An A3-day-a-week gym routine is one of the most classic methods of gaining muscle mass. This is one of the traditional methods of achieving muscle hypertrophy in the gym.
Mistakes when planning the routine can lead to fatigue or overtraining. To avoid this, you must divide the muscle groups throughout the week.
When training three times a week, you should combine exercises where large muscle groups are worked with small ones.
This article describes an example of a three times per week routine. How do you combine muscles correctly?
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Hypertrophy routine example 3 days per week
The basics of doing a 3-day-a-week routine are not working for more than one large muscle group at a time. Alternating between small and large muscle groups is the best way to optimize muscle glycogen stores. Otherwise, it will be challenging to finish the routine, and the results in hypertrophy will be reduced.
Every day should begin by warming up the muscles of the middle or core. Starting with hyperextensions and abdominal planks is the best way to increase core strength and prevent possible lower back injuries.
Here’s an example of a 3-day-a-week routine:
- Day one: back and biceps
On the first day of training in a routine of 3 days a week, you can start with the muscles of the back and biceps. The work of the powers of the upper body allows the development of a solid and muscular appearance.
Abdominal planks three sets – 1 minute
4 Sets – 15 reps
4 Sets – 10-12 reps
4 sets – 10-12 reps
4 sets – 10-12 reps
High pulley row
4 sets – 10-12 reps
4 sets – 10-12 reps
Simulator bicep curl
4 sets – 10-12 reps
- Day Two – Pecs and Triceps
On the second day of training in a 3-day routine, the pectoral and triceps muscles should be worked. The star exercise on this day is the bench press; it can be performed with barbells and dumbbells. An ideal warm-up option on this day is push-ups and side planks.
Side Planks
Four sets – 2 minutes on each side
Push-ups or push-ups with a bench
3 sets – 10 reps
3 sets 10-12 reps
Peck deck
3 sets 10-12 reps
Face pull
3 sets 10-12 reps
Pullover with dumbbell
3 sets 10-12 reps
Pulley Triceps Extensions
3 sets 10-12 reps
Dumbbell Side Planks
3 sets 10-12 reps
- Day three: legs and shoulders
The last day of training but in no way should be skipped is the famous leg day. The legs are the largest muscle group in the body. Including exercises to strengthen the legs is essential to increasing testosterone levels.
Classic barbell squats and basic isolation exercises with simulators are essential on this training day. You can jog for about 15 minutes or do low-impact aerobic exercises such as the elliptical or the treadmill to warm up.
Elliptical
10-12 minutes
3 sets – 10 reps
4 sets – 10-12 reps
Quadriceps Extension
4 sets – 10-12 reps
Femoral curl
4 sets – 10-12 reps
Abductor machine
4 sets – 10-12 reps
press four sets – 10-12 reps
4 sets – 10-12 reps
Who is a 3-day-a-week routine for?
A 3-day-a-week routine is an ideal way to start the gym. Particularly for the ectomorphic body type, the prone to being slim. They are the most suitable routines for developing muscle volume for a gym beginner.
Rest times should always be respected when doing a routine three days a week. Large muscle groups require at least two days to recover. Supplementing the routine with muscle recovery methods is a good idea.
To improve the toning of the body, coaches advise increasing the number of repetitions and lowering the loads. Also, it is essential to know that some small muscles, such as the biceps, should not be trained more than two times a week. Doing exercises to train biceps every day is not recommended in any case.
In a routine of 3 times a week, it is best to always start with abdominal exercises. The muscle group helps prepare the body and avoid lower back injuries.
Prior physical warm-up exercises
A correct three times a week gym training program should include physical warm-up exercises. Dedicating the first 5-10 minutes to light cardio and preparing the joints before starting is essential to avoid injury.
In a 3-times-a-week gym routine, bodyweight exercises like sit-ups, squats, and push-ups are great for warming up. If possible, all three days should be included. The key: warm-up should be designed to prepare the body, not replace routine. Otherwise, you will not have enough energy to finish the series.
How many sets and repetitions do you have to do in a 3-day routine?
In a routine of 3 days a week to develop muscle mass, the ideal is to do 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. In the last 2-3 repetitions, muscle failure should be achieved. Only when you see that you can increase the number of repetitions without problems is it time to increase the weight.
If, on the other hand, on repetition 8, you see that it is practically impossible for you to finish the exercise, it is time to lose the weight. Muscle hypertrophy processes are closely related to reaching failure. However, if the technique is sacrificed, the only thing that will be achieved is a sports injury.
The rest between sets to increase muscle mass should be around 1-1.5 minutes. A longer rest time is helpful to increase the strength indicators; shorter breaks are to improve muscular endurance.
Three-day gym routine vs. Full body workout vs. Crossfit
Functional training modalities such as CrossFit are gaining more ground in the fitness market, and routines focused on training the whole body, known as a Full body workout. What are the differences with the gym routine three times a week?
The main difference between a 3-day-per-week routine with a CrossFit or functional training program is the type of hypertrophy achieved.
CrossFit is usually trained practically without breaks and with a maximum of repetitions; the goal: is to achieve myofibrillar hypertrophy. While a classic three times a week gym routine works on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Regarding net muscle development, the results are similar. The main advantage of CrossFit is an increase in energy expenditure and a more significant increase in aerobic capacity or VO2 max.
Gym routines tend to give better results in sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, as well as fewer injuries. If they are combined with aerobic exercises, it is a lower risk strategy to have a muscular and marked body.
As for the entire body workout, the results in the increase of muscle mass are usually less than in a routine of 3 days a week. The advantage of working for all muscle groups simultaneously is greater fat burning. However, people who maintain this type of training for long periods usually reach muscle fatigue in a short time.
What to eat after the gym?
Nutrition is the critical factor in increasing lean muscle mass. As much as you put your best effort into a 3-day routine, If it is not complemented with a diet focused on muscle growth, no results should be expected.
The calculation of calories and the ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the most critical factors.
A bulking diet is an excellent example to supplement with a 3-day-a-week gym routine. Complex carbohydrates should be the primary energy source to restore muscle glycogen stores in these diets, just as high-quality, healthy proteins and fats should be weighted.
On the other hand, obsessively counting calories does not make sense. Getting an idea of the total calories you are consuming is good when you start the gym. The ideal for a man of 25-30 years of height 180 cm and the average weight is to receive at least 2500-2700 kcal to increase muscle mass.
An excessive increase in calories will lead to an increase in muscle mass and a rise in body fat percentage. Following these tips makes it impossible for a person not to gain muscle mass by training three days a week.
ABSTRACT
A routine of three times a week in the gym per week is a primary method to achieve muscle hypertrophy. The basis is to alternate between large and small muscle groups each day.
To gain muscle mass, it is essential not to skip leg days. This and not supplementing with proper nutrition are one of the most common mistakes in a 3-day-a-week routine.
The optimal number of sets and repetitions to gain muscle mass is 10-12 repetitions of 4 sets each. The maximum rest should be 1.0 – 1.1 minutes.
Starting from the back instead of the chest is an excellent strategy to save time in the gym.
