A 3 day workout split is a training routine that divides the exercises into three training days per week. 3 day workout splits tend to work multiple muscle groups each training session, making them an efficient training option.
This is a collection of some of the most popular 3 day workout splits available on Lift Vault.
Beginners or novice lifters should check out GZCLP, Westside for Skinny Bastards, and GreySkull LP.
Those with some experience under their belt might want to check out Greg Nuckols 28 Programs (intermediate versions), Texas Method, Madcow, or SPF Powerbuilding programs.
More experienced lifters should check out Greg Nuckols 28 Programs (advanced versions), Korte 3x3, the Extended Russian Power Routine, or the 16 Week Powerlifting Academy Program.
Remember that novice and early intermediate programs progress the fastest! Don’t call yourself an intermediate lifter too early or you’ll miss out on lots of quick gains. Feel free to check everything out and see what works for you.
Related:
- 4 Day Workout Splits
- 5 Day Workout Splits
- 6 Day PPL Workouts
- Upper/Lower Workout Splits (3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day)
Table of Contents
3 Day Workout Splits for Beginners
GZCLP – 3 Day Version
GZCLP is the linear progression version of GZCL and was first made available in 2016 as part of the GZCL Compendium. Since then it has become a very popular program amongst novice to intermediate level lifters. It also has an excellent spreadsheet associated with it that is incredibly user-friendly. It also a 4 day version available, available on the GZCLP program page.
Please expand the spreadsheet to learn more about the program and all of its customization options.
| Program Name | GZCLP 3 Day |
| Split Type | Full Body |
| Recommended for | Primary: Strength Secondary: Aesthetics |
| Periodization | Linear |
| Day 1 | Squat, Bench Press |
| Day 2 | Bench Press, Deadlift |
| Day 3 | Deadlift, OHP |
v4_06 GZCLP 3-4 Day 12 Week Program | LiftVault.com
Westside for Skinny Bastards (3 Day Variation)
Westside for Skinny Bastards (WS4SB) is a general strength program that is known for being quite effective and approachable for novice lifters. It has a 3 day and 4 day version that can be run from the same spreadsheet linked below. To run the 3 day version of the program, ignore the dynamic effort lower body day and only do the max effort lower body day.
Please see this highly information post about the 3 day version of Westside for Skinny Bastards from the original author, Joe Defranco.
| Program Name | Westside for Skinny Bastards (3 Day) |
|---|---|
| Split Type | Upper/Lower |
| Recommended for | Primary: Strength Secondary: Aesthetics |
| Periodization | Conjugate |
| Day 1 | Upper Body Max Effort |
| Day 2 | Lower Body Max Effort |
| Day 3 | Upper Body Repetition Effort |
WS4SB First 6 Cycles | LiftVault.com
Greyskull Linear Progression Program
Greyskull LP is a popular novice strength program. Like Starting Strength and Strong Lifts, it increases weight after each workout as long as the appropriate number of reps are achieved. It is different in that it allows the lifter to go beyond 5 reps on its last set, building work capacity in the process. It also prescribes more back work than Starting Strength or Strong Lifts, which is almost always a lagging area for novice lifters. Highly recommended!
GreySkullLP also has an accompanying book that is definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re just getting started in lifting.
| Program Name | GreySkull LP |
|---|---|
| Split Type | Full Body |
| Recommended for | Strength |
| Periodization | Linear |
| Day 1 | Squat, Bench Press |
| Day 2 | Deadlift, OHP |
| Day 3 | Squat, Bench Press |
Greyskull Linear Progression Program - 6 Week
3 Day Workout Splits for Intermediates
Greg Nuckols 28 Programs (3 Day Variation)
Greg Nuckols 28 Programs is comprised of 28 individual programs based around the squat, bench press, or deadlift. From there, 3 different lifter levels are applied (beginner, intermediate, advanced) as well as 3 different frequencies (1x weekly, 2x weekly, 3x weekly). This makes the program incredibly easy to customize to your individual lifting goals.
A standard beginner program might combine 3x beginner squats, 3x beginner bench press, and 1x beginner deadlift (2x could work too).
- Monday: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift
- Wednesday: Squat, Bench Press
- Friday: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift (only do Friday deadlifts if you’re running the 2x weekly deadlift version)
If you’re an intermediate lifter, you could do the same setup but with the intermediate level of the programs instead of the beginner level.
This suggested program variation and many others can be found in the accompanying PDF that comes with the free program. You can get it directly from Greg’s site here for free. It’s also a great newsletter in general – Greg is a super smart lifter.
Greg Nuckols 28 Programs by Strengtheory | LiftVault.com
Texas Method
Texas Method is one of the most popular late novice or intermediate level strength programs to run after a lifter has exhausted their beginner gains. Don’t let this fool you – it progresses rapidly, just not as rapidly as novice linear periodization programs like GreySkull LP. Instead, progression occurs weekly, which still adds up rapidly over time.
This is a tried and true strength program developed by the late Glenn Pendlay. No bells and whistles, just results.
*Note: If you don’t want to do cleans, barbell rows are a decent substitute.
