Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration6 weeks
- Days Per Week3
- Time Per Workout45 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
The goal of this workout is to build muscle. All rep timings are 2-1-2 unless stated in the notes and all rest times are 1 min between sets and 2 mins between exercises. As always, perform a warmup by doing 5-10 mins cardio followed by stretching and some warmup sets on the first exercise.
Work the Abs on a Monday and/or Friday if desired.
Workout Schedule:
- Monday - Chest and Biceps
- Tuesday - Rest
- Wednesday - Legs and Shoulders
- Thursday - Rest
- Friday - Back and Triceps
- Saturday - Rest
- Sunday - Rest
3 Day Muscle Building Workout
Monday - Chest and Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Smith Machine Press | 4 | 10 |
| Flat Bench Barbell Press | 4 | 10 |
| Chest Dips | 3 | 10 |
| Pec Dec | 3 | 12 |
| EZ Bar Curls | 3 | 8-10 |
| Concentration Curls | 3 | 10 |
| Reverse Barbell Curls | 3 | 12 |
Notes: Use 3-1-3 timing on Incline Smith Machine Press
Wednesday - Legs and Shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 5 | 10 |
| Leg Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts | 4 | 8-10 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 8-10 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 10 |
| Rear Delt Machine | 3 | 10 |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | 4 | 10-12 |
Notes: Try some deep squats with 3-2 rep timing (use lighter weight) for some variation. Use a drop set on the leg press machine to give the quads a shock. If your gym doesn't have a Rear Delt Machine substitute Reverse Dumbbell Flyes. Use 3-1-3 rep timing on the seated lat raises
Friday - Back and Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Wide Grip Pullups | 4 | 8-12 |
| Lat Pull Downs | 4 | 10 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 4 | 10 |
| T-Bar Rows | 4 | 10 |
| Lying Tricep Extension | 3 | 10 |
| Rope Pulldowns | 3 | 12 |
| Reverse Single Arm Extension | 3 | 12 |
Notes: 3-1-3 rep timing on Lat pulldown machine
1.3K Comments
Love this workout. Enough sets and intensity to build solid muscle. And all in 3 workouts. Most other 3day splits don't have enough sets per body part. The only thing I've added is two Ab workouts, 4 sets each on Monday and Friday. For biceps and triceps, I do 2 exercises with 4 sets each.
This weekly workout is the same intensity as a 4 day a week split, but condensed to 3. Great time saver and definitely keeps you motivated to visit the gym regularly.
looking to do this routine from home. could you recommend a different exercise for leg press in "legs and shoulders " day
Go with squat jumps, Will.
Hi could i replace ez bar curl with a preacher curl machine?
Hi, Alex. Yes, you can do that.
Finally a workout that does not pair Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps routine. Shaun's routine of Chest/Biceps and Back/Triceps makes a lot of sense, because when you "double whammy" Chest and then Triceps,or biceps after Back, I feel this routine "burns" out the smaller body parts (Triceps/Biceps)so much that its impossible to work them properly and effectively.
Hi, I am not sure how should the weight variations be. When you say 4 sets of 10 reps each, does that mean that the weight is always the same or I should increase it or decrease it at every set?
Hi, Joe. You can use the same weight or increase if you feel you need a greater challenge. Beginners should use the same weight, but intermediate and advanced trainees can add weight to increase the load.
Hi I need 3 day split work out for muscle mass .like Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday Thursday rest same shedule in Friday,Saturday,sunday
Hey Randy
This is definitely a great 3 day split for you!
Only 60 sec. rest between sets comes to 33 minutes.. 45 mins is not possible unless machines and weights are lined up for you in advance and still i think "45 minutes" mark is a bit too ambitious.. Unrealistic.
Ok, then do 60 minutes
Is this better than the 4 day upper lower split? And why?
