The Best Workout Plan for Lean Muscle | 3 Days a week workout

The six-pack trend in Bollywood is in its full swing and we Indians are crazy about Bollywood. We admire our film industry and tend to replicate what's trending in the industry. Most of us want to be fit, slim and trim like our favourite celebs but in today's hectic environment finding a couple of hours 5 - 6 days a week is far easier said than done.

We all are busy in college, job, family and not to mention a social life, achieving a well-sculptured physique doesn't mean you have a gym rat. If you are willing to give just 2-3 days a week for a couple of hours you can still get the most desired six-packs. 

Below is 3 day a week lean muscle workout plan. Before getting straight to the workout there are a couple of things you need to understand to execute the plan properly. let's call it workout notes

Training Frequency

The training frequency in the workout plan is 3 days a week, most of you will argue that this won't be enough but training for 3 days a week is optimal for strength and muscle gain. Training alternate days allows your body to recover and put less stress on our nervous system. Train only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the workout plan and active recovery.

Exercise selection

For this workout plan, I have chosen the 3 compound exercise and 2 isolation exercise. A compound exercise is a multi - joint movement that works on several muscle groups at the same time. Isolation exercise work for only one muscle group at a time. Performing compound exercises are the best way to work out as it burns more calories, stimulate real-world activities, improves coordination and balance. Isolation exercise is added to compensate for the parts which are not effectively trained in the compound lifts

Workout Split

Workout split is not actually a split, this is the whole body workout. Research has shown whole body splits are more optimal than conventional 5-day splits. The biggest advantage here is if you happen to miss a day or for some reason you workout only for 2 days, you still have hit all the muscle group twice.  

Sets and Repetitions: 5 x 5 Training

5 sets x 5 repetitions, this type of training is aimed to built muscle mass. This kind of training is suitable for the persons who fall between the range from intermediate to advanced lifters, If you are below intermediate then you should start with 3 sets x 5 repetitions and gradually built up to 5 x 5. This specific type of training is designed mainly to increase strength on the compound lifts. Significant gain in strength will lead to a significant gain in muscle size. 

Static Loading

Here in India, we follow a pyramid loading across the sets. This means we start with the lighter load and increase the load with the sets. In my opinion, this is not the best way to load. The problem here is before reaching the final set you have already fatigued your muscle to some extent and you will not be at our best at the final set. For this workout plan, I want you guys to use static loading across the sets. This way you would have a better understanding of your maximum lift and it is easier to progress.

Weight Selection

This is something that comes with little trial and error. You need to choose a weight heavy enough that you can do 6-7 repetitions. I don't recommend the training to failure and it is a good idea to have 1-2 repetitions in spare.

Progressive Overload

This is one of the most important aspect of resistance training when it comes to gaining strength. In this workout plan, you need to progressively overload the muscle. This means you need to increase the load over time. Suppose you benched 100 kg for 5 reps in the first week, on the next week you should aim to bench 105 kg for 5 reps. Once you get accustomed to the current load, you need to gradually increase the load to keep the workout intense and challenging. You can increase the load according to your strength gain for some it would be every week for some it could be more than that.

Workout Plan

Workout plan has two phase Workout A and Workout B, you need to cycle the workout plans with weeks. Below is the workout plan

Workout A:-

Barbell Squats

Flat Bench Press

Weighted Chin-ups

Barbell Biceps Curls

Skull Crushers

Workout B:-

Barbell Standing Lunges

Barbell Over Head Press

Conventional Deadlift

Hammer Curls

Overhead Dumbell Extension

Week 1: Monday-Workout A, Wednesday-Workout B, Friday-Workout A
Week 2: Monday-Workout B, Wednesday-Workout A, Friday-Workout B

No workout plan is successful without a proper diet. During this workout, you need to be in a caloric surplus (10- 15 % above your maintenance calories) . Keep your protein intake 20-25 % of caloric intake, Carbohydrate 40-45 % of caloric intake and Rest fats. Follow this workout for 6-8 weeks for the best results.

If you are looking for a science and evidence-based coach who can design a customised diet and workout plan for your fitness goal, Drop an email to romiey@getsetgo.fitness.

Also, check

The Best  5 Day Workout Routine for Lean Muscle
The Best German Volume Training Plan for Lean Muscle
The Best Upper Lower Workout Split for Lean Muscle
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