5 Day Workout Split: Upper/Lower, PPL & More (Examples, Tips & Workouts)

What is a 5-Day Workout Split?

A 5-day split is a workout routine where you spread your weekly training into 5 days, typically dedicating each workout session to a specific muscle group. This training method aims to maximize work on a specific muscle group during a training session, while giving it enough time to recover before the next session.

A 5-day workout split can be a big commitment, as you will be working out 5 days a week. It requires a lot of dedication in comparison to other workout programs, but when executed properly, it can bring great results.

You can organize a 5-day split in many ways, as seen below. It largely depends on your fitness goals, schedule, and preferences.

In a classic 5-day split (also known as a Bro Split), muscle groups are isolated into different training days. There are several variations of a 5-day split, some of which combine muscle groups in the same training session, while others separate them by muscle movement, such as push/pull/legs and upper/lower.

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It’s also entirely up to you whether you take two rest days during the weekend or one rest day between your weekly workouts, and then take the second rest day at the end of the week. People usually take the two rest days during the weekend, as most people have full-time jobs, and it fits well into their work-life routine.

The Classic 5-Day Bodybuilding Split Workout Routine

The classic 5-day bro split is arguably the most famous routine for bodybuilders or anyone looking to put on a serious amount of muscle. As previously explained, the workout split will be divided into 5 days, targeting the chest, legs (quads, hamstrings, outer/inner thighs, calves), back, arms, and shoulders. 

Training Schedule

Day 1 – Chest
Day 2 – Legs
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4 – Back
Day 5 – Arms
Day 6 – Shoulders + Core
Day 7 – Rest

This workout schedule allows you to work out your chest on Monday, ensuring you’re not totally fatigued in your upper body going into Tuesday, which is leg day (quads, hamstrings, outer and inner thighs, calves). We then take a rest after Tuesday, arguably the two heaviest training sessions. 

As previously mentioned, you can also easily adjust this schedule to fit your work schedule and change the rest days to the weekend. Many people do this, and as long as you rest properly over the weekend, you should feel nice and fresh for the new training week.

Below, we find the actual workouts, along with predefined rep ranges for the given exercises. Start with weights you are comfortable with, and then adjust from there. You definitely do not want to overtrain from the first week; instead, ease into it. 

Chest

• Bench Press (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (8-10 reps)
• Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (10-12 reps)
• Chest Dip – 3 Sets (10-15 reps)
• Butterfly (Pec Deck) – 3 Sets (15-20 reps)

Legs

• Squat (Barbell) – 3 Sets (6-10 reps)
• Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (8-12 reps)
• Lunge (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (10-12 reps per leg)
• Leg Extension (Machine) – 3 Sets (12-20 reps)
• Lying Leg Curl – 3 Sets (12-15 reps)

Back

• Bent Over Row (Barbell) – 3 Sets (8-10 reps)
• Inverted Row – 3 Sets (10-15 reps)
• Lat Pulldown (Cable) – 3 Sets (10-15 reps)
• Seated Cable Row – V Grip (Cable) – 3 Sets (10-15 reps)
• Dumbbell Row – 3 Sets (10-15 reps per side)

Arms

• Skullcrusher (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (10-15 reps)
• Bicep Curl (Machine) – 3 Sets (12-15 reps)
• Triceps Rope Pushdown – 3 Sets (12-15 reps)
• Plate Curl – 3 Sets (12-15 reps)

Shoulders + Core

• Seated Overhead Press (Barbell)- 3 Sets (8-10 reps)
• Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) – 3 Sets (12-20 reps)
• Front Raise (Cable) – 3 Sets (12-20 reps)
• Face Pull – 3 Sets (15-25 reps)
• Cable Crunch – 3 Sets (12-15 reps)
• Knee Raise Parallel Bars – 3 sets (15-20 reps)

This workout split includes exercises that target the primary muscle groups, as well as the secondary muscles. If you find yourself more comfortable with different exercises or different variations of a movement, choose whatever works for your level of fitness, experience in the gym, and body mobility.

