Tom Mutaffis 3-Day Split

[TomMutaffis]

One more, sorry for all of the related content...


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It can be tough to secure multiple pieces of equipment, but the premise of this program is generally to begin with compound exercise(s) and then move on to isolation movement(s).

Here is an example for Beginner & Intermediate Trainees:

Incline Barbell Press / Flat Dumbell Bench / Pushups (or) Bench Press / Flat Bench Dumbell Flys / Feet Elevated Pushups
For the first complex you will need two pieces of equipment, and for the second you only need one (busy gym). I will generally leave my weight belt or something similar on the piece of equipment and try to do circuits in close proximity if possible. At most gyms there are selectorized machines that are almost always available and so that is a great 3rd leg for the complex. You don't have to "reserve" them since in many cases you have options (more than one chest press / pec deck / etc.).

Here is another example for Advanced Trainees:

Incline or Flat Barbell Press / BW Chins / Standing Push Press / Bent Rows
Surprisingly you can actually do all of this in the power rack as long as it has a chinning bar. You can start the set with say 235 lbs - (1) 45 and (2) 25's on each side of the bar. Hit a clean 7-10 reps on the bench press then right away jump up and hit 7-10 BW chins. Strip the 25's off the bar and slide the bench back then push press 185 lbs for 5 reps. On the final clean bring the bar down just as you would after a power clean and place it on the floor. From here you can do bent rows or pendlay rows to finish off your back. This may seem a bit complicated but it is really quite easy and efficient.

Sometimes you have to be a bit creative. A good way to finish off a complex is a single dumbell movement such as the following:
- One-arm dumbell rows
- Concentration curls
- Overhead Dumbell extension
- One-arm dumbell press
- One-arm dumbell snatch

This makes it easy to throw in a final exercise that will really burn you out and test your limits without having to tie up a lot of equipment.

[TomMutaffis]

Last post related to the complexes, I have more but do not want to clog up this thread. Feel free to post questions relating to that routine or any of the others and I would be happy to answer them.

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Example Workout for Biceps / Triceps / Deltoids:

Complex 1:
Close Grip Bench Press (3-5 reps) / Seated Dumbell Military Press (5-7 reps) /
Triceps Pushdown (8-10 reps) / Upright Rows or Side Raises (8-10 reps)
*Perform this complex for 3 sets, progressive workload on the first two exercises and steady weight for the final two movements.

Complex 2:
Barbell Curls (5-8 reps) / Rope Hammer Curls (10 reps) / Alternating Dumbell Curls (8-10 reps per arm)
*Perform this for 2-3 sets, no need to change workload or intensity.

Optional Accessory Work:
Bodyweight Dips, Rear Delt Flyes, Concentration Curls.

[TomMutaffis]

Al / Broad Stance-

With regard to the routine being taxing on the shoulders; the program is actually not hard on your joints since you are only working with heavy weights on the first couple of movements and the rest of the workout tests your work capacity / strength endurance. It was not included in the initial post but for all of the workouts that I put together you typically rest 2-3 minutes between sets on primary compound movements and then only 1-2 minutes on all of the secondary work. Most of the hypertrophy work is going to be challenging because of the pace and that makes things a bit easier on your joints.

For someone who has maybe had tendonitis or other issues in the past (injuries, recovery problems, etc.) then I would maybe cut down the overall volume or just split things out into 4-5 days to shorten up the workouts.

Hopefully this makes sense. Thank you again for your feeback/support!

[NIguy]

Right gonna give these a read,
Cheers Tom

[TomMutaffis]

I also have a 'Modified GVT for Advanced Hypertrophy' program that I wrote up.

If anyone is interested I can post it here as well.

[blackrazor]

Post it. I am looking for somthing new.

[rugbyfan88]

Are you of the opinion that working muscle groups once per week is a decent way to train for beginners who are interested in hypertrophy?

[TomMutaffis]

Post it. I am looking for somthing new.

Here you go:

I wrote this program for someone and figured that it could be a valuable hypertrophy routine that people on this site could utilize. This is based off a german volume training (GVT) program with a bit of a twist; cycling the days when GVT is done to enable better recovery.

