The Best 5-Day Workout Split Routine

To get the best from your training, you need to follow a well-designed strength training program. Yes, you could just turn up at the gym and make up your workout on the fly, what bodybuilding guru Joe Weider called the instinctive training and muscle confusion methods, but that’s not a recipe for long-term success.

Following a program means you can logically and systematically manipulate the training variables (overload, volume, recovery, etc.) to ensure progress. After all, how can you gradually make your training harder, the principle of progression, if you change your workout from one week to the next?

There are lots of different programs to follow. Some involve training your whole body 2-3 times per week, while others break your body down into individual muscles and muscle groups. We call these divided workout plans split routines.

Split routines can involve training as little as twice a week to training six times or more. The 5-day split is one of the most widely used approaches and is popular with recreational and competitive bodybuilders.

However, while this workout structure has some real benefits, there are a few drawbacks too. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of the 5-day workout split and provide you with some tried and tested variations to try.

What is a 5-Day Workout Split?

A five-day split involves training five days per week. In most cases, this involves dividing your body into five muscle groups and working on each once per week. However, some five-day variations allow you to hit muscle groups twice per seven-day rotation.

There is no “official” five-day split routine; it’s merely a framework into which you can slot the exercises you want to do. Also, because it’s a flexible training approach, you can modify this workout to suit your current fitness goals and training needs.

Sample 5-Day Workout Splits

There are lots of different interpretations of the five-day workout split. Design your own or follow one of our tried-and-tested examples.

Before you start any of these workouts, make sure you spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body for what you are about to do. Start with a few minutes of easy cardio to raise your core temperature and increase blood flow.

After that, do a few dynamic flexibility and joint mobility exercises for the body parts you are about to train. Finally, do a few easy sets of the main exercises in your workout to ensure you are as warm and ready to work as possible.

Regarding rest days, if you prefer to train on weekdays and take the weekends off, you are free to do so. However, a mid-week rest can also be beneficial. Try both options and see which one you prefer.

Adjust the following workouts to match your training goal:

What is the Main Goal of a 5-Day Workout Split?

Every individual has a different objective while enrolling in a gym; whether your goal is to be a bodybuilder or shred some excess weight, you should have a training protocol that suits your goal.

The primary goal of the 5-days workout split is to maximize training intensity and volume.

When you train a single body part, you get all the freedom to amp up the training intensity and train the muscle from every possible angle. For example, when you dedicate a day to triceps training, you get the time to train all three triceps heads (long head, lateral head, and medial head) with high volume, which results in improved muscle pump and hypertrophy.

A 5-day training split benefits the smaller muscle groups that do not get the proper attention when you follow a full body or push/pull/legs training protocol.

Another example: Can you have better triceps muscle separation with a single triceps exercise? In most cases, the answer will be a resounding no. That’s why smaller body muscles like triceps, calves, and forearms are often undeveloped while the chest, back, quads and glutes get all the attention.

Those who believe that training a muscle only once a week is inferior to training muscles twice a week should think again! A recent study states, “Resistance training twice or four times per week has similar effects on neuromuscular adaptation, provided the weekly set volume is equal.” Increasing the training volume can subside the effects of training a muscle group only once a week. [1]

5-Day Workout Split #1 – The Body Part Split

This is the simplest way to do a five-way workout split. Just divide your body into five muscle groups and train each per workout. Note the order of the workouts; similar muscle groups are kept far apart to allow for optimal recovery.

Exercises List

Chest

1. Bench press
2. Incline dumbbell press
3. Decline cable crossover
4. Push-up
5. Dumbbell pullover

Back

1. Deadlift
2. Pull-up
3. Single-arm bent-over row
4. Lat pulldown
5. Chest supported row

Shoulders

1. Standing barbell press
2. Seated dumbbell alternating overhead press
3. Lateral raise
4. Reverse fly

Legs

1. Barbell back squat
2. Romanian deadlift
3. Leg press
4. Leg curl
5. Leg extension
6. Standing calf raise

Arms and abs

1. Barbell curl
2. Barbell skull crusher
3. Alternating dumbbell curl
4. Rope pushdown
5. Hanging knee raise
6. Cable crunches
7. Cable wood chop

How Does This Workout Work?

It’s the elemental form of a 5-day training split where you concentrate on a single body part in a single training session. The primary benefit of this workout split is it allows you to target a particular muscle group from various angles.

For example, on a chest day, you can include the bench press, incline dumbbell press, dumbbell fly, cable crossover, dumbbell Svend press, and plyo push-ups, all in a single training session.

Who Can Follow This Workout?

This training program can be used by beginners and advanced lifters. Training a single muscle group a day is perfect for someone planning to increase their single muscle training volume, strength, and hypertrophy.

