THE 5-DAY
WORKOUT ROUTINE
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THE
5-DAY
WORKOUT
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All content contained herein is for informational use only and is designed solely for healthy adults.
It is not medical or professional advice, it is not meant to be seen as medical or professional
advice, and it should not be used to take the place of medical or professional advice.
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► THE 5-DAY WORKOUT ROUTINE
M
ost of the workout routines I design are based around 3-day or 4-day splits.
Why? Because 3-4 workouts per week tends to suit most people’s schedules, recovery
capabilities, and personal preferences, and allows for an optimal training stimulus to be
provided.
But… what if you wanted to use a 5-day workout routine instead?
Well, in that case, this one’s for you.
I’m going to show you what I consider to be the best 5-day split there is, and then provide you
with a completely free workout routine to go along with it.
But first, let’s cover what not to do.
THE PROBLEMS WITH MOST 5-DAY WORKOUTS
The vast majority of the 5-day routines I’ve seen have some (or all) of the following characteristics
in common:
1. It uses a stereotypical “body part split.“
For example, one day is chest day, the next is back day, the next is shoulder day, and so
on. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. However, it’s overkill for most people
(hardly anyone will truly need or benefit from a dedicated “shoulder day”), and it all-butrequires a lower training frequency to be used. Speaking of which…
2. It uses a once-per-week frequency.
At this point, we have quite a bit of research and real-world experience showing us that
training each body part once per week is the least effective training frequency. Even with
volume being equated, hitting each muscle group twice per week simply works better than
hitting it just once per week (source).
3. It involves 5 consecutive workouts in a row.
Many 5-day workout splits involve training Monday – Friday, and then taking the weekend
off. And while there are certainly people who can make this schedule work and do well
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with it, 5 consecutive workouts are going to be more than most people can handle (at least
in terms of optimal progression) from a recovery standpoint.
4. There’s negative overlap between muscle groups, joints and tendons.
Well-designed workout splits take overlap and balance into account, both from the
perspective of optimizing recovery as well as for injury prevention. For example, with
a push/pull/legs split, you’re training all of the upper body “pushing” muscles (chest,
shoulders, triceps) and “pulling” muscles (back/biceps/rear delts) in their own individual
workouts. But with a typical 5-day split, you often have schedules like chest on Monday,
shoulders on Tuesday, biceps/triceps on Wednesday, back on Thursday, and legs on
Wednesday, which can create problems with overlap.
EXAMPLES OF BAD 5-DAY SPLITS
With the above four points in mind, you want to avoid using a 5-day split that looks anything like
these examples…
BAD SPLIT #1
• Monday: Chest
• Tuesday: Back
• Wednesday: Shoulders
• Thursday: Biceps/Triceps
• Friday: Legs
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off
BAD SPLIT #2
• Monday: Chest/Triceps
• Tuesday: Back/Biceps
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• Wednesday: Shoulders
• Thursday: Abs/Forearms
• Friday: Legs
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off
BAD SPLIT #3
• Monday: Legs
• Tuesday: Chest
• Wednesday: Shoulders
• Thursday: off
• Friday: Arms
• Saturday: Back
• Sunday: off
This is the kind of “bro-split” nonsense you see all the time, yet it rarely works well (or even at all)
for anyone besides bodybuilders with great genetics who also happen to be using steroids.
So unless you fit that description, you’ll want to stay away from workout routines using the types
of schedules you see above.
Instead, let me show you the schedule you should be using.
THE 5-DAY WORKOUT ROUTINE: THE SPLIT
What we want here is a split that involves 5 workouts per week that are scheduled in a manner
that solves all of the problems we discussed a minute ago.
And for that purpose, this is the split I recommend the most…
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The Upper/Lower/Push/Pull/Legs Split
Monday
Upper Body
Tuesday
Lower Body
Wednesday
off
Thursday
Push
Friday
Pull
Saturday
Legs
Sunday
off
The upper/lower/push/pull/legs split is a combination of two of the most popular and proven
training schedules of all time: the upper/lower split and the push/pull/legs split.
As you can see, this hybrid approach doesn’t involve an unnecessary (and often counterproductive)
“shoulder day” or “arm day,” nor does it involve working out 5 days in a row.
Even more importantly, every body part is trained twice per week, which is the optimal training
frequency for most people, and it does so in a way that allows for a perfect amount of balance
without any major issues with overlap.
It’s everything we want, and nothing we don’t. And in my experience, it’s the best 5-day split
there is.