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You’ll see we’ve added a core workout on the last session of the week, on shoulders day. We like to end the week on an ab burn, but really, you could be doing core exercises on any of the other workout days and adjust it to your preference.

Push/Pull/Legs 5 Day Split

Similar to the previous program, a 5-day PPL split has you working out five days per week. The difference is that, instead of dedicating a workout to a specific muscle (say, the back or chest), you organize your weekly training by movement pattern:

• Push – train the upper body muscles involved in pressing (the chest, shoulders, and triceps)
• Pull – train the upper body muscles involved in pulling (the back and biceps)
• Legs – same as a bro split

One drawback is that your workout schedule would need to change from week to week. For example, like so:

If you want to work out from Monday to Friday and take the weekend off, the schedule can look like this:

For this split, you only need a push, a pull, and a leg workout to alternate between. Here is a sample split you can use on a 5-day frequency:

Push Workout

• Bench Press (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Incline Press (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Seated Shoulder Press (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Cable Fly Crossover – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Tricep Rope Pushdown – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps

Pull Workout

• Bent Over Row (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Lat Pulldown (Cable) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Seated Cable Row – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Shrug (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Bicep Curl (Barbell) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Face Pull – 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps

Legs Workout

• Squat (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Leg Extension (Machine) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Seated Leg Curl (Machine) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Seated Calf Raise – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Cable Crunch – 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps
• Lying Leg Raise – 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps

Save this program to your Hevy app profile:

1. Open hevy.com and log in with your Hevy app credentials. Skip if you’re on your phone with Hevy installed.
2. Click this link and tap the blue Save Folder button.

5-Day Upper/Lower Split

Lastly, we have this effective 5-day workout split for muscle gain. Similar to PPL, your training schedule will change from week to week. 

Again, similar to the 5-day PPL split, you can work out from Monday to Friday and take the weekend off. That way, you’ll be on a two-week cycle instead of a four-week one.

The downside here is that you would need to work out five days in a row, which can be demanding.

One cool thing is that you can do this split with two workouts: Upper and Lower. For instance:

Upper

• Bench Press (Barbell) – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent Over Row (Barbell) – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Shoulder Press (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Lat Pulldown (Cable) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Triceps Rope Pushdown – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Lower

• Squat (Barbell) – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Leg Press (Machine) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Seated Leg Curl (Machine) – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Leg Extension (Machine) – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Standing Calf Raise (Machine) – 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Click here and tap Save Folder to save this split to your Hevy profile.

This essentially means you’d be doing a 5-day workout split, training each muscle twice a week (or slightly more).

That said, you can have two different upper and lower sessions if you want more variety – for example, you can start one upper workout with a back movement and the other with a chest exercise:

Upper 1

• Bench Press (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Bent Over Row (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Shoulder Press (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Lat Pulldown (Cable) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Low Cable Fly Crossovers – 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) – 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) – 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Face Pull – 2 sets of 15 to 25 reps

Lower 1

• Squat (Barbell) – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
• Glute Ham Raise – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Lunge (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps (per leg)
• Lying Leg Curl – 2-3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Standing Calf Raise (Smith) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps

Upper 2

• Pull Up – 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps
• Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
• Seated Shoulder Press (Machine) – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Straight Arm Lat Pulldown (Cable) – 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
• Push Up – 2 sets of 10 to 20 reps
• EZ Bar Biceps Curl – 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
• Triceps Kickback (Dumbbell) – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps

Lower 2

• Leg Press (Machine) – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) – 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
• Leg Extension (Machine) – 2-3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Seated Calf Raise – 3-4 sets of 12 to 20 reps
• Cable Crunch – 3-4 sets of 12 to 15 reps

Click here and tap Save Folder to save this split to your Hevy profile.

Here is how this split would look on a 5-day frequency:

How to Gain Muscle On a 5-Day Workout Routine?

If you’ve settled on following a 5-day split workout routine and want to put on some muscle, we have some tips you can follow. 