Whether you are a bodybuilder in the cutting phase or an intermediate lifter looking for better muscle definition, this training protocol is suitable for you.

How Long Will This Session Last Daily?

Strength training sessions should not last more than 30-45 minutes. And the entire training session with pre-workout warmup mobility and post-workout stretching should not take more than 60-75 minutes.

If your muscles are not exhausted by the end of the workout, you need to amp up your intensity. Reduce the rest period between sets, and introduce drop sets, super sets, and giant sets to get the best out of your training session.

5-Day Workout Split #2 – Variation

With this variation, you train two muscle groups per workout, and your arms get two workouts per week. This is a good option if your arms need a boost or you prefer more variety in your workouts.

On the downside, this program will probably mean spending more time in the gym.

Exercises List

Chest and triceps

1. Dumbbell bench press
2. Incline dumbbell fly
3. Pec deck
4. Dumbbell overhead triceps extension
5. Single-arm cable kickback

Back and biceps

1. Rack pull
2. Kroc row
3. Lat pulldown
4. EZ biceps curl
5. Zottman curl

Quads and calves

1. Front squat
2. Walking lunge
3. Step-up
4. Leg extension
5. Seated calf raise
6. Standing calf raise

Shoulders and arms

1. Arnold press
2. Upright row
3. Cable lateral raise
4. Preacher curl
5. Dip
6. Concentration curl
7. Reverse grip pushdown

Hamstrings and abs

1. Stiff-leg deadlift
2. Leg curl
3. Single-leg Romanian deadlift
4. Hip thrust
5. Weighted plank
6. Side plank/leg lift
7. Reverse crunch

How Does This Workout Work?

It’s an advanced 5-day split variation where you combine two muscle groups in a single training session. The beauty of this training protocol is it allows you to train ‘big muscle’ with ‘small muscle’.

For example: on Monday, you train the chest and triceps. The chest is a big muscle group, while the triceps are a smaller muscle group. Similarly, on Tuesday, you train back and biceps; here, the back is the bigger muscle group, and the biceps are the smaller ones.

Who Can Follow This Workout?

This advanced training protocol is for folks who have already followed the single body part 5-day split labeled ‘5-Day Workout Split #1 – The Body Part Split’ for at least 12 weeks.

This workout is quite demanding, and you will need to emphasize nutrition and muscle recovery.

How Long Will This Session Last Daily?

Because of the involvement of two muscle groups, this training may take a little longer; an average strength training session should not last more than 60-minutes.

Ensure you take proper rest between sets when doing compound movements. Here is how much you should rest between sets:

• Two minutes for the compound movements
• 60-90 seconds of rest between sets during isolation movements.

5-Day Workout Split #3 – Upper/Lower/Push/Pull/Legs

Most 5-day workout splits train each muscle group once per week. Some lifters prefer more volume than this. The Upper / Lower / Push/Pull /Legs train each muscle group twice per week by combing two different split routines. For added variety, you could use different sets and rep schemes on different training days.

For example, sets of 5-8 reps for the first two workouts and 9-12 for the last three.

Exercises List

Upper body

1. Bench press
2. Barbell bent-over row
3. Barbell push-press
4. Pull-up
5. Barbell curl
6. Dumbbell skull crusher

Lower body

1. Barbell back squat
2. Romanian deadlift
3. Hack squat
4. Leg curl
5. Standing calf raise

Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)

1. Dumbbell bench press
2. Incline barbell bench press
3. Pec deck
4. Seated dumbbell shoulder press
5. Lateral raise
6. Triceps pushdown
7. Barbell kickback

Pull (back, biceps, abs)

1. Weighted pull-up
2. Seated cable row
3. Pullover machine
4. Barbell drag curl
5. Barbell reverse curl
6. V-sit
7. Russian twist

Legs

1. Box squat
2. Snatch-grip deadlift
3. Leg extension
4. Nordic leg curl
5. Box jumps
6. Seated calf raise

How Does This Workout Work?

This variation is quite different from the two protocols mentioned above. While single body part split allows you to train the muscle only once a week, this ‘upper, lower, push/pull/legs’ protocol lets you train all the major muscle groups twice a week.

This training protocol is perfect for someone looking to pack on muscle mass. It’s also used by lifters in the bulking phase. Why bulking? Training multiple major muscle groups in a training session can be quite demanding, and the body will require balanced nutrition to recover. The bulking diet is calorie-dense and designed to keep you in a caloric surplus, allowing proper recovery.

Who Can Follow This Workout?

Both beginners and advanced lifters can follow it. Beginners can train with lightweight, and advanced lifters can go heavier.

