To build muscle mass.
The 3 day split is one workout style among the hundreds out there, however unlike many the 3 day split workout regime is ideal for beginners – having started with a 3 day split regime myself I can honestly say it’s the best starting point for a newcomer to the gym.
The best 3 day workout split beginners could do would be comprised of an upper body day, a lower body day, and a full body day. Think something like this:
Mon – upper body
Tue – lower body
Wed – off
Thu – off
Fri – full body
Sat – off
Sun – off
The reason why this layout is preferable is because your upper and lower body days each give you some extra room in your program to add in a few isolation, aesthetics-based exercises. But when you couple those two days with a full body workout at the end of the week, all your bigger bodyparts are being hit with compound movements twice every week. This leads to a good balance between strength-based hypertrophy and aesthetics.
Sample Beginner Program
The following is a sample program utilizing the above template:
Monday – Upper Body:
Overhead press – 3-4 sets x 5-6 reps
Pullups/pulldowns – 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps
Dumbbell bench press – 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps
Lateral raises – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Barbell curls – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Tricep Pushdowns – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Tuesday – Lower Body:
Squat – 3-4 sets x 5-6 reps
Leg press – 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps
Romanian deadlifts – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Leg extensions – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Calves Raises – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Friday – Full Body:
Incline press – 3-4 sets x 5-6 reps
Low pulley rows – 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps
Deadlifts – 3-4 sets x 5-6 reps
Shrugs – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Rear delts – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Hammer curls – 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
Adding in 30-45mins of aerobic cardio 2-3x/week to improve heart health, promote recovery, and help burn a few extra calories would be a good idea. You can either do the cardio after one of your gym workouts or on a non-workout day, but try to give yourself at least two full days off (no lifting or cardio) per week.
If you’re a beginner to bodybuilding, give this 3 day workout split a try. It’ll give you an almost perfect balance between strength-based hypertrophy work and specific aesthetics training. This is a program that could be used by pretty much anyone starting out, and could be continued for at least the first 6-12 months.