Workout
Recomposition Full Body
A three-day full body plan for building muscle and losing fat at maintenance calories, with the frequency that makes recomposition realistic.
The session 26 working sets
Lower
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Hip thrust | 3 | 10–15 | 90 sec |
Upper
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Barbell row | 3 | 8–10 | 2 min |
| Overhead press | 3 | 8–10 | 90 sec |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 10–12 | 90 sec |
Core
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallof press | 3 | 8 each side | 45 sec |
| Suitcase carry | 2 | 40 sec each side | 60 sec |
Three days a week, full body, at maintenance calories. This is the simplest version of recomposition and the one most likely to work, because it maximises the variable that matters most for a beginner: frequency.
Frequency does the work here
You are not eating a surplus, so the growth signal has to come from training. Training each muscle three times a week rather than once gives you three chances a week to send it.
That is why this is a full body plan rather than a split. The four-day upper/lower version suits someone with more training experience and more available days; this one is the better starting point.
Eat at maintenance, keep protein high
Calories at or near maintenance, protein around 2 g/kg.
Protein matters more here than in any other phase. You are asking your body to build tissue without an energy surplus, and adequate protein is what makes that arithmetic possible. Run it through the macro calculator.
The scale will not move, by design
Fat coming off and muscle going on at similar rates produces a flat line for months. That is success, and it reads as failure on a bathroom scale.
Track your waist, photographs in the same light every four weeks, and the numbers in your training log. Strength climbing while your waist shrinks is exactly what you are looking for.
Give it three to six months before judging it.
Common questions
Does body recomposition actually work?
In specific situations, yes: beginners, people returning after a layoff, and anyone carrying higher body fat. All three have a large growth signal available and, in the third case, an internal energy supply to fund it. For a lean, well-trained lifter the window largely closes.
How is this different from the upper/lower recomposition plan?
This is three days rather than four, and full body rather than split. Each muscle is trained three times a week instead of twice, which suits a beginner better and fits a schedule with fewer available days.
What should I eat on a recomposition plan?
At or very near maintenance, with protein around 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. The energy for new muscle comes partly from existing fat stores, which is why the approach favours people who have some to draw on.