If you're short on time but still want to build strength and size, the 3-day strength training split might be exactly what you need. This simple but powerful approach focuses on the essentials: three weekly workouts that target the squat, bench press, and deadlift. These foundational lifts hit every major muscle group and allow you to make serious progress without spending every day in the gym.
This isn’t a gimmick or a minimalist fad. It’s a focused, strategic system designed to help you grow stronger, build muscle, and develop balanced physique-level strength. Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
Why a 3-Day Program Works
You don’t need six days a week to get stronger. You need the right structure. With a three-day workout split, you give your body time to train hard, recover properly, and still have room in your life for everything else.
Each training day focuses on one major compound lift: squat, bench press, or deadlift. These lifts demand full-body effort and train multiple muscle groups at once. That means you’re building strength where it counts, whether you're training in a commercial gym or a home setup.
The recommended schedule looks like this:
- Monday: Squat Day
- Wednesday: Bench Press Day
- Friday: Deadlift Day
This spacing provides enough rest between sessions so you’re never stacking heavy squats and deadlifts back to back. That recovery is essential for progress, and that's why rest days are vital. Training for consecutive days can also be valuable, but you'll need to give specific muscle groups time to recover.
Workout Structure: Full Weekly Breakdown
Each day of this three-day program is structured around one of the major compound lifts, with the first half of the workout focused on strength and power, and the second half dedicated to accessory work for muscular balance and hypertrophy. You’ll perform six exercises per session, carefully ordered to build fatigue intelligently and develop both strength and size.
Looking for a PDF version of my 3-day strength program? You can access it here.
Here's how the breakdown looks in detail.
Monday is Squat Day, and the focus is on lower body strength and size. You’ll begin with two heavy working sets of back squats in the 5 to 6 rep range. These sets should leave one or two reps in reserve and emphasize bracing, control, and depth.
From there, you’ll move to paused squats, performed for 1 to 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps, holding in the bottom position for 2 to 3 seconds. Note that we're starting with compound movements before moving to isolation exercises.
This variation targets sticking points and helps build bottom-end strength. Next, you’ll perform speed squats using 80 percent of your top back squat set for 3 sets of 3 reps. The goal here is to move the bar fast while staying tight and efficient throughout the range of motion. After the compound work, you’ll shift to Romanian deadlifts for 3 sets of 10, focusing on a deep stretch in the hamstrings and strong glute engagement.
The final two movements are high-rep hypertrophy sets: 3 to 5 sets of lying or seated leg curls, followed by 3 to 5 sets of leg press. These should fall in the 12 to 20 rep range and challenge the legs with consistent tension and control.
Wednesday is Bench Press Day, emphasizing upper body strength and muscular balance. The day starts with 2 working sets of bench press in the 5 to 6 rep range. These should be performed with steady tempo, proper bar path, and leg drive to support full-body pressing power.
The second movement is the pin press, where the bar starts 1 to 2 inches off the chest. Perform 1 to 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps to target your initial drive off the bottom. You’ll follow that up with speed benching, using 80 percent of your top working set for 3 sets of 3 explosive reps, emphasizing a controlled eccentric and aggressive concentric.
Accessories start with dumbbell lateral raises, performed for 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 20 reps, keeping the delts under constant tension. Next are chest flys using cables or dumbbells for 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps with a full range of motion and a deep stretch at the bottom. Finish the session with 3 to 5 sets of triceps pushdowns, keeping the form strict and locking out completely on every rep.
Friday is Deadlift Day, centered around posterior chain strength and pulling power. Interestingly, this session begins with speed back squats at 60 percent of Monday’s top set. These 3 sets of 3 reps serve as activation work for the hips and glutes, priming your posterior chain for the heavy pulls to follow.
Next, you’ll deadlift for 2 heavy working sets of 5 to 6 reps. Focus on strong bracing, controlled movement off the floor, and an aggressive lockout. Afterward, speed deadlifts take over, again using 80 percent of your top set for 3 fast sets of 3, resetting between reps to maintain form. For accessories, start with a horizontal row variation such as a barbell row, machine row, or dumbbell row, hitting 3 to 5 sets in the 10 to 15 rep range.
Follow that with either lat pulldowns or pull-ups for another 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Finish with dumbbell hammer curls, performing 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 20 reps to round out your arm and forearm development and support pulling mechanics.
This weekly structure balances heavy lifting with volume work, giving you three sessions that target the full body across multiple movement planes. It also leaves plenty of room for recovery between sessions while allowing you to train hard and build steadily over time.
Squat and Bench Days
On Monday and Wednesday, you’ll begin with your barbell squats or bench press. These are the foundation for leg and upper-body strength.
Let’s take the squat day as an example:
- Heavy back squat: 2 sets of 5 reps, working up to a top set
- Secondary squat: box squat or pin squat, depending on your sticking point
- Speed squats: 3 reps using 70 to 80 percent of your top weight, performed quickly
- Leg accessories: lunges, leg curls, calf raises
- Core or machine work to finish: weighted sit-ups, leg press, or sled pushes
The same formula applies to bench day. You start heavy, isolate your sticking point with a secondary press, and then shift into speed work. Accessories on this day might include triceps extensions, pec flyes, rear delts, or pushups.
Deadlift Day: With a Twist
Friday is deadlift day, but with a strategic twist. You’ll start with speed squats at 60 percent of Monday’s top squat set. The purpose is to fire up the hips and prepare your body for heavier pulls. Three sets of three is plenty.
After that:
- Heavy deadlift: 2 working sets of 5
- Speed deadlifts: 70 to 80 percent for sets of 3
- Accessory pulling work: barbell rows, lat pulldowns, rear delt flyes
- Bonus: underhand lat pulldowns or curls to hit the biceps and round out your pulling chain
This sequence builds posterior chain strength and prepares your body for bigger lifts down the line. By training squats again with light loads, you reinforce movement patterns and boost hip explosiveness without overloading the spine.
Cardio: When and How Much
Each day ends with cardio, but not the kind that drains your gains. You’ll train at 65 to 80 percent of your max heart rate, calculated by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying that result by 0.65 to 0.80.
For example, if you’re 30 years old:
- 220 minus 30 equals 190
- 65 percent of 190 equals 124 bpm (target heart rate for fat burning)
Stick closer to 65 percent if your goal is size and strength. That lower heart rate zone will help your body burn fat without tapping into your limited glycogen stores. Think steady-state cardio, not high-intensity intervals. This supports recovery, keeps your heart healthy, and complements the lifting you’ve just done.
Tools: Barbells, Dumbbells, and Machines
This program works in both home and commercial gyms. Start your workouts with barbells to move heavy loads. As you progress into accessories, use machines for efficiency or dumbbells to challenge stabilizer muscles. You can work cable pullovers into this if you want.
If you’re training at home, get creative. Dumbbells and resistance bands can replace machines, and even a basic power rack allows for nearly everything in this program. Just be sure your weights and reps align with the goals: fatigue the muscles, but stay safe.
Is This 3-Day Split Right for You?
This program is ideal for lifters who want results. You know, building muscle without living in the gym. By focusing on the big three lifts, supporting them with smart accessory work, and layering in just the right amount of cardio, you build a physique that’s not just strong, but functional and balanced. And research supports three-day programs. So if your goal is to get bigger and stronger with only three workouts per week, this program delivers. Commit to it, track your lifts, and train with intent.
And if you want to see a full breakdown of the program, check out the link in the video description. There’s a full sample routine ready for you to follow.
Let’s get stronger, one session at a time.
