Novice eBook

3 Day Split Program

by Gabriel Rodríguez

NOVICE PROGRAM - GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ 1

 Introduction
My name is Gabriel Rodríguez and I am a certified personal trainer. This eBook is a
collection of all the information and knowledge I’ve gathered from my 4.5 years of lifting.
This is basically the complete guide to building a bodybuilder type physique while still
improve in personal strength.

This eBook comes with a 12-week program consisting of 3 training days per week,
which I personally put together taking into consideration my personal goal of putting on
muscle and gaining strength. To give you a little bit of background, I started lifting when I
was 14 years old at 139lbs. Currently, I’m sitting at 184lbs with a body fat percentage of
12%. My strength regarding the big 3 lifts is as follows: 425lbs Squat, 325lbs Bench Press
and 600lbs Deadlift.

By reading this, you will start your journey in fitness with a better base than I did
back when I was 14. I will be covering nutrition (how to calculate your macros, how start
a cut or bulk, how to maintain your physique, greatest food sources in my opinion, etc…) ,
training (12 week strength based hypertrophy program) and of course, cardio (how to
incorporate cardiovascular activities into your routine).

After reading this you will understand everything and proceed to start the program.
That being said, this program isn’t magical. If you don’t put effort, you won’t see results.
My personal advice is: focus on your ending goal, don’t let the people around you get in
your way and most importantly have fun.

-Gabriel Rodríguez

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 Program Goal and Structure
The primary aim of this program is to add muscle mass while also developing strength
i.e. “Powerbuilding”. Depending on your personal goal, nutritional guidelines will be
provided for you to reach your objective. By following the resistance training program
prescribed, along with an appropriate diet, muscular gains will be optimized. Overall, the
success of the program relies on the level of effort and commitment you bring to the
table.

The program is split into three separate phases or “Meso-cycles” with each lying at a
different point on the muscular endurance-hypertrophy-strength scale. Essentially,
volume and intensity (which is regulated by RPE) change from one phase to the next
along with some differences in exercise selection. Although the overall program is geared
mostly toward muscular incrementation (hypertrophy), splitting a program into phases
with slightly differing aims (periodization) will help to keep progress steady and minimize
plateaus (halt in progress).

Note: warm up properly before every session and keep track of the weights used.

The split has a specific order for you to follow, this will help regulate fatigue and maintain
a healthy CNS (central nervous system). In addition to this, if you find you are able to add
any type of physical activity outside the gym (cycling, walking, etc…), I encourage you to
do so but, you must keep track of the program.

Using the RPE Scale

Next to each “Reps” column is a column headed “RPE”. This stands for “Rate of
Perceived Exertion” and is a subjective scale that the trainee (you) should assign to the
intensity (weight) of an exercise based on how hard it was. The parameters for this scale
in this instance are 1-10, with the level of exertion increasing as the number increases (10
being the hardest).

1 – 5. Warm-up level of exertion.

6. Not very intense. You can do more reps.

7. Three reps left in the tank (the tank being you), good form, good weight to train with.

8. Two reps away from maximum force output (failure)

9. One rep away from maximum force output (failure).

10. This is maximum force (failure). No more reps left in the tank.

Following the scale presented above, you would be able to choose the weights more
appropriately for your exercises (let’s say you have to do a set of 10 at rpe 8, you do 10
reps with 2 reps left in the tank). For this particular program, we won’t be using the rpe
10, since maximum force is not what we are looking for.

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 NUTRITION and CARDIO
Since this particular program is a “novice” program, I will take the time to explain my
personal take regarding nutrition for bodybuilding.

Every human being needs a number of Calories to perform his regular activities of the
day, this is called TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). This specific number of calories
is determined by many factors (your weight, height, level of activity, body fat percentage,
etc…) and once you know this number, you can take action towards achieving your
physique and performance goals.

My personal favorite TDEE calculator is the one from; [Link]

Once you have your personal TDEE, it is time to decide what you’re going to do. You can
jump into a bulk, start a cut or even just maintain your physique (this doesn’t mean that
you will not be able to make gains).