Even if you miss a workout, you will still be training all the major muscles at least once a week. It’s an optimal training split for someone looking for higher-frequency training and who wants to train major muscles twice a week.

How Long Will This Session Last Daily?

It is an energy-intensive workout and should not last more than 60 minutes. Pay emphasis to proper nutrition, and one should be doing it under proper guidance or else, it might lead to muscle overuse injuries.

Best Exercises for 5-Day Workout Splits (for major body parts)

Designing a unique training protocol is not rocket science. You just need to have an idea of what muscle these exercises target.

Given below is a list of exercises you can include in your training split.

1. For Chest

1.1 Bench Press

The bench press is one of the first exercises that come to mind when talking about a chest workout. It’s an excellent compound movement that can help build strength and muscle mass. 

Primary muscles: Pectoralis major and pectoralis minor.

Secondary muscles: Anterior delts, triceps, and rhomboids.

Benefits:

• Helps build a stronger and bigger chest.
• Increases upper body strength.
• Strengthens shoulders and triceps.

Pro tip: Tempo plays a crucial role in muscle development. Increase the time under tension by slowing down the eccentric motion.

1.2 Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press is another common chest exercise that improves chest strength and enhances shoulder stability. When you train with dumbbells, each hand moves independently, meaning both sides will be trained equally.

Primary muscles: Pectoralis major and minor.

Secondary muscles: Anterior delts, triceps, and rhomboids.

Benefits:

• The dumbbell press allows a greater range of motion than the barbell bench press.
• Improves movement stability and muscle contraction.
• Helps develop stronger pecs.

Pro tip: Pause for three seconds at the bottom of every repetition.

1.3 Incline Dumbbell Press

The incline dumbbell press is a great variation to target the upper chest. It helps build a fuller chest.

Primary muscles: Clavicular head and anterior delts.

Secondary muscles: Triceps and rhomboids. 

Benefits:

• This variation is perfect for building a well-defined chest.
• Training the upper chest also strengthens the shoulders’ horizontal adduction and flexion.

Pro tip: Set the bench at a 30-40 degree incline. If you find it difficult to go heavy on the incline bench press, it might be because your primary muscles are already exhausted due to the heavy flat bench press. Start your chest workout with the incline dumbbell press to focus on upper chest strength.

1.4 Incline Dumbbell Fly

Incline dumbbell fly is a great exercise to target your upper chest while emphasizing inner chest development. It also increases pec hypertrophy.

You will need to set the bench at a 30-degree incline.

Primary muscles: Clavicular head.

Secondary muscles: Anterior delt and triceps.

Benefits:

• Strengthens chest adduction.
• Develop a fuller and stronger chest.

Pro tip: Keep your elbows flared for maximum upper chest activation.

1.5 Pec Deck Chest Fly

Pec deck is standard gym equipment designed to strengthen chest abduction. In many cases, it replicates the effects of dumbbell fly and is easy to perform.

Primary muscles: Pectoralis major and serratus anterior.

Secondary muscles: Anterior delts and rectus abdominis. 

Benefits:

• Pec deck chest fly is a beginner-friendly exercise that strengthens chest adduction.
• Helps add strength and size to the chest.

Pro tip: For best results, slow down the rep tempo. Take three seconds on the eccentric motion, pause for two seconds at the bottom, and take one second on the concentric part of the movement.

1.6 Decline Cable Crossover

You will need a cable crossover machine. The beauty of cable crossover is that muscle stays under continuous tension through the movement, which allows greater muscle activation and hypertrophy.  

Primary muscles: Pectoralis major (sternal head).

Secondary muscles: Anterior delts and triceps.

Benefits:

• Target the lower chest.
• Insane lower pec muscle pumps.
• Especially useful to improve lower chest definition.

Pro tip: Try different angles to find out which angle suits you best. Start with a lightweight and high-rep set to improve mind-muscle connection.

1.7 Push-Up

A push-up is a compound exercise that trains and strengthens multiple muscles with a single movement.

Once you get comfortable with the conventional push-up, you can try out different variations like feet-elevated incline push-ups, diamond push-ups, archer push-ups, etc. One can also increase the intensity by wearing a weighted vest.

Primary muscles: Pectoralis major and minor. 

Secondary muscles: Anterior delts, triceps, abs, and serratus anterior.

Benefits:

• Helps builds strength and size.
• You can try different push-up variations to target your chest from different angles.

Pro tip: Pause for a two seconds at the bottom of every repetition.

1.8 Dumbbell Pull-Over

Dumbbell pull-over is a unique exercise that trains your chest and back simultaneously. It’s an excellent addition to your upper body strength routine and can improve shoulder mobility.

Primary muscles: Serratus anterior and pectoral muscles.

Secondary muscles: Triceps, lats, and core.

