Best Workout Routines to Build Muscle: 5 Proven Plans for Any Schedule

There’s no secret routine that builds muscle fast. What works is simpler: train each muscle often enough, with enough hard sets, and keep making the work a little harder over time. Below are the principles that research supports, five proven routines for different schedules, and how to pick the right one for you.

Before you start: if you’re new to exercise, have a health condition or an injury, check with a doctor first. Learn the movements with light weights, and stop any exercise that causes sharp pain.

The short answer: what’s the best workout routine to build muscle?

The best routine is the one you can follow consistently that:

• Trains each muscle group at least twice a week.
• Includes roughly 10 or more hard sets per muscle group per week, built up gradually.
• Takes most sets close to failure, stopping when you have about 1 to 3 good reps left.
• Gets harder over time by adding weight, reps or sets (progressive overload).

Which split you use matters less than those four things. Pick it based on how many days a week you can train: 2 to 3 days suits full-body workouts, 4 days suits an upper/lower split, and 6 days suits push/pull/legs.

What the research says about building muscle

Train each muscle at least twice a week

A 2016 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine (Schoenfeld and colleagues) found that training a muscle group twice a week produced more muscle growth than once a week. The authors recommend training major muscle groups at least twice weekly; whether three times is better still isn’t settled.

Do enough sets

A 2017 analysis in the Journal of Sports Sciences (Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger) found that muscle growth increases with weekly training volume, and suggested about 10 or more sets per muscle group per week for the best results. The 10-set threshold was a trend rather than a firm cut-off, so treat it as a target to work up to, not a rule. Beginners grow well on less.

Light and heavy weights both work, if you push hard enough

A 2017 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Schoenfeld and colleagues) found that low-load and high-load training produced similar muscle growth, while heavier loads produced greater gains in maximal strength. In practice, anything from about 6 to 20 or more reps per set can build muscle, as long as the set is challenging. Heavier sets of 5 to 8 reps are better if strength is also a goal.

Eat enough protein

A 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Morton and colleagues) found that protein intake above about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day (roughly 0.7 grams per pound) gave no further gains in muscle mass from resistance training. For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, that’s about 112 grams a day, spread across meals. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your doctor before increasing protein.

Recover between sessions

Muscles grow between workouts, not during them. Give each muscle group at least a day off before training it hard again, sleep well, and eat enough overall. If performance keeps dropping or joints ache, take a lighter week.

5 proven workout routines for building muscle

These are sample templates. Choose weights that leave you with about 1 to 3 reps in reserve at the end of each set, and rest 1.5 to 3 minutes between sets of big lifts.

1. Full-body, 3 days a week (best for beginners)

Train Monday, Wednesday and Friday, alternating workouts A and B. Each muscle gets worked three times a week with plenty of recovery.

Workout A	Sets x reps	Workout B	Sets x reps
Squat (or goblet squat)	3 x 6–10	Romanian deadlift	3 x 8–10
Bench press (or push-up)	3 x 6–10	Overhead press	3 x 6–10
Bent-over row	3 x 8–12	Lat pulldown (or assisted pull-up)	3 x 8–12
Lunge or split squat	2 x 10–12 each leg	Leg press or step-up	2 x 10–12
Plank	2 x 30–45 s	Dead bug	2 x 8 each side

2. Upper/lower split, 4 days a week

Two upper-body days and two lower-body days, for example Monday (upper), Tuesday (lower), Thursday (upper), Friday (lower). Good for people past the beginner stage who can train four days.

Upper day	Sets x reps	Lower day	Sets x reps
Bench press or dumbbell press	3–4 x 6–10	Squat	3–4 x 6–10
Row (barbell, dumbbell or cable)	3–4 x 8–12	Romanian deadlift	3 x 8–10
Overhead press	3 x 8–10	Bulgarian split squat	3 x 8–12 each leg
Pull-up or lat pulldown	3 x 8–12	Leg curl	3 x 10–15
Biceps curl + triceps extension	2–3 x 10–15 each	Calf raise	3 x 10–15

3. Push/pull/legs, 3 or 6 days a week

Push days train chest, shoulders and triceps; pull days train back and biceps; leg days train the lower body. Run it once a week (3 days) or twice a week (6 days, with one rest day). The 6-day version gives each muscle two sessions a week but needs good recovery, so it suits experienced lifters.

Push	Pull	Legs
Bench press 3–4 x 6–10	Pull-up or pulldown 3–4 x 8–12	Squat 3–4 x 6–10
Incline dumbbell press 3 x 8–12	Row 3–4 x 8–12	Romanian deadlift 3 x 8–10
Overhead press 3 x 8–10	Face pull 3 x 12–15	Leg press or lunge 3 x 10–12
Lateral raise 3 x 12–15	Biceps curl 3 x 10–15	Leg curl 3 x 10–15
Triceps pushdown 3 x 10–15	Rear-delt fly 2–3 x 12–15	Calf raise 3 x 10–15

4. Full-body, 2 days a week (minimum effective routine)

Short on time? Two full-body sessions a week still train every muscle twice. Use workouts A and B from routine 1, add a set to each main lift, and leave at least two days between sessions.

5. Home routine with dumbbells or resistance bands

No gym needed. Do this 3 days a week. Bands and dumbbells both build muscle when the sets are hard; see our bands vs dumbbells comparison.

Exercise	Sets x reps
Goblet squat or band squat	3 x 10–15
Push-up (elevate hands to make it easier)	3 x as many as possible, stopping 1–2 reps short
One-arm dumbbell row or band row	3 x 10–15 each side
Dumbbell or band Romanian deadlift	3 x 10–15
Dumbbell or band shoulder press	3 x 10–15
Split squat	2 x 10–12 each leg

Which routine should you choose?

Days you can train	Experience	Best fit
2	Any	Full-body, 2 days (routine 4)
3	Beginner	Full-body, 3 days (routine 1)
3	Intermediate	Full-body or push/pull/legs once a week
4	Beginner to intermediate	Upper/lower (routine 2)
6	Experienced	Push/pull/legs twice a week (routine 3)
Any, at home	Any	Home routine (routine 5)

How to apply progressive overload

• Use a rep range. When you can do the top of the range (say 10 reps) for all sets with good form, add a little weight next time and drop back to the bottom of the range.
• Write it down. Log your weights and reps so you know what to beat next session.
• Add sets gradually. If progress stalls after several weeks and you’re recovering well, add one set per exercise.
• Keep form strict. Extra weight only counts if the technique stays the same.

Common mistakes

• Program hopping. Give a routine at least 8 to 12 weeks before judging it.
• Sets that are too easy. If you could do many more reps, the set isn’t doing much.
• Skipping legs or back. Balanced routines build more muscle and help posture.
• Not eating enough. It’s hard to gain muscle without enough protein and overall food.
• Too much, too soon. Jumping straight into six hard days a week often leads to aches and burnout.

Related reading

• 10 Exercises to Tone Your Legs and Glutes
• How to Choose Dumbbells as a Beginner
• Home Gym Equipment for Small Spaces
• How to Use Resistance Bands: Full-Body Exercises and Benefits