Now let’s put together each of the workouts…
DESIGNING THE WORKOUTS
I’ve already written entire guides (and a book) that covers how to design a workout routine.
So, if you’re looking to go more in depth on topics like volume (how many sets/reps to
do), intensity (how heavy to lift), exercise selection and order, rest periods between sets and so on,
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I’d highly recommend checking out my free step-by-step guide (How To Create The Ultimate
Weight Training Workout Routine) or my program (Superior Muscle Growth).
Right now, though, I want to get straight into the template I use when designing the workouts for
an upper/lower/push/pull/legs routine.
THE “UPPER BODY” WORKOUT
On this day, you want to train the entire upper body to some degree. Here’s how that breaks down
in terms of body parts targeted, along with the amount of exercises I’ve found to be ideal for each.
• Chest: 2 exercises
• Back: 2 exercises
• Shoulders: 1 exercise
• Biceps: 1 exercise
• Triceps: 1 exercise
THE “LOWER BODY” WORKOUT
On this day, you want to train the entire lower body to some degree. Here’s how that breaks down
in terms of body parts targeted, along with the amount of exercises I’ve found to be ideal for each.
• Quads: 1-2 exercises
• Hamstrings: 1-2 exercises
• Glutes: 1 exercise
• Calves: 1 exercise
THE “PUSH” WORKOUT
On this day, you want to train all of the “pushing” muscles of the upper body to some degree.
Here’s how that breaks down in terms of body parts targeted, along with the amount of exercises
I’ve found to be ideal for each.
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• Chest: 2 exercises
• Shoulders: 1 exercise
• Triceps: 1 exercise
THE “PULL” WORKOUT
On this day, you want to train all of the “pulling” muscles of the upper body to some degree.
Here’s how that breaks down in terms of body parts targeted, along with the amount of exercises
I’ve found to be ideal for each.
• Back: 2 exercises
• Biceps: 1 exercise
• Rear Delts: 1 exercise
THE “LEGS” WORKOUT
In this context, “legs” and “lower body” are just two different ways of referring to the same thing,
so you want to train the same muscle groups from the “lower body” workout earlier. Here’s how
that breaks down.
• Quads: 1-2 exercises
• Hamstrings: 1-2 exercises
• Glutes: 1 exercise
• Calves: 1 exercise
Now let me put it all together for you…
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THE 5-DAY WORKOUT ROUTINE: THE WORKOUTS
Upper Body
Order
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
1
Bench Press
3
5-8
2-3 minutes
2
Rows
3
5-8
2-3 minutes
3
Shoulder Press
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
4
Lat Pull-Downs
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
5
Chest Flys
2
10-15
1 minute
6
Biceps Isolation
2
12-15
1 minute
7
Triceps Isolation
2
12-15
1 minute
Lower Body
Order
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
1
Romanian Deadlifts
3
6-8
2-3 minutes
2
Leg Press
3
6-8
2-3 minutes
3
Leg Curls
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
4
Split Squats or Lunges
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
5
Standing Calf Raises
4
6-8
2 minutes
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Push
Order
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
1
Incline Press
3
6-8
2-3 minutes
2
Dumbbell Bench Press
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
3
Lateral Raises
3
10-15
1 minute
4
Triceps Isolation
3
10-12
1 minute
Pull
Order
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
1
Pull-Ups
3
6-8
2-3 minutes
2
Rows
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
3
Rear Delts
3
10-15
1 minute
4
Biceps Isolation
3
10-12
1 minute
Legs
Order
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
1
Squats
3
6-8
2-3 minutes
2
Barbell Hip Thrusts
or Weighted Hyperextensions
3
8-10
1-2 minutes
3
Leg Extensions
2
10-12
1-2 minutes
4
Leg Curls
2
10-12
1-2 minutes
5
Seated Calf Raises
4
10-15
1-2 minutes
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Now let’s answer a few questions you may have about these workouts, the split, or anything
related to getting the most out of this program.
WHAT ABOUT ABS?
You can add about 10 minutes’ worth of direct ab training to the end of 1 or 2 of these workouts.
People typically train abs on the same day as legs, but you can really feel free to put it on
whatever day(s) you prefer. Just keep it to no more than 2 times per week (and not on consecutive
days), and about 10 minutes or so each time. Feel free to pick whatever ab exercise(s) you like
best, and remember that this is the least important part of having nice looking abs (details
here: How To Get A Six Pack).
WHO IS THE 5-DAY WORKOUT ROUTINE IDEAL FOR?