Benefits:

• One of the few exercises that train serratus anterior.
• It expands the rib cage for a more aesthetic-looking physique.
• Improves shoulder mobility and core strength.

Pro tip: Follow a full range of motion with slow eccentric.

2. For Shoulders

2.1 Standing Barbell Press

The standing barbell press is a part of most strength training routines, including bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman, CrossFit, and Olympic lifting.

It’s an excellent compound movement that helps build upper body strength and broad shoulders.

Primary muscles: Anterior deltoids and lateral deltoid.

Secondary muscles: Triceps, trapezius, serratus anterior, and core.

Benefits:

• Builds stronger and bigger shoulders.
• Improves core strength.
• Boosts your bench pressing ability as anterior deltoids are involved in both exercises.

Pro tip: Also include movements like crawling, arm bars, Turkish get-ups, and band pull-apart to improve your shoulder strength.

2.2 Arnold Press

The Arnold press is one of the most effective shoulder builders.

Primary muscles: Anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids.

Secondary muscles: Triceps and core.

Benefits:

• Targets all three shoulder heads.
• Develops fuller shoulders.

Pro tip: Focus on slow eccentrics and fast concentrics while performing the movement.

2.3 Upright Row

Upright row exercise targets the medial and posterior deltoids. You grab a loaded barbell with an overhand grip, stand straight, and pull the barbell straight up to the collarbone. That’s how you do upright rows.

Primary muscles: Traps, medial deltoid, posterior deltoid.

Secondary muscles: Biceps brachii, brachialis, core. 

Benefits:

• Develop shoulder and upper back strength.
• Increase shoulder width by focusing on medial deltoids.
• Strengthens rhomboids and traps.

Pro tip: Keep your torso upright throughout the exercise. Do not use momentum to lift the weight. Control the negatives for better muscle hypertrophy.

2.4 Lateral Raise

It’s a shoulder isolation movement that trains and strengthens the medial deltoids.

Primary muscles: Medial deltoid (lateral head).

Secondary muscle: Core.

Benefits:

• Builds aesthetic shoulders.
• Develops stronger and broader shoulders.

Pro tip: Do not swing your upper body to lift the weights. Control the momentum for optimal hypertrophy.

2.5 Reverse Fly

The reverse fly helps strengthen the posterior delts. It’s just like the lateral raise, but in this variation, you lean forward for maximum rear delt contraction. If you find it challenging to hold the bent-over position, you can rest your chest on an incline bench.

Primary muscles: Posterior deltoid and trapezius (middle and upper).

Secondary muscles: Core and lower back.

Benefits:

• Stronger upper back muscles help prevent injuries.
• This exercise also strengthens the rhomboids.

Pro tip: Do not focus on the amount of weight you lift; concentrate on the proper form and mind-muscle connection.

2.6 Seated Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press

Including unilateral movement in your training routine is always a great idea. Unilateral exercises help you equally train both sides and fix muscle and strength imbalances.

Primary muscles: Anterior deltoids and lateral deltoid.

Secondary muscles: Triceps, traps, serratus anterior, and core.

Benefits:

• Helps correct shoulder muscle and strength imbalances.
• It lets you focus on one side at a time.
• It also improves coordination.

Pro tip: Drop-sets on this exercise is the ultimate workout finisher.

3. For Back

3.1 Deadlift

Deadlift a compound movement that strengthens the whole posterior chain. It’s an ultimate strength builder. 

Primary muscles: Hamstrings.

Secondary muscles: Forearms, rhomboid, quads, whole posterior chain, including traps, posterior delts, lats, erector spinae, glutes, hip flexors, calves, and core.

Benefits:

• Helps build strength.
• It is a full-body workout that helps boost metabolism.
• Develop a stronger back that is less prone to injuries.
• Deadlifts boost growth hormone production.

Pro tip: Before doing the deadlift, do some bird-dog yoga poses to activate your core and glutes.

3.2 Chest-Supported Row

The chest-supported row is an excellent exercise for those who don’t want to strain their lower back. It also prevents the possibility of cheat reps by securing your torso on the bench.

Primary muscles: Trapezius, posterior deltoids, lats, and rhomboids.

Secondary muscle: Arms.

Benefits:

• Develops back strength and thickness.
• Build stronger lats.
• Prevents lower back pain.

Pro tip: Practice pause reps with a 2-3 second pause at the bottom of the motion. Grabbing the barbell with an underhand grip will put more emphasis on lat development.

3.3 Pull-Up

Pull-ups need no introduction. They are arguably the best bodyweight exercise to build upper back strength. You can always change grips (overhand, underhand, or mixed grip) or add weights by wearing a weighted vest to increase the intensity.

