# 3 or 4 day Gym Workout routine



## Fairley_46 (Aug 17, 2015)

Hi all, had a quick look but couldn't manage to find anything.

I recently lost some weight, went from 13st 8 to hovering between 12 1 and 12 5

i have also recently joined the gym, just wondering if anyone out there can offer any advice. which muscle groups to i work out in 1 session, which exercises do i do to work those muscle groups etc.

Also have heard someone say that you should be looking to spend around 60-75 mins in the gym, is this right?

I am looking to visit the gym 3 or 4 times a week, my goal is i want to look good in a t shirt, i want people to think yeah he works out, i do not want to gain loads of muscle and become big.

can anyone offer any advise or assistance?

Thanks in advance

Andrew


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## Kenan (Sep 7, 2015)

Hi Andrew, I would recommend getting a book called "Bigger Leaner Stronger" by Mike Matthew's. Goes into what to eat etc and gives different work out plans for 3,4 and 5 day a week workouts. Then you can download more going forward. 

Great for a beginner, look at the reviews on Amazon. 

Sent from my P9000 using Tapatalk


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## jr2007 (Oct 5, 2016)

First of all, congratulations on the weight loss to date! 4 days a week in the gym lends itself to splitting the body into major muscle groups and doing 3-4 exercises per group. Whether you become big or not is predominantly dictated by your diet and only influenced by your workout routine. Below is a sample routine for 4 days a week that lends itself to achieving a lean physique:

Day 1 - Legs: 3 sets squats, 3 sets leg press, 3 sets leg curl, 5 sets calf raises (to failure)

Day 2 - Back and biceps: 3 sets lat pull-down, 3 sets EZ bar curls, 3 sets seated row, 3 sets hyperextensions (to failure), 3 sets pull-ups (to failure - jump up and let yourself down slow if you can't do one initially)

Day 3 - Chest and triceps: 3 sets dumbbell press (alternate between flat/incline/decline every 2 weeks), 3 sets rope pulldown, 3 sets cable flyes, dips (to failure - can be assisted if you struggle)

Day 4 - abs and shoulders: 5 sets of crunches (to failure), 3 sets of Arnold presses, 5 sets of leg raises (to failure), 3 sets of reverse cable flye, 5x plank to failure

Each set should be 12-15 reps (unless stated above), with it being a struggle on the 12th/13th/14th/15th rep. Finish every session with 15-20 mins of reasonably intense cardio on your favorite cardio equipment to help eliminate any remaining lactic acid (cross-trainer/treadmill/row machine are all good). Every week, increase the number of sets by 1 until you reach 5 sets to condition your body, then start slowly increasing the weight so every session you are giving it your all.

Diet-wise, stick to around 2000-2200 kcal a day including 1-2 protein shakes on your workout days (I'm assuming you have your diet generally sorted). If you have time, you can go to the gym on 1-2 of your 3 rest days and just do 20 mins of cardio for some extra calorie burn. Don't go all out on these days, you simply want to get your heart rate up and get a sweat on rather than set new personal bests.

All the best with achieving your goals!


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## Col05 (Dec 1, 2017)

I would go for a full body workout mon/wed/Fri 
Loads on Internet to chose from .


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## Col05 (Dec 1, 2017)

I would go for full body workout mon/wed/Fri 
Compound lifts mainly .


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## Starbuck88 (Nov 12, 2013)

I would go for a full body compound work out, to begin with, every other day.

You need that to get your testosterone levels up, stabilisers, core, everything strong and will be the best exercises you can do that will dramatically help strength and your overall physique. 

This is from personal experience.

Split routines are good for when you've built up a good base and you start to see imbalances and slower progress on different parts of the body, hey everybody is different.

Look at Stronglifts 5x5 to get you started.

Then start binge watching Athlean-X Videos on YouTube to show you how to do everything with perfect form and what Isolation Exercises work the best.

Also pay close attention to your eating habits. The only way to have abs, is by what you eat along side your working out.

45 minutes to an hour is plenty.