My personal recommendation for a novice male athlete who’s not overweight, is to start a
bulk (not aggressive but, 200 to even 300 Calorie surplus). Most guys want to see results
fast. Starting a surplus will promote muscle gain and overall better mood. On the other
hand, if overweighting occurs, I recommend a 300 to 200 Calorie deficit (cut).

For women, it’s a little different. Due to the fact that females store more body fat than
men, I personally encourage what’s called a body “recomposition”, which basically
means you keep your calories at maintenance (same as TDEE), and since you’re gonna
start implementing resistance training, your body will start changing (using the nutrients
you’re currently eating to create muscle).

Once you have your calories set, you will divide your macronutrient (carbs, protein and
fat) intake. I personally recommend eating 0.8 x bodyweight grams of protein per day for
men and 0.7x for women. The more protein you eat, the more satiating your meals will
be. More protein does not mean you will build more muscle mass (just to be clear),
studies have shown that you can get away with even 0.7 x bodyweight as a male (during
a cut, maintenance or bulk). When it comes to fat and carbohydrate intake, I like to let the
person experiment with their bodies. Some may find fat more beneficial and others just
simply react better to carbohydrates. That being said, I do not recommend eating less
than 100g of carbohydrates per day or eating above 120g of fat per day (personal
experience).

Note: If you want to start a cut I recommend starting in a 300 calorie deficit and
gradually decrease numbers as you go on. Same for a bulk (300 calorie surplus)
but, increasing calories instead.

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Foods

For Carbohydrates: I personally recommend eating most of your daily intake from starch
(grains, potatoes, etc…), white rice is my personal favorite, together with white potatoes
because they are easy to digest and dense in food volume. When it comes to sugars, I
like to eat a lot of fruits and I personally recommend eating a ton of fruits since this will
help with sugar cravings, which also results in better quality of the sugars you’re giving
your body (fructose instead of sucrose). This doesn’t mean you cannot eat candy or any
other sucrose based carb source, just moderate your intake.
Vegetables are also a carb source and I do encourage people to take at least two
servings of them everyday (broccoli, beetroot, tomatoes, green leaves, carrots, onions,
etc…) this is good for your health (micronutrient intake) and for your caloric intake too,
since they are super low-calorie foods.

For Protein: I recommend eating 2 whole eggs for both men and women everyday (this is
beneficial for your cholesterol levels). On the other hand, I am a big fan of chicken breast,
lean beef, flank steak and other cuts of meat. I personally think that everyone should eat
fish (salmon, tuna, etc…) at least two times per week. Dairy is also a favorite of mine,
greek yogurt and cheese are a staple in my personal diet.

For Fats: I usually get them from eggs, cheese, coconut oil (personal preference),
avocados, meats, etc… Fat intake is super important since it helps regulate your
hormones. This is also one of the reasons why I like to play with the daily macronutrient
intake as some people process fats better than carbohydrates (like myself).

When it comes to Cardio, I encourage people to take advantage of their daily life outside
of the gym and implement cardio in different ways as opposed to just getting on a
treadmill and walking for 45mins. If you are in a fat loss process you should find a way to
track your daily cardio activities (minutes, burned calories, etc…) this will help you stay
on track with what you are doing. What’s recommended for fat loss is 250 burned cals
and, you either increase (or even decrease) the amount of cardio as you go on. For
people maintaining or even gaining weight, I recommend at least 150 burned cals two
times per week just to be active in the cardiovascular aspect of training . That being said,
any other cardiovascular related activity outside of the gym is more than welcome.

