AKHADA

Full Body Gym Workout, 3 Days a Week

  • Intermediate
  • 3 or 2 days a week
  • About 45 min
  • Full gym

Updated

A woman with a barbell on her back in a squat rack

About this routine

One workout that trains the whole body: squat for legs, bench press and overhead press for chest and shoulders, rows and pull ups for back, and dead bugs for core. Do it 3 times a week with a day off in between.

For lifters who know the barbell squat, bench press and row, and can do a few pull ups. If you are new to the gym, start with the machine-based beginner plan and move here once the movements feel familiar.

The week

3 days a week

A day off between sessions lets the big lifts recover. Each muscle is trained three times a week.

  1. MFull body
  2. TRest
  3. WFull body
  4. TRest
  5. FFull body
  6. SRest
  7. SRest

2 days a week

For busy weeks. Still trains every muscle twice.

  1. MFull body
  2. TRest
  3. WRest
  4. TFull body
  5. FRest
  6. SRest
  7. SRest

The workout

Before you start

If you have a medical condition or an injury, check with a doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

Stop any exercise that causes pain, dizziness, or strain somewhere you don't expect it.

6 exercisesAbout 45 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Arm circles10 each way
  • Hip circles8 each way
  • Bodyweight squat10 reps
  • Light practice set of Barbell Squat1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Barbell Squat

    3 × 6 to 10 repsQuadriceps

    How to do it
    1. Position barbell across upper back, feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Descend by bending knees and hips, keeping chest upright and core braced.
    3. Lower until thighs reach parallel or below, knees tracking over toes.
    4. Drive through mid-foot and heels to stand, extending hips and knees together.
    5. Maintain neutral spine throughout, elbows slightly forward under the bar.
  2. 2

    Barbell Bench Press

    3 × 6 to 10 repsChest

    How to do it
    1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Hold the bar a little wider than your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
    3. Lower the bar slowly to the middle of your chest.
    4. Press it back up until your arms are almost straight.
    5. Start light, and use a spotter or the safety bars.
  3. 3

    Barbell Bent Over Row

    3 × 6 to 10 repsMiddle back

    How to do it
    1. Hold the bar with your hands a little wider than your shoulders, feet hip-width apart.
    2. Push your hips back and tip your chest forward until your back is flat. Tighten your stomach.
    3. Pull the bar to your lower ribs, keeping it close to your body.
    4. Lower it slowly until your arms are straight.
    5. Go lighter than you think. If your back rounds or you have to jerk the bar up, the weight is too heavy.
  4. 4

    Barbell Standing Military Press

    3 × 6 to 10 repsShoulders

    How to do it
    1. Position the barbell at shoulder height with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
    2. Brace your core and glutes, feet hip-width apart with a slight forward lean.
    3. Press the bar straight overhead until your elbows lock out, driving through your legs.
    4. Keep your head neutral and avoid excessive lower back arch as the bar passes your face.
    5. Lower the bar back to shoulder height with control under tension.
    6. Repeat for reps without bouncing the bar off your shoulders.
  5. 5

    Pull up

    3 × 5 to 8 repsLats

    How to do it
    1. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width, arms fully extended.
    2. Pull your body upward by driving elbows down and back, leading with the chest.
    3. Keep your torso upright and core braced throughout the movement.
    4. Pull until your chest approaches the bar or chin clears it.
    5. Lower with control to full arm extension.
  6. 6

    Dead Bug

    3 × 10 to 15 repsAbdominals

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back. Lift your knees above your hips, bent at a right angle, and reach both arms up to the ceiling.
    2. Brace: tighten your stomach as if someone is about to poke it, and keep breathing. Your lower back should feel relaxed, not tense.
    3. Slowly lower one arm behind your head and straighten the opposite leg toward the floor. Only go as low as you can without your back arching.
    4. Bring them back to the start, then switch sides.
    5. Stop if you feel strain in your lower back or neck.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Chest stretch30 seconds
  • Quad stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Child's pose30 seconds

Rest and progress

Rest between sets

  • Rest 2 to 3 minutes after each set of squats, bench press, rows and overhead press. These are all heavy lifts.
  • Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets of pull ups and dead bugs.

How to progress

  1. Pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with one or two reps left in the tank.
  2. Add a rep each session. When every set reaches the top of the range, add weight: 2.5 kg on bench press, rows and overhead press, 5 kg on squats.
  3. If you miss the bottom of the range two sessions in a row, drop the weight by 10 percent and build back up.

Swaps

Pull up
Cable Pulldown, or band-assisted pull ups until you can do 5 clean reps.
Barbell Squat
Leg Press or Dumbbell Goblet Squat if the rack is taken.
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Bench Press. Easier on the shoulders and needs no spotter.
Barbell Standing Military Press
Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press if standing presses bother your lower back.
Dead Bug
Front Plank.

Shorter sessions: the A/B version

Two shorter barbell workouts you alternate: A, B, A one week and B, A, B the next. Day A is squat, bench press and row. Day B is deadlift, overhead press and pull ups. Both end with core.

