3-day full body workout plan for beginners
Three full body sessions a week: the recommended format for beginners, within the framework set by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Who this program is for
This program is for beginners and for people coming back after several months off. The ACSM recommends 2 to 3 sessions a week at this stage, with weights that allow 8 to 12 reps: this is exactly that framework.
Weekly schedule
Three sessions a week on non-consecutive days, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Workouts A and B alternate: A-B-A one week, B-A-B the next. Each workout trains every major muscle group, so each one is worked three times a week.
The workouts
Workout A
15 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 8–12 | 2–3 min |
| Bench press | 3 × 8–12 | 2–3 min |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 3 × 8–12per arm | 2 min |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 2 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Leg curl | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Plank | 2 × 30–45 s | 1 min |
Workout B
17 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–12 | 2–3 min |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Leg press | 2 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Lateral raises | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Dumbbell curl | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Cable triceps pushdown | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
Volume per muscle per week
The table is calculated from the program itself: it counts the sets where the muscle is the main target. Compound lifts work other muscles too, such as the triceps and front delts on presses and the biceps on rows and pulldowns. In 2017, Brad Schoenfeld's meta-analysis showed a dose-response relationship between volume and muscle growth: more sets, more muscle, with a trend favouring 10 or more sets per muscle per week.
Volume stays moderate, around 6 to 9 sets per major muscle group: enough to learn the lifts and progress without piling up fatigue. When your weights stop going up for several weeks, the 4-day upper/lower program takes over with more volume.
| Muscle | Direct sets |
|---|---|
| Chest | 9 |
| Back | 9 |
| Shoulders | 6 |
| Biceps | 3 |
| Triceps | 3 |
| Quads | 7.5 |
| Hamstrings | 7.5 |
| Glutes | 9 |
| Abs | 3 |
How to progress
Each exercise has a rep range. Keep the same weight until you reach the top of the range on every set. Once you beat it by one or two reps, add weight: the ACSM recommends a 2 to 10% increase.
For example, on the bench press at 3 × 8 to 12: you start at 60 kg, add reps session after session until you complete 3 sets of 12 or 13, then move to 62.5 kg and work back up from the bottom of the range.
How hard to push each set
Stop most sets 1 to 3 reps short of failure: the last rep should feel genuinely hard. Martin Refalo's meta-analysis (2023) found no evidence that going all the way to muscle failure builds more muscle. Read our article on training to failure.
Rest times
The ACSM recommends 1 to 2 minutes of rest for muscle growth, and 3 to 5 minutes for very heavy loads. On compound lifts, Brad Schoenfeld's 2016 study got better results with 3 minutes than with 1 minute in trained lifters: don't cut rest short on the big lifts. Read our article on rest time.
Adapting the program
- If you are not yet comfortable with the barbell squat, start with the goblet squat, holding a dumbbell against your chest.
- Calves are not trained directly: add 2 sets of calf raises at the end of a session if you like.
- Machine taken or missing? Swap the exercise for another one that targets the same muscle, with the same sets and reps.
- If you stall, feel constantly tired or have achy joints, a lighter week can help you get going again. Read our article on deloading.
Running this program in Loaden
- Create one routine per workout in the program builder, picking exercises from the library sorted by muscle, and set the rest time for each exercise.
- You can also ask the AI coach to generate an equivalent program, telling it about your equipment or injuries.
- During the session, the rest timer starts on every completed set, you can swap exercises on the fly, and the app suggests the weight for your next session.
Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine, "Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults", Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2009.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis", Journal of Sports Sciences, 2017.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency", Journal of Sports Sciences, 2019.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men", Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016.
- Refalo M.C. et al., "Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis", Sports Medicine, 2023.
Start this program at your next session
Loaden logs every set, starts your rest timer and tells you what to lift next time.