Mid/late intermediate and advanced trainees (both men and women) who A) have a schedule that
conveniently allows them to fit in 5 workouts per week, B) can handle 5 weight training workouts
per week in terms of recovery, and C) have the primary goal of building muscle.
WHO ISN’T IT IDEAL FOR?
•
Beginners should stick with something more basic (i.e. The Beginner Weight Training
Workout Routine).
•
Early intermediates, and all intermediate/advanced trainees who can only fit in 3-4
workouts per week and/or don’t do well with 5-day programs from a recovery
standpoint should stick with a program like The Muscle Building Workout Routine or any of
the other 3-4 day workouts in my Superior Muscle Growth program.
•
Anyone in a caloric deficit focusing on fat loss should ideally be using a 3-4 day plan to
compensate for the drop in recovery that comes with being in a deficit. The Fat Loss +
Muscle Maintenance routine from Superior Fat Loss is my preferred choice for that purpose.
•
Anyone training for pure strength, endurance, or something sport-specific. While this
workout may benefit those goals to some degree, it’s not designed to be optimal for them.
Rather, this is a workout designed to be optimal for people looking to build muscle and
improve the way their body looks.
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “ROWS”?
I mean pick any rowing exercise for the back. Bent over barbell or dumbbell rows, t-bar rows,
chest supported rows, seated cable rows, some type of machine row… whatever you like best.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “REAR DELTS”?
I mean pick any rear delt exercise you want. Face-pulls, reverse pec deck, rear delt dumbbell
raises… whatever you like best.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “BICEPS ISOLATION” AND “TRICEPS ISOLATION”?
I mean pick any isolation exercise you want for that muscle group.
For example, the biceps isolation exercise might be dumbbell curls, EZ bar curls, cable curls or
any similar type of curling movement for the biceps. For triceps isolation, it might be cable
pushdowns, overhead dumbbell extensions, skull crushers or any similar isolation exercise for the
triceps.
WHAT ABOUT SHRUGS?
Shrugs can optionally be added to the end of the “pull” workout. Keep it to no more than 2-3 sets
of 8-10 reps.
WHAT IF THERE’S AN EXERCISE I CAN’T DO? OR AN EXERCISE I DON’T LIKE?
It’s really simple. Just replace that exercise with a similar variation of it. For example, bench press
could be barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, or a machine chest pressing exercise. Pullups could be lat pull-downs. Lateral raises could be dumbbell lateral raises, cable lateral raises, or
a lateral raise machine. Flyes could be dumbbell flyes, cable flyes or machine flyes. Incline presses
could be barbell, dumbbell or an incline press machine. And so on.
HOW DO I PROGRESS WHEN USING THIS PROGRAM?
Like most of my programs, I recommend using a double progression approach. This simply means
setting a consistent rep goal for each exercise, working on getting additional reps until that rep
goal is met, and then increasing the weight by some small increment when that happens.
So let’s say an exercise calls for 3 sets of 6-8 reps. That means you could make the goal 8-8-8, or
7-7-7, or 6-6-6, or 8-7-6, or 6-7-8.
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Exactly which you choose depends mostly on your own personal preferences and whether you’re
using straight sets, reverse pyramid, descending ramp, or whatever else.
But for the sake of an example, let’s pretend you choose 8-8-8. And let’s say you’re currently
lifting 100lbs for this exercise.
If you get anything less than 8-8-8 in your 3 sets, you’d try to get additional reps the next time.
So, for example, if you got 6-6-6, you may get 7-7-6 next time. Then maybe 8-7-7 the time after
that. And then finally 8-8-8 the time after that. When that finally happens, you’d go up to 105lbs
the next time and repeat this process all over again.
Additional details here: The Progressive Overload Principle and How To Progress At Weight
Training Exercises
DOES MY DIET MATTER WHILE USING THIS WORKOUT?
Um, yes. Your diet always matters. And if you’re using this (or any) workout routine for the
purpose of building muscle, it’s not going to work if your diet isn’t designed to support it.
But, it’s cool, I got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know: The Muscle Building Diet
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE TRYING TO GET
THE BEST MUSCLE BUILDING RESULTS POSSIBLE?
I cover most of that right here: How To Build Muscle: The 15 Step Guide For Men And Women
And if you’re looking for something even more in depth, my book covers every single thing and
puts it all together for you: Superior Muscle Growth
THE END
And that’s all of it. I hope you enjoyed this PDF, and I hope you put this workout routine into
action consistently.
Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox as well, because I’m going to have more awesome (free)
content to share with you in the future. See you then!
- Jay
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