You can tweak the plan based on which bodyparts you wanted to focus on and where you felt that you needed the most work. For instance this program can be altered to designate a specific day for any bodypart, add in direct deltoid work, add in deadlifts, etc.

A workout week for that program might look something like this:

Monday: Back & Traps - GVT for pulldowns or rows, accessory work.
Tuesday: Chest - GVT for incline/flat barbell/dumbell press, accessory.
Wednesday: Off - Rest
Thursday: Legs - GVT for Squats/Leg Press, accessory.
Friday: Biceps & Triceps - GVT for curls/dips/close grip/pushdowns, accessory.
Saturday & Sunday: Off - Rest

Now this is just for your GVT work; each week you are only doing 1-2 GVT days.

What I am thinking is that you can alternate the GVT from week to week for Friday (arms) and then pick one of the other bodyparts and hit GVT that week (so either chest, back, or legs).

This would be an example training cycle:

Week 1:

Monday: Back & Traps - 10 x 10 (GVT) for Pulldowns, Accessory = Choices of rows, chins, hammer strength, shrugs (low intensity)
Tuesday: Chest - 3 sets of 5-8 reps with one incline and one flat movement, one barbell and one dumbell. Accessory - pec dec, crossovers, flys, machines.
Wednesday: Off - Rest
Thursday: Legs - 4 sets of 4-12 reps squats, 2 sets of 10 on various machines including hack squat, leg extension, leg curl, leg press, front squat, stiff leg deadlift, etc.
Friday: Biceps & Triceps - 10 x 10 (GVT) for Skull Crushers, Acessory work focused on the other muscle group; 2 sets of some of the following movements to include 6-8 total sets - preacher curls, alternating db curls, barberll curls, machine curls, spider curls, hercules curls, hammer curls.
Saturday & Sunday: Off - Rest


Week 2:

Monday: Back & Traps - 3 sets of 5-8 reps with chins, rows, hammer strength. Accessory = 2 sets of 10-12 reps with shrugs, pulldown, etc.
Tuesday: Chest - 10 x 10 (GVT) with primary movement. Accessory - 2 sets with dumbell/barbell press, 4 sets total of choice of pec dec, crossovers, flys, machines.
Wednesday: Off - Rest
Thursday: Legs - 4 sets of 6-10 reps squats, 2 sets of 10 on various machines including hack squat, leg extension, leg curl, leg press, front squat, stiff leg deadlift, etc.
Friday: Biceps & Triceps - 10 x 10 (GVT) for Biceps Curls, Acessory work focused on the other muscle group; 2 sets of some of the following movements to include 6-8 total sets - dips, pushdowns, close grip bench, overhead dumbell extension, skull crushers, machines.
Saturday & Sunday: Off - Rest

Week 3:

Monday: Back & Traps - 3 sets of 6-10 reps with two exercises in the following categories: chins, rows, hammer strength. Accessory = 2 sets of 10-12 reps with shrugs, pulldown, etc.
Tuesday: Chest - 3 sets of 5-8 reps with one incline and one flat movement, one barbell and one dumbell. Accessory - pec dec, crossovers, flys, machines.
Wednesday: Off - Rest
Thursday: Legs - 10 x 10 with Squats / Leg Press, accessory work of 2-3 sets of 10 leg extensions and leg curls.
Friday: Biceps & Triceps - 5 x 5 for biceps and 5 x 5 for triceps; free weight movement. Accessory machine work - supersets.
Saturday & Sunday: Off - Rest

Week 4:

Deload (12-15 sets per workout, 8-12 rep range, medium intensity)

Monday: Back & Traps
Tuesday: Chest
Wednesday:Off - Rest
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Biceps & Triceps
Saturday & Sunday: Off - Rest

Week 5:

Repeat week one, change exercises or adjust weight for variation / challenge.


I would follow this 4 week rotation for maybe 2-3 full cycles (8-12 weeks) and then get onto something different. The volume should be a good shock to your body and will spark some solid hypertrophy gains.

Remember for GVT you need to pick a weight that you could do for 12-14 reps for the 10x10 and abide by the rest periods. You are meant to miss some lifts in the middle but your body should start to recover and finish strong.