Unfortunately I’m not able to do pull ups. I just lack the strength and my gym doesn’t have a pull up rig for assisted pull ups. Any idea for a substitute till I have the strength to do regular pull ups?
hi,so raamadan just began,and I started fasting.I eat enough macros in my feeding window and my problem Is working out.I have weights at home.We break our fast at 9:15 and I finish at 10.I workout at 10:45 on the Friday,sat,sun since i'm cutting.But I don't have a squat rack,and I don't know how I bring the bar up on my traps?.I tried Olympic lifting it to me but I got hurt.Also,when should I workout in Ramadan,after iftaar.Also since my weights are in the basement,i also get scared since i'm the only working out in the basement in the miidle of night while my family is sleeping.My basement is old,creepy and its hard for me to workout.can you plz give me sidetips for the basement scary situation and my othter questions
Very new to muscle building, my question is in between sets should I be adding weight for the next set or keep the weight the same through out the exercises?
Hi Travis,
I'd recommend giving this guide on muscle building a read: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/muscle-building
Hi,
Would I be able to swap the barbell chest press for dumbell? I just feel more comfortable with it as I train by myself
hi Callum,
That would be fine.
I have put on 80 pounds in just over a year. I was looking at using this along with cardio to lose fat, gain muscle and avoid loose skin, is this routine suitable for this?
Is this in app form of any kind?
Went from 5x5 to this program to increase volume and muscle gains. Damn it was very though first week, think I might went to heavy since I felt like puking a lot... not used to thia volume hehe.
Question, can I increase weight per set or should one aim at same weight for every set?
Also had struggle to complete 10 reps per set at dips, my arms and chest were dead from all the pushing before. So I did as many as I could per set instead, around 6-8.
Hi,
Thanks for creating this awesome program. I've been doing it for the last four weeks and have definitely gained muscle. How important do you think it is to rest in between days? Even though I always train to the fullest, the day after I have enough energy to go again. Is it for example a good idea to do each workout twice a week instead of only once (i.e. 6 days a week instead of 3)? On the one hand I have a feeling that an increase in training frequency by hitting each muscle group twice a week would work well for me, yet on the other hand I'm worried that sacrificing my rest days may not be ideal and instead hinder muscle growth.. I look forward to your reaction! Thank you in any case.
Hi Lucien,
You might be better off finding a new routine that has more training days. I'd recommend moving to a 4 day workout, then 5 day workout, then 6 day workout if you continue to desire increasing your training frequency,
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workout-routines
Hope this helps!
Hi.
I've been doing additional excercises from other days, ie, adding in some of Wednesdays routine to Monday, and some of Monday & Wednesdays onto Friday, is this a good idea or is it overtraining? I've gained weight but I'm not seeing much difference in my arms which is where I really really wanted the mass. I was worried I was not doing enough and that I could maybe add in a bit more by mixing it up but I'm worried it's detrimental.
Is it okay to do it like this?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Peter,
Depends on what you're adding.
Manipulating the workout to better fit your individual goals is completely fine. This workout is simply a template.
It's very difficult to truly overtrain. So long as you feel like you're recovering properly from your workouts, you'll be fine. Listen to your body.
Hope this helps!
Can I implement deadlifts on back days, as well as some grip exercises on chest/bi days? I wanna use this program as a training black for my powerlifting periodization. Thanks
Hi Aaron,
Sure that should be fine.
Hope this helps!
Shaun,
I'm on the 6th and final week. I was at 192.5lbs, I'm now at 205.5 lbs. I am 46 years old and have worked out off and on my entire life. My question is, I want to keep gaining, should I continue eith this sane program for another 6 weeks, or do you have a follow up program for this one? Thank you so much
Hi Patrick,
Sure, you can continue with this program if you are still enjoying it and are seeing gains from it.
Hope this helps!
I'm doing the work-out but doing the Reverse Barbell Curl is an absolute nightmare for me. My wrists keep hurting so I tried an EZ bar, but then I get this strange popping feeling in my right wrist. Is there another excercise I can substitute it for? Thanks.
