Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
Should you train with a 3-day split or a 4-day split? Either can work, and both training splits are amazing for the right person in the right situation. The issue is deciding which one you're the right person for. We will review these two workout splits and discuss their pros, setbacks, and when they work best.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Why Your Training Splits Matter
The amount of days you train weekly lays the foundation for your workout. It can dictate everything from;
- Training split
- Recovery
- Exercise selection
- Time commitment
Both can work, but you need to be honest with yourself about your situation and what one is ideal for your needs.
The reason being is that a 3-day split will be written in such a way as to optimize 3 days in the gym. On the other hand, a 4-day split will be written in such a way as to optimize 4 days in the gym.
For example, if you say you're going to go to the gym 4 days a week, but can only go 3 days, you'll likely miss out on training multiple muscle groups twice a week.
While this can seem trivial, these little alterations can add up over time. A common practice to maximize growth is to train each muscle group twice a week.¹ You can easily make this work for either the 3-day or 4-day split; it just needs to be planned properly.
By choosing the wrong training frequency, you could be committing self-sabotage needlessly.
3-Day Split Vs. 4-Day Split: What Are The Differences?
The 3-day split and 4-day split are just two choices when deciding how often you will go to the gym; this is known as training frequency.
While obvious, the 3-day training split has you train 3 days a week with 4 days of recovery and can look like this;
- Monday: Train
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Train
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Train
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
On the other hand, the 4-day training split has you train 4 days and the rest 3- days. This can look like this;
- Monday: Train
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Train
- Thursday: Train
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: Train
- Sunday: Rest
Obviously, the 3-day and 4-day split are differentiated by having either an extra training day or an extra recovery day. However, these days change quite a bit. In fact, the 4-day split has 33% more time than the 3-day split!
Right off the bat, this simply means that the 4-day training split requires more time commitment. If your schedule is busy and your time is limited, the 3-day split may be ideal.
On the other hand, if you have more free time or are willing to carve out time, you could commit to the 4-day split.
This is just one of the issues you need to consider. Let's see how that extra day can affect other parts of your training.
Type Of Training Split
Even though we're comparing a 3-day split vs. a 4-day split, those names just specify the training frequency: 3 days per week or 4 days per week.
However, that doesn't describe the actual training split regarding what body parts you train on what day. Therefore, we'll go over the training splits that work best with a 3-day or 4-day training frequency.
3-Day Split
Full body, Push/Pull/Full, Lower/Upper/Full, PPL
The most common type of 3-day split is the full-body workout. In a full-body split, you train each body part during every session. This may look like this;
- Monday: Full Body
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Full Body
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Full Body
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
These work great as they can simplify your exercise selection and entire training program. In this split, you will generally train each body part with one exercise but this can vary some.
Regardless, it works great and has been used successfully forever. Specifically, it works great for new lifters or older lifters.
Another popular choice is an upper/lower/full or push/pull/full. Both of these have the same concept in that you train half the body on two days while training the entire body on the third day.
- Monday: Upper Or Pushing
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Lower Or Pulling
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Full Body
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
These work well because you still train each body part twice weekly. However, only training half the body in two sessions allows you more time to target the muscles. This means you'll probably be able to use more specific exercises such as face pulls.
The fourth option is the PPL (push/pull/legs), which looks like this;
- Monday: Pushing
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Pulling
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
While this has become popular, we think it is at the bottom of the 3-day split. The primary issue is that you only train each body part once a week. Some people respond very well to this, especially strength athletes. However, we prefer training each body part twice a week if possible.
4-Day Split
Upper/Lower, Push/Pull, PPL
When it comes to the 4-day split, there are two common choices;
- Upper/Lower
- Push/Pull
Both of these programs divide your body into halves by either location (upper body and lower body) or function (pushing muscles and pulling muscles). They can look like this.
- Monday: Pushing OR Upper
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Pulling OR Lower
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Pushing OR Upper
- Saturday: Pulling OR Lower
- Sunday: Rest
The exact 4 days you train can vary. The only guidelines are;
- No more than 2 days in a row of training
- No more than 2 days in a row of rest
Both can be very effective, and choosing the best one really comes down to preference, level, and goal.
