The 3-Day Per Week Workout Plan

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies Health and Fitness
Date Published: February 18, 2009

The 3-Day Per Week Workout Plan

“I just don’t have the time to workout!” Does this sound familiar? Lack of time is the number one reason people don’t engage in regular physical activity. Here’s the comforting news: no one has time to workout these days. You’re not alone; feel better? Well, here’s the guilt trip: People that workout regularly make time for it. “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Here’s the compromise: you can get fit, lose or manage your weight, and improve your health with only 3 workouts per week.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association recommends that adults under the age of 65 should engage in moderately intense cardio for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. 30 minutes a day isn’t much at all. The problem often doesn’t lie in the actual segment of exercise, but rather the preparation: having someone watch the kids, getting to the gym, and finding the energy. Well, the bright side is that the ACSM recommends an alternative: vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.

Making time for exercise 3 days out of the week is reasonable, right? Keep in mind that in order for fitness levels to improve you must increase the intensity. Strength training at least 2 times a week is important to maintain and build lean muscle mass, burn fat, improve metabolism, and increase strength and bone density. If you’re only able to exercise 3 days a week, there is plenty of time in between workouts for your body to recover so push yourself to work harder if you’re healthy and capable of doing so.

The Workouts

Day 1: Strength Training + 20 Minutes of Cardio
Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity
Strength Training:
Use dumbbells, body bar, or body weight for these exercises. Choose a weight that is challenging, but enables you to maintain proper form. Perform slow (2-3 count up/down) and controlled movements.
Squat: 3x 12
Chest Press: 3x12 or Push up: 3x20
Single Arm row: 3x12 on each side
Walking Lunch: 3x 10 on each leg
Shoulder Press: 3x12

Cardio: 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity.
An easy way to gage your intensity is by using the talk test. You should be able to speak, but it shouldn’t be comfortable to speak lengthy sentences or hold a conversation.

Day 2: Cardio/Strength Circuit

Alternate between 10 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity and 10 minutes of strength training. Perform 3 sets.
Warm up: 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity
Cardio Segments: Choose any form of aerobic activity: running, cycling, elliptical, jumping rope, etc. To prevent boredom you can mix and match, for example, running for one set and then cycling for another.
Strength Circuit 1 & 3
1 minute: walking lunges
30 seconds/side: Leg lifts
1 minute: Push-ups (do as many as you can in a row, then try to remain in push up position for the remainder of time)
1 minute: crunches
1 minute: Body weight squats
1 minute: Plank
1 minute: Leg raises for the lower abdominals
1 minute: Back extension
1 minute: Bicycle crunch
1 minute: Push-ups

Strength Circuit 2
Use a pair of dumbbells or a resistance band. Complete each of the exercises consecutively and then repeat for a total of 2 sets/10 minutes.
1 minute: Bicep Curl
1 minute: Tricep kickbacks
1 minute: Shoulder Press
1 minute: Low Row
1 minute: Lateral raise



Day 3: 45 Minutes of Interval Training

Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity
Alternate between 2 minutes of moderate intensity and 1 minute of high intensity activity for a total of 30-40 minutes. To increase your intensity add resistance (hills, higher level program on a machine) or increase your speed.

Guidelines for Success:

Weekly Plan

In order to ensure that you’re getting the workouts in you must plan it into your weekly schedule. Designate one hour 3 days a week to your workout. Know what activity you are going to do, where you’re going to do it, and what time. Days go by fast, you don’t want the end of the week to approach and all of sudden you’re struggling to get your workouts in on consecutive days. Your workouts will suffer, because you may be sore and tired from the day before, your chances of injury increase, and something may come up and the workout doesn’t get done.

Set Goals

Try to work just a little bit harder in each workout every week. That may mean get one more push-up than the week before or run faster for at least one or two of your intervals. Little improvements make a big difference in the long run. Each week you will have a sense of accomplishment and confidence that will you spur you on.

Change It Up

Once these workouts are manageable, and you’ve built upon them in your quest to reach goals, try something new. Your body adapts to a repeated stimulus. The change doesn’t need to be revolutionary. By even switching up the order of your exercises you can receive a benefit. Try a new class, take your workouts outside, or join a community exercise group. As you become more fit, you will most likely be open to more options. Take full advantage; it can do wonders for your mind, body, and spirit.