Is There a Template for a Good Workout Plan Reddit

The Only Reddit Workout Template You Actually Need

If you're asking "is there a template for a good workout plan reddit users recommend?", the answer is a definitive yes, but it's not the one you think. The best template is a simple 3-day full-body routine that will build more strength and muscle for 90% of beginners than the popular 6-day Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) splits you see everywhere. You're likely feeling overwhelmed by the alphabet soup of programs-PPL, PHUL, 5/3/1, GZCLP-and you're terrified of picking the wrong one and wasting three months of effort. You want a clear, proven path that just works. The truth is, the flashy, high-volume programs praised by advanced lifters are the exact reason most beginners quit. They are too much, too soon. The most effective strategy when you're starting out isn't about doing more; it's about doing the right things more often. This simple 3-day plan focuses on hitting every major muscle group three times per week, which is the optimal frequency for building your initial base of strength and skill. It prioritizes recovery, which is the single most overlooked component of getting stronger.

The Math That Proves 3 Days a Week Is Better Than 6

It feels counterintuitive, but training six days a week as a beginner is one of the fastest ways to stop making progress. The problem isn't your work ethic; it's a misunderstanding of how muscles actually grow. Growth happens during recovery, not during the workout itself. When you follow a 6-day PPL split, you're only giving yourself one full day of rest. This creates a massive "recovery debt" that your body can't pay back. Your nervous system gets fried, your joints start to ache, and your motivation plummets. Let's look at the math. A beginner's progress is driven by frequency and neurological adaptation-teaching your brain to fire the right muscles. A 3-day full-body plan hits your legs, chest, and back three times every seven days. A PPL split hits each of them only twice. That's 52 more growth signals per muscle group per year on the 3-day plan. For example, doing 3 sets of squats 3 times a week gives you 9 total sets spread across the week, with a full day of recovery between each session. A PPL leg day might cram 6-8 sets into one brutal workout, leaving you too sore to walk and unable to train that muscle again for days. The 3-day plan provides a better stimulus with far less systemic fatigue, allowing you to consistently add weight to the bar week after week. That consistency is what builds real strength, not a single heroic workout that leaves you wrecked for a week.

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The "Reddit Recommended" 3-Day Template: Your Exact Plan

This is the template. It's not fancy, but it's brutally effective and has been the foundation for countless successful lifters. It's built on the most productive exercises known to man: compound lifts. You will alternate between two full-body workouts (Workout A and Workout B) three days a week on non-consecutive days. A common schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

• Week 1: Monday (A), Wednesday (B), Friday (A)
• Week 2: Monday (B), Wednesday (A), Friday (B)

### Step 1: The A/B Workout Structure

Keep it simple. No extra exercises for the first 12 weeks. Your goal is to get brutally strong at these five movements. The reps and sets are 5 sets of 5 reps, except for the deadlift, which is 1 set of 5 reps after you warm up. Deadlifts are incredibly taxing, and one heavy top set is all you need.

Workout A:

• Squat: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Bench Press: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell Row: 5 sets of 5 reps

Workout B:

• Squat: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Overhead Press (OHP): 5 sets of 5 reps
• Deadlift: 1 set of 5 reps

### Step 2: How to Choose Your Starting Weight (The 50% Rule)

This is the most important step. Start too heavy, and you will fail in two weeks. Start light, and you build momentum that carries you for months. For your first workout, use an empty 45-pound barbell for every exercise to practice the form. For your second workout, find a weight you think you can lift for 10 reps, and then start your 5x5 sets with only 50% of that weight. If you can bench press 135 pounds for a few reps, you will start your 5x5 working sets with around 75 pounds. It will feel ridiculously easy. That is the point. You are building a runway, not attempting a vertical takeoff. This gives you weeks of guaranteed progress as you add weight, perfecting your form and conditioning your body for the heavier loads to come.

### Step 3: The Progression Plan That Never Fails

This is the engine of the program. The rule is simple: if you successfully complete all 5 sets of 5 reps for an exercise, you add 5 pounds to that exercise in your next workout. For the Overhead Press, use smaller 2.5-pound increments if possible, as it's a harder lift to progress. That's it. This is called linear progression. You continue adding 5 pounds every single workout. Eventually, you will fail to complete all 5x5 reps. This is not failure; it is expected. If you fail to hit your 5x5 reps for three consecutive workouts on the same lift, you will perform a deload. To do this, reduce the weight on that specific lift by 15%. For example, if you get stuck at a 225-pound squat, you will deload to 190 pounds (225 * 0.85) and work your way back up, adding 5 pounds each workout. This deload allows your body to recover and smash through the plateau when you reach it again.

Your First 8 Weeks: What Progress Actually Looks Like

Your journey won't be a smooth, linear line. Understanding the phases will keep you from quitting when things get tough. This is what you should expect.

• Week 1-2: "This Feels Too Easy."

You will leave the gym feeling like you could have done more. Good. You are practicing the movements and letting your tendons and ligaments adapt. You should have zero to minimal muscle soreness. Your job here is to show up, execute the lifts with perfect form, and go home. Don't add extra exercises or sets. Trust the process.

• Week 3-5: "Okay, This is Getting Hard."

The 5 pounds you've been adding each workout starts to accumulate. The last set of 5 reps will become a real grind. You'll start to feel the challenge and might experience some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is the sweet spot. The work is hard enough to trigger growth but not so hard that you can't recover for the next session. This is where your mental focus becomes critical.

• Week 6-8: "I Hit a Wall."

This is the moment of truth. You will attempt a new personal record on your squat or bench and only get 4 reps on your last set. Your first instinct will be to think the program has stopped working. This is wrong. Hitting a wall is a sign the program *is* working. The weights are now heavy enough to truly challenge your body's limits. This is where you apply the deload protocol from Section 3. Most people quit here. You will deload, build back up, and break through this plateau, emerging significantly stronger on the other side.

In these first 8 weeks, it's realistic to add 40-50 pounds to your squat, 50-60 pounds to your deadlift, and 20-25 pounds to your bench press if you eat and sleep correctly. That is life-changing progress.

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Frequently Asked Questions

### The Best Reddit Template for Fat Loss vs. Muscle Gain

This workout template is for building strength. Your diet determines whether you lose fat or build muscle. To lose fat, eat in a 300-500 calorie deficit. To build muscle, eat in a 200-300 calorie surplus. The workout itself does not change. Lifting heavy is critical in both phases to preserve (or build) muscle mass.

### PPL vs. Full Body for Beginners

Full-body is superior for beginners because it provides a higher frequency of stimulus (hitting each muscle 3x per week). This is ideal for neurological adaptations-your brain learning to lift. PPL is a great split for intermediate lifters who need more volume per session and whose recovery systems can handle it.

### Adding Accessory Exercises to the Template

Do not add any accessory exercises (like bicep curls or tricep pushdowns) for at least the first 12 weeks. Your energy and recovery capacity are finite. Every bit of it should be dedicated to getting stronger on your squat, bench, press, row, and deadlift. These five lifts will build more muscle on your arms than curls ever will at this stage.

### Rest Time Between Sets

Rest 2-3 minutes between your sets. For your final, heaviest sets of 5, you can and should rest as long as 5 minutes. This is not cardio. The goal is to lift the maximal weight for the prescribed reps, and that requires near-full recovery of the ATP-PC energy system. Don't rush your rests.

### What to Do After This Program

You should run this linear progression program for as long as you can make progress, which is typically 4-9 months. Once you find yourself deloading frequently and progress stalls, you are no longer a beginner. At that point, you will be ready to graduate to an intermediate program like Wendler's 5/3/1 or GZCLP.