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## jr2007 (Oct 5, 2016)

Full body 3 days a week will mean a lot of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) all over if performed at the right intensity level, potentially hampering progress in the initial few weeks, or will result in a poor quality workout due to fatigue. A body split from the outset allows sufficient recovery time for each muscle group to be exercised intensely. It also helps to identify specific muscle groups for someone who isn't used to working them.

The key is to spend the first 3-4 weeks at moderate intensity levels (hence 3 sets per exercise) to condition the body, and then progressively overload muscle groups in a sustainable fashion through increased sets or weight. After 8-12 weeks and some more research, the OP will be ready to consider intermediate and advanced routines.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Ask 100 people and you’ll get about 192 different answers because most will be contradictory. Ignore them all, there is no magic formula, no special routine or breakdown. What works for 999 other people may not work for you, it can depend on your age, your history, your body type and a thousand other things, all you need to do is stick to the basics, listen to your own body, be consistent and above all, be patient. 

My hard earned rules. 

DOMS is unavoidable, at least initially, and is a fact of life but it does at last mean it’s working. Muscle soreness or stiffness does not mean you are doing it wrong and else I’ve it or not, the best cure is more exercise. 

Do not underestimate your need for recovery, you do not grow or get stronger in the gym, you grow when your body is recovering from the gym. Recovery includes rest, sleep and nutrition. As you get older your capacity for recovery diminishes, so it takes longer. Training every day or every other day for an hour and half might seem cool, but you will make more progress in half the time. Less is more. 

Your routine must be progressive, either in weight, duration or intensity. We become what we repeatedly do, so doing the same thing over and over will only make you better up to a point, the 5x5 app is a great example as it gives you a simple but effective routine and then increases the workload very gradually but consistently. Eg most exercises increase by 2.5kg each session. 

KISS. Keep it simple stupid. Work = muscle breakdown. Recovery = muscle growth. Work Recover. Repeat. Don’t over complicate it. 

Work has to mean work, it is meant to be hard, if it’s not challenging you then you are wasting your time and achieving nothing. 

Enjoy it.


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## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

I have to agree with the above. It is unlikely that picking a 3 day or 4 day routine will have major benefits over the other. It's been said in a few different ways but make sure you work on compound lifting. It's something overlooked by a lot of people at the start and it does help a lot. When your training a muscle group, look for a good compound exercise to incorporate into your routine. These often require the most work and I usually do them at the start after a warm up. They don't have to be complex, however. 

E.g: 
Back - Deadlifts
Legs - Squats 
Chest - Barbell bench press 
Shoulders - Barbell Overhead press 

Along the lines of 'keep it simple stupid', i'm a believer in 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. If you've got a routine going and your noticing the results that you desire, stick at it. I tend to work to a routine and when I find it stops working for me, i'll reflect on what could be changed and what I am trying to achieve and find exercises to match to that. 

Other things to really put a focus on include form, particularly when doing compound exercises. I'm not saying you won't already be doing this, but it is best to get into good habits early on. I have pretty stiff hip flexors, making deadlifts and squats a reasonable challenge at the start but I found having a gym bud helpful. Just getting him to do a thumbs up when the form was well executed helped, which leads me on to my next point!

I think having a gym partner who shares the same goals are yourself is really helpful. (Not someone to stand by the machines and gas to). I have a bit of an odd day to day life setup due to commitments but have trained for about 5 years. The first two and last of these years has been with a colleague/ house mate and we have both seen the best gains during this time period. During the two years I was training solo, I was actually training at a better gym with better equipment but it has closed now. We all have days when we are tired and stressed and simply can't be bothered to get up and go so having someone who is relying on you as a training partner will definitely reduce the amount of missed days. It's also safer having a spotter and allows you to really push yourself that little bit further. I'm far more likely to try one weight up if i've got someone I can trust if I mess up. 

Also, learn how to 'fail' safely. If your doing squats, utilise safety bars and practice putting the bar down and escaping from underneath it with no weights on. Find how low you can get and still sit the bar onto the safety bars. You wont use it often but one day it may save you from what could have been a serious injury. 