Let's say you're an intermediate lifter training for strength. Your best bet would be the upper/lower split for four days a week. This split lets you train each muscle group twice a week and helps mitigate fatigue.
The issue with running a push/pull split as an intermediate or advanced lifter is that it requires you to train legs 4 days a week. For example;
- Two days of pulling (Deadlift, Bulgarian squat)
- Two days of pushing (Back squat, Leg Press)
You see, it's impossible to isolate hamstrings and quads with compound movements. As an intermediate lifter, you're using heavy loads and doing this 4 days a week can be challenging.
You can alter the loads to make it work but it's something to keep in mind if you're not familiar with programming.
There's also a third option, the PPL we just spoke about. Obviously, the 4-day split has an extra day. Therefore, you would just cycle through, which means you'd train one of the muscle groups twice a week. It might look like this.
- Monday: Pushing
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Pulling
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday: Pushing
- Sunday: Rest
The next week, you'd just start with the pulling session.
Training Goal
Training volume is one of the most important variables for strength and the most important for muscle growth.²
Volume simply refers to how much work you place on the muscle during lifting. For example, let's say you perform the following rep scheme.
- 3X10 w/ 100lbs = 3,000lbs
This means your muscle lifted 3,000 lbs on a specific muscle group. Regarding muscle growth, volume is the number one driver and a dose-response clearly exists. This simply means that more volume equals more growth. Therefore, the next week, you'd want to either perform more reps or increase the load. For example;
- 3X10 w/ 105lbs = 3,150lbs
With this in mind, getting into the gym more is going to allow you to place more volume on the muscles. Therefore, if increasing muscle growth is a major goal for you, you should use 4-days a week if you can.
On the other hand, if strength is your goal, volume still plays a factor. However, it looks a bit different. Strength occurs through an increase in your neuromuscular system and is primarily driven by the stress and intensity placed on your muscles.
This basically means you need to use heavier loads. Another difference to consider is that lifting heavy weights for strength can be more fatiguing, thus requiring more recovery. There are plenty of ways to deal with this, but you should keep that in mind.
Keep in mind that we know many strength athletes that thrive training 3 days a week. It allows a lot of recovery so you can place these larger demands on your body during training.
Either way, you can use either 3 or 4 days a week if strength training is your goal.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Training Time Per Session
This could be a factor for some people and is worth mentioning.
Remember that total volume plays a key role in your training. As such, training four days a week allows more time in the gym allowing more work.
However, if you can only train 3 days a week, you could make up for the less frequency by increasing the total time you spend in the gym.
For example, let's say you train for 1 hour a session regardless of whether you train 3-days or 4-days a week; the total time looks like this;
- 3-Day Split X 1 Hour = 3 Hours
- 4-Day Split X 1 Hour = 4 Hours
Obviously, a 4-day split results in more time at the gym, allowing more volume and even exercise selection.
Now let's increase the time for a 3-day split to equal the total time of training 4 days a week.
- 3-Day Split X 1 Hour 20 Min = 4 Hours
- 4-Day Split X 1 Hour = 4 Hours
Increasing the time in the gym by 20 minutes while using a 3-day split can even out the total time spent. In terms of muscle growth, it probably won't matter much which one you choose, assuming you're getting the same volume done.
Therefore, if you're someone who has limited time every day, it might be more effective to go to the gym for shorter sessions more often. This can include people;
- Only have their lunch break to hit the gym
- Train before work, so an extra 30 minutes of sleep means a lot
- Need to train on the way home from work
- This even includes some people who simply don't like being in the gym long.
On the other hand, if you love lifting but would rather have more days off, you can get it done in three days and just spend more time each session.
Training Level
Training level refers to how advanced you are. The three subgroups most often used are;
- Beginner: 0-12 Months
- Intermediate: 1-3 Years
- Advanced: 3+ Years
Keep in mind that these time frames assume you're following a proper progressive training program.
