Who the 3-day program suits
The 3-day split suits you when you can train three times a week and want more volume per muscle group than full-body sessions can fit. Push-pull-legs is the most popular split for a reason: it is easy to remember, exercises do not compete for recovery and the day order rotates flexibly.
For a beginner, three full-body workouts are often still better — if you are just starting out, see the beginner guide at the end of this page.
Who this is not for
- First-year lifters: full body three times a week gives every muscle a more frequent stimulus.
- If only two sessions fit into your week: one day of the split is always missed and some muscle group falls behind.
- If you want every muscle group twice a week on three days: that requires a full-body structure, not a PPL split.
If you train more than three times a week, see the rotating version: Push pull legs program.
Push, pull and legs as tables
Rest days can go anywhere between sessions as long as the week has three workouts. 3-4 sets per exercise, 5-10 reps on the main lifts and 8-15 on the rest.
Push: chest, shoulders and triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 | 5-8 | 3 min | 8 |
| Barbell overhead press | 3 | 6-8 | 2-3 min | 8 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8-12 | 2 min | 8 |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 | 12-15 | 60-90 s | 9 |
| Cable pushdown | 3 | 10-15 | 60-90 s | 9 |
Pull: back, biceps and rear delts
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell deadlift | 3 | 4-6 | 3 min | 8 |
| Wide-grip lat pulldown | 3 | 8-12 | 2 min | 8 |
| Barbell bent-over row | 3 | 8-10 | 2 min | 8 |
| Dumbbell biceps curl | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 s | 9 |
| Dumbbell rear delt fly | 3 | 12-15 | 60 s | 9 |
Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | 4 | 5-8 | 3 min | 8 |
| Leg press | 3 | 10-12 | 2 min | 8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 min | 8 |
| Lunge | 3 | 10 / leg | 90 s | 8 |
| Standing calf raise | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 9 |
Exercise techniques and animations are in the exercise library: browse all exercises · RPE 7 = about 3 reps in reserve, RPE 8 = 2, RPE 9 = 1.
Weekly calendar
Three workouts with a rest day between each. If your week only allows consecutive days, that works too: each day loads different muscles.
- MonPush
- TueRest
- WedPull
- ThuRest
- FriLegs
- SatRest or an easy walk
- SunRest
Progression over weeks 1-8
On the main lifts add load when you hit the top of the range in every set; on isolation work add reps first and then load. Weekly volume rises by one set per exercise over the block.
| Weeks | Sets | Load | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-2 | 3 sets per exercise | RPE 7 | Find your working weights, leave 3 reps in reserve. |
| Weeks 3-4 | 3-4 sets | RPE 8 | A fourth set on the main lifts. Add load when the range is filled. |
| Weeks 5-7 | 4 sets on the main lifts, 3 on the rest | RPE 8-9 | Last set close to failure. +2.5 kg lower body, +1-2 kg upper body. |
| Week 8 | 2 sets per exercise (deload) | About 15-20 % lighter | Recovery week, then a new block from your week 7 weights. |
How the program works
Push day covers chest, shoulders and triceps; pull day the back, biceps and rear delts; leg day the whole lower body. A week split by movement pattern means yesterday's workout never fatigues today's main muscles.
Do compound lifts first while fresh and isolation work last. Use a 5-10 rep range on compounds and 8-15 elsewhere; add weight when you top the range with good technique.
If a week only fits two workouts, do the missed day next. The split order rotates, and shifting one day does not break the program.
Sources
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger 2016, Sports Medicine: training a muscle group at least twice a week produced more hypertrophy than once a week at equal weekly volume.
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger 2017, Journal of Sports Sciences: weekly set count per muscle group has a dose-response relationship with hypertrophy.
- Helms et al. 2016, Strength and Conditioning Journal: a reps-in-reserve based RPE scale for regulating load in resistance training.
Free workout program by SisuLift. https://www.sisulift.app/en/workout-programs/3-day-workout-program
