The Best Examples of Full-Body Workout Plans for Muscle Gain

Real-world examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain

Let’s skip the theory and start with what you came for: real examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain that you can actually follow. We’ll walk through several weekly setups—2, 3, and 4 training days—because not everyone lives in the gym or has the same recovery needs.

Each example of a full-body workout plan below focuses on:

• Big compound lifts to hit multiple muscle groups
• Enough volume (sets and reps) to stimulate growth
• A simple structure that you can repeat and progressively overload

You can treat these as plug-and-play templates, then swap exercises as needed for your equipment or joint comfort.

Example of a 2-day full-body workout plan for busy lifters

If you can only train twice per week, you can still build muscle. You just need to make every set count.

Here’s an example of a full-body workout plan spread over two non-consecutive days, like Monday and Thursday.

Day 1 – Strength-focused full body
Think of this as your heavier day with slightly lower reps.

• Barbell back squat – 4 sets of 5–6 reps
• Flat barbell or dumbbell bench press – 4 sets of 5–6 reps
• Bent-over barbell row or chest-supported row – 4 sets of 6–8 reps
• Romanian deadlift – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Standing overhead press – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Plank – 3 sets of 30–45 seconds

Day 2 – Hypertrophy-focused full body
Moderate loads, more reps, more pump.

• Front squat or goblet squat – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Incline dumbbell press – 3 sets of 8–12 reps
• Lat pulldown or pull-up (assisted if needed) – 3 sets of 8–12 reps
• Hip thrust or glute bridge – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Lateral raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Cable curls – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Rope triceps pushdowns – 3 sets of 10–12 reps

This is one of the best examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain for people who are short on time but still serious about results. You’re training every major muscle group twice per week with enough volume to grow, as long as you’re eating in a slight calorie surplus and getting enough protein.

Classic 3-day examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain

Training three days per week is a sweet spot for many people: plenty of stimulus, enough recovery, and still a life outside the gym. Here are two different 3-day examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain—one more beginner-friendly, one better for intermediate lifters.

Beginner-friendly 3-day full-body plan (A/B rotation)

You’ll alternate two workouts across three days, like this:

• Week 1: A / B / A
• Week 2: B / A / B

Workout A

• Back squat – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Bench press – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Dumbbell Romanian deadlift – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Seated cable row – 2–3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Standing calf raises – 3 sets of 10–15 reps
• Hanging knee raises – 3 sets of 10–15 reps

Workout B

• Deadlift (conventional or trap bar) – 3 sets of 4–6 reps
• Overhead press – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Dumbbell incline press – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• One-arm dumbbell row – 3 sets of 8–10 reps each side
• Leg press or split squats – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Cable lateral raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Cable woodchops – 3 sets of 10–12 reps each side

This example of a full-body workout plan hits every major muscle group three times every two weeks, which is plenty for beginners and early intermediates.

Intermediate 3-day full-body plan with emphasis shifts

If you’ve been lifting a while, you may want to bias certain days toward specific areas while still training the whole body each time. Here’s one of my favorite real examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain for intermediates:

• Day 1: Lower-body emphasis
• Day 2: Push emphasis (chest, shoulders, triceps)
• Day 3: Pull emphasis (back, biceps)

Day 1 – Lower emphasis full body

• Back squat – 4 sets of 5–6 reps
• Romanian deadlift – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Walking lunges – 3 sets of 10–12 steps per leg
• Pull-ups or lat pulldowns – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Flat dumbbell bench press – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Standing calf raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps

Day 2 – Push emphasis full body

• Bench press – 4 sets of 5–6 reps
• Overhead press – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Incline dumbbell press – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Cable lateral raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Triceps dips (assisted if needed) – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Leg press – 3 sets of 10–12 reps

Day 3 – Pull emphasis full body

• Deadlift or trap bar deadlift – 3 sets of 4–6 reps
• Bent-over barbell row – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Seated cable row – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Face pulls – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• EZ-bar curls – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Reverse lunges – 3 sets of 10–12 reps per leg

This is one of the best examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain if you like heavier barbell work but still want plenty of volume for aesthetics.

4-day examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain

Four full-body days per week is advanced territory. You’ll want to watch your recovery, sleep, and nutrition closely. But if those are in order, this can deliver serious muscle.

Here’s an example of a 4-day full-body workout plan using an upper/lower bias while still touching everything each day.

Day 1 – Heavy lower, light upper

• Back squat – 4 sets of 4–6 reps
• Romanian deadlift – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Leg press – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Push-ups – 3 sets close to failure
• Lat pulldowns – 3 sets of 10–12 reps

Day 2 – Heavy upper, light lower

• Bench press – 4 sets of 4–6 reps
• Weighted pull-ups or heavy pulldowns – 4 sets of 6–8 reps
• Overhead press – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Bulgarian split squats – 3 sets of 10–12 reps per leg
• Hamstring curls – 3 sets of 10–12 reps

Day 3 – Moderate lower, pump upper

• Front squat – 3 sets of 6–8 reps
• Hip thrust – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• Seated calf raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Incline dumbbell press – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Cable rows – 3 sets of 10–12 reps
• Lateral raises – 3 sets of 12–15 reps

Day 4 – Moderate upper, pump lower

• Dumbbell bench press – 3 sets of 8–10 reps
• One-arm dumbbell rows – 3 sets of 8–10 reps per arm
• Face pulls – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Leg extensions – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Hamstring curls – 3 sets of 12–15 reps
• Walking lunges – 2–3 sets of 12–15 steps per leg

This is one of the more demanding examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain, so it suits experienced lifters who already have solid technique and recovery habits.

