3 Day Split Advice

Lemsiper

Hi, I'm looking for advice on what exercises to do or where to find a decent 3 day split routine for weight training. Muscular endurance and increase my strength would be my main goals, followed by toning up. I'm not looking to bulk too much.

I do soccer training one or two nights a week, depending on the amount of college work I have and then I would usually have a match on a Saturday or possibly Sunday.

Lantus

Monday - Quads, hams, calfs

squats or leg raise
hack squat or leg press
Lunges
deadlift
lying leg curl
standing calf raise
seated calf raise

Tuesday - Chest, Back, Abs

chest press
Incline DB press
flyes or cable crossover
Pressups (optional but I think it's a great exercise)
wide grip pull ups or cable pull downs
cable rows or row variations
T bar row
hanging leg raise
cable crunches

Wed - Rest

Thur - Shoulders & arms

DB military press
front or side raises
Upright rows
standing bicep curls
seated bicep curls
hammer curls
tricep cable pushdown or kickbacks
dips (a bench or bars) or close grip press
overhead dumbell extension

fri& sat - Rest

Sunday - Quads.

start with next set on the Monday. This would be a less agressive routine spread over 4 days, you can select which your rest days are to suit you. I always try to keep a rest day between chest and shoulders at least. You can make it more aggressive by just having 3 rest days a week. (I usually tyake wed and sat) and cycle through the 3 days variations.

This routine has allowed me to get defined and well shaped and much stronger. Adding muscle mass has very much a nutrition component so will need to eat the right food to achieve this. You can stay on a routine like this for years, indeed for ever and still get god results. Try to look up more variations to the various exercises and change roughly every
8 weeks to kep things different keep your muscles guessing and building.

At the least I always aim to eat a small meal about 1 hour before a workout and take on protein via powdered drink within 10 minutes of finishing and real food within 1 hour. Also water both before during and after.

Rest and good nutrition are the key factors in getting strong and well defined. Gym work destroys muscle fibres, rest and good fuel makes them stronger and better.

There are loads of routines out there so take the one you think will suit you and get going. No skiping body parts now!

Brian?

Are you new to lifting? If so forget about a split and do a full body strength training program.

Frogdog

OP, have a look at Starting Strength if you're just beginning.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

Lemsiper

Thanks for the response, Lantus. I really wouldn't have the time to go four days a week due to my soccer commitment on Tues/Thurs/Saturday so I would really be looking at a max of three days for now.

I have worked out before Brian, but not in the past year so I guess I'd be a little rusty by now. So would you recommend doing full body for 8 weeks or so until I get back into the routine? How many days a week if so?

Yes I've looked at SS in the past and had thought of giving it a go. The Witchita Falls Novice program was the one I was looking at recently.

Brian?

Lemsiper wrote: »

Thanks for the response, Lantus. I really wouldn't have the time to go four days a week due to my soccer commitment on Tues/Thurs/Saturday so I would really be looking at a max of three days for now.

I have worked out before Brian, but not in the past year so I guess I'd be a little rusty by now. So would you recommend doing full body for 8 weeks or so until I get back into the routine? How many days a week if so?

Yes I've looked at SS in the past and had thought of giving it a go. The Witchita Falls Novice program was the one I was looking at recently.

Starting strength sounds perfect for you. No need to change to a split any time soon, if ever.

Lantus

Lemsiper wrote: »

Thanks for the response, Lantus. I really wouldn't have the time to go four days a week due to my soccer commitment on Tues/Thurs/Saturday so I would really be looking at a max of three days for now.

I have worked out before Brian, but not in the past year so I guess I'd be a little rusty by now. So would you recommend doing full body for 8 weeks or so until I get back into the routine? How many days a week if so?

Yes I've looked at SS in the past and had thought of giving it a go. The Witchita Falls Novice program was the one I was looking at recently.

3 days is a little limiting, you need 4 days a week to get the best from a split routine at least. As per other posters a 3 day full body workout may be better. Downside is that you cannot work the entire body that intensively compared to a split because you will be doing one or possbly 2 exercises per musce group. However, I did it for 6 months when I was starting out and it did me wonders.

If your training for your football performance then consider a medicine ball as well as part of a standard resistance routine. Helps build speed and power for those types of sports. Lots of twisting to build the core for all those dynamic changes of direction you football people get up to.

denvey

Since its more for sports id recommend getting away from isolation stuff and complex split days and just stick with the solid compound stuff,functional training is your friend!