I think JR2007 has outlined an introductory workout nicely. I started similar to that but now tend to do a mixture of heavy low reps and lighter moderate/ high reps. Sometimes same muscle group with different workouts but that's all stuff you'll naturally tailor to yourself as you progress  There really is no perfect recipe. You can use online calculators that factor your height, age and sex & sometimes goals into account. This might help you guide your diet better. I think there is one called "IIFYM" calculator or something along those lines. 

Good luck and congrats on the weight loss! It's a great feeling when you see the results


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## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Regarding workout time I personally spend 45-80 minutes per session. It's going to depend on what your training. Legs I do alone and find this takes about 45 mins. I can spend 80 when training chest/biceps and back/biceps. it seems like a reasonable suggestion if your working hard throughout that time period your probably doing enough. 

Just came back to say that it's easy to get suckered into lots of supplements. The evidence behind a lot of them is questionable. Protein shakes are cheap and help support your diet and there is some evidence for creatine which is cheap as chips. I've gone through phases of multivitamins and cod liver oil but you don't really need anything fancy, I'd just choose the own brand supermarket multivit and the same for fish oil caps. 

I haven't personally found much benefit from BCAAs and pre workouts but they are popular products


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## Alfieharley1 (Jun 8, 2014)

Nice information guys. I have a 4 day workout I will send over to you when at work Saturday.
This was created by a professional bodybuilder who was won competition and is sponsored by ON.
He is my manager at work 

He will say it is also about your diet. Keep your diet clean where possible but as you just want enjoyment and see progress still do what you feel is best


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## Sam534 (May 10, 2017)

Some very good advice here. 

Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Robinio (Sep 15, 2017)

I added 8lbs of muscle and lost 6lbs of fat over 12 weeks using this routine using an upper lower body split, 4 times per week:

https://www.fitness-savvy.co.uk/body-recomposition-workout-plan/

I don't go to the gym, so got a small set-up in my garage. I found using adjustable dumbbells was great for when I didn't have a barbell to lift heavy weights, which you need to be doing, ideally.

https://www.fitness-savvy.co.uk/product-category/fitness-equipment/strength-and-bodybuilding-equipment/weights/dumbbells/


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

Well done on the weight loss pal, bet you feel more energetic just with that loss.

Personally I do full body only these days.

Mon - Gym - 45-50minutes, 6 exercises, maximum effort, minimal rest times.
Tue - some form of intensive cardio for 20-30 minutes
Wed - Either Gym - same times and effort as Monday, different batch of exercises OR Core exercises at home.
Thur - 20-30 min cardio again
Fri - Gym - same times effort as Monday, different batch of exercises.
Sat/Sun - rest.

Try to incorporate some Core exercises each day if possible.

Keep things enjoyable and you'll stay motivated pal.


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

Fairley_46 said:


> Hi all, had a quick look but couldn't manage to find anything.
> 
> I recently lost some weight, went from 13st 8 to hovering between 12 1 and 12 5
> 
> ...


How did you lose the previous weight out of interest? Have you worked out before?

As most have said, you'll get multiple different answers and multiple things will work for you. Main thing is to find something that you want to do and can actually have a measurable goal. 
Motivation is a huge part of any successful programme so if you're keen to get in the gym, put the hard work in and keep it consistent then results will happen.
From my experience if you stick with the base of bench, deadlift and squat and then treat everything else as an "accessory" to help those then you can't really go too far wrong. There's a 5x5 stronglift thread in The Sports and Fitness section on here and that has plenty of good advice, as well as training logs and results. Worth a subscribe if you can. Have a read through that if you get time, but if not then the main premise is either a 5x5 or a 531 workout. Both feature core compound movements, with low reps, low incremental increases and just constant progression. If you have any more questions or can't be bothered to read through the 5000 posts in there doublesho) then just drop me a pm or ask on here and I'll try and help.

As you workout more and more, you'll get a feel for how your body recovers and what you like and don't like and then you can just tweak the workouts from there.

Probably the most critical piece of advice I'd give would be to just be patient, consistent and learn to perform the lifts correctly regardless of weight. You'll gain far more results (and respect...) from using lighter weights with good form than ego lifting and throwing it around like a fool half repping everything...


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