[TomMutaffis]

Are you of the opinion that working muscle groups once per week is a decent way to train for beginners who are interested in hypertrophy?

I have always made the best gains training once per week, although there are ways to train 2X/wk if you respond better to volume/repetition. The most important thing is to moderate your program to avoid overtraining. If you are doing one high intensity day with heavy compound movements then the other day should be limited volume and intensity. A 2X/wk program can be effective as long as it is structured properly.

This would almost parallel the 'Westside' method for powerlifting where they have a max effort and dynamic effort day. For a bodybuilder or someone with hypertrophy goals you can translate this over to a high intensity 'power' day and a lower intensity 'volume/pump' day.

[dcarson90]

Finally someone with attention to detail.

[dcarson90]

Looks great man I'm gonna try this out, I focus on the movement before I get into drop sets.HA HA I would rather take your advice then the other guy on my post who was 5'11 and 120 lbs no offense to him his workout seemed pretty good but your a more trusted source.

lol, you talking about me?

[GinGin58]

Good luck with the program, let me know how it works out for you and if you would like for me to customize anything for your specific objectives/needs.

I also posted a 4/5 Day Program in this thread that you may want to take a look at as well.

our weight room is only open mon,wed,fri so i can only do the 3 day workout. I started the workout on the leg day and it was insane. I love the workout so far! Is this workout based for toning or based for strength gain??

[lefthookright]

I really like the look of your 3 days split but is there a set form of progression in it or should that be left up to the user and if so how would you go about it.

[ericpad]

Both of the posted routines are great! I'm thinking about starting out with one of these this week.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on weight progression too.

[azzuk23]

good thread... bump for the masses

[BillabongVolcom]

Tom, what are your thoughts on lower volume style workouts? Right now I pretty much cut my workouts in half to see what happens.

I do a max of 6 sets for each muscle group, basically focusing on trying to add weight/reps each week as much as possible.

Example workouts.

Chest
2 x 3-5 Flat DB Bench
2 x 6-8 Incline BB Bench
2 x 8-12 Incline DB Fly's

Back/Rear Delts
2 x 3-5 Bent-over Rows
2 x 6-8 Single Arm DB Rows
2 x 8-12 Underhand Pull-downs
2 x 8-12 Bent-over Rear DB Laterals

Legs
3 x 50/40/30 Leg Extensions (Basically a warm-up)
2 x 3-5 Stiff Leg Dead-lift
2 x 12-15 Squats (Full Squats)
2 x 12-15 Walking BB Lunges
2 x 8-12 Leg Curls

Etc.

[CookAndrewB]

Bill (pardon me if I jump in here, Tom), I think the question would be "why are you cutting volume?"

If you are having a hard time recovering from higher volume, then I think it makes sense to cut back and then maybe gradually add back in until you find a sweet spot.

The only real issue I take with this style training is when someone can do more, and they simply don't. I took that route for a long time, and my gains actually took off when I stopped doing "as little as possible to make gains" and started doing as much as I could. I have had periods where I was simply too cautious with my recovery, and my gains were not great under that training style. I have also been overly ambitious, and the gains were just as slow. So there is a lot of wisdom to the idea that you need to do as much as you can, so long as you can recover from it.

[TomMutaffis]

our weight room is only open mon,wed,fri so i can only do the 3 day workout. I started the workout on the leg day and it was insane. I love the workout so far! Is this workout based for toning or based for strength gain??

These workouts are meant to give you a mix of strength, hypertrophy, and conditioning.

I am glad that you like the program so far!

[TomMutaffis]

I really like the look of your 3 days split but is there a set form of progression in it or should that be left up to the user and if so how would you go about it.

I usually like to leave it up to the user; although I do typically prefer a dual progression program. Here is something that I wrote up for my friend who was trying to improve his log press, and it has worked well so far.