Primary muscles: Latissimus dorsi, posterior delts, trapezius (lower and middle), and biceps. 

Secondary muscles: Forearms, grip, and core.

Benefits:

• Helps build a Greek god-like V-taper.
• Creates a strong foundation.
• You don’t need expensive equipment as it can be practiced almost anywhere.

Pro tip: Add weight to the pull-ups once you can do ten strict pull-ups.

3.4 Rack Pull

Rack pulls are a great strength-building exercise. They are just like the deadlift, but you lift the barbell from the rack, which shortens the range of motion and allows you to lift heavier weights. 

Primary muscles: Trapezius, lats, and rear delts.

Secondary muscles: Forearms, biceps, and core.

Benefits:

• Helps develop immense back strength.
• Can help improve your deadlift PR.
• Improves grip strength.

Pro tip: Always wear a lifting belt while lifting heavy.

3.5 Lat Pulldown

A classic exercise for the lats but requires a lat pull-down machine. Lat pull-down is a beginner-friendly exercise that will strengthen the back and help build a V-taper.

You can choose between several grips like wide, narrow, neutral, and underhand grip.

Primary muscles: Latissimus dorsi and posterior delts.

Secondary muscles: Traps, biceps, and grip.

Benefits:

• It’s a beginner-friendly exercise that can be performed by lifters of different fitness levels.
• Improves lat hypertrophy and strength.

Pro tip: Choose an underhand grip for greater lat activation and a wide overhand grip to emphasize upper back development.

3.6 Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

Single-arm bent-over row is a unilateral exercise that will help you feel a deep stretch in the lats without putting undue stress on your lower back.

Primary muscles: Latissimus dorsi, rhomboid, and posterior deltoids.

Secondary muscles: Traps and arms.

Benefits:

• Helps you train unilaterally to prevent muscle imbalance.
• Allows you to train with heavier weights.
• Ignites muscle hypertrophy.

Pro tip: Keep the elbows close to the torso for greater lat development.

4. For Legs

4.1 Barbell Back Squat

Barbell back squat is also called the king of all exercises because of the number of muscles it engages. It’s an exercise that you perform with a barbell on your back.

Primary muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Secondary muscles: Calves, erector spinae, core, and traps.

Benefits:

• Incredibly effective at building leg strength.
• Improves functional strength.
• Strengthens core and lower back.

Pro tip: Practice pause reps to take your training to the next level.

4.2 Front Squat

The front squat is perfect for someone who finds it uncomfortable to squat down with a barbell on their back. This squat variation helps keep the torso upright, reducing stress on the lower back.

Primary muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Secondary muscle: Calves and core.

Benefits:

• Allows better quad activation than the conventional barbell back squat.
• Reduces unnecessary lower back stress by keeping your torso upright.
• Enable a lifter to go deeper while squatting.

Pro tip: Practice the movement with an empty barbell first, and concentrate on slow and controlled reps. Don’t round your back.

4.3 Walking Lunge

If you are serious about building a strong foundation, you should not bail on the walking lunge. It’s a great exercise to build stronger quads and glutes.

Primary muscles: Quadriceps and glutes.

Secondary muscles: Hamstrings, calves, and core.

Benefits:

• The unilateral exercise helps improve symmetry.
• Fixes muscle and strength imbalances.
• Boosts overall functionality and will make your daily chaos easier.
• It strengthens the hip flexors that are often left untrained.

Pro tip: Pay close attention to your chest. You should not be leaning forward. Keep the tempo slow and controlled.

4.4 Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is different from the conventional deadlift. It emphasizes the development of the glutes and hamstrings. In this exercise, you keep your knees slightly bent throughout the movement.

Primary muscles: Glute and hamstrings.

Secondary muscles: Whole posterior chain, erector spinae, core, calves, and grip. 

Benefits:

• Strengthens the glutes and hamstrings.
• Improves squat and deadlift performance.
• Strong hamstrings can help you jump high, run fast, and build explosive lower body strength.

Pro tip: Pausing for two seconds at the bottom can improve muscle engagement.

4.5 Leg Press

Leg presses are done on a leg press machine. It’s a great exercise to improve leg strength without stressing out the back. The leg press is especially beneficial for people with limited lower body mobility, but it is also a beloved exercise of advanced lifters who love to lift heavy.

Primary muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Secondary muscle: Calves.

Benefits:

• It’s a beginner-friendly exercise that strengthens legs and glutes.
• It also improves squatting performance by building lower body strength.

Pro tip: Concentrate on slow eccentrics.

4.6 Leg Curl

It is a hamstring isolation exercise. Paying equal emphasis to hamstrings is essential, or it may lead to muscle imbalance. 

Primary muscles: Hamstrings.