6-30 Rep Range

Many bodybuilders focus on performing between 6 and 30 reps for a given exercise to gain muscle. Higher rep ranges are considered too light, and although you could be lifting for more reps and hence more volume, these are generally considered muscle endurance rep ranges rather than growth-promoting.

Progressive Overload

We’ve seen countless athletes stick to the same routine, with the same weights over months at a time. This is a rookie mistake to avoid. Once you’re comfortable with the weight you’re lifting, try lifting heavier and continue challenging your muscles.

It’s fair to say that once you can lift a weight more than 10 reps for 3 sets, you should increase the weight for the exercise. Of course, you should make sure your form doesn’t suffer when increasing weights and that you perform the exercise safely.

To properly create progressive overload, we recommend tracking your workouts to keep a proper diary of your training. Of course, we recommend tracking your workouts with Hevy to get an in-depth analysis of your progression and history.

Longer Rests Between Sets

We recommend taking 1.5- to 3-minute rests between sets during your workout. You should allow your muscles to take a longer rest between sets to avoid complete burnout too soon in the workout; however, you should also not allow your muscles to cool off completely.

Wait between 1.5 and 3 minutes, and get back to the next set to challenge yourself and get close to failure. If you’re lifting extremely heavy weights on big compound movements, such as a deadlift or a squat (when training for strength), you will probably need more rest, up to 5 minutes between sets.

Post-Workout Recovery

During rest, your body responds by repairing and rebuilding the muscles that were broken down during training. This is what helps increase muscle mass. Your body repairs damaged muscles after intense exercise through a process known as muscle protein synthesis (MPS).

Studies have shown that MPS works best 2-3 days after training a muscle group. The 5-day workout split provides plenty of rest for each muscle group in between training, maximizing MPS. If you do not give your body’s muscle groups time to rest, you risk overtraining them.

Who is a 5-Day Split for? Does it Fit My Goals?

When starting a new routine, many people ask themselves: Is this routine right for me?

When you’re working out, you’ll be spending a lot of time and energy at the gym, especially with a 5-day split, so it makes sense to choose your routine wisely. It’s worth considering how much time you have available, your level of experience, and your fitness goals.

Beginners

Are you new to working out? If so, a 5-day split workout is probably not the best approach. A 5-day workout split involves working out 5 days a week, which requires considerable dedication and time. If you’re new to weightlifting or bodybuilding in general, you might risk overtraining and injury.

In that case, it’s much better to start with a workout routine that allows for more muscle recovery, such as a 3-day split. After a few months of training, once your body becomes used to the level of intense training, you can ease into a heavier workout routine, such as one with four or five days of training.

The same applies if you have a hectic schedule. If you don’t find the time to spend five days a week at the gym, you probably shouldn’t be going for a 5-day split.

Don’t sacrifice the quality of your workouts by trying to hurry them and potentially ruining your form. Training requires consistency, and you will see better results working out three days a week regularly than working out five days a week sporadically. 

Experienced Weightlifters

So, if the 5-day split is not for beginners, who is it for? If your goal is to build muscle and you’re willing to dedicate a significant amount of time to the gym, the 5-day split can be the ideal workout routine for you.

This workout routine should also take into consideration the type of training and results you want to achieve. For example, if you’re only looking to increase strength, like powerlifters do, a classic 5-day split bodybuilding routine would not be for you, and you should be looking into a powerlifting-specific training program.

If you are focusing on aesthetics, consider adopting a more aesthetic approach, such as Gironda’s 8×8 training.

That said, if you want to build muscle and strength simultaneously (often referred to as ‘powerbuilding’), you can consider a 5-day approach like Layne Norton’s PHAT workout plan.

As mentioned, working out five days a week takes a lot of energy for your body, so we recommend you recover properly to avoid overtraining.

Another use case for a 5-day split is if you want to lose weight. The consistent training sessions, along with cardio, will help you burn a lot of calories and, consequently, help in losing fat as well. However, remember that the key to any plan is to train consistently. 