Either way, this really isn't a massive issue when choosing between a 3-day split or a 4-day split. Both can work very well, depending on the person.
The primary issue would be a brand-new beginner who is still learning the basics of lifting and finding their groove. For these individuals, a 3-day split works great for several reasons;
- Can concentrate on your primary movements
- Less intimidating
- Plenty of time to recover
- Won't really make much of a difference in terms of progress
Other than that, we've seen both splits work really well for a range of people.
Recovery
When it comes to recovery, the 3-day split obviously has the upper hand. Each week allows 4 days of rest, which means you can recover more than you train. On the other hand, running a 4-day split just allows 3 days of rest, but it's still a lot in the grand scheme of things.
Both training splits allow adequate recovery and shouldn't be a major issue for most people. However, some people find that their bodies require a little more recovery to maximize adaptations. This can be especially true for older trainees.
In fact, it's not uncommon to hear some older guys (40+) say their training actually improved, going down to 3 days a week! The main mechanism is simply more recovery!
One other factor to consider is that more recovery can allow harder training.
Some guys love to train hard and leave it all in the gym when they go. This is great, but doing it too often during the week can build up fatigue. Training three days a week can allow higher intensity as you have four days of recovery.
In addition, fewer sessions in the gym mean extra recovery, so deloads can become less of an issue. As you'll see less build-up of fatigue, it can mitigate the risk of overtraining.
Exercise Selection
During the 3-day split, your time is limited, and you must be smart with your exercise selection.
This means that you're going to focus on your primary, compound movements. This includes;
- Bench press
- Deadlift
- Squats
- Dips
- Chin-ups
You get it, the big, compound exercise.
At the same time, it also means you won't have much time for a lot of accessory or isolation exercises. As you have limited time, every exercise needs to matter.
On the other hand, the 4-day split gives you a whole other day. We're not saying this is a ton of time, nor are we saying your exercise selection doesn't matter; it 100% does. However, you will have more time for accessory, isolation, and core exercises.
Flexibility
Both the 3-day split and 4-day split allow decent amounts of flexibility. By that, we mean missing a day won't throw you completely off. We do firmly believe that keeping a schedule does help tremendously with adherence – we just also know things happen;
- Work overtime
- Get sick
- Special events
In comparison, you have very little wiggle room if you train 5 or 6 days a week. Any unplanned event can throw you out of whack.
So, while technically, a 3-day training split offers more forgiveness, either one can work great with any schedule.
3 Days Or 4 Days: Which One To Choose?
Personally, we've run a 3-day split, a 4-day split, a 5-day split, and even a 6-day split, and get this: all of them worked! The difference is that we ran them at different points in our lifting lives.
With that said, here's our opinion. Before we tell you what we would do, understand that these are general recommendations that don't consider any nuance that may affect a person.
Keeping that in mind…
If we have a client who is really set on getting in the gym and has the time to commit, we usually recommend the 4-day split.
The 4-day split is awesome and allows plenty of time in the gym. It allows you to train not only your primary lifts but also a good chunk of accessories and even some isolation. Unless there's a reason that contradicts its use, the 4-day training split is where we usually start.
On the other hand, we may recommend the 3-day split to the following;
- An older client
- A busy client with less time to commit
- Someone looking for general fitness
- A new lifter who is a bit hesitant or just learning the gym
- An athlete playing another sport (less time)
- Lifters who feel they don't recover well
As you can see, there can be a plethora of reasons that make either training split optimal for different people. The most important factor to consider when choosing between the 3-day split or 4-day split, be honest about what one you can adhere to for the long-term.
Training is a life-time endeavor, so choosing the one that fits your lifestyle and needs is the number 1 determinant of being successful. We can not stress this enough.
It doesn't matter how effective a training program is if you can't adhere to it or it stresses you out. Your workout split should mesh seamlessly into your lifestyle and if you get that right, we can promise you, you're going to see results and be successful in your health.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
References
- Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 46, no. 11, 21 Apr. 2016, pp. 1689–1697, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
- Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 46, no. 11, 21 Apr. 2016, pp. 1689–1697, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
Garett Reid
Author