Texas Method Program Summary (3 Day)
| Program Name | Texas Method |
|---|---|
| Training Style | Strength |
| Training Days Per Week | 3 Days |
| Intensity (% of 1RM) | 63% to 88% |
| Periodization | Block |
| Mesocycle Length | 1 Week |
| Experience Level | Late Beginner, Intermediate |
| Day 1 | Squat, Bench, Deadlift |
| Day 2 | Squat, OHP |
| Day 3 | Squat, Bench, Cleans |
Texas Method Spreadsheet | LiftVault.com
Madcow 5x5
Madcow 5x5 is another late novice / intermediate level strength program well suited for graduates of novice linear periodization programs like StrongLifts 5x5. Like Texas Method, it calls for squatting 3x weekly, benching 2x weekly, and deadlifting 1x weekly and progresses weight each week.
However, it does not have a “light, medium, and heavy” session during each training week like Texas Method, providing less recovery opportunity. This makes it better suited for lifters closer to the novice stage that are able to recover rapidly enough for this. If fatigue accumulates too much and becomes a persistent issue, Texas Method may be better suited for the athlete.
Madcow 5x5 (3 Day)
| Program Name | Madcow 5x5 |
|---|---|
| Training Style | Strength |
| Training Days Per Week | 3 Days |
| Experience Level | Late Beginner, Intermediate |
| Day 1 | Squat, Bench, Row |
| Day 2 | Squat, OHP, Deadlift |
| Day 3 | Squat, Bench, Row |
Madcow 5x5 Intermediate | LiftVault.com
SPF Powerbuilding Program
The SPF powerbuilding program (short for Strength Power Fortitude) by Brogan Pratt blends power development with hypertrophy to help increase the athlete’s size and strength. This makes it good for achieving strength and aesthetics goals or developing off-season work capacity.
It can be run as a 3 day or 4 day program.
SPF Powerbuilding - 3 Days
| Program Name | SPF Powerbuilding |
|---|---|
| Split Type | Upper/Lower |
| Training Days Per Week | 3 Days |
| Experience Level | Intermediate |
| Day 1 | Bench, Back, Chest, Traps, Shoulders, Tris, etc. |
| Day 2 | Squat, Lower Body, Explosive Movement |
| Day 3 | Deadlift, Lower Body, Chest, Back, Shoulders |
SPF Powerbuilding | LiftVault.com
Advanced 3 Day Workout Splits
Korte 3x3 Program (3 Day)
Korte 3x3 is an old school powerlifting program that is deceptively difficult. You can hear the program straight from the horse’s mouth in this article by strength legend Stephan Korte.
The program contains two phases: high volume and high intensity.
Both phases call for squatting, benching, and deadlifting in every workout. Brutal.
Intensity ranges from 60% to 65% of 1RM in the volume phase and increases to 65% to 100% during the intensity phase, with each lift taking turns being the “main focus” of the day’s training session. For example, during the intensity phase, if you’re benching 85% of your 1RM (like in week 5), you’ll only be doing 65% of your squat and deadlift. The next training session will then have you squatting 85% of your 1RM and the bench press intensity will drop back to 65% for the rest of the week. And so on.
It’s a pretty cool program – could be used as a powerlifting peaking program.
3 Day 16 Week Powerlifting Program by Powerlifting Academy
This is a standard, bread and butter powerlifting program put out by the good people at Powerlifting Academy (German coaching site). There is also a 20 week powerlifting program version available from the same author which is also 3 training days per week. There a lot of special movements in this program, which is why I don’t recommend it for novices or early intermediates.
Explanations for the movements in the 16 week powerlifting program:
- Pause Squat: This is a normal squat with a break in the squat. There is no box used.
- Deadlift to Knee with Dumbbell: The dumbbell is raised about 8 to 12cm.
- Deficit Deadlift: The athlete is raised about 3 to 6cm (i.e. this is the size of the thing you stand on when performing the lift).
- Bench press wide: Here the competition grip is used, but maximum index finger on the marker.
- Bench press narrow: This should be the little finger on the mark.
- Bench press close grip: They are a little narrower than the narrow press – but the hands are at least one thumb away from the smooth inner area of ​​the dumbbell.
3 Day 16 Week Powerlifting Academy Program
| Program Name | 3 Day 16 Week Powerlifting Academy Program |
|---|---|
| Split Type | Full Body |
| Training Days Per Week | 3 Days |
| Experience Level | Intermediate |
| Day 1 | Squat, Leg extensions, Bench variation, etc. |
| Day 2 | CGBP, Deadlift, upper accessories, lower accessories, etc. |
| Day 3 | Pause squats, bench press, defecit deadlift, tricep pushdowns, etc. |
PLA 16wk, 3day/week Program | LiftVault.com
Extended Russian Power Routine
The Extended Russian Power Routine is a sparse peaking program for powerlifters. It only strictly programs the squat, bench press, and deadlift, leaving any accessory movements up to the individual lifter. If used for peaking, then accessory movements should be kept to a minimum, especially during the final few weeks leading up to the competition. As all movements are kept at or above 80% of 1RM for all 9 weeks, this program was not designed to be run back to back.
It is based on the Russian Squat Routine.
Extended Russian Power Routine 3 Day
| Program Name | Extended Russian Power Routine (9 Week) |
|---|---|
| Split Type | Full Body |
| Training Days Per Week | 3 Days |
| Experience Level | Intermediate, Advanced |
| Day 1 | Squat, Bench Press |
| Day 2 | Deadlift |
| Day 3 | Squat, Bench Press |