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 THE PROGRAM
Week 1 - 4 (Phase 1)

Upper
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Bench Press Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Pull Ups (asisted/weighted) Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Dumbbell Seated OHP Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
V-bar Cable Row Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Lateral Raises Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Rear Delt Fly (pec dec) Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Pronated Grip Barbell Curl Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Skullcrusher Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins

Lower
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Squats Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Walking Lunges Reps: 24 7 Reps: 24 9 2 Mins
Leg Curl Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Leg Extention Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 8 Reps: 12 9 2 Mins
Decline Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs
Decline Reverse Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

Full Body
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Deadlift Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
OHP Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Supinated Grip Cable Row Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
DB Incline Bench Press Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
DB Shrugs Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Cable Fly Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Curl Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Tricep Pushdown (pronated grip) Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Oblique Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

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 Week 5 - 8 (Phase 2)

Upper
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Bench Press Reps: 5 7 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 9 3-5 Mins
Pull Ups (asisted/weighted) Reps: 5 7 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 8 Reps: 5 9 3-5 Mins
Dumbbell Seated OHP Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Row Reps: 10 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Machine Lateral Raises Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Rear Delt Fly (pec dec) Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Pronated Grip Barbell Curl Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Skullcrusher Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins

Lower
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Squats Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Walking Lunges Reps: 20 7 Reps: 20 9 2 Mins
Leg Curl Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Leg Extention Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 8 Reps: 10 9 2 Mins
Decline Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs
Decline Reverse Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

Full Body
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Deadlift Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
OHP Reps: 6 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 6 9 3-5 Mins
Wide Grip Cable Row Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
DB Incline Bench Press Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
DB Shrugs Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Cable Fly Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Curl Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Rope Tricep Pushdown Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Oblique Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 8 30 Secs

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 Week 9 - 12 (Phase 3)

Upper
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Bench Press Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
Pull Ups (asisted/weighted) Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
Dumbbell Seated OHP Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Row Reps: 8 7 Reps: 6 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Machine Lateral Raises Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Rear Delt Fly (pec dec) Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Pronated Grip Barbell Curl Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Skullcrusher Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins

Lower
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Squats Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
Walking Lunges Reps: 16 7 Reps: 16 9 2 Mins
Leg Curl Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Leg Extention Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Decline Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs
Decline Reverse Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

Full Body
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE 4 RPE 5 RPE Rest
Barbell Deadlift Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
OHP Reps: 4 7 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 8 Reps: 4 9 3-5 Mins
Wide Grip Cable Row Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
DB Incline Bench Press Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
DB Shrugs Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Cable Fly Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Dumbbell Curl Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Rope Tricep Pushdown Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Calf Raises Reps: 8 7 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 8 Reps: 8 9 2 Mins
Oblique Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

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 Measuring Process
The Best way to keep track of your progress is the mirror, looking at yourself everyday
and seeing your body change and progress. Weighing yourself frequently is a good way
to measure progress too. I would recommend weighing yourself weekly, on the same day
every week, first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. Weight
fluctuations can occur as a result of many factors, so it’s better to look at the general
trend of your weight rather than simply comparing one week to the next. Other methods
like Caliper tests are highly recommended (if available) but, make sure to stick to the
same test to keep the collected data as accurate and consistent as possible.

Mobility Work
I recommend mobility and flexibility work in the morning and before bed (this helps the
muscles relax which results in better physiological performance). In the morning, I
recommend meditation and full body stretching (foam rolling if possible too), when the
night comes you can get away with stretching to release tension from the muscles and,
sleeping (which is a form of meditation in my opinion).

Deload Week
A Deload week is provided at the end of the 12 week cycle (if needed) to regulate CNS
fatigue. This is essentially a week in which we decrease intensity, start increasing volume
to re-adapt your CNS for the next upcoming training regime.

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 DELOAD WEEK

Upper
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE Rest
Barbell Bench Press Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
Pull Ups (asisted/weighted) Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
Dumbbell Seated OHP Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
V-bar Cable Row Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Dumbbell Lateral Raises Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Rear Delt Fly (pec dec) Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Pronated Grip Barbell Curl Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Dumbbell Skullcrusher Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min

Lower
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE Rest
Barbell Squats Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
Leg Curl Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Leg Extention Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Calf Raises Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 Reps: 12 7 1 Min
Decline Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs
Decline Reverse Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

Full Body
Sets 1 RPE 2 RPE 3 RPE Rest
Barbell Deadlift Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
OHP Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 Reps: 3 6 2-3 Mins
Supinated Grip Cable Row Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
DB Incline Bench Press Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
DB Shrugs Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
Cable Fly Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
Dumbbell Curl Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
Tricep Pushdown (pronated grip) Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
Calf Raises Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 Reps: 10 7 1 Min
Oblique Crunches Reps: 10 Reps: 10 Reps: 10 30 Secs

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