Effectiveness of a 5-Day Split vs. a 3-Day Split

As you’ve probably picked up by now, there are a lot of split variants out there. So, which one of them is the best for you? After all, why put your body through training for 5 days a week when a shorter program, such as the 3-day split, does the trick? 

Many benefits come with a 5-day split workout routine that would be much harder to cover with a shorter variation, such as a 3-day workout split, a 4-day workout split, or a 5×5 workout plan. 

Muscle Specificity

As the name suggests, the 5-day split routine is designed to make you work out for 5 days a week, typically a separate muscle group each day. This means that a 5-day split devotes more time and training volume to each muscle group and body part.

On the other hand, whilst you still aim to exercise every body part in a 3-day split, your area of attention is less focused.

You need to train every part of your body within a shorter time span (in this case, 3 days), which means you’ll spend less time and volume on each muscle group. This is quite the opposite of a 5×5 plan, where you only do big compound movements and repeat two workouts throughout your training.

Rest Days

A 5-day split routine means that you hit the gym 5 days a week and have 2 days of rest per week. A 3-day split routine means that you are training 3 days a week and have 2 days of rest.

You will have more rest with a 3-day split, which makes it a more suitable option for beginners, as it minimizes the risk of overtraining and injury. 

5 Day Split vs. 3 Day Split: Which One Should I Choose?

Despite these differences, several other factors come into play when choosing the right training routine.

If you have a busy schedule with work, school, or other commitments, it may be challenging for you to stay committed to your training 5 days a week. You may also experience a prolonged recovery time, which is influenced by several factors, including age, genetics, and lifestyle.

How Long Should I Follow a 5-Day Split to See Results? 

Like all good things in life, noticing significant changes takes time. The fastest and most obvious changes will initially show in your mental health. You might start a 5-day split with the goal of building muscle, but as you begin working out, the sheer act of physical activity will help improve your mood and energy throughout the day.

This can give you further motivation to continue working out. As weeks of training pass, your overall physiological health also begins to improve.  

When it comes to muscle mass, you will need to wait a little longer. If you’re a beginner in training, your progress will be faster at first, and you’ll start to notice subtle differences within 6 to 8 weeks.

As you work out consistently, you will start to notice significant results within 12 to 16 weeks. Of course, tracking your workouts and staying consistent will always help… shameless plug for Hevy 🙂

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Like most training programs, only working out is often not enough. Typically, your results are influenced by several factors, including exercise, diet, and lifestyle. Your progress will depend on the intensity, frequency, and quality of your training, as well as the quality of your rest.

FAQ’s

What is a 5-day split workout?

A 5-day split workout is a training program designed for individuals who work out 5 days a week, focusing on one to three muscle groups each day.

These split workout routines vary from program to program, but are generally organized as bro/bodybuilding splits (e.g., each workout focuses on a particular muscle group like the back), push/pull/legs, or upper/lower splits.

How much rest should each muscle group get for muscle growth? 

The amount of rest each muscle gets will largely depend on your split. For instance, a traditional bro split will generally allow each muscle to recover for a week. In contrast, an upper/lower or push/pull/legs split will have you train each muscle more often, allowing only 48-72 hours of actual recovery.

Getting at least 48 hours of recovery for a muscle you’ve trained is important because muscles can only grow when recovered. Hammering them with countless sets might sound like a good idea, but it leads to muscle loss.

If you’re thinking about rest in between sets or between exercises – that varies widely as well, depending on the workout routine you’re following. Roughly, it’s recommended you take between 1.5 and 3 minutes, depending on the exercises, weight lifted, and your fitness goals.

As a beginner, should I do a 5 day workout split? 

A 5 day split requires pretty intense training and is very hard on the body. If you’re new to weight lifting or even working out, you probably will overstress yourself. This means that you risk overtraining and injury. However, every person should evaluate this on a case by case basis.

The most important thing as a beginner is developing the consistency of going to the gym and focusing on proper exercise form.

