Effective Beginners 3-Day Split for Men and Woman (2 variations)
So you have just signed up at your local gym, you’ve maybe done a few sessions, feel completely hooked but now you are looking to find what is the best training split to make the best gains. There is such a huge amount of conflicting information that you will find all over places like Instagram and social media, it can get extremely overwhelming and confusing especially if you are new to this space and are unsure how to decipher the good from the bad.
Being a beginner, you will need to do a lot LESS work (volume) than someone who has been training for 2+ years. As you become more experienced, you will need to slowly increase your training volume over time to provide a larger muscle stimulus.
Starting out, I have found that with myself and clients, a 3-4 day split is absolutely perfect for getting started and making the most effective use of your time. The program below will work for everyone getting started in the gym.
Obviously, make sure you apply progressive overload session to session (increasing reps and/or weight each session) and applying effort through achieving muscular failure or 1-2 reps shy of failure. Adequate technique on exercises goes a very long way in providing the most effective muscular stimulus for growth.
Remember: Do these 3 days over 1 week, 1-2 days rest between each session will be sufficient to manage fatigue.
Men:
Day 1:
Leg Press: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Incline Dumbbell (DB) Press: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-15 reps)
Seated Cable Row (medium neutral grip): 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-15 reps)
Single Arm Cable Side Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Dumbbell Preacher Curl: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Tricep Pushdown: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Day 2:
Chest Press Machine: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Seated OR Laying Hamstring Curl : 3 sets (8-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-20)
Bent-Over DB Row: 2 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Cable Curls (face away from stack, stretch bicep): 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Overhead Cable Pushdowns: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Day 3:
Romanian/Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 2 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps)
Hack Squat: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-15 reps)
Dips (bodyweight or assisted): 3 sets (8-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
SA Cable Row: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
DBl Lateral Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Standing OR Seated Calf Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-20 reps)
Woman:
Day 1:
Leg Press: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Hip Thrust: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-15 reps)
Seated Cable Row (medium neutral grip): 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-15 reps)
Single Arm Cable Side Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Dumbbell Preacher Curl: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Tricep Pushdown: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Day 2:
Chest Press Machine: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Seated or Laying Hamstring Curl: 3 sets (8-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 12-20 reps)
Bulgarian Split Squat: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
Bent Over DB Row: 2 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Overhead Cable Pushdowns: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Day 3:
Romanian/Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 2 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps)
Hack Squat: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-15 reps)
Hip Thrust: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-15 reps)
Single Arm (SA) Cable Row: 3 sets (6-10 reps, 10-12 reps, 10-12 reps)
DB Lateral Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-16 reps)
Standing or Seated Calf Raise: 3 sets (8-12 reps, 8-12 reps, 12-20 reps)
Are you ready to transform your body and achieve your fitness goals? Whether you want to gain muscle, lose body fat, or both, my tailored coaching services are designed to help you succeed. With personalized workout plans, nutrition guidance, and ongoing support, you’ll have everything you need to reach your goals efficiently and sustainably.
