Bodybuilding 313: The Best 3-On, 1-Off Bodybuilding Split

Bodybuilding 313 isn’t a secret area code for jacked people.

It’s a 3-day bodybuilding split based on one of the most classic and effective ways to structure your training.

3 days on, 1 day off. Chest and back on day 1, legs on day 2, and shoulders and arms on day 3. Repeat and grow.

Here’s what 313 is, how it works, and why you should consider following the program.

What Is the Bodybuilding 313 Split?

Bodybuilding 313 is a rotating 3-day split, like this:

• Day 1: Chest + Back
• Day 2: Legs
• Day 3: Shoulders + Arms
• Day 4: Rest

Then repeat.

Yes, that means you don’t train a certain muscle group on a certain day. Instead, the program keeps rolling forward like Donald Duck’s car (fun fact: it has 313 on the license plate).

Your muscles don’t know what day it is, and they don’t care, but if you absolutely, positively need weekends off, you might want to take a look at something like our PPLUL split or Bodybuilding Ballet program.

With Bodybuilding 313, you get:

• A high training frequency
• Enough volume to grow
• A strategic rest day
• A classic bodybuilding feel

Plenty of the good stuff.

It’s a body-part split, but not the kind where you train chest once every seven days and wait an entire week to blast it again. Hitting each body part every 4 days is a very nice place to be for muscle growth.

Why Chest + Back Together?

Chest and back – now there’s a legendary combo.

Arnold did it. A bunch of super successful bodybuilders have done it. And while “big bodybuilders did it” is not a peer-reviewed argument, training chest and back together does have other merits.

First: they’re opposing muscle groups. You press with your chest, and you pull with your back. One side works while the other rests.

This combo also gives you one of the best upper-body pumps known to man. Chest full, lats wide, confidence up 18%. Maybe 19% if you wear a stringer tank top.

You can train chest and back in several ways:

• Straight sets: you finish all sets for one chest exercise, then move to a back exercise.
• Alternating sets: do a chest exercise, rest, do a back exercise, rest, repeat.

Bodybuilding 313 is programmed with straight sets as the default in the StrengthLog app. You start with chest in the first 3-day round and with back in the second round.

But you’re free to alternate exercises if you prefer. Some research shows that you get more volume and more reps that way.

Bodybuilding 313 Day by Day

Here’s a sneak peek at what the first 3-day round of Bodybuilding 313 looks like, so you can get the feel of the program.

I’ve designed this program so that you can adapt it the way you prefer. Think of it as a template, not something set in stone that you must follow down to the letter each workout.

For example, let’s say the program calls for the good old barbell bench press (it does, actually – as the first exercise of the very first workout), but you don’t like benching. Or you can’t do it because of cranky shoulders.

No problem. Switch it out for a similar exercise you can do, such as machine chest presses or dumbbell presses. The app can even suggest suitable alternatives for you.

Week 1, Workout 1

Chest + Back

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	4	5–10 (pyramid)
Incline Dumbbell Press	4	8–12
Cable Chest Fly	4	8–12
Barbell Row	4	6–10 (pyramid)
T-Bar Row	4	8–12
Cable Seated Row	4	8–12

Note: As you can see, this is a row-heavy back workout for thickness. The pulldowns, for width, are in the next one.

Week 1, Workout 2

Legs + Abs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	4	5–10 (pyramid)
Front Squat	4	5–8
Leg Extension	4	8–12
Leg Curl	6	8–12
Standing Calf Raise	6	8–12
Hanging Leg Raise	4	As many as you can

Note: This is a squat-focused workout. The next one features more machine-based quad training and stiff-legged deadlifts instead of leg curls, so you train all parts of your hamstrings.

Week 1, Workout 3

Shoulders + Arms

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Overhead Press	3	5–10 (pyramid)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4	8–12
Cable Lateral Raise	4	8–12
Barbell Curl	4	6–8
Dumbbell Preacher Curl	4	8–12
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension	4	6–8
Standing Triceps Extension	4	8–12

Note: Same deal here, with different exercises and a different focus (rear delts, more cables) next workout.

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• The program has built-in progression week by week.
• The training volume starts conservatively and increases over time.
• Recommended 1RM percentages or compound lifts like the bench press and squat are outlined in the app.

Weight Selection and Progression

If you want to build muscle, you need to give your body a reason to build muscle, and that reason is called progressive overload.

Progressive overload means increasing the demands of your training over time.

