3 Days On, 1 Day Off Powerbuilding Workout

I receive a lot of questions about training frequently. With numerous names in the industry (including me) informing the masses they really don't need to train more than 3-4 days per week, trainees who DO want to hit the gym more frequently are often left scratching their heads about how to lift.

The other day the following question rolled in on my Massive Iron Q&A from Casey:

Would a 3 day split such as chest/tri's, back/bi's, shoulders/legs (completed twice a week as in ABC rest ABC) be as effective as full body with regards to growth and protein synthesis assuming progressive overload.

Now, I should start by saying that just because you don't need to train more than 3-4 days per week doesn't mean you can't. There are times during my life when I hit the gym 5-6 days per week because I want to. Let's face it, we love to lift. If you didn't you wouldn't be here.

Frequent weekly training sessions can be done as a natural. You aren't going to die, explode or lose gains. In fact, I used frequent training during the 3 years leading up to my run at a 2,000-pound raw powerlifting total. The key to training more frequently is daily volume regulation. What do I mean by this?

Look at things in terms of weekly set volume. If you were using a split workout and hitting chest for 15 sets per week, you want to keep about that same weekly set volume for full body workouts or other frequent training approaches like the one in this article.

3 Days On, 1 Day Off Workout

When Casey asked his question, he was wondering if 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on would work. So basically he wanted to lift 6 days a week. While this approach could work, I would rather see him use 3 days on, 1 day off like this:

• Day 1 - Chest, Triceps and Abs
• Day 2 - Back and Biceps
• Day 3 - Legs and Shoulders
• Day 4 - Off
• Day 5 - Repeat this cycle

I prefer an extra rest day because it allows your triceps and shoulders (Day 3) to get in a little extra recovery time before hitting chest and triceps again (Day 1). So with that said, here's the workout. I call it a powerbuilding plan simply because it is meant to build as much muscle AND strength as possible.


You will cycle between two different sets of workouts: Group A and Group B. Perform the Group A workouts then take a day off before jumping to Group B.

Group A Workouts

Group B Workouts