4 exercisesAbout 30 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Arm circles10 each way
  • Hip circles8 each way
  • Bodyweight squat10 reps
  • Light practice set of Barbell Squat1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Barbell Squat

    3 × 6 to 10 repsQuadriceps

    How to do it
    1. Position barbell across upper back, feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Descend by bending knees and hips, keeping chest upright and core braced.
    3. Lower until thighs reach parallel or below, knees tracking over toes.
    4. Drive through mid-foot and heels to stand, extending hips and knees together.
    5. Maintain neutral spine throughout, elbows slightly forward under the bar.
  2. 2

    Barbell Bench Press

    3 × 6 to 10 repsChest

    How to do it
    1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Hold the bar a little wider than your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
    3. Lower the bar slowly to the middle of your chest.
    4. Press it back up until your arms are almost straight.
    5. Start light, and use a spotter or the safety bars.
  3. 3

    Barbell Bent Over Row

    3 × 6 to 10 repsMiddle back

    How to do it
    1. Hold the bar with your hands a little wider than your shoulders, feet hip-width apart.
    2. Push your hips back and tip your chest forward until your back is flat. Tighten your stomach.
    3. Pull the bar to your lower ribs, keeping it close to your body.
    4. Lower it slowly until your arms are straight.
    5. Go lighter than you think. If your back rounds or you have to jerk the bar up, the weight is too heavy.
  4. 4

    Front Plank

    3 × 30 secAbdominals

    How to do it
    1. Rest on your forearms with your elbows under your shoulders and your legs straight behind you.
    2. Brace: tighten your stomach as if someone is about to poke it, and squeeze your bottom.
    3. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Do not let your hips drop or raise your bottom up.
    4. Breathe steadily and hold. Too hard? Drop your knees to the floor.
    5. Stop if you feel it in your lower back.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Chest stretch30 seconds
  • Quad stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Child's pose30 seconds

4 exercisesAbout 30 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Arm circles10 each way
  • Hip circles8 each way
  • Bodyweight squat10 reps
  • Light practice set of Barbell Deadlift1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Barbell Deadlift

    3 × 5 to 8 repsHamstrings, Glutes

    How to do it
    1. Position feet hip-width apart with bar over mid-foot, shins nearly vertical.
    2. Grip bar just outside legs, straighten your arms but do not bend elbows during the lift.
    3. Lower hips, chest up, until shoulders are slightly ahead of the bar.
    4. Drive through heels and extend hips and knees simultaneously to stand.
    5. Lockout at top by fully extending hips and pulling shoulders back slightly.
    6. Lower bar by hinging at hips first, letting knees bend as needed to maintain bar path.
  2. 2

    Barbell Standing Military Press

    3 × 6 to 10 repsShoulders

    How to do it
    1. Position the barbell at shoulder height with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
    2. Brace your core and glutes, feet hip-width apart with a slight forward lean.
    3. Press the bar straight overhead until your elbows lock out, driving through your legs.
    4. Keep your head neutral and avoid excessive lower back arch as the bar passes your face.
    5. Lower the bar back to shoulder height with control under tension.
    6. Repeat for reps without bouncing the bar off your shoulders.
  3. 3

    Pull up

    3 × 5 to 8 repsLats

    How to do it
    1. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width, arms fully extended.
    2. Pull your body upward by driving elbows down and back, leading with the chest.
    3. Keep your torso upright and core braced throughout the movement.
    4. Pull until your chest approaches the bar or chin clears it.
    5. Lower with control to full arm extension.
  4. 4

    Dead Bug

    3 × 10 to 15 repsAbdominals

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back. Lift your knees above your hips, bent at a right angle, and reach both arms up to the ceiling.
    2. Brace: tighten your stomach as if someone is about to poke it, and keep breathing. Your lower back should feel relaxed, not tense.
    3. Slowly lower one arm behind your head and straighten the opposite leg toward the floor. Only go as low as you can without your back arching.
    4. Bring them back to the start, then switch sides.
    5. Stop if you feel strain in your lower back or neck.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Chest stretch30 seconds
  • Quad stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Child's pose30 seconds

Only dumbbells: the dumbbell version

The same full body pattern with dumbbells and a bench: goblet squat, bench press, one-arm row, seated shoulder press, curls and dead bugs. Same schedule and progression.

Full body · about 45 min

Dumbbell Goblet Squat3 × 8 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press3 × 8 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Single Arm Bent Over Row3 × 8 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press3 × 8 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Biceps Curl3 × 10 to 15 reps
Dead Bug3 × 10 to 15 reps

In the Akhada app: Full Body · DB-only.

Questions

Is full body 3 times a week enough?

For most people, yes. It trains every muscle three times a week, and research finds twice a week or more builds more muscle than once. The ACSM suggests 3 to 4 training days a week for intermediate lifters.

How long does the workout take?

About 45 minutes including rest, after a 5 minute warm-up. The A/B days are shorter.

Where are deadlifts?

They are on Day B of the A/B version. The main workout leaves them out and trains the back with rows and pull ups instead. If you want to deadlift, run the A/B version.

Full body or a split?

Full body fits 2 or 3 gym days a week. If you can train 4 days, an upper lower split gives each session more room for extra exercises.

Can I add arm or ab work?

Yes. Add a set or two of curls or pushdowns at the end if you have time. Core is already covered by the dead bugs and planks.

More routines

See all 24 routines

Sources

The Akhada team picked these exercises from our catalog of 7,000+ demonstrated movements. A strength coach reviewed the step-by-step cues for every exercise in our starter routines. The schedule, order, rest and progression follow the research below.

  1. Training each muscle at least twice a week builds more muscle than once a week. Full body three times a week covers that with room to spare.

    Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2016.

  2. Trained lifters resting 3 minutes between sets gained more strength and muscle than those resting 1 minute. That is why the barbell lifts get 2 to 3 minutes.

    Schoenfeld et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016.

  3. Big multi-joint lifts go first, 3 to 4 days a week suits intermediate lifters, and load goes up 2 to 10 percent once you beat the target reps.

    American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults (position stand). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2009.