As a beginner, you might reap a lot of the benefits from working out without risking overtraining with a 2 day split or 3 day split. Once your body has adapted to working out and you want to increase your workout intensity, you can move to a more intense training routine like a 4 day split, 5 day split, or a 6 day split.

When doing a 5 day split workout, when should I do cardio?

Some trainees prefer to do a strength training session and a cardio session on the same day. Other people reserve cardio for their rest days instead. However, if you’re looking to develop strength and muscle mass, which is the case with 5 day splits, keeping your cardio and training separate would be better, as it gives you time for recovery. 

• Option 1: do cardio on the two days of recovery you get each week
• Option 2: do cardio in the morning and lift in the evening
• Option 3: lift weights and finish the session with some cardio

What is the difference between a 5-day bro split and a full body split?

Oftentimes in the bodybuilding culture, a 5-day split is referred to as a Bro Split. It refers to segmenting different muscle groups and training one muscle group per session. This allows you to train each muscle group of your body in a very targeted way.

On the other hand, a full-body split, as the name suggests, concentrates on the entire body. In a full-body split (also known as a full-body workout), you work out every muscle group in the body multiple times per week. 

When it comes to muscle mass, both workout programs can be successful. However, each school of thought is very different. The Bro Split focuses on intense spikes in volume and longer resting periods, while full-body splits focus on higher weekly volume per muscle group, given the higher frequency of training per muscle group.

Is working out 5 days a week too much? 

In a 5-day split, you work on each muscle group of your body on a different day, so you usually don’t even work out the same muscle group more than once or twice a week. Additionally, the 5-day split allows for two rest days. 

If you feel seriously fatigued, over several days, you can definitely scale back your training and take an extra rest day or two. You should also make sure to keep your nutrition to high standards, in order to recover your muscles properly.

Can I do a bodyweight 5-day split? 

Absolutely! There’s no reason why you can’t. Many people may lack the budget or the time to hit the gym 5 days a week for months or years, or purchase the necessary gym equipment at home.

There are many gym exercises that you can switch out with bodyweight exercises. For example, you can do pushups instead of bench presses or do bodyweight squats if you don’t have a barbell.

How long should my workouts last in a 5-day split workout?

There is no absolute period that you should be dedicated to a particular muscle group. The amount of time you spend in the gym will vary greatly, depending on your schedule and endurance. However, it’s essential to spend sufficient time with each muscle group to maintain a balanced development of your entire body.

We estimate your workout sessions will vary between 60 and 90 minutes, including warm-ups and cooldowns.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, a 5-day split workout can be a fantastic choice for your workout routine, whether you’re looking to get into better shape or on your way to becoming a bodybuilder.

Granted, the 5-day split does pose some challenges for complete beginners, due to the intense workout sessions and serious time commitment. With enough dedication, 5-day workout splits can be a great training plan for increasing muscle mass. 

There’s a reason why 5-day split workouts are a favorite for many bodybuilders. Even though you are hitting the gym 5 days a week, it allows for plenty of time to let your muscles rest before the next session in the following week.

Like any other workout program, you need to be training consistently to see results. This can be challenging for individuals who lack the time to dedicate to training, proper rest, and a balanced diet.

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If you choose to follow a 5-day split schedule, there are several key considerations to keep in mind when working out. 

• Start slow. If you’re new at this, don’t feel ashamed to start with lower weights. Everyone’s progress will be different. Start with whatever is comfortable for you, and make adjustments gradually.
• Maintain proper form. It does not matter how much weight you start with, but remember to maintain proper form to avoid injuries as much as possible and maximally stimulate the target muscles.
• Be consistent. A large part of your progress depends on hitting the gym regularly. Consistency is the most important factor when it comes to results. 
• Keep other variables in check. Exercise alone is not enough for muscle gain. You also need to maintain a healthy diet, sleep schedule, and lifestyle.

We hope this guide helped inform you about 5-day split workouts. Be sure to check out Hevy and how it can help you track your training!