Secondary muscles: Tibialis anterior and calves.

Benefits:

• Helps build strong hamstrings .
• Leg curl can also improve knee health.

Pro tip: Hold every contraction for 2-3 seconds. 

4.7 Leg Extension

The leg extension will help you isolate your quads. It will improve the quad size and definition.

Primary muscles: Quadriceps.

Secondary muscle: Tibialis anterior

Benefits:

• Develop bigger and fuller quads.
• Quads are the prime mover in squats, and the leg extension can improve your squatting performance.
• Improves knee health.

Pro tip: Hold every contraction for 2-3 seconds. Perform drop sets to take your quad training to another level.

4.8 Dumbbell Step-Up

The dumbbell step-up can be an excellent addition to your lower body training because it strengthens the knee and hip joints.

Primary muscles: Quads, glutes, adductors, hip flexors, and hamstrings. 

Secondary muscles: Calves and core.

Benefits:

• Improves knee health.
• Strengthens legs and glutes.
• Helps build strong legs without stressing the lower back.
• It works on one leg at a time, helping correct muscle and strength imbalances.

Pro tip: Control the negatives.

4.9 Seated Calf Raise

The seated calf raise is an incredibly effective exercise that will help you develop thick calves.

Primary muscles: Soleus.

Benefits:

• Can make you a better runner.
• Improves calf thickness.

Pro tip: Many lifters do this exercise too fast; slow down your tempo, let your ankle go down for a full range of motion, and pause and contract your calves at the top to get the best results.

4.10 Standing Calf Raise

Calf training is incomplete without a standing calf raise. It’s an excellent exercise that will improve your calf size and strength. You can do this exercise with dumbbells or on a standing calf-raise machine.

Primary muscles: Gastrocnemius muscle.

Secondary muscles: Soleus.

Benefits:

• Increases calf size and strength.
• The standing calf raise promotes ankle stability.
• Prevents ankle injuries.
• Improves explosiveness.

Pro tip: Instead of going too heavy, control the tempo and pause at the bottom and top for maximum benefits.  

5. For Arms and Core

5.1 Barbell Curl

The barbell curl will help you build muscular biceps.

Primary muscles: Biceps.

Secondary muscles: Forearms, deltoid, and core.

Benefits:

• An excellent exercise to build biceps size and strength.
• Stronger arms mean an improved ability to handle heavy weights during big compound movements.
• Improves grip strength and forearm size.

Pro tip: Squeeze your pythons with every rep.

5.2 Barbell Skull Crusher

Develop insane triceps size and strength with the barbell skull crusher.

Primary muscles: Triceps.

Secondary muscles: Forearms.

Benefits:

• Improves your bench press.
• Helps build triceps strength.
• A study suggests ‘triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. [2]

Pro tip: Pursue a full range of motion.

5.3 Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Train your biceps unilaterally with the alternating dumbbell curl. This exercise allows you to focus on a single arm at a time.

Primary muscles: Biceps.

Secondary muscles: Forearms and grip strength.

Benefits:

• Improves mind-muscle connection by allowing you to focus on a single arm at a time.
• Helps build stronger balanced biceps.
• Allows far better muscle isolation than the dual dumbbell biceps curl.
• As you focus on one side at a time, you can train with heavier dumbbells, resulting in greater hypertrophy.

Pro tip: Squeeze at the contraction point for optimal hypertrophy. 

5.4 EZ Bar Curl

An EZ bar allows you to grab the bar without fully supinating the forearms. The EZ bar puts lesser strain on your wrists than the conventional straight bar.

Primary muscles: Biceps.

Benefits:

• EZ bar puts less strain on your wrists and forearms than the conventional bar.
• Lets you grab the barbell in a more natural position, helping you lift heavier.
• Better brachialis and brachioradialis activation compared to the straight bar bicep curl.

Pro tip: A two-second pause at the peak contraction.

5.5 Rope Pushdown

The rope pushdown focuses on the lateral triceps head. 

Primary muscles: Triceps..

Benefits:

• Using rope allows a greater range of motion in comparison to the bar.
• Improves triceps definition and size.

Pro tip: Pin your elbows to your sides and keep them there throughout the exercise.

5.6 Barbell Preacher Curl

It’s an excellent exercise to target the short biceps head. The barbell preacher curl is an isolation exercise that fixes the elbow in a forward position, preventing cheat reps.

Primary muscles: Biceps.

Secondary muscles: Forearms.

Benefits:

• Excellent biceps isolation exercise.
• Even when the elbows are fully extended, your bicep will feel a stretch because of the slight leaning forward angle of the preacher bench.
• Preacher curls prevent cheat reps.
• Emphasizing on the short head improves biceps thickness.

