Training program
Full-body workout plan
Three full-body sessions a week, every major pattern trained every time. The simplest way to start lifting, and the one that produces fastest in the first year. Free, no sign-up.
- Days / week
- 3
- Block length
- 12 weeks
- Cost
- Free
Your numbers
This program is prescribed by effort rather than percentages, so there is nothing to calculate — the week below is ready to run.
The week
Full body A
- Back squat3×8RPE 7
- Barbell bench press3×8RPE 7
- Seated cable row3×10RPE 8
- Plank3×30-45 s
Rest
Full body B
- Romanian deadlift3×8RPE 7
- Dumbbell shoulder press3×10RPE 8
- Lat pulldown3×10RPE 8
- Leg curl3×12RPE 8
Rest
Full body C
- Leg press3×10RPE 8
- Incline dumbbell press3×10RPE 8
- Dumbbell row3×10RPE 8
- Dumbbell curl2×12RPE 8
Rest
Rest
The week adds up to
- Sessions
- 3
- Working sets
- 35
- Rest days
- 4
Most sets
- Back squat3
- Barbell bench press3
- Dumbbell row3
- Dumbbell shoulder press3
Choose your start day
The coach picks starting weights you can actually complete, then nudges them up as your logged sessions show you are ready.
Who is this full-body plan for?
First-time lifters, and anyone returning after months away. Training a movement three times a week rather than once means three chances a week to practise it — and in the first year, technique is most of the progress. It also means missing one session costs you a third of the week rather than all of a body part.
How does the plan work?
Three sessions, each covering a squat or leg-press pattern, a press, a pull and some trunk work. Sets are moderate — three sets of eight to twelve at RPE 7-8, which is two or three reps short of failure. Ending a set with reps left is intentional: it keeps technique clean while you are still learning it, and it is why this plan can be run three times a week without wrecking you.
How do you progress?
Add reps before weight. When every set hits the top of the range at RPE 8 or lower, add the smallest increment available and start again at the bottom. On dumbbells that is often a 2 kg jump, which can feel large — add it to one set first, then the rest over the following sessions.
What should you do when you stall?
Genuine stalls are rare in the first six months; what looks like a stall is usually an inconsistent week or two of sleep. Before changing anything, check you actually trained three times a week for the last fortnight. If you did, and reps have not moved on any lift for three weeks, drop the weight 10% and rebuild — or move to a 5×5 program, which progresses faster while you can still tolerate it.
Can you swap exercises?
Every exercise here has a machine equivalent, and machines are a perfectly good place to start — a leg press instead of a squat, a chest press instead of a bench press. Keep the four categories in each session and swap the rest for whatever is free, whatever your gym has, and whatever you can perform with clean technique today.
This is a training template, not medical advice. Loads are starting points, not prescriptions — scale them to your own experience, and talk to a qualified clinician before starting a new program if you have an injury or a health condition.