3-day gym routine, the best options
If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can share the progress you make from training, so we look forward to seeing your progress with your favorite 3-day gym routine. Download it here.
When it comes to progressing in the gym, there is a lot of noise about what is the ideal number of optimal training sessions. Most gym users train 4 or 5 times a week, although there is scientific evidence that suggests that we will enjoy most of the benefits of exercise simply by training 2 times a week. If you are one of those people who does not have a lot of time and can only train a couple of times a week, we recommend that you review our article on training protocols in two sessions. However, there are also a large number of people who have time to train 3 times a week and there are also a large number of very efficient protocols to progress without spending more days. In this article we will present several examples of a very complete and efficient 3-day gym routine.
Why go to the gym for three days?
Both hypertrophy and strength gain do not occur while we train, but in the subsequent process of recovery from our training. Training is just one more piece in muscle development. That is why a 3-day gym routine is a great option for people who do not have much time to rest and barely get 5-6 hours of sleep. Of course, those rest days do not imply lying on the sofa, but we can take advantage of it to do some cardiovascular training, stretching, perhaps a foam roller routine or simply be active that day. Light bodyweight training may be a good option, but never go above a 5 or 6 on the scale of perceived exertion.
So don’t be afraid to limit your progress and use any of our three day gym routines!
Access the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free.
Routine 1: Full body
If this routine already sounds familiar to you, it is because we already recommended it in our 3-day Fullbody Routine article. It is one of our favorite divisions and we recommend it to anyone starting to train. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the gym basics of the Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, and Military Presses. Anyone who starts out in the gym with this routine is going to progress like a rocket.
When organizing the routine, we recommend leaving at least one day of rest between each training session, the most common division being to train Monday, Wednesday and Friday and rest Tuesday and Thursday, but we can do it however we want.
That being said, this is the 3-day fullbody type gym routine.
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Back Squat | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Press Banca | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Funds in Parallels | 3 | 8 | 1-2 min |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
| Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Dead weight | 3 | 5 | 3-4 min |
| Press Militar | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| T Bar Row | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Quadriceps Extension | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Pulley Openings | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Crunch Abdominal | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Skull Crusher Dumbbell | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Dumbbell Lunge | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Supine Pulley Pulldown | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Seated Facepull | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Side Raise | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
| Curl Femoral | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
You can track your training much more effectively using the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free. You will not only find the exercises that you must perform each day, but also advanced visualizations to follow your progress and achieve results.
Access the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free.
Rutina 2: Push – Pull – Legs
This routine for three days in the gym is the little sister of the 6-day Pull – Push – Legs for people with a lot of time to train and with good rest. As usual in this type of divisions, multi-joint exercises are prioritized to optimize each series that we do in the gym. In this case, the routine is divided into a push training (push) in which we do movement patterns in which we move the weight away from us (bench press, military press, French press…), another pull training ( pull) in which we draw the weight towards us (rowing, facepull, chin-ups…) and a leg day in which we work on both movement patterns.
This routine is very interesting for people who combine the gym with other sports, since it allows them to conveniently organize their leg day according to their stipulated rest. As always, we recommend leaving a day of active rest between training sessions, since every time we visit the gym it will be quite demanding.
Day 1 – Push or Push
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Press Bank with Barra | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Dumbbell Military Press | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| French Press with Cable | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Closed Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Day 2 – Pull or Pull
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| dominated | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Unilateral Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Pulley Pulley Closed grip | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Facepull with Pulley | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Bicep Curl on Polea | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Day 3 – Leg
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Back Squat | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Gemelo Sitting or Hack | 3 | 15 | 2-3 min |
| Stride | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Hip Thrust con Barra | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
| Calf Extension Press | 3 | 20 | 1-2 min |
Access the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free.
Remember that you can find your personalized training program in the Fitenium app. You will not only find the exercises that you should perform each day, but also visualizations of how to perform them, notes on training programs, rest times and much more.
Routine 3: Torso – Pierna – Fullbody
This three-day gym routine is a variation of the previous one in which we give more weight to the lower body. In the end, our legs are almost 50% of our muscle mass, so it makes sense to give them about half of our training. This training is very interesting to obtain a balanced physique and it places a lot of emphasis on strength, since the third day is exclusively a basic training.
Perhaps the only problem could be that training so much strength can interfere with other sports goals, so this routine is ideal for people who want to progress in strength, aesthetics and don’t have much time.
Day 1 – Torso
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Press Banca Barra | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Dumbbell Military Press | 3 | 10 | 3-4 min |
| dominated | 3 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Unilateral Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Barbell Bicep Curl | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| French Press with Cable | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Day 2 – Leg
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Barbell Squat | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 10 | 3-4 min |
| Twin in Press | 3 | 20 | 2-3 min |
| Barbell Lunge | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
| Twin in Hack or Sitting | 3 | 20 | 1-2 min |
Day 3 – Full Body
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Dead Weight | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Front Squat | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Dumbbell Military Press | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Remo Pendlay o Yates | 3 | 8 | 1-2 min |
| Facepull | 3 | 15 | 1-2 min |
Access the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free.
Follow your progress on your profile in Fitenium app. You will have at your disposal all kinds of metrics about your progress and evolution, exercises performed and calendar. Also, if you wish, we can send you training notifications and personalized emails with your progress.
Routine 4: TRX and elastic bands to train at home
Not all of us have the same obligations and many people are limited to training at home, but that should not be a reason to stop training since we also have an exercise routine 3 days a week for which you only need some suspension system and our body weight to do our training.
All those mothers and fathers who have to keep an eye on them while working out, this routine is for you!
Day 1: Chest – Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Suspension Chest Press | 3 | 6 | 3-4 min |
| Declined Pushups | 3 | 10 | 3-4 min |
| Openings in Suspension | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Fund in bank | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Closed Pushups | 3 | 8 | 1-2 min |
| Suspension Triceps Extensions | 3 | 15 | 1-2 min |
Day 2: Back – Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Inverted Row in Suspension | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Vertical Pulldown with Elastic Band | 3 | 10 | 3-4 min |
| Unilateral Deadlift with Elastic Band | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Curl Biceps in Suspension | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Bicep Curl with Elastic Band | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
| Facepull in Suspension | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Day 3: Legs and Shoulder
| Exercise | Sets | repetitions | Rest |
| Vertical Press with Elastic Band | 3 | 8 | 3-4 min |
| Lateral Raise with Elastic Band | 3 | 10 | 3-4 min |
| Front Raise with Elastic Band | 3 | 12 | 2-3 min |
| Suspension Sissy Squat | 3 | 10 | 2-3 min |
| Suspension Stride | 3 | 10 | 1-2 min |
| Femoral Curl in Suspension | 3 | 12 | 1-2 min |
Access the Fitenium app where you can train this routine for free.
Create a training habit with Fitenium app. Look at this training calendar. Do you think you can match it? With Fitenium you can achieve it. You also have the option to record your execution on video to follow your technique and avoid injuries.
conclusions
Doing a 3-day gym routine is more than enough to gain strength and muscle mass. What’s more, some studies even suggest that it may be an optimal number of sessions with adequate volume and rest. However, we cannot forget that much of the progress comes from the diet, whether we want to lose fat or if our goal is to gain muscle mass.
With all these possibilities, the only thing that stands between you and getting fit is your own perseverance and the motivation of a community of athletes like you and me who share their workouts, you don’t even need a gym. Good luck in this adventure, you have just taken the first step to change your life!
