Muscle Building Training Plans: The 3-, 4- and 5-Day Splits Written Out

Here are three complete plans. Written out, not described.

Most articles about training plans explain what a split is and then tell you to buy something. This one gives you the actual sessions. Pick the plan that matches the number of days you genuinely train — not the number you hope to — and run it for eight weeks.

Written by Velion Physique. Working in the fitness industry since 2019, with five German trainer licences including Medical Fitness Training (A) and Back Training (A).

The rule that matters more than the plan

Before the sessions, the thing that decides whether any of them work.

Double progression. Every exercise has a rep range — say 8 to 12. Start at a weight you can do for 8 clean reps. Each session, try to add reps, not weight: 8, then 9, then 10. When you hit the top of the range on every set, add the smallest increment available, usually 2.5 kg. You drop back to 8 or 9 reps. That is correct. Begin again.

Write it down. Exercise, weight, sets, reps. Memory is flattering and unreliable — you will remember your best set and repeat your average one.

A plan without progression is just a list of exercises. The longer version of this is here.

Plan A — three days, full body

For beginners, for anyone returning after a break, and for anyone whose week is unpredictable. Each muscle gets trained three times a week, which is why this outperforms a body-part split at the same number of days.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday — or any three days with a rest day between.

Session 1

• Goblet squat or leg press — 3 × 8–12
• Bench press or dumbbell press — 3 × 8–12
• Seated row — 3 × 10–12
• Romanian deadlift — 3 × 10–12
• Lateral raise — 2 × 12–15
• Plank — 3 × 30–45 s

Session 2

• Romanian deadlift — 3 × 8–10
• Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up — 3 × 8–12
• Incline dumbbell press — 3 × 10–12
• Split squat — 3 × 8–10 per leg
• Face pull — 3 × 12–15
• Dead bug — 3 × 8 per side

Session 3

• Squat variation — 3 × 6–10
• Overhead press — 3 × 8–10
• Chest-supported row — 3 × 10–12
• Leg curl — 3 × 10–12
• Biceps curl — 2 × 10–12
• Triceps pushdown — 2 × 10–12

Plan B — four days, upper/lower

The best trade-off for most intermediate lifters. Each muscle group twice a week, three rest days, and it survives a missed session without collapsing.

Monday upper, Tuesday lower, Thursday upper, Friday lower.

Upper A

• Bench press — 4 × 6–10
• Barbell or dumbbell row — 4 × 8–10
• Overhead press — 3 × 8–10
• Lat pulldown — 3 × 10–12
• Lateral raise — 3 × 12–15
• Biceps curl — 3 × 10–12

Lower A

• Squat — 4 × 6–10
• Romanian deadlift — 3 × 8–10
• Leg press — 3 × 10–12
• Leg curl — 3 × 10–12
• Calf raise — 4 × 12–15
• Hanging knee raise — 3 × 10–12

Upper B

• Incline dumbbell press — 4 × 8–12
• Pull-up or assisted pull-up — 4 × 6–10
• Seated row — 3 × 10–12
• Dumbbell shoulder press — 3 × 10–12
• Face pull — 3 × 12–15
• Triceps pushdown — 3 × 10–12

Lower B

• Deadlift or trap bar deadlift — 3 × 5–8
• Split squat — 3 × 8–10 per leg
• Hip thrust — 3 × 10–12
• Leg extension — 3 × 12–15
• Calf raise — 4 × 12–15
• Side plank — 3 × 20–30 s per side

Plan C — five to six days, push pull legs

Only worth running if you genuinely train five or six days and have done for months. Shorter sessions, more room for arm and shoulder detail. One missed session throws the rotation off, so it needs a stable week.

Push

• Bench press — 4 × 6–10
• Overhead press — 3 × 8–10
• Incline dumbbell press — 3 × 10–12
• Lateral raise — 4 × 12–15
• Triceps pushdown — 3 × 10–12
• Overhead triceps extension — 2 × 12–15

Pull

• Pull-up or lat pulldown — 4 × 6–10
• Barbell row — 4 × 8–10
• Chest-supported row — 3 × 10–12
• Face pull — 3 × 15
• Biceps curl — 3 × 10–12
• Hammer curl — 2 × 12–15

Legs

• Squat — 4 × 6–10
• Romanian deadlift — 3 × 8–10
• Leg press — 3 × 10–12
• Leg curl — 3 × 10–12
• Calf raise — 4 × 12–15
• Ab wheel or hanging knee raise — 3 × 8–12

Run the three sessions twice through, with one or two rest days placed where your week allows.

How to choose

Answer one question honestly: how many days did you train in your worst week of the last two months? Three or fewer, take Plan A. Four, take Plan B. Five or more consistently, take Plan C.

Not the number you manage in a good week. The number you manage in a bad one. More on why frequency matters less than people think.

No gym in the week at all?

All three plans assume equipment. If that is the actual obstacle rather than time, bodyweight training covers more ground than most people assume — and where it runs out is predictable.

The four things that ruin any of these plans

Changing plan every three weeks. Nothing has time to progress. Run eight weeks minimum.

Not writing anything down. Without a log there is no progression, only repetition.

Too little protein. 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram of bodyweight. The practical version.

Adding volume when progress stalls. Usually the wrong lever. Check sleep and food first, then take a deload week — see why that works better than pushing harder.

If you want it printable

These plans are complete as written — take a screenshot and use them. If you want them properly laid out with a tracker, warm-up protocols, exercise substitutions and an eight-week progression schedule, that is what the guides are:

• 8-Week Beginner Programme — the structured version of Plan A
• 4-Day Upper/Lower Split — Plan B
• Push-Pull-Legs System — Plan C, with schedules for three, four or six days
• The Complete Muscle Building Library — all seven programmes in one library

Training at home instead? Build Muscle at Home uses adjustable dumbbells and bands.

This is general fitness education, not medical advice. If you have an injury, a heart or joint condition, or have not trained in years, speak to a qualified professional before starting.