Log Press Progession (Saturdays)

Phase 1:

Week 1: 250 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 2: 265 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 3: 255 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 4: 270 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 5: 260 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 6: 280 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 7: Deload

Phase 2: (15 lbs Jumps on Singles)

Week 8: 260 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 9: 250 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 10: 275 x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 11: 260 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 12: 290 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets

Phase 2 Alternative: (10 lbs Jumps on Singles)

Week 8: 250 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 9: 270 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 10: 255 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 11: 280 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets
Week 12: 260 lbs x 2 Reps x 5 Sets
Week 13: 290 lbs x 1 Rep x 5 Sets

Accessory Work: Close Grip Bench Press (Wednesdays), 6 Sets of 4 Reps.


Usually I will do something like this with my gym training where one week I am shooting for a rep PR or max effort set and the other week I am still working hard but not at 100%. This allows the trainee to make steady progression and not have missed lifts or have to worry about deloading frequently to avoid overtraining.

A lot of programs force you into a specific rep scheme or intensity level and that can set you up for failure in certain cases, so I like to base the progression on the individual.

I can set something up that is specific to your goals if you would like...

[TomMutaffis]

Tom, what are your thoughts on lower volume style workouts? Right now I pretty much cut my workouts in half to see what happens.

I do a max of 6 sets for each muscle group, basically focusing on trying to add weight/reps each week as much as possible.

Example workouts.

Chest
2 x 3-5 Flat DB Bench
2 x 6-8 Incline BB Bench
2 x 8-12 Incline DB Fly's

Back/Rear Delts
2 x 3-5 Bent-over Rows
2 x 6-8 Single Arm DB Rows
2 x 8-12 Underhand Pull-downs
2 x 8-12 Bent-over Rear DB Laterals

Legs
3 x 50/40/30 Leg Extensions (Basically a warm-up)
2 x 3-5 Stiff Leg Dead-lift
2 x 12-15 Squats (Full Squats)
2 x 12-15 Walking BB Lunges
2 x 8-12 Leg Curls

Etc.

Having ample recovery is better than overtraining, but not doing enough work could hold you back as well. If you are cutting volume in place of higher intensity (Like DC Training) then that is fine. If you are cutting volume because you are having problems with recovery / progression then that is fine as well. One thing to keep in mind though would be that in many cases volume is what provides you with the best hypertrophy gains and in many cases there are other factors that could be contributing if you are not making progress.

The one thing that jumps out about your program is that you may benefit from a few more compound movements (Chins, Dips), and also perhaps some direct arm/shoulder work if you have physique goals.

Are you looking for a strength-oriented program? I can write up a 3-Day low volume routine if you would like.

[lefthookright]

Usually I will do something like this with my gym training where one week I am shooting for a rep PR or max effort set and the other week I am still working hard but not at 100%. This allows the trainee to make steady progression and not have missed lifts or have to worry about deloading frequently to avoid overtraining.

A lot of programs force you into a specific rep scheme or intensity level and that can set you up for failure in certain cases, so I like to base the progression on the individual.

I can set something up that is specific to your goals if you would like...

Wow if you really could do that that would be great. If it helps any right now I'm going more for rep maxes from 1-5 Just trying to build up strength mostly. I do wish to compete in powerlifting or strongman contests in the future you know something where the winner isn't decided by someone's eyes if you don't have the time to or can't that's fine to. Thanks for your time

[TinyK]

That is a good point, thank you for the feedback.

I would say that the volume (number of exercises) is manageable for a beginner but you would probably want to change the rep scheme a bit. To adapt this program for a beginner I would eliminated (1) set on each of the initial compound movements and perform sets of 8-10 reps on all exercises.

It is important for a beginner trainee to incorporate compound movements and allow for ample recovery - which this program does offer.

Hi Tom,

Why would you recommend 8-10 reps for a beginner? Just curious, because most people on the boards would say stick with 5 reps and frown upon 8-10 for a beginner.

Thanks

[TomMutaffis]

Hi Tom,

Why would you recommend 8-10 reps for a beginner? Just curious, because most people on the boards would say stick with 5 reps and frown upon 8-10 for a beginner.

Thanks

My definition of a 'Beginner' is someone with less than (3) months of weight training experience. I know that sometimes this figure can be up to a year or more and some definitions also consider strength.