For beginners, progression usually means adding weight. That’s part of it for bodybuilders as well, but it’s not the whole story.

Bodybuilding 313 uses several forms of progression: traditional percentage-based progression, as well as double and triple progression.

Here’s how it works.

Double Progression

With double progression, you increase two things when you can: reps and weight.

1. Pick a rep range, such as 8–12 reps (313 has built-in recommended rep ranges).
2. Choose a weight you can lift for the lower end (8–9 reps) of that range.
3. Try to add reps over time until you can hit 12 reps on all sets.
4. Then increase the weight slightly.
5. Your reps will drop back down.
6. Build them up again.
7. Repeat until you’re swole.

Triple Progression

Triple progression is almost the same as double progression, but you add a third variable: sets.

1. Pick a set and rep range, such as 3–5 sets for 8–12 reps.
2. Start at the bottom of the set range, 3 sets in this case.
3. Choose a weight you can lift for the lower end (8–9 reps) of that range.
4. Try to add reps over time until you can hit 12 reps on all sets.
5. Then add a set. If you did 3 sets, start doing 4.
6. Once you reach your maximum target reps across your maximum target sets, increase the weight a little.
7. Drop your sets and/or reps, then start building back up with a heavier weight.

When you follow the 313 program in our app, it handles the double and triple progression cycles for you.

Percentage-Based Progression

In big lifts like squats and bench presses, 313 suggests percentages of your one-rep max (1RM) for each set.

When you start the program, you enter your current 1RM, and the app will calculate your training weights.

Be sure to use your current estimated 1RM, not your all-time best (unless they are the same), or you’ll end up struggling with weights that are too heavy right now.

Quick Checklist and Loading Recommendations

Don’t go so heavy that you can’t complete your reps with good form. Slight body English on the final rep is OK, but 9/10 should be clean.

• On compound lifts, stop with 1–2 reps in reserve. You should train hard, but you don’t need to take every set to failure.
• On isolation exercises (lateral raises, curls, pushdowns, leg extensions, and so on), feel free to go all the way to failure every so often. There’s little to no extra injury risk, and you don’t compromise your recovery.

When you can do all recommended reps on all sets of an exercise, increase the weight by the smallest practical amount.

• For upper-body compound lifts, that might be 1–2.5 kg or 2.5–5 lb.
• For lower-body compounds, perhaps 2.5–5 kg or 5–10 lb.
• For isolation exercises, use the smallest jump available (the next pair of dumbbells up the rack, for example).

And log your workouts.

You can’t beat last time if you don’t know what last time was. Guessing your weights is a doomed way to get progressive overload right. StrengthLog keeps track of every set, rep, and weight for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bodybuilding 313 Workout Split

You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers.

Follow Bodybuilding 313 in StrengthLog

Want to give Bodybuilding 313 a whirl?

It’s available in our workout tracker app, StrengthLog.

The app makes it super easy to keep track of your weights and reps and ensures you’re on the right path.

It remembers what weights you used in your last session, and automatically loads them into your next one. And trying to improve on your last workout is the key to improving and getting stronger over time.

StrengthLog is free, but for our more advanced premium programs, like 313, you’ll need a subscription to follow it in-app.

We offer a 14-day free trial (no strings attached and no funny business) that you can activate in the app, so you can check it out before making a decision.

Final Rep

Bodybuilding 313 is a classic bodybuilding split. You train chest and back, legs, shoulders and arms, then rest.

Simple and effective.

It keeps the gains coming without making your entire life revolve around the gym.

Unless you want it to. No judgment zone.

Start Bodybuilding 313 in your StrengthLog app, track your workouts, chase the pump, and let the gains begin.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your training.

More Bodybuilding

Want more bodybuilding? Check out these resources:

• Bodybuilding: The Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know about bodybuilding, from workout routines to supplements to contest prep.
• Bodybuilding for Beginners: Learn the basics, the training, the nutrition, the supplements, and everything else to help you get started on your bodybuilding journey.
• Bodybuilding Statistics: Unleash your inner data nerd and find all the bodybuilding stats you can shake a stick at, whether out of personal interest or for a work or school project.
• Best Bodybuilding Programs, Beginner to Advanced: Find the right bodybuilding routine for you. Fifteen of the best, all available in StrengthLog.
• The 8 Mandatory Bodybuilding Poses: A Complete Guide: Master the mandatory bodybuilding poses to showcase the physique you’ve worked so hard to build.

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Last reviewed: 2026-10-02