Three Body Parts a Day Split Workout Routine (Free PDF)

Program Summary

Can You Train Three Muscle Groups a Day?

Yes, training three muscle groups in a single session is not only safe but also a time-efficient way to target muscles more frequently and build mass over time.

However, it is important to structure your workout in an organized way to avoid overtraining and maximize recovery.

To do that, try to keep the total sets and reps manageable, around 10-20 sets per muscle group per week is a good range, and provide your muscles adequate time for recovery before training them again.

You can also include supersets, drop-sets, tri-sets, or circuits to work multiple muscles efficiently and save time.

Below is a complete example of how a three-muscle group split looks.

Three Body Parts a Day Split: 6-Day Workout Plan to Gain Muscle

Train three times weekly if you are a beginner and six if you want to break muscle plateau and get jacked.

Day 1 – Chest, Shoulder, and Hamstrings

Instructions:

• Start your workout with a few sets of dive bomber push-ups, inchworm stretches, and banded pull-aparts.
• Superset seated dumbbell lateral raises with seated/lying leg curl. Perform 12 lateral raises and 15 leg curls, then take 2 minutes of rest. Aim for four sets.
• Try to lift as heavy as possible and reach failure in each set.
• Substitute bent-over cable fly with parallel cable fly or dumbbell fly whichever suits you most.

Day 2 – Back, Abs, and Calves

Instructions:

• Start your training with resistance band warm-up exercises, such as shoulder pass-through, suitcase deadlift, and bent-over rows. Then do pull-ups and other exercises.
• You can swap bent-over barbell rows with chest-supported T-bar rows if you do not want to put stress on your lower back and core.
• Superset seated/standing calf raises with kneeling cable crunches to save time.
• Perform knee raises on the pull-up bar or dip station with back support.

Day 3 – Quads, Arms, and Glutes

Instructions:

• Do 2-3 sets of the front and lateral leg swings for 30 seconds each before goblet squats.
• Rest for 2-3 minutes between all supersets.
• On this day you’ll do two exercises for the triceps and one for the biceps and in the next session, you’ll do two exercises for the biceps and one for the triceps.
• You can perform some or all exercises one at a time if supersetting makes you feel exhausted.

Day 4 – Chest, Shoulder, and Hamstrings

Instructions:

• Superset rear delt flies with stiff-leg deadlifts to hit your shoulders and hamstrings in a time-efficient manner.
• End your day with push-ups or dips if you have energy left.
• Take proper rest between sets, so you can engage your muscles effectively in each rep.

Day 5 – Back, Abs, and Calves

Instructions:

• Use as heavy weight as possible with the last 1-2 reps are forced reps.
• You can utilize the triple drop sets during seated rows to stimulate muscle groups. For example, perform 5 reps with heavyweight, 8 reps with moderate weight, and 10 reps with lightweight.
• You can use a machine or cable to perform seated rowing whichever is convenient for you.

Day 6 – Quads, Arms, and Glutes

Instructions:

• Activate your lower body with this 5-minute foam rolling leg workout before weight training.
• Take as much rest as needed between supersets to return to normal breathing before moving to the next exercises.
• You can use a free barbell or Smith Machine to perform back squats. However, you can also substitute back squats (if it is tough for you) with any other quad exercise.

One vs. Three Body Parts a Day: Which is Better?

You can follow one or three body parts a day split but each program has its pros and cons.

The one-body part split involves focusing on one muscle a day, allowing you to hit your muscles with a variety of exercises. It is easy to follow and suitable for intermediate and advanced lifters who can handle heavy stress on each muscle.

However, you have to hit the gym every day to train every body part within a week, creating a longer gap between two sessions of the same muscle group.

On the other hand, splitting three body parts a day puts less load on a single muscle and allows you to train your entire body within three sessions. It also enables you to target your major muscle groups more frequently, which research shows can be more effective for building muscle.¹ Schoenfeld, Brad J et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 46,11 (2016): 1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-v0543-8

It is suitable for both beginners and advanced lifters. Beginners can train three days a week (alternate days) and advanced lifters can go for six sessions to hit each muscle twice per week.

For experienced lifters, both approaches can help grow their strength and muscle size as long as the volume is equated.² Schoenfeld, Brad Jon et al. “How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency.” Journal of Sports Sciences vol. 37,11 (2019): 1286-1295. doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906

Also, explore: Two Body Parts a Day Workout Plan

References

• 1
  Schoenfeld, Brad J et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 46,11 (2016): 1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-v0543-8
• 2
  Schoenfeld, Brad Jon et al. “How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency.” Journal of Sports Sciences vol. 37,11 (2019): 1286-1295. doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906