A 3-day workout split you can set up and follow

For a 3-day workout split, start with two full-body workouts and alternate them: A-B-A one week, B-A-B the next. Keep the exercises steady and add reps or weight as you get stronger. The tables below give you the workouts, and the progression rules tell you what to do when you repeat them.

This is a starting plan for someone who wants a straightforward gym routine and can already perform the chosen movements with consistent technique. You'll need a squat rack, barbells, dumbbells, and access to a cable station and leg press. There are substitutions if your gym setup is different.

You can follow the plan with a notebook. If you'd rather have the workouts ready on your phone, save them as two routines in RepCount. There's no limit on saved routines in the free version.

How to schedule this 3-day workout split

Train on three days with a rest day between sessions where your schedule allows. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is one option. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday works too.

Repeat the two-week pattern after week four. The week number doesn't tell you to add weight. Your completed reps do.

If you miss Wednesday's B workout, do B at your next session. Continue with A after that. Don't restart the sequence each Monday or squeeze the missed session into another workout.

The two full-body workouts

Do the exercises in the order listed. These are working sets; warm-up sets are separate. Start with lighter practice sets on the first lifts, building toward your working weight without turning the warm-up into another hard workout.

Full body A

Keep the first three exercises as the main workout. Add the curls if you want direct arm work and have time. The optional sets shouldn't make you rush the squat or bench press.

Full body B

Both workouts include leg work, pressing, and pulling. The exercises change between A and B, and progression is tracked separately for each exercise. Improving your bench press doesn't automatically mean increasing the incline dumbbell press.

Take longer than the listed rest if you need it to complete the next set with the same technique. Rest is there to help you do the workout well. It isn't a test of how quickly you can finish.

Save these workouts in RepCount

Create Full body A and Full body B in RepCount, then reuse them each week. The free version lets you keep both routines, along with any others you want to save.

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Enter the workouts manually using the tables above. The download links open the store listings; they don't import the plan.

1. Open Routines and create a routine named Full body A.
2. Add the A exercises in order. Set the number of working sets for each one.
3. Put the rep range and rest time in each exercise's notes. For squat, use: 3 working sets of 6-8 reps. Rest 2-3 minutes. Add the smallest available weight increase after 8, 8, 8 with consistent technique.
4. Create Full body B from its table. Leave out the optional exercise if you aren't using it.
5. When you train, open the next routine and start a workout. Record the weight and reps you actually complete.

Some exercise names are shorter in the app: look for Squat, Pulldowns, and Dumbbell Lateral Raises. The exercise links in this guide explain the movements.

RepCount can show previous weight and rep values in your workout. Use them as a reference, then record today's result. You decide whether to increase the weight using the rule below.

For more help with sets and notes, see how to plan workouts in RepCount.

Add reps before increasing the weight

Keep the weight steady until every working set reaches the top of its rep range with consistent technique. Then use the smallest available increase and work back up through the range.

For squat and bench press, the target is three sets of 6-8 reps. An example squat progression could look like this:

Those numbers show how to use the rule. They're not starting-weight targets or a promise of how quickly you'll progress. If you haven't earned the increase by your third session, stay at the same weight.

For two-set exercises, both sets must reach the top of the range. For a three-set pulldown at 8-12 reps, wait for 12, 12, 12. Use the same rule for the optional exercises.

If the next dumbbell or machine increment takes you below the bottom of the range, return to the previous weight. A smaller increment, where available, may help. You don't have to turn every successful workout into a weight increase.

Choose starting weights you can control

Start with a weight that lets you reach the bottom of the listed rep range on every set while keeping a couple of clean reps in reserve. That means you could do another rep or two without shortening the movement or changing how you lift.

Use the first session to find that weight. If the first squat set is already a struggle at six reps, reduce the load for the remaining sets. If all three sets are comfortable at eight, you can try a small increase when A comes around again.

There isn't a useful universal starting weight for this plan. The right load depends on the exercise and your current ability. Record it so the next session starts with a decision you can explain.

The American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 review by Currier and colleagues supports progressive resistance training and found that training to complete muscular failure didn't consistently improve outcomes. You don't need to grind through a failed rep to make a session count.

Swap exercises you can't use

Choose one replacement for an exercise and keep it in the routine so you can track it consistently. These alternatives are available in RepCount's exercise library, but they're different lifts with their own starting weights.

If you use leg press in both workouts, write A's and B's set prescriptions in their routine notes. Use the note for the routine you're starting, and treat previous set values as a reference rather than a requirement.

The leg-curl option changes what the B workout trains. Use it if you're leaving the deadlift out; don't treat matching rep counts as proof that two exercises do the same job. A leg curl guide and a deadlift guide explain each movement.

If your setup only has dumbbells, choose a plan designed around that equipment rather than replacing every exercise in this gym plan.

Keep one disappointing session in perspective

Repeat the weight after a session that falls short. Check whether you rested enough and performed the movement the same way before changing the program.

If an exercise keeps going backward over several attempts, reduce the weight to a load you can complete within the range and rebuild. Keep the other lifts moving if they're progressing. One stalled curl doesn't require a new squat program.

If several exercises are getting worse and you feel worn down, take an easier session by reducing the weight and working sets. Our deload guide covers that decision in more detail.

Why full body is the recommendation here

Full body suits this plan because it puts upper- and lower-body work in every session. Miss an A workout and your next B still includes both. A split tied to body parts and weekdays is less forgiving if you simply skip that day's session.

That practical reason matters more than claiming one split has a special muscle-building effect. Ramos-Campo and colleagues' 2024 meta-analysis found similar strength and muscle growth from full-body and split routines when weekly training volume was matched.

This plan also starts with a modest amount of work. It isn't designed to maximize every muscle's weekly sets. If you're already following a more demanding program successfully, you don't need to replace it with this one just because the schedule looks tidy.

Start with the first workout

Set up Full body A, choose manageable starting weights, and record your first session. Add B before your second training day. You can decide on the optional exercises once the main workouts are running smoothly.

RepCount's free version includes unlimited routines and workout logging. Save the workouts once, then use your last set values to make the next session's decisions.

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