3-day gym workout plan to build muscle
This is a full week to build muscle, written for someone with a full gym who can train 3 days. Every exercise links to a step-by-step guide. Rest days are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.
Do the sessions in order on the days shown. Warm up first, keep the main lifts heavier and the accessories controlled, and stop anything that feels sharp. This is week one of a four-week block: add a rep or a little weight each week where you can, and take the fourth week lighter.
The week
Monday — Push Strength
| Warm-up Band Shoulder Pass-Through |
5 min |
| Main lift Barbell Bench Press |
4 × 6-10 |
| Main lift Barbell Overhead Press |
3 × 6-10 |
| Accessory Barbell Close-Grip Bench |
2 × 8-12 |
| Accessory Machine Lateral Raise |
2 × 12-15 |
| Accessory Cable Triceps Pressdown |
2 × 10-15 |
| Core Cable Pallof Press |
2 × 8-12 each side |
| Cooldown Kettlebell Halo |
2 min |
| Cooldown Thoracic Rotation |
2 min |
| Cooldown Child's Pose |
2 min |
Push day trains chest, shoulders, and triceps with presses first, then smaller accessories after.
Wednesday — Pull Strength
| Warm-up Band Shoulder Warmup |
5 min |
| Main lift Assisted Pull-Up |
4 × 6-10 |
| Main lift Barbell Row |
4 × 6-10 |
| Accessory Cable Face Pull |
2 × 12-15 |
| Accessory Trap-Bar Shrug |
2 × 12-15 |
| Accessory Barbell Curl |
2 × 10-12 |
| Core Landmine Rotation |
2 × 8-12 each side |
| Cooldown Kettlebell Halo |
2 min |
| Cooldown Overhead Lat Stretch |
2 min |
| Cooldown Pec Corner Stretch |
2 min |
Pull day trains back and biceps from more than one angle: vertical pull, row, rear delts, and arms.
Friday — Legs Strength
| Warm-up Banded Monster Walk |
5 min |
| Main lift Barbell Back Squat |
4 × 6-10 |
| Main lift Barbell Romanian Deadlift |
3 × 8-10 |
| Accessory Machine Hamstring Curl |
2 × 10-12 |
| Accessory Machine Leg Extension |
2 × 10-12 |
| Accessory Seated Calf Raise |
2 × 12-15 |
| Core Cable Crunch |
2 × 25-45 seconds |
| Cooldown Kettlebell Halo |
2 min |
| Cooldown Quad Stretch |
2 min |
| Cooldown Seated Neck Side Stretch |
2 min |
Leg day balances squat, hinge, single-leg, calves, and core so the lower body gets complete work.
Why it is built this way
- push pull legs is what suits 3 days to build muscle: each muscle gets trained more than once a week without any day running long.
- Main lifts come first, while you are fresh. Accessories follow to add volume where the main lift left gaps.
- Sessions are sized to about 45 minutes including the warm-up and cooldown.
This is the plan Daily Coach would build for this profile. In the app it adapts to the gear you actually have, the days you can train, injuries you tell it about, and what you lifted last week — and it rebuilds the week when any of that changes.
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