When it comes to trendy workouts, you can count on TikTok to bring you the latest fitness craze. From plank challenges to the 12-3-30 incline walk, our gym influencers got us covered. If you’ve checked out #FitTok lately you may have seen a workout that quickly spread all over social media: the 3-2-8 method!
The 3-2-8 workout is a five-day plan with three days of weight training, two days of Pilates or Barre, and 8,000 steps per day. The technique was developed by Natalie Rose (@natalieroseuk) and has people raving that it leaves you “snatched and strong” in three months.
After hearing all the positive feedback about the routine, I knew I had to try it out for myself and see if it was something I wanted to stick with. I decided to go for it and give this trend a week-long trial run — and I’ve gotta say, I’m not mad about the results.
My week of THe 3-2-8 method:
I structured my 3-2-8 week to have a break day in the middle because of my schedule. As a college student, I find myself pretty busy by Wednesday and, between classes, I knew I wouldn’t have time to do a full workout. I decided to plan my week around my schedule, and it actually went pretty well!
Monday: 30-minute Upper Body Weights
I’m not that used to structuring weighed workouts, so I went over to @WhitneyySimmon on TikTok to follow one of her dumbbell-only shoulders, chest, and triceps workouts. This was so humbling, honestly. I went the absolute lightest I could on weight and I was high-key struggling by the time I was done. However, in the end, I survived!
Tuesday: 30-minute Mat Pilates
I did a classic 30-minute full-body mat pilates workout on YouTube with my favorite instructor @MoveWithNicole. I’ve been doing Nicole’s workouts for over a year and love them! I’m not going to lie, my arms were so sore that this workout was more of a challenge than usual.
Wednesday: REST
A quick tip! Rest days are so important when it comes to your physical, and mental, well-being. Don’t forget to take one or two (sometimes even three) rest days a week — your body will thank you!
Thursday: 40-minute Legs Weights
For my leg day workout, I checked out a plan from @dianaconforti that was dumbbell only. Since I don’t usually use weights, I didn’t want to do anything crazy and hurt myself so I stuck to movements I would be able to do without a lot of machinery. I was feeling pretty good the whole time, though later in the evening I could feel on-set soreness in my thighs.
Friday: 35-minute Mat Pilates
My previous day’s leg workout had me absolutely dead when I woke up Friday – it didn’t get better as the day went on. I opted to do another Move With Nicole mat pilates, but made sure it was one of her “gentle pilates” videos. I love these for when I’m feeling a bit lazy but still want to do some activity for the day. It was definitely a good choice for my sore legs!
Saturday: 30-minute Full Body Weights
For my final workout of the week, I enlisted the help of my older sister and got a shorter and easier version of her exercises for the day. This was probably my favorite day of working out for the whole week! I felt like I was more into a routine, and even though I was still a bit sore I really enjoyed doing a final weights session.
Sunday: REST
At the end of the week, I was definitely excited to rest and reflect on the 3-2-8 workout routine.
Here’s what I think about the 3-2-8 method:
I’ve got to be honest and say I wasn’t thrilled about doing weightlifting for three of my workouts this past week. I don’t mind the actual weights part of it but rather tend to feel out of place exercising in front of people. I’m lucky enough to have a gym in my apartment downstairs though, so this definitely made it convenient for me and also eased the pain of being around other people.
I wasn’t sure I would have the time to fit in a long workout sesh, but I found this to be adaptable and easy to change up to fit my needs. I kept all my workouts short because my time was pretty limited, but I see no reason that these workouts wouldn’t be able to be extended for a little longer when I have the time. Additionally, I didn’t block off any extra time for a walk or anything else mainly because I know I already hit 8,000 steps per day, so this was one less aspect I had to worry about.
Personally, I think more modifications could be made to allow a fully at-home workout. If you don’t have access to a gym, I would recommend grabbing some small gym essentials and things like smaller weights to still do a version of weight training!
Lately, it’s been hard for me to stay consistent with being active, so I think the best part of the 3-2-8 routine was that it kept me on a schedule. The general outline of a weekly plan was solid enough to keep me staying with it, but also loose enough for me to make other changes when I needed it. I found this to work great for my busy college lifestyle!
Does the 3-2-8 method Live Up To The Hype?
I have to say, I was hesitant about this trend at first, but it definitely still lives up to the hype in terms of its functionality and ease!
The 3-2-8 plan is perfect for both beginners and more experienced gym-goers too. For instance, if you’re just starting your movement journey, you can keep each session shorter like I did. Starting off with shorter workouts, but keeping to a consistent schedule, is a really great way to build a foundation. I also think the 3-2-8 method builds workout habits for beginners by including those active recovery days. Plus, it gives you the ability to build on the plan which is great for those who are familiar with working out!
I think the plan offers a lot of great benefits, especially for those who want a more flexible routine. The 3-2-8 workout is definitely something I would recommend for others to try out!