What is the Right Workout Frequency? 3 Day vs. 4 Day vs. 5 Day Splits

Whether you’re just starting out in the gym or you’re thinking about switching to a new routine, the first thing to consider is how many days per week you want to spend in the gym. Three days? Four? Are you ready to commit to five days a week in the gym? It’s all up to you. But you’ve got to know your goals, your abilities and your level of commitment.

There are benefits and downsides to any kind of split. The general idea of a split routine is that you will work each muscle group harder. Intensity matters if you expect to gain muscle. Hitting the gym more days each week will leave you with less time to recoup and recover. Spending less time training could mean waiting longer to see the results you want. Ultimately, how you decide to split your workouts is completely up to you. You’re the boss. But make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before you start your new routine. Here are a few recommendations for three, four and five day splits and how they might best work for you to help you meet your fitness and physique goals.

3 Day Splits

Three day splits will have you hitting the weight room, you guessed it, three days a week. According to Men’s Fitness, three and four day splits are ideal for fat loss and cutting. The three day, fat loss splits involve total body training, large movements and moving your body with a ton of energy expenditure to kick start your metabolism. It’s because of this heightened energy expenditure that those four days of rest in the three day split pattern are so important.

For a three day split, you’re going to be using a push pull routine. BodyBuilding.com lays out a pretty basic routine that will get you through your workout week. On day one, focus on your legs and abs. If you’re doing it right, this workout should be pretty intense. Day two will engage your back, biceps, forearms and abs. This will work your pushing muscles, doubling up on your deltoids and triceps. Day three is a pulling muscle day, working your back, biceps and forearms.

BodyBuilding.com suggests doing your three day splits on a rotating schedule, always allowing for two days between each workout for rest. Or you could set up a steady schedule for working out three days a week, training on predetermined days, like Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

4 Day Splits

According to BodyBuilding.com, a 4 day split is better than a 3 day split when it comes to targeting individual muscle groups and achieving an optimal balance in a specific part of the body. This one shows you’re getting serious about building muscle. It’s still great for fat loss and cutting, too, because you’re generally using your whole body for large, high-energy movements with ample time for rest in between.

Another great advantage of a four day split is that it allows you to break down your workouts by body part even further than a three day split. Here’s a recommended breakdown from BodyBuilding.com.

On day one of your new four day split, focus on legs and abs, just like you would with a three day split. Day two breaks your upper body workout down to a smaller set of muscles than a three day split does, working your chest, triceps and abs. Day three highlights your back, biceps and forearms and day four is dedicated to your deltoids and abs. With this plan, you’ll be working a smaller group of muscles, like your abs, with a larger group, like your legs. This gives you a good opportunity to focus, perfect your moves, and work hard.

Similar to the three day split, you can work your four day split on four specified days of the week or do your workouts on a rotating schedule. Just keep an eye on your body’s needs. If you’re feeling fatigued or having trouble recovering, consider throwing in an extra day of rest or reeling it back to a three day split.

5 Day Splits

Working out five days a week is not for the faint of heart, the undedicated or the incredibly busy. Don’t put the pressure of hitting the gym for a five day split on yourself if you don’t think you’ll have the time, patience or energy to really commit yourself to it. A workout schedule with this much volume is going to be best for gaining size. You’ll be constantly bombarding a portion of your muscles with movement, leaving very little time for whole body rest in between workouts. Allowing each muscle group full recovery is essential to increasing size. The body rebuilds the group you worked, adding cells, during the time that muscle is resting.

Men’s Fitness suggests using a muscle group isolation split when you’re hitting the gym five days a week. Day one will focus entirely on the back. Day two hits chest, day three legs, day four shoulders and day five arms. Each muscle group is getting a full gym session’s worth of your undivided attention. Be very careful when you’re pummeling your muscles like this. This type of routine is definitely not for the beginner and you need to be attuned to your body’s recovery needs to make sure you’re not going to hurt yourself. If you need a day off, take a day off. Faster gains aren’t worth doing harm to your body.

It’s All Up To You

Basically, the split you choose is entirely up to you. You’re the boss of your own workouts. It’s easy to feel inspired and ambitious and tell yourself you’re going to hit the gym hard five days a week and crush your goals in no time, but this might not be your best move. The best kind of split is the one that you stick to, the one that works for your body and your schedule and the one that you like.

If you’re just starting out, it might serve you better to ease into your workout routine, starting with a three day split. This will give you more time to recover and build strong, stable gym habits before you bump up to four or five days. And don’t worry if you never get there. Your workouts should fit into your life. If you’re busy, three days you can consistently make it to the gym and practice with good form is better than five days when you may or may not find the time. And, of course, listen to your body. If you need rest, choose to rest.