Pro tip: Emphasize on the negative portion of every rep.

5.7 Hanging Knee Raise

The hanging knee raise is an excellent functional exercise that improves your core strength while strengthening grip and shoulder stability.

Primary muscles: Lower abs, internal obliques, and hip flexors.

Secondary muscles: Grip, forearm muscle, and shoulder girdle muscles.

Benefits:

• It’s one of the best exercises for lower abs. It not only strengthens the abdomen but also improves muscle control.
• You are not only training your abs but also decompressing your spine.
• A great exercise for shoulder joints, especially for people with a desk job.   

Pro tip: You can add resistance by using a dip belt or holding a dumbbell between your feet.

5.8 Cable Crunch

Some people also call it kneeling cable crunches. This exercise is a  weighted crunch variation and allows better core isolation. For lifters who experience back pain while doing regular crunches, cable crunches are for you.

Primary muscles: Upper abs and lower abs.

Benefits:

• Cable crunches allow you to train heavy without stressing your back.
• Enhances core stability.
• Keeps your core under constant tension throughout the exercise.

Pro tip: Use your hands as an anchor. Do not try to pull the weight with your hands or lats.

5.9 Cable Wood Chop

As the name suggests, in this exercise, you will move the cable diagonally across your body in a chopping motion. 

Cable wood chop is an excellent exercise that targets transverse abdominis and oblique muscles. This exercise not only builds an aesthetically appealing midriff but also improves your functionality across the transverse plane.

Primary muscles: Transverse abdominis and obliques.

Secondary muscles: Back, shoulders and legs.

Benefits:

• It’s especially beneficial for athletes.
• Helps build an aesthetically appealing core by training the often overlooked obliques.

Pro tip: Control the tempo and concentrate on muscle engagement and contraction.

Recommended Supplements for Split Workout

You cannot achieve optimal gains without a macro and micronutrient-focused nutrition program. Supplements can help speed up your recovery and improve muscle hypertrophy. 

• Multivitamins: A multivitamin supplement should be a must while undergoing high-intensity training. The body loses vital minerals and vitamins through sweating, and it’s important to replenish those lost micronutrients.
  Vitamins are necessary for energy production, immune system functioning, and other functions. On the other hand, minerals play an important role in regulating various hormones.
  Adding a multivitamin supplement to your routine is the first step to ensure that your body has all the essential vitamins and minerals required to function optimally and recover efficiently.
• Whey Protein: Whey protein helps your muscle recover faster. Plus, it’s fast digesting, accelerating muscle recovery when consumed after a workout.
  For people who find it difficult to reach their daily protein intake goals, whey protein is a convenient way to supply essential amino acids to the muscle fibers.
• Casein Protein: The majority of muscle recovery happens when you are in deep sleep. While sleeping, our body releases various hormones that help in growth and recovery.
  Casein is a slow-release protein that supports muscle recovery by steadily providing the required amino acids throughout the night.
• Creatine Monohydrate: Creatine is an amino acid located mostly in your muscles and brain. It can be found in fish, meat, and other animal products such as dairy.
  Creatine monohydrate has been proven to improve exercise performance, support recovery, improve lean-muscle development, and help lift heavy weights.
  Creatine monohydrate is one of the most researched sports supplements that does not have side effects. International Society of Sports Nutrition states, “There is no compelling scientific evidence that the short or long-term use of creatine monohydrate (up to 30 g/day for five years) has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals or among clinical populations who may benefit from creatine supplementation.” [3]

5-Day Workout Split – Pros

The 5-day workout is popular because it works. For many lifters, it provides the ideal way to build muscle and strength. The main pros of training five days a week are:

• Plenty of training volume per muscle group– with most 5-day split programs, you train just one or two muscle groups per workout. This gives you more than enough time to do plenty of sets. Training volume is important for hypertrophy (muscle growth). Training more muscle groups per workout usually means a lower volume.
• You can work your muscles from lots of different angles– with an entire session dedicated to one or two muscle groups, you’ll be able to use a variety of exercises to hit your muscles from all available angles.
• For example, instead of just doing squats for your legs or bench press for your chest, you’ll be able to include many more exercises which may increase hypertrophy and sculpt a more aesthetically pleasing physique.
• Increased caloric expenditure– training five times a week means you’ll be expending plenty of energy. This could help you get leaner or lose weight or maintain your current bodyweight without the need for additional cardio.
• Ideal for weekday exercisers– several people like to keep their weekends free. The five-day workout split is ideal for this purpose. Just train Monday to Friday, and rest Saturday and Sunday. After two days off, you’ll be ready to get back in the gym and start again on Monday.
• A good balance between training and recovery– the 5-day workout split provides a good balance between work and rest. By rotating muscle groups, you avoid overloading any one body part, and two days off per week will provide a welcome break from training. For most lifters, this is a better approach than training six or more days per week, which can lead to overtraining.

