Yes, doing the 3-day modification is less volume than the 4-day version, especially bench/press volume. Will it make a difference? Hard to say, and I think it depends on what you’ve been doing. For me, it was great, and was an increase in volume over what I was previously doing. Only way to know is give it a try.
Did you try doing 12wk 3 days/week and then run it again 4 days/week?
Would be curious to hear results on that.
I don’t have direct results to compare, but again I think the differences are so small as to be minimal if even measurable at all.
The 12-week program is a STRENGTH template. If you are getting stronger using it, then it is working. You will notice that Austin, Jordan, Alan and Leah all train 4 days per week. They are in the advanced spectrum and need that kind of training volume. Austin has said that the 12-week template is MOST representative of their low intensity/high volume philosophy around providing an appropriate stress for those who need it.
Do I need that much volume? Do you? Hard to say, but if I made progress on the 3-day modification, why would I need to do the 4-day? How much stronger would I have gotten? Perhaps I would have applied TOO MUCH stress, accumulated too much fatigue? Maybe progress would have been about the same, except I would have invested more time for it?
The difference between good progress and great progress is not that much…maybe not even measurable objectively.
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