3 Day Full Body Workout Program (Intermediate lifters, emphasis on upper body)

Published on 2 August 2024 at 17:11

I've been training for many years now, and have found myself in the gym 5 days a week for up to two hours a session. Some might say that's a little crazy.

 

Indeed my girlfriend and I barely get a couple of hours in the evenings to eat dinner and watch an episode or two of some bingeworth show on Netflix. 

 

On the other hand, I have high athletic ambitions: reaching and surpassing a 120kg bench press for reps, achieving the 1 arm pull up and more. Is it possible to have ambitious athletic goals while keeping enough time during the week to have a life?

 

That's what I've decided to find out: based on my goals, I've built the following 3 day program, which aims to give intermediate (or above) lifters a way to maintain an active life outside of the gym, while still properly pursuing their hypertrophy and strength goals. Note that I am not a certified fitness instructor, just an enthusiast lifter and an individual with ambitious short and long term fitness goals, sharing my current training plan.

 

 

Some comments about this training routine are in order:

  1. Have less lower body focus, especially strength wise (this is a current personal preference- anyone wanting more strength gains on those could just change to the strength set-> hypertrophy to failure set that I do for the other ones),
  2. Get stronger in particular on the bench press and pulling strength (with 1 arm pullup as future eventual goal) ,
  3. Include components of flexibility, mobility, cardio and strength which I believe are important to also include for the long term goals,
  4. Combine strength goals with hypertrophy goals- I personally would like to increase the absolute strength especially on things like bench press, weighted pull ups and OHP (overhead press), but I also have hypertrophy goals- this strength/hypertrophy split seemed like a very time effective way to tick both boxes.
  5. This is the most important of them all, and I cannot stress this enough: Do not train to failure unless you are already very experienced in doing so, as the risk of injury becomes much higher with improper form.  If you do not have this experience, you can still do this program, but make sure that you always have a spotter (ideally a trainer) supporting you and checking your form, and do your sets 1-2 reps away from failure- this will still be very fruitful.

So without further ado, here's my workout plan:

Day 1 of Three Day Full Body Split:

Compound Lifts

• Bench Press
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Strength: 1 set of 1-5 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Weighted Pull-Ups
– Warm-up: 2 sets of bodyweight pull-ups
– Strength: 1 set of 2-5 reps (max effort with added weight)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (bodyweight or reduced weight, to
failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

• Overhead Press
– Warm-up: 1 set with barbell for reps
– Strength: 1 set of 3-5 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Squat
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Hypertrophy: 2 set of 8-12 reps (2.5 minutes rest)

Assistance Exercises
• Lateral Raises
– 2 sets of 15-20 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Bicep Curls
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Skull Crushers
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

Additional Work
• Ab Exercises: 5 minutes
• High-Intensity Cardio: 3 minutes + 3 minutes cooldown
• Mobility and Flexibility: 10-20 minutes

Day 2 of Three Day Full Body Split:
Compound Lifts

• Weighted Pull-Ups
– Warm-up: 2 sets of 3-5 bodyweight pull-ups
– Strength: 1 set of 1-5 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (bodyweight or reduced weight, to
failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

• Bench Press
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Strength: 1 set of 3-5 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Overhead Press
– Warm-up: 1 set with barbell for reps
– Strength: 1 set of 4-6 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Deadlift
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Hypertrophy: 2 sets of 8-12 reps (2.5 minutes rest).

Assistance Exercises
• Front Raises
– 2 sets of 15-20 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Hammer Curls
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Tricep Dips
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

Additional Work
• Ab Exercises: 5 minutes
• High-Intensity Cardio: 3 minutes + 3 minutes cooldown
• Mobility and Flexibility: 10-20 minutes

Day 3 of Three Day Full Body Split:

Compound Lifts

• Overhead Press
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Strength: 1 set of 1-4 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Weighted Pull-Ups
– Warm-up: 2 sets of bodyweight pull-ups
– Strength: 1 set of 3-5 reps (max effort with added weight)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (bodyweight or reduced weight, to
failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

• Bench Press
– Warm-up: 1 set with barbell for reps
– Strength: 1 set of 3-5 reps (max effort)
– Hypertrophy: 1 set of 8-12 reps (reduce weight by 40%, to failure,
2.5 minutes rest)

• Squat
– Warm-up: 2-3 sets of increasing weight
– Hypertrophy: 2 sets of 8-12 reps ( 2.5 minutes rest)

Assistance Exercises
• Side Lateral Raises
– 2 sets of 15-20 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Dumbbell Curls
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)
• Tricep Extensions
– 2 sets of 12-15 reps (to failure, 2.5 minutes rest)

Additional Work
• Ab Exercises: 5 minutes
• High-Intensity Cardio: 3 minutes + 3 minutes cooldown
• Mobility and Flexibility: 10-20 minutes

Notes:
• Prioritise first exercise: Due to fatigue, it is likely that the strength
will decrease as we go from exercise to exercise- that’s okay. Only try a
1-2 rep max on the first one of that day: that is why the exercises are
reordered from session to session.
• Rest Days: Take at least one rest day after each session (maximum 2)
to allow for recovery.
• Progression: Gradually increase weights or reps after every cycle to
ensure progressive overload.
• Watch out for overtraining: Adjust volume or intensity if you feel
overly fatigued or find that you get weaker from week to week.

 

Let me know if you tried this program and how it worked for you!

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