Training· 6 min read
Full-body workout programme: two or three weekly days
A full-body schedule distributes several movement tasks through each session. This guide offers gym and home examples plus two- and three-day schedules. Choose an amount you can repeat; full body is an organisation choice, not a requirement to exhaust every muscle each time.
Certified fitness coach · CQP Instructeur Fitness
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The essentials before you start.
- Choose one workload and count repetitions of it across the week.
- Tables give coaching examples; the cited studies do not validate the exact whole plan.
- Record setup, range and effort alongside sets, repetitions and load.
- Optional advanced methods are not compulsory or automatically suitable.
Choose the workload and fit it into the week
The displayed gym workout has 24 exercise sets and the home example has 24–25, spread across different tasks. These are extended examples, not a beginner minimum. Reduce sets or select a smaller menu when appropriate. Two sessions repeat that amount twice; adding a third changes weekly demand unless you redistribute it. Use the beginner A/B guide for a simpler starting arrangement.
Practical movement and setup cues
The gym menu includes a press, a row, overhead work, a squat, knee flexion and trunk work. Substitute a task with similar intent when appropriate, while checking the new setup. At home, an inverted row requires suitable pulling equipment; a prone trunk-extension drill is a different task and is not an equivalent replacement for loaded pulling.
What the cited evidence does and does not establish
The split-versus-full-body synthesis compared broadly similar weekly volume, not every possible home plan. Its results do not mean that adding more sessions while repeating the whole workload has the same effect or recovery cost.
Weekly schedule examples
Example placement of session labels. Adjust the work inside each session when changing frequency.
| Schedule | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full body twice weekly | Workout | Rest | Rest | Workout | Rest | Rest |
| Full body three times weekly | Workout | Rest | Workout | Rest | Workout | Rest |
| Two unavoidable consecutive days | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest | Workout A Saturday; reduced workout B Sunday |
Home workout example
Quantities are per occurrence of this table unless the heading explicitly describes a weekly distribution. Choose the appropriate example; do not combine every option.
| Exercise | Main task | Sets | Repetitions | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push-up | Chest, triceps and front shoulders | 4 – 5 | 10 – 30 | 2 min |
| Inverted row, only with suitable pulling equipment | Horizontal pulling; optional if equipment is available | 4 | 10 – 20 | 2 min |
| Pike push-up | Shoulders | 4 | 12 – 15 | 2 min |
| Air squat | Quadriceps, glutes and adductors | 4 | 30 – 50 | 2 min |
| Walking lunge | Quadriceps and glutes | 4 | 20 – 50 in total | 2 min |
| Dead bug | Abdominal wall and limb control | 4 | 10 – 30 | 1 min |
Gym workout example
Quantities are per occurrence of this table unless the heading explicitly describes a weekly distribution. Choose the appropriate example; do not combine every option.
| Exercise | Sets | Repetitions | Effort | Rest | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 | 8 – 12 | RPE 8 | 2 min | Incline barbell press or Dumbbell bench press |
| Barbell row | 4 | 8 – 12 | RPE 8 | 2 min | Overhand pull-up, One-arm dumbbell row or Seated row machine |
| Barbell overhead press | 4 | 8 – 12 | RPE 8 | 2 min | Seated dumbbell shoulder press |
| Barbell back squat | 4 | 10 – 12 | RPE 8 | 3 min | 45-degree leg press, Belt squat or Bulgarian split squat |
| Seated leg curl | 4 | 12 – 20 | RPE 8 | 1 min 30 | Prone leg curl |
| Cable crunch | 4 | 12 – 20 | RPE 8 | 1 min | Captain’s-chair leg raise or Ab-wheel rollout |
Illustrative progression: adapt the pace
The weeks illustrate a possible sequence, not a required pace or guaranteed outcome. A weight increment must be manageable for the equipment and exercise.
| Week | Load | Repetitions across 4 sets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 kg | 10, 9, 8, 8 |
| 2 | 50 kg | 11, 10, 9, 9 |
| 3 | 50 kg | 12, 11, 11, 10 |
| 4 | 50 kg | 12, 12, 12, 12 |
| 5 | 52.5 kg | 9, 9, 8, 8 |
Effort, rest and optional methods
For the RIR-based strength scale, RPE 8 means roughly two further valid repetitions seemed possible. RPE for a timed hold is only a broad effort description, not a precise repetition conversion. Use the RPE guide to keep the scales distinct.
Warm up with relevant lighter practice, as described in the warm-up guide. Rest enough to repeat the intended movement; the listed intervals are examples, not universal biological limits.
A back-off set follows a heavier set with a manageable reduction in load. A cluster divides a set into mini-blocks separated by a short rest. Rest-pause or drop sets add work beyond the first block. These are optional higher-demand methods and need a suitable setup and finish; they are not required to progress.
Progress while keeping the task comparable
Record the exercise, support or machine settings, range, load, repetitions and effort. Build within a chosen repetition range, then consider a manageable increment when the existing work is repeatable. A change of exercise or tempo needs a new comparison.
If recovery or performance worsens across several sessions, review total work, rest and the rest of the week before adding more sets. Stop for sharp pain and seek individual advice for persistent symptoms rather than using a programme table as rehabilitation.
Use one programme structure as the main plan, rather than adding every linked muscle-specific page on top. Browse the programme collection to compare schedules and the exercise collection for available movement guides.
Illustrated movement examples
The original illustrations are retained. Furniture shown in an image is not proof of a suitable load-bearing support; choose purpose-built equipment and the controlled setup described above.
Movement example 1
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Illustrated movementMovement example 2
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Illustrated movementFrequently asked questions
Should I do every table on this page?
No. Select the relevant workload or schedule. Alternatives and higher-demand methods are options, not additions to every workout.
Are the sets per session or per week?
Workout rows are per occurrence. Repeating a full workout multiplies its exercise-set total; a weekly distribution must be stated separately.
When should I add load?
When the current task and chosen range are repeatable and the next increment is manageable. The example weeks do not impose a deadline.
Do the cited studies prove this exact programme works best?
No. They provide context for particular variables or exercises, not validation of every combination and individual prescription.
Sources and limitations
Sources support the passages that cite them. Practical suggestions are coaching choices to adapt to your own situation.
- Ramos-Campo et al. · 2024 · Split and full-body routine synthesis. ↗
Matched-volume comparisons, not validation of every schedule or this exact plan.
- Schoenfeld et al. · 2016 · Training-frequency synthesis. ↗
Short heterogeneous evidence; not validation of this exact schedule.
- Schoenfeld et al. · 2017 · Low- and high-load training synthesis. ↗
Included failure protocols do not make failure mandatory for these workouts.
This general information does not replace individual advice. Zepraug’s limitations.