Progrevia3-day strength routine
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A strength routine over 3 days is built to gain maximal strength with heavy loads, low reps and long rest periods.
Parameters the engine applies
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Assigned structure | Push / Pull / Legs |
| Reps per set | 1-5 |
| Sets per exercise | 3-5 |
| Rest between sets | 180-300 s |
| RIR (reps in reserve) | 0-2 |
| Intensity | 85-95% 1RM |
| Share of compound exercises | 85 % |
These are not generic recommendations: they are the exact parameters the engine uses to build this routine, and they change with the goal you pick.
How your week looks
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Push |
| Day 2 | Pull |
| Day 3 | Legs |
The engine splits muscle groups across sessions according to the structure that matches your available days.
Exercise table: the week the engine builds
This is the routine Progrevia builds for an intermediate lifter with a full gym and 60-minute sessions: 9 exercises and 36 sets per week. Yours adapts to your level, your equipment and your time, so it may differ.
Day 1 · Push
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell bench press | 4 × 2-4 | 3-4 | 270 s |
| Z-bar overhead press | 4 × 2-4 | 3-4 | 270 s |
| Bench dips | 4 × 2-4 | 3-4 | 270 s |
Day 2 · Pull
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell row | 4 × 4-6 | 3-4 | 240 s |
| Pull-ups | 4 × 4-6 | 3-4 | 240 s |
| Farmer carry | 4 × 4-6 | 3-4 | 240 s |
Day 3 · Legs
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell lunges | 4 × 6-8 | 3-4 | 210 s |
| Good mornings | 4 × 6-8 | 3-4 | 210 s |
| Sumo deadlift | 4 × 6-8 | 3-4 | 210 s |
Weekly sets per muscle group
| Muscle group | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Back | 8 |
| Quads | 4 |
| Glutes | 4 |
| Shoulders | 4 |
| Hamstrings | 4 |
| Chest | 4 |
| Traps | 4 |
| Triceps | 4 |
Each set is counted on the exercise's main muscle. It is the most direct way to compare this routine with another: at equal effort, weekly volume is what weighs most on the result.
What changes compared with the 2-day routine
With 3 days the week adds up to 36 sets; with 2, 24. These are the differences per muscle group:
- Glutes: 0 → 4
- Shoulders: 0 → 4
- Traps: 0 → 4
- Triceps: 0 → 4
- Chest: 8 → 4
Sessions in the 2-day routine: Full Body A, Full Body B.
How to build strength with 3 days: load, rest and training blocks
Strength is driven by load: short sets of 1 to 5 reps, heavy weights and long rests so you start the next set fresh. Planning pays off: the meta-analysis by Williams and colleagues (2017, Sports Medicine) found greater maximal strength gains with periodized training than with the same work unplanned. And you do not need to grind to failure: in the review by Robinson and colleagues (2024), strength gains barely changed with how close to failure sets ended, unlike muscle growth.
With 3 days there is room to separate pushing, pulling and legs, so you reach each main lift with a rested nervous system.
The week the engine builds has 3 sessions, 9 exercises and 36 sets in total. Counting sets and rest, each session takes about 55 minutes, not including the warm-up.
| Week | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get the feel across your 3 sessions (Push, Pull, Legs): loads that leave 2-3 reps in reserve | Learn your real working weight on each lift |
| 2 | Add load to z-bar overhead press and barbell row if week 1 went cleanly | First small jumps: 2.5 kg upper body, 5 kg lower body |
| 3 | Hardest week: sets at 1-2 reps in reserve | Get close to your limit without failing |
| 4 | Deload: about 22 sets in the week instead of 36, and slightly less weight | Recover to start the next block stronger |
- Williams TD, Tolusso DV, Fedewa MV, Esco MR. Comparison of periodized and non-periodized resistance training on maximal strength: a meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017;47(10):2083-2100.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Exploring the dose-response relationship between estimated resistance training proximity to failure, strength gain, and muscle hypertrophy: a series of meta-regressions. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(9):2209-2231.
How the week is split
Push, pull and legs, one day each: every muscle group gets its whole weekly volume in a single session. This week, each of the 8 muscle groups with their own exercise is trained once.
What your routine includes
- Sessions of 3 exercises and 12 sets.
- No exercise goes above 4 sets a week: the volume is spread across several.
- Reps of 2 to 8 and rests of 210 to 270 seconds, depending on the exercise and the day.
- RIR 3-4 in the first week, 2-3 in the second and 1-2 in the third; in the deload it rises to 4-6.
- The engine suggests the load for each session from what you log (double progression).
Who is this routine for?
That is 3 sessions of about 60 minutes, 3 hours a week, with 36 sets in total: about 12 per session. It fits if you can set aside those 3 days consistently; if not, look at the 2-day routine.
Exercises it usually includes
Other routines you may like
- 2-day strength routine
- 4-day strength routine
- 3-day hypertrophy routine
- 3-day fat loss routine
- 3-day body recomposition routine
Generate yours for free
Progrevia creates your personalized strength routine of 3 days in under a minute, no mandatory sign-up and no card. With a free account you can download it as a PDF.
Learn the theory
Movement patterns: the 5 basics of strength training
Frequently asked questions
How many days a week should I train?
It depends on your availability and recovery. 3 days a week is a balanced option for a strength goal.
Do I need a gym for the 3-day strength routine?
For maximal strength it is the most practical option: a barbell with plates and a rack let you add load in small steps, which is what drives progress. If you train at home, Progrevia adapts the exercises to your equipment, but with light dumbbells maximal strength moves more slowly.
When will I notice I am stronger?
Soon: in the first 2-4 weeks much of the improvement is technique and coordination, and the weights go up fast. After that the pace slows and depends on progression and deloads.
How many sets per week does the 3-day strength routine have?
36 sets spread over 9 exercises and 3 sessions. The group that gets the most work is back, with 8 weekly sets.
How much weight should I add each week on the 3-day strength routine?
Only when you complete every set with clean form and reps left in reserve: on the main lifts, 2.5 kg for upper body and 5 kg for lower body is usually enough. Progrevia logs what you lift and suggests your next load; every few weeks it schedules a deload so strength keeps climbing. In this 3-day routine, the lifts you will progress most on are z-bar overhead press and barbell row.
Progrevia builds gym routines from your own data: periodization, RIR and week-by-week progression. Free, no card.