Hi Peter,
Sure, go with any curl variation that doesn't cause pain or nix the curls if there isn't a variation that doesn't.
Hope this helps!
BOUNDY, Janice, et al. Enfermagem Médico-Cirúrgico.
Hi, seems like a great workout - I'm looking for a three day split, since I've packed two much in my own two day split and Im exhausted afterwards . like really nothing else gets done that day.
I have question though. What about abs?
Could I squeeze in another day that just has cardio and abs - or is this good enough as is? I'm usually at the gym three times a week, but hopefully this could motivate me to do one more day.
Is is possible to lose a little weight too with this workout? Or will you only build muscle and gain weight?
Hi Lewis,
Yes, absolutely! Weight loss is mostly determined by whether or not you're able to maintain a calorie deficit over time. in other words, If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight!
Find you calorie needs here: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/bmr-calculator
Then subtract ~250 calories from that number and aim to eat that many calories daily. This should result in weight loss.
Hope this helps!
i go thrice a week and twice each day(morning and evening with a time gap of 7 hrs) for gym. please suggest me a good routine
When an exercise states for examlple 5 sets of 10. For each set are you adding weight or is more of a 5x5 thinking of doing one weight for all sets and if completed adding more for the next session?
Thank you!
Hi Norton,
You can do either or. Both work, just depends whichever you feel more comfortable with.
Hope this helps!
I suck at wide grip pull-ups, is there a substitute I can do?
Hi Magoo,
Any exercise that targets the lats ought to do the trick. Check out our database of lat exercises below:
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/lats
Personally, I'd go with a different pull up variation, however you could certainly sub in an additional lat pulldown variation if you prefer.
Hope this helps!
Started out strong but when I see any routine using a smith machine for anything other than shrugs I loose my faith in the routine. I see it all the time, people benching or performing squats on a smith and I shake my head. In my opinion, it should be removed from all gyms. It's a liability. Too many blown out shoulders and hurt backs.
Sorry, I had to vent
Hello,
What's the reasoning behind pairing biceps with chest, and triceps with back? Can I switch it to back and bi, and chest and tri, or will that defeat the purpose of this program?
Pairing back with bi's and chest with tri's is ok. A lot of people do this and it's kind of normal.
But what Shaun has done, I think, this is my opinion, is he's separated all the push workouts into 3 different days, with a rest in between. Basically you'll be working kind of working the same muscle group on 2 or 3 days.
For example, if you work chest on day 1, you'll be working a little bit of shoulders and triceps. Day 2 when you work shoulders, you'll work a little on chest and triceps. And with triceps on day 3, you'll work a little chest and shoulders.
Also on day 3 when you work back you'll work a little on the biceps.
Of course this is my guess and I'm not 100% certain if this is the reason he's done this.
Good luck with your workout.
I have been doing a similar routine, however have been doing triceps same day as chest and biceps same day as back. Should I switch it up to follow as suggested in your routine?
Also, what are your thoughts on doing three days in a row with one rest day then start the cycle again?
Is this program suitable for a calorie deficit
Steven,
Yes, it is.
Hey can I do this workout three days in a row cause sometimes I am having trouble doing a three day workout with following the rest period for a week. I always finish this in two days a week but I could never do three a week due to school so can I do this workout three days straight and rest on later and get back at it again?
Adam,
You could do that if that's the only way your schedule will permit.
However, I'd recommend trying to find other ways to remain active on the days you're not going to the gym. Taking 4 days completely off and returning for 3 days straight of weightlifting workouts will be tough, especially if you lose any sort of motivation during your 4 days of rest.
Thanks mean alot. Also can i take three days of rest instead of 4 cause i got really used to the shortcut to size program and it only had three days of rest which kept me going and my rest days are active days. , Is it okay if i take tuesday,thursday, and saturday off and start back training in sunday?