Full-body, three days a week
Every muscle, every session, three times a week. The most efficient way to train if you have three days and no more.
The prescription, in one line
3SESSIONS / WEEK
Training everything three times a week sounds like a lot until you realise each session only needs one exercise per movement pattern. Frequency does the work that volume does in a split: three moderate sessions per muscle per week beats one punishing one for almost everybody who is not already advanced.
Who it is for: Beginners and returning lifters, and anyone whose week only reliably contains three training days.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·EVERY MOVEMENT LINKS TO ITS OWN CARD·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this template was assembled
- Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
- Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
- Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
- Order each session heavy-to-light: the movement with the most technical demand goes first, while you are fresh enough to hold the position.
- Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Day A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 3 | 5–8 | Quadriceps | Set the bar on the traps, brace, and sit between the hips rather than folding forward ov… |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 5–8 | Chest | Touch the bar to the lower half of the chest, roughly in line with the base of the stern… |
| Barbell Bent-Over Row | 3 | 6–10 | Upper back | Hinge to about 45 degrees or lower, and pull the bar to the belly button rather than the… |
| Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 2 | 10–12 | Front deltoid | Start with the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms forward, and press up and slightly in… |
| Plank | 3 | 30–45 sec | Abs | Tuck the pelvis under and squeeze the glutes — a plank held with an arched back trains a… |
Day B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6–10 | Hamstrings | Soften the knees once at the start and then keep that exact angle — the knees do not ben… |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8–12 | Lats | Grip just outside shoulder width and pull the bar to the top of the chest, leaning back … |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8–12 | Chest | Keep the dumbbells slightly wider than the shoulders at the bottom and press them up and… |
| Walking Lunge | 2 | 10 per leg | Quadriceps | Step forward into each rep and drive through the front heel to bring the back foot throu… |
| Hanging Knee Raise | 3 | 10–15 | Hip flexors | Curl the pelvis up as the knees rise — without that tilt this is purely a hip-flexor exe… |
Day C
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trap Bar Deadlift | 3 | 5–8 | Quadriceps | Stand inside the frame with the handles beside you and push the floor away — the load is… |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8–12 | Upper back | Sit tall, pull the handle to the belly button, and let the shoulder blades travel fully … |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8–12 | Front deltoid | Kick each dumbbell up into position with a knee and keep the lower back flat against the… |
| Leg Press | 2 | 12–15 | Quadriceps | Keep the lower back flat against the pad and stop the descent before the hips curl up of… |
| Cable Face Pull | 3 | 15–20 | Rear deltoid | Set the pulley at upper-chest height, use a rope, and finish with the hands beside the e… |
How to progress
Add 2.5 kg to the upper-body lifts and 5 kg to the lower-body lifts whenever you complete all sets at the top of the rep range.
Two rules sit above any template. First, technique does not change as the weight climbs — if the range shortens or the tempo runs away, the load has gone past useful. Second, a plan you follow for twelve weeks beats a better plan you abandon in three. Rest days are part of the programme, not a failure of it.
This plan covers 9 muscle groups as prime movers. If something is missing that you care about, add one exercise for it rather than rebuilding the whole thing.
Muscles this plan covers
Other workout templates
The questions that come up on the floor
Who is the full-body, 3 days a week for?
Beginners and returning lifters, and anyone whose week only reliably contains three training days. It runs 3 non-consecutive days — monday, wednesday, friday or equivalent. and needs: full gym.
How do I progress on this plan?
Add 2.5 kg to the upper-body lifts and 5 kg to the lower-body lifts whenever you complete all sets at the top of the rep range.
Will this plan build muscle?
It covers 9 muscle groups as prime movers across 15 exercises. Muscle growth needs progressive overload, enough weekly volume — roughly ten to twenty hard sets per muscle — and enough protein and total food to support it. This template supplies the structure; the effort and the diet decide the outcome.
Can I swap an exercise I cannot do?
Yes. Every exercise page on this site lists computed substitutes that train the same prime mover through the same movement pattern, plus a no-equipment alternative. Swap like for like and the plan still works.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the sources page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The people behind these sites
Follow the build
This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.
Amit Sharma
@amitsharmaofficial
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Geeta Patel
@geetapatelnz
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Geeta Patel
GeetaPatelYoga
Facebook
Following changes nothing here — every page stays open, with no account and no wall.