What I have found is that most people do not have good technique when they start weight training (understandably). In order to learn proper technique you need to work with manageable weights and perform a lot of repetition. In your first couple of months there is no need to worry that much about strength gains, the main thing is that you are stimulating muscle growth and improving your body's recovery abilities. Strength levels is also another big factor. Even someone who is 'very strong' is probably only bench pressing their bodyweight or slightly more when they first start out. If this individual is constantly doing max effort work they may be stimulating strength gains, but will not stimulate much growth since volume will be lacking.

For a new trainee I would rather see someone perform (8) clean reps with 115 lbs then a sloppy set of (4) reps with 135 lbs. In the end the trainee with the higher workload and who learns proper technique first can push things harder after that initial learning period. Someone who starts off doing very heavy lifting will likely have poor technique and will not have the same size gains as someone with good form and more volume.

This does not mean that an individual cannot do some lower rep work to test their strength levels or on compound movements where higher reps do not make sense (deadlift, OLY lifting, etc.). It is just a general rule of thumb since I see a lot of guys maxing out on triceps pushdowns, military press, or lat pulldown - when they would get a lot more out of putting in some quality work and getting some volume under their belt.

Hopefully this makes sense. For an intermediate trainee I would absolutely recommend training in the 3-8 rep range for compound movements and 7-12 reps for isolation and accessory work.

[lefthookright]

Looked through the thread couldn't find anything too specific. If you ever have time I would just like a form of progression on the big three and maybe military press for the 3 day split you made. Also at my gym dumbells only go up to 45 so would Barbell Bench and Rows be ok in place of dumbells press and one arm dumbell rows? And also I may like to add some GPP work in any suggestions? Thanks for all your time.

[pixeljr]

Hey TomMutaffis,

Just wanted to say thanks for the thread and info. I just took a week off the gym and was wondering what to do when I got back. Found your thread and lots of good info.

Thanks!

and repped for the thread

[callmeunodos]

Tom,

Just completed your back workout for the 4 day split (did chest & tris yesterday) and I'm impressed! I was a little skeptical at first due to the lower amount of sets, but my back is on fire, I love it! Definitely repped you!

One question, how long should I rest between sets? Today I kept it between about 90 seconds and 2 minutes. Thanks again.

[TomMutaffis]

Looked through the thread couldn't find anything too specific. If you ever have time I would just like a form of progression on the big three and maybe military press for the 3 day split you made. Also at my gym dumbells only go up to 45 so would Barbell Bench and Rows be ok in place of dumbells press and one arm dumbell rows? And also I may like to add some GPP work in any suggestions? Thanks for all your time.

Progression for main compound lifts can follow a 5/3/1 protocol or an alternating volume/power protocol. Most people respond well performing between 3-5 sets of 3-8 reps on the heavy compound movements, with varying intensity from week to week.

If you do not have access to heavy dumbbells then you can do BB military press but make sure to keep a full range of motion. I see a lot of guys doing 'lockouts' and using basically 100% triceps when they are attempting to train their deltoids. To replace DB rows you can do a mix of overhand and underhand BB rows (or even superset them).

For GPP work things like plyometrics, sled drags, barbell complexes, and high rep OLY lifting are all great options.

Hope this helps.

[TomMutaffis]

Hey TomMutaffis,

Just wanted to say thanks for the thread and info. I just took a week off the gym and was wondering what to do when I got back. Found your thread and lots of good info.

Thanks!

and repped for the thread

Thank you for the feedback, let me know how the programs work for you.

[TomMutaffis]

Tom,

Just completed your back workout for the 4 day split (did chest & tris yesterday) and I'm impressed! I was a little skeptical at first due to the lower amount of sets, but my back is on fire, I love it! Definitely repped you!

One question, how long should I rest between sets? Today I kept it between about 90 seconds and 2 minutes. Thanks again.

I typically rest about 2-3 minutes between sets on the first movement (heavy compound lift) and then speed things up through the remainder of the workout and cut my rest periods down to 1-2 minutes.

Glad to hear that you liked the workout.

[Ironwake]

First routine looks good Tom, I might use it when I start my cut sometime early next year.

When you ran the program, I'm assuming you were eating in a surplus... any experiences on it while in a deficit? Also, how about the progression from week to week, as well as starting weights?