3 days · Push, pull, legs
3-day push, pull, legs workout
Push, pull, and legs puts one job on each visit: pressing, back work, or the lower body. On three days, each of those jobs happens once a week, so the session has to be the one that counts. It is a different bet from full-body training, which touches each pattern more often and does less on the day.
- Days
- 3 days
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Equipment
- Barbell, bench, and cables
- Session length
- 55–75 min
Who this is for
Use this if you like walking into the gym with a single theme, and you can protect all three days. It is a poor fit if you often miss the third session, because that missed day is the only legs day — or the only back day — of the week.
Experience level
Beginner to intermediate, as long as you can bench, row, pulldown, and squat with a setup you trust. Newer lifters who still want this layout should use the machine swaps and stop at the low end of the set counts for the first few weeks.
If you can train five days and want a second pass at each area, use the 5-day push, pull, legs, upper, and lower workout.
Equipment
A bench, a barbell, dumbbells, and a cable stack cover push and pull. Legs needs a rack or a leg press, plus a leg curl and a calf machine if you have them. You can run the push day entirely with dumbbells when the benches are full.
How long it takes
Allow 55 to 75 minutes. These days are longer than the 3-day full-body sessions because each muscle group gets its weekly work in one visit. If you have an hour, keep the first five exercises on push and pull, and the first four on legs.
Weekly schedule
Keep the order: push, then pull, then legs. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday matches that cleanly. If your week moves, shift the trio together rather than doing legs the day after a heavy squat and then skipping pull.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Push |
| Tuesday | Rest |
| Wednesday | Pull |
| Thursday | Rest |
| Friday | Legs |
| Saturday | Rest |
| Sunday | Rest |
If you miss a session
If you miss one day, do it next and slide the others later in the week, still with a rest day between them. If you cannot fit all three, do not drop legs every time. Rotate which day you skip so the same session is not the one that always disappears.
Warm-up
Five easy minutes, then two or three feeler sets on the first exercise, adding weight until the first work set. Shoulders and elbows often want those extra ramp-up sets on push day. The table starts after that.
The workouts
Because you will not press again until next week, do the listed sets. Do not add a second chest exercise beyond the list. More fatigue is not the same as a second training day.
On a small screen, swipe sideways to see sets, reps, and rest. The exercise name stays put.
Push
Bench and overhead press are the compounds. The incline press and the raises fill in the chest and shoulders. Two triceps exercises are enough for a once-weekly push day.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 | 6–10 | 2–3 min |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12–15 | 60 sec |
| Triceps pressdown | 3 | 10–15 | 60 sec |
| Overhead triceps extension | 2 | 10–15 | 60 sec |
Pull
A vertical pull and two rows. Face pulls and rear-delt work sit after the heavy sets, when you can actually feel the upper back instead of swinging.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lat pulldown | 4 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Chest-supported row | 4 | 8–12 | 90 sec–2 min |
| Seated cable row | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Face pull | 3 | 12–15 | 60 sec |
| Rear delt fly | 2 | 12–15 | 60 sec |
| Dumbbell curl | 3 | 8–12 | 60 sec |
| Hammer curl | 2 | 10–15 | 60 sec |
Legs
Squat first, then a hinge, then a single-leg or leg-press pattern. This is the only lower-body day, so do not skip the leg curl because the squat felt hard.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 | 5–8 | 2–3 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Leg press | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Leg curl | 3 | 10–15 | 60–90 sec |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 8–15 | 60 sec |
| Cable crunch | 2 | 10–15 | 60 sec |
Exercise swaps
Use a swap when a machine is taken, a lift bothers a joint, or you do not have that piece of equipment. Keep the sets and rep range the same unless the note says otherwise.
- Bench press Dumbbell bench press or a machine chest press.
- Overhead press Seated dumbbell press.
- Incline dumbbell press Incline machine press, or a slight incline on a bench you can actually set.
- Lat pulldown Pull-up or assisted pull-up. If you can do more than 10 strict pull-ups, add a little load and stay inside 6–10.
- Chest-supported row Seal row, machine row, or a one-arm dumbbell row braced on a bench.
- Back squat Hack squat or leg press. If you swap the squat for leg press, move the Romanian deadlift first.
- Romanian deadlift Dumbbell Romanian deadlift. Keep it stricter rather than heavier.
- Cable crunch Dead bug or hanging knee raise. Skip weighted sit-ups that pull on the neck.
How to progress
- Add load to the first exercise of each day when all four sets hit the top of the range. That is bench, pulldown, and squat.
- The second compound — overhead press, chest-supported row, Romanian deadlift — progresses the same way, but do not force it on a day the first lift was a grind.
- Raises, curls, and pressdowns move by reps first. When 15 reps is easy on every set, take the next cable pin or dumbbell and return to 10.
- A good week is one main lift moving forward. It is not all three days setting a record.
When to ease off
Plan an easier week every 6 to 8 weeks. This split is tiring because the hard sets for an area all land on one day.
In that week, cut the first exercise of each day to 2 sets and take roughly 10 percent off the bar or the pin. Keep the other exercises to 2 easier sets.
If elbows, shoulders, or knees feel worse at the start of a session than they did the week before, take that easier week early instead of adding a fourth training day.
Questions
Why not train push, pull, legs twice a week?
That is a six-day plan. This page is for three days. If you can train five days and want a second pass at each area, use the 5-day plan rather than bolting extra days onto this one.
Is once a week enough for each muscle?
It can work if the session is complete and you actually do it. It is less practice than a full-body or upper/lower week. If you care more about practicing the lifts often, use the 3-day full-body plan.
Can I put arms on their own day?
Not on three days. Arms are already at the end of push and pull. A separate arm day would replace legs or back, which is the wrong trade.
What if I only have dumbbells on push day?
Swap the bench and the overhead press for dumbbell versions and keep the same sets and reps. Save the barbell for the next week rather than skipping the day.
A note before you train
These plans are general templates for healthy adults who are able to exercise. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of a particular result. If you have pain, an injury, a heart condition, or you are returning after illness, talk with a qualified clinician or coach before you start. Stop a set if a joint feels sharp, unstable, or unlike ordinary effort, and get it checked before you train through it.
Other programs
Join the Trynema waitlist
Run the three days as written. Join the waitlist if you want push, pull, and legs ready when you arrive, without building the session on your phone.
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