven't gotten even alittle toned. not sure what im doing wrong here.
Hi Luke, all you have to do is look at your food intake, tweak your rest periods between workouts, add cardio, or adjust your cardio. The heart rate has to be up the whole time. This routine is a fat loss/endurance routine. That's why the reps are so high. Hope that helps.
Should lighter weights be used for the 3/20 sets. My old workout was fewer reps so I could do heavier weight but this one was hard to work through using the heavier weights. Thanks!
can I skip the machines and do similar exercise's with free weight ?I have a pulldown machine and all the free weight's needed
Ideally yes, incorporating more free weight exercises is the way to go.
What cardio do you recommend to compliment this work out?
Cheers
K
With this workout should I increase reps, sets and or weight? How often ?
I recently started gym. I am 99 lbs. 5' 2" female. 30 years old.
I was told during my assessment that my body fat is more than my body mass. :(. 28.8% body fat.
I don't eat junk. Yes I don't eat much so I am guessing I let my body go in starvation mode and that could be the reason.
Are those exercise mentioned above good for me? Will it help me lose the fat and gain muscles? Or should y focus be on gaining muscles only? Or vise versa.
need help creating a routine for a full body workout to gain muscle or whats the best way to organize my workouts? I want to target all muscles. I can only go to gym 3 times a week. Any suggestions will help thank you.
What if I skipped for a minute in between workouts? Better for weight loss? I know you mentioned that we need 100% of strength for resistance training. Thoughts????
Hey! Great workout routine, thanks for posting. My question
Is in regards to the reps section that say 'MAX'... What does
this mean?
Thanks :)