Not everyone has the luxury to go to the gym 5 days a week, but that doesn’t mean your gains have to suffer! You can still pack on mass with just 3 days as long as you’re consistant and making progress week to week.
This 3 day split is basically spread out during the week so your body still has enough time to recover in order to grow and be ready for the next workout. You can switch it any way which fits your schedule as long as you give yourself atleast a day inbetween workouts. This routine roughly follows the PHAT routine by Layne Norton in terms of incorporating both strength and hypertrophy.
Each day will focus on one primary muscle group with accessory exercises. For example, Monday will be dedicated to legs + shoulders, Wednesday will be for chest + biceps, and Friday for back and triceps.
Monday
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Legs |
| Squat | 5 sets x 4-5 reps |
| Leg Press | 3 sets x 10-15 reps |
| Lunges | 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| Calf Raises | 4 sets x 15-20 reps | Shoulders |
| Shoulder Press | 3 sets x 6-8 reps |
| Dumbbell Side/Lateral Raise | 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
| Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
Tuesday – Rest
Wednesday
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Chest |
| Bench Press/Dumbbell Press | 4 sets x 6-8 reps |
| Incline Bench Press/Dumbbell Press | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Dips | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Chest Flyes | 3 sets x 10-12 reps | Biceps |
| Concentration Curls | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Barbell Curls | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Reverse Barbell Curls | 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
Thursday – Rest
Friday
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Back |
| Deadlift | 4 sets x 6-8 reps |
| Wide-Grip Pull Ups | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| One Arm Dumbell Rows | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Lat Pulldowns | 3 sets x 10-12 reps | Triceps |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Skullcrushers | 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
| Rope Pulldowns | 3 sets x 10-12 reps |
Saturday & Sunday – Rest
You can switch around the days any way you like, as long as you still follow the same order of the workouts (legs first, chest second, back third), preferably with at least 1 rest day between each workout. Don’t judge how sore you are to making progress. Muscle soreness or DOMS is not directly correlated to having a good workout or making gains.
As long as you are consistently making gains in strength and gaining lean muscle mass, you can continue to do this same workout routine. If you stall in making muscle gains and you are sure that your nutrition isn’t the problem, you should either change around your sets or reps count or switch out exercises for similar ones.
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2 Responses to “No-Nonsense 3 Day Split Workout for Mass”
joe
On the shoulder exercises for Monday, aren’t the two last exercises the same?Can you please explain?Thanks!!!
Dave R
Good catch joe 🙂 It was supposed to be side/lateral raises, and THEN front raises. Fixed it!
Hope you like the workout!