5-Day Workout Split – Cons

While the 5-day workout is popular and can be very effective, it is not without drawbacks. Consider the following before you try the 5-day training split for yourself:

• A big commitment– training five days a week is a big commitment. Just one missed workout will unbalance your entire training week and could lead to underdeveloped muscle groups. If you are always short on training time or tend to skip workouts, this is not the training split for you.
• You’ll need to pay attention to rest and recovery– following a five-way split will take a lot out of your body. After all, there are only two rest days per week. Because of this, you’ll need to pay extra attention to nutrition, rest, and recovery.
• Could lead to overtraining– while an hour or so is a suitable time for training large muscle groups, it may be too long for smaller body parts. For example, just because you’ve got an hour to train your arms doesn’t mean you should. Modify your training volume according to the muscle you are training to avoid overdoing it. An hour of biceps or calf training could be counterproductive.
• Not really suitable for beginners– if you are new to strength training, a five-day workout split could be too advanced for you. All that volume and variety will probably leave you feeling tired and sore. A three or four-day split is perhaps a better choice for most beginners. That way, when you are ready, you can step up to training five days a week to maintain your progress.
• Requires careful planning– if you write your own 5-day workout split, you need to be careful not to place similar muscle groups on consecutive days. For example, if you trained your chest on Monday, your shoulders on Tuesday, and your triceps on Wednesday, you will end up doing three “pushing” workouts in a row. Avoid overlapping closely related muscle groups to prevent overtraining, provide adequate recovery, and ensure that you have plenty of energy for your workouts.
• Not a lot of time for cardio– if you like to do weights and cardio, you may find the five-way split too restrictive. While you COULD do cardio after strength training, you will probably find that you run out of energy. Doing cardio on your rest days could also interfere with recovery. If cardio training is important to you, a three or four-way split may be more productive.

How to Decide Which 5-Day Workout Split is Best For You?

Which workout split will suit you better will depend on your fitness goal, training experience, and athletic abilities. Your training split will vary depending on whether you are training for strength, hypertrophy, weight loss, or improved athletic performance.

Actually, there can be countless permutations and combinations while designing a training split. It is recommended to consult a qualified professional if you have specific training goals. However, most people could start with the 5-Day workout split #1 we designed for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are 5-day workout splits effective?

The effectiveness of any program depends on several factors. There is nothing like a ‘magic training split’. How well the workout split works for you depends on your diet and recovery.
If your goal is to lose weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit. On the other hand, you should follow a high-protien diet and stay in a caloric surplus if your goal is to gain muscle mass. Similarly, optimizing muscle recovery will help you perform better in the gym.

2. Are five days enough to build muscles?

Yes, if you are giving your 100 percent to the training and sticking to your calorie goals, then training 5-days a week is enough to build muscles.

However, you should pay more emphasis on nutrition if you have hit a plateau and can’t seem to make progress.

3. Is a 5-day workout split better than a 4-day workout split?

Which workout split you choose should depend on how fast you can recover and your experience level.

Training five days a week will help increase your training volume, which will eventually help with muscle hypertrophy.

4. Can I have legs day twice per week in a 5-day workout split?

Yes, you can. Check out our 5-day workout split #3. You can train your legs twice by following an upper/lower/push/pull/legs routine.

5. Is a 5-day split good for weight loss?

Again, the efficiency of the workout split will depend on your nutrition program. If your body burns 2,000 calories in a day and you are eating 2,200 calories then you’ll have a hard time losing weight. Make sure you track every calorie you consume and stay in a calorie deficit.

6. Is it necessary to take a rest day if you split your workout days by muscle group?

It’s not just your muscles that need rest; your mind needs a break too. If you are constantly pushing yourself in the gym, then it’s always recommended to have 1-2 days of rest after every five days of training.

5-Day Workout Split – Wrapping Up  

While there is no single best 5-day workout split, there are several ways to use this popular training schedule. It’s ideal for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders who want plenty of time to train each muscle group from a variety of angles and with a decent amount of volume. You can also modify this approach so that you train each muscle group twice a week.

On the downside, training five times a week is a significant commitment in terms of time and energy. If you’re busy or struggle to recover between workouts, this may not be the split for you, and you may do better on a three or four-day split.

But, if you can stick with it, the 5-day workout split should deliver the desired results. Create your own or follow one of our proven variations.

References

1. Evangelista A L, Braz T V, Teixeira C V L S, Rica R L, Alonso A C, Barbosa W A, Reis V M, Baker J S, Schoenfeld B J, Bocalini D S, