Training 3 Days a Week

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Hello

For the past years I have been training 4 days a week with some success. I love training and the results I get but I would like to explore other things. I want to continue getting stronger and developping my athletical habilities but I think at this point in my life I would benefit more from other things, creative and all that stuff. And I don’t think there is a linear relationship between the amount of muscle someone have and his succes with females.

Has anyone ever had good results with 3 times a week training? I am considering lowering my training frequency to this.

I would like to hear about your experiences about training less. I really like training and one of my revelation was that I could get better result with training 4 days a week than with training 5 days a week.

I have to fit all of this in 3 days:

DB shoulder press or barbell press
Lateral raises

Incline BB or DB bench
DB bench
1 pec isolation exercice

3 biceps exercice

Close grip bench press or dips
1 triceps isolation exercice

deadlift
barbell row
chins
2 back isolation exercice

Box squat
Front squat
romanian deadlift
skater split squat

I am intermediate. I can deadlift at least 565, DB press 100x8, DB bench 120x11, bench I don’t know, squat more than 400.

My current training is

1:Shoulders+triceps

Lat raise
DB press
Lat raise
Military press

at this point I go on with triceps or go home and come back later because I am tired

triceps isolation
CGBP
DIPS

2:legs
box squats
Front squats
Romanian or split squat
split squat or romanian

3:pecs biceps

DB bench or BB incline
BB incline ou DB bench
pec isolation
Bench

Biceps (3 exercices)

4: back
Back isolation exercice
BB row
Chin
Deadlift
2 back isolation exercice

This is sometime done in 2 sessions. I stretch and do mobility exercice everyday I don’t train.

Share your ideas. From experience, have your physique regressed from training 4 to 3 days a week?

2

I’ve tried (currently doing) An ABC schedule

Day A:
1.Snatch
2.SGHP (Light technique work)
3.Front Squat
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day B:
1.1 Clean + 3 Push Press
2.Clean
3.Deadlift
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day C
1.SGHP (Light technique work)
2.Oly Squat
3.Upper Body Accessory
4.Cardio

First 1-3 exercises are always low reps (2-5). Some days I ramp to the day max and then do 3-4 sets @ 80%-90% for 2-3 reps. Some days I continouly ramp between exercises. So for example, I’ll ramp to 1 RM of 1C+3PP, then continue ramping to 1RM of clean, and then ramp to either 2 or 3 RM of Deadlift or to a 2 RM and then back down to 80%-85% and do 5 sets of 2 or 3. Some days I Ramp to a pre-determined 2 or 3 RM and then do 5 sets of 2 or 3 increasing or decreasing weight depending on how I feel.

The accessory work is all upper body and often BW (Chins/dips/etc…) I’ll do anywhere between 2 & 5 additional exercises (usually 2 or 3) and for 5-8 reps per set). I don’t push the volume much here for a couple reasons.

Finish it up with mostly loaded carries (Sand bag or DS bar) & abs.

It has been a nice & refreshing experiment. I feel much better. I’m not as worn down and I’m seeing progress in both #'s and in the mirror. The work out session is about 15 -25 minutes less than I was use to before.

3

best results I’ve ever had personaly were from a 3 day a week training program, just based around the big 3 lifts, and having a day for each, such as the following, but my goals were always size, and strength. i don’t know your goals exactly. On the following program, I just keep rotating the upper body day in between the lower days. Come to think of it, i should go back to this myself.

Mon
Squat ? 5x3-6, followed by 1-2 back off sets of higher reps
GMs ? 5×5
Leg Press 5×10 -15
Abs ? 5×12
Hypers ? 5×12

Wed
Bench Press ? 5x3-6, followed by 1-2 back off sets of higher reps
Chins ? 5 x 12
Incline DB. Bench ? 5×8 -12
Rows ? 5×8
latterals, or Flyes ? 5×12
Bicep Curl ? 5×12

Fri
Deadlift ? 5 singles, 1 back off set of 10
Deficit Deadlift ? 3 triples
Rack Deadlift ? 3 triples
Abs ? 5×12
Hypers ? 5×12

Mon
Bench Press ? 5 x3-6, followed by 1-2 backoff sets of higher reps
Chins ? 5 x 12 Squat ? 5 singles, followed by 1 back off set of higher reps
Incline DB. Bench ? 5×8
Rows ? 5×8
latterals, or Flyes ? 5×12
Bicep Curl ? 5×12

Well there’s my 2cents, is your after strength anyway

4

There is no reason to regress on 3 days a week. Hell, some great programs are built around that number. Look into DoggCrapp, or some of Paul Carters stuff (Lift-Run-Bang). Basically any program built on big movements done with intensity focused on rep and weight progression.

If you dont want to go with a pre done program, its my opinion that If you are going to be training 3 days a week its probably a good idea to really go balls to the wall since recovery will be prioritized. Intensity methods like extended sets, drop sets, etc… should be used.

5

Tons of options:

  1. pull/push/legs
  2. squat/bench/DL+OHP
  3. I’ve always wanted to just do back/chest/legs for awhile to just see what happens
6

[quote]chobbs wrote:
Tons of options:

  1. pull/push/legs
  2. squat/bench/DL+OHP
  3. I’ve always wanted to just do back/chest/legs for awhile to just see what happens[/quote]

Or Jim Wendler’s Beyond 5/3/1 posted here

7

Waterbury wrote several 3 day a week programs here damn near 10 years ago that are exactly what you’re looking for. “The Waterbury Method” is probably the single most effective program I’ve ever done off this site, and the only thing I subbed was high pulls for upright rows. Despite all of the hate he got/gets, dude was way ahead of his time.

8

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
I’ve tried (currently doing) An ABC schedule

Day A:
1.Snatch
2.SGHP (Light technique work)
3.Front Squat
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day B:
1.1 Clean + 3 Push Press
2.Clean
3.Deadlift
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day C
1.SGHP (Light technique work)
2.Oly Squat
3.Upper Body Accessory
4.Cardio

First 1-3 exercises are always low reps (2-5). Some days I ramp to the day max and then do 3-4 sets @ 80%-90% for 2-3 reps. Some days I continouly ramp between exercises. So for example, I’ll ramp to 1 RM of 1C+3PP, then continue ramping to 1RM of clean, and then ramp to either 2 or 3 RM of Deadlift or to a 2 RM and then back down to 80%-85% and do 5 sets of 2 or 3. Some days I Ramp to a pre-determined 2 or 3 RM and then do 5 sets of 2 or 3 increasing or decreasing weight depending on how I feel.

The accessory work is all upper body and often BW (Chins/dips/etc…) I’ll do anywhere between 2 & 5 additional exercises (usually 2 or 3) and for 5-8 reps per set). I don’t push the volume much here for a couple reasons.

Finish it up with mostly loaded carries (Sand bag or DS bar) & abs.

It has been a nice & refreshing experiment. I feel much better. I’m not as worn down and I’m seeing progress in both #'s and in the mirror. The work out session is about 15 -25 minutes less than I was use to before.

I very much like this set-up and plan to do something similar after Christmas when I reached my current bf% goal (currently 11% aiming for <8%). I have done this type of 3 day split before and made steady muscular gains and neural adaptations. Other days will be either MMA, tennis of GPP.

Nice one

[/quote]

9

[quote]moogweasel wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
I’ve tried (currently doing) An ABC schedule

Day A:
1.Snatch
2.SGHP (Light technique work)
3.Front Squat
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day B:
1.1 Clean + 3 Push Press
2.Clean
3.Deadlift
4.Upper Body Accessory
5.Cardio

Day C
1.SGHP (Light technique work)
2.Oly Squat
3.Upper Body Accessory
4.Cardio

First 1-3 exercises are always low reps (2-5). Some days I ramp to the day max and then do 3-4 sets @ 80%-90% for 2-3 reps. Some days I continouly ramp between exercises. So for example, I’ll ramp to 1 RM of 1C+3PP, then continue ramping to 1RM of clean, and then ramp to either 2 or 3 RM of Deadlift or to a 2 RM and then back down to 80%-85% and do 5 sets of 2 or 3. Some days I Ramp to a pre-determined 2 or 3 RM and then do 5 sets of 2 or 3 increasing or decreasing weight depending on how I feel.

The accessory work is all upper body and often BW (Chins/dips/etc…) I’ll do anywhere between 2 & 5 additional exercises (usually 2 or 3) and for 5-8 reps per set). I don’t push the volume much here for a couple reasons.

Finish it up with mostly loaded carries (Sand bag or DS bar) & abs.

It has been a nice & refreshing experiment. I feel much better. I’m not as worn down and I’m seeing progress in both #'s and in the mirror. The work out session is about 15 -25 minutes less than I was use to before.

[/quote]
I very much like this set-up and plan to do something similar after Christmas when I reached my current bf% goal (currently 11% aiming for <8%). I have done this type of 3 day split before and made steady muscular gains and neural adaptations. Other days will be either MMA, tennis of GPP.

Nice one

[/quote]

Ya, I like it. It’s not ideal for BodyBuilding, Powerlifting, or Oly lifting. For an average gym rat it works just fine though.

10

Also, search for “renaissance body development”. Program CT wrote years ago. Never used it, but it looks fun.

11

my 3day routine
push
bp
ohp
inclined db
single arm landmine shoulder press
super set…lat raise/flys
4 tris
pull
dl,highpull,single arm row,pull ups.t-rows
bix3
lower body
squat variation,leg press,extension,rdl,kb swing,hip trust,curl
simple but does the trick