Why full body, 3 days a week
If you're new to lifting, a full body split beats a specialized one — you'll train every major muscle group 2–3 times a week, which builds strength and habit faster than a split that only hits each area once. Three sessions a week, with a rest day between each, is enough to make real progress without burning you out before the habit sticks.
The plan
Run these three workouts on any non-consecutive days (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Do 3 sets of each exercise, aiming for 8–12 reps, resting 60–90 seconds between sets.
Day A
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Seated Row
- Plank (30–45 seconds)
Day B
- Deadlift
- Overhead Press
- Lat Pulldown
- Bicep Curl
Day C
- Leg Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Cable Row
- Tricep Pushdown
How to progress from here
Once you can comfortably complete all sets and reps with good form, that's your signal to apply progressive overload — add a small amount of weight next session, or an extra rep or two. Small, steady increases beat big jumps that wreck your form.
Common beginner mistakes to avoid
- Doing too much, too soon. More exercises and more days doesn't mean faster results — it usually means burnout.
- Having no plan at all. Wandering the gym floor deciding what to do next wastes energy better spent training.
- Comparing your week 1 to someone else's year 5. Progress is relative to where you started, not to anyone else.
- Skipping rest days. Muscles grow during recovery, not just during the workout itself.
Save this plan and start logging
Build Day A, B, and C as templates in LockedIn — Gym Workout Tracker once, then reuse them every week.
The bottom line
You don't need a perfect program to start — you need a simple one you'll actually follow. Run this plan for 8–12 weeks, add a little weight or a rep whenever you can, and you'll be well past "beginner" before you know it.