Home-gym examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain

Not everyone has a full commercial gym. The good news: you can still get jacked with a barbell, some dumbbells, or even just bodyweight and bands.

Minimal equipment full-body plan (barbell + dumbbells)

Here’s a real example of a full-body workout plan for muscle gain you can run three days per week with basic gear:

Workout 1

• Barbell back squat
• Flat barbell or dumbbell bench press
• Bent-over barbell row
• Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
• Standing overhead press
• Dumbbell curls
• Overhead dumbbell triceps extensions

Workout 2

• Front squat or goblet squat
• Incline dumbbell press
• One-arm dumbbell row
• Hip thrust (barbell or dumbbell)
• Push-ups (weighted if possible)
• Lateral raises
• Planks or ab wheel rollouts

Alternate these workouts three days per week (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri) and progress the weights over time.

Bodyweight-focused full-body plan

If you’re mostly using bodyweight, think in terms of progression (easier to harder variations) rather than just adding weight.

Full-body bodyweight session

• Squats → progress to jump squats or pistol squat variations
• Push-ups → progress to decline or weighted push-ups
• Inverted rows under a sturdy table or bar
• Hip bridges → progress to single-leg hip bridges
• Pike push-ups for shoulders
• Planks → progress to side planks and longer holds

This won’t be the best example of a full-body workout plan for muscle gain if your goal is maximum size, but it’s surprisingly effective for beginners or travel phases when you can’t access weights.

How to progress these full-body plans for ongoing muscle gain

Looking at examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain is helpful, but progress comes from how you use them.

Here are the big rocks:

Progressive overload.
Aim to add a small amount of weight, a rep or two, or an extra set over time. When you can hit the top of your rep range on all sets with solid form, bump the weight slightly next session or next week.

Volume and frequency.
Research suggests that around 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week is a solid range for hypertrophy for most people. Full-body plans make this easier to spread across the week so you’re not annihilating one muscle in a single session. You can read more about training volume and hypertrophy in resources from the National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/

Recovery and nutrition.
Muscle is built outside the gym. Most lifters aiming for muscle gain do better in a small calorie surplus with adequate protein. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and resources from the NIH and CDC offer helpful baselines on protein intake and overall nutrition:

• https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov
• https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/index.html

Sleep and stress.
Poor sleep and high stress can blunt your progress, even if your workouts are on point. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute discusses the benefits of 7–9 hours of sleep for adults: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation

2024–2025 trends influencing full-body muscle-building plans

Full-body training isn’t new, but how people use it has shifted in recent years:

• More evidence-based programming. Lifters are paying closer attention to weekly volume, proximity to failure, and exercise selection instead of just copying body-part splits from bodybuilding magazines.
• Hybrid goals. Many want muscle gain plus better conditioning, so you’ll see full-body plans paired with short conditioning finishers or separate cardio days.
• Wearable tech and tracking. People are using watches and apps to monitor recovery, heart rate variability, and sleep, then adjusting training days accordingly.
• Home and micro-gyms. Since the pandemic, there’s been a steady rise in well-equipped home gyms, which is why you see more examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain built around adjustable dumbbells, racks, and bands.

The bottom line: full-body routines are no longer seen as just “beginner” plans. They’re used by serious lifters who want efficient, high-frequency training.

FAQ: examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain

Q: What are some simple examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain for beginners?
A: A very simple example is a 3-day plan using the same workout each day with small progressions: squat, bench press, row, hip hinge (like Romanian deadlift), overhead press, pulldown or pull-up, and a core movement. Do 3 sets of 6–10 reps for each, train every other day, and add a little weight or a rep each week.

Q: Can you give an example of a full-body workout plan that fits into 45 minutes?
A: Yes. Pick five big moves: squat, bench or push-up, row, hip hinge, and pulldown. Do 3 sets of 6–10 reps for each with short rest (60–90 seconds). That’s about 15 total sets, which most people can finish in 40–45 minutes, especially if you superset non-competing moves (like bench with rows).

Q: Are full-body plans better than body-part splits for muscle gain?
A: They’re not automatically better, but they’re often more efficient. Full-body routines make it easier to hit each muscle 2–3 times per week, which many studies associate with better hypertrophy, especially for non-advanced lifters. They’re also more forgiving if you miss a day—you still hit everything regularly.

Q: How long should I stick with one example of a full-body workout plan before changing it?
A: As long as you’re progressing—adding weight, reps, or sets—you can ride the same plan for months. Many lifters stick with a structure for 8–16 weeks, then tweak exercise variations or rep ranges while keeping the same basic framework.

Q: Do I need different examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain if I’m over 40?
A: The principles are the same, but you may recover a bit slower. That often means slightly fewer weekly sets, more attention to sleep and nutrition, and a bit more warm-up and mobility work. The 2-day and 3-day examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain in this article are excellent starting points for lifters over 40.

If you pick one of these examples of full-body workout plans for muscle gain, commit to it for at least 8–12 weeks, focus on adding weight or reps gradually, and support your training with food and sleep, you’ll be far ahead of the “new routine every week” crowd. The plan matters—but how consistently and intelligently you run it matters even more.