The classic push/pull/legs split, three days a week. Straight sets on the big lifts, with one last set to failure on the final exercise of each day.
Push, pull, legs is the most popular way to organise a week of training, and the three-day version is a great fit if you have moved past full-body workouts but can only train three times a week.
Push day covers chest, shoulders and triceps; pull day covers back, rear shoulders and biceps; leg day covers quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Each day starts with a heavy compound lift and works down to smaller isolation exercises. The last exercise of each day gets one set to failure, an introduction to training harder without risking the big lifts.
Progress with double progression: when you hit the top of the rep range on every set of an exercise, add the smallest weight jump next session.
Train on non-consecutive days, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When you are ready for more, move to the 6-day version.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 × 6-8 | 150s |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8-10 | 120s |
| Dumbbell Incline Press | 3 × 8-10 | 90s |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 × 12-15 | 60s |
| Cable Triceps Pushdown | 3 × 10-12 · last set to failure | 60s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Cable Lat Pulldown | 3 × 8-10 | 120s |
| Barbell Row | 3 × 8-10 | 120s |
| Cable Seated Row | 3 × 10-12 | 90s |
| Cable Face Pull | 3 × 15 | 60s |
| Dumbbell Curl | 3 × 10-12 · last set to failure | 60s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Squat | 3 × 6-8 | 180s |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8-10 | 150s |
| Machine Leg Press | 3 × 10-12 | 120s |
| Machine Seated Leg Curl | 3 × 10-12 | 75s |
| Machine Seated Calf Raise | 3 × 12-15 · last set to failure | 60s |
The Push/Pull/Legs 3-Day plan is 3 days a week, with sessions of about 55 minutes, over 8 weeks.
The Push/Pull/Legs 3-Day plan uses a barbell, dumbbells, a cable machine, gym machines, a bench and pull-up bar.
The Push/Pull/Legs 3-Day plan is an intermediate plan, best once you have trained consistently for a few months. If you are new to training, start with one of the beginner plans in the free library.
Yes. The full plan is free to read here and to follow in the StayActive app, with no subscription and no ads.
Yes for intermediate lifters, especially in the first year or two of serious training. Each muscle gets one hard session a week with good volume. To train each muscle twice a week, step up to the 6-day version or an upper/lower plan.
On that exercise, do your normal sets, then on the final set keep going until you cannot complete another rep with good form. It only appears on machine, cable and isolation work, where failing a rep is safe. Never take heavy squats, deadlifts or bench presses to failure.
Add an arms and shoulders day, or move to the 4-day Power + Size plan, which trains everything twice a week.
Keep the main lifts one to two reps short of failure; only the final isolation exercise of the day is taken to failure. Use safety pins or a spotter for heavy bench and squat sets.
Track this plan free — sets, rest timers & AI coaching
Three lower-body days (heavy glutes, legs, glute volume) and one upper-body day. Hip thrusts, R…
An intermediate 4-day upper/lower dumbbell muscle-gain program. Dedicated push, quad, pull, and…
An intermediate 4-day upper/lower gym muscle-gain program combining barbells, cables, and machi…
An intermediate muscle-gain program for adults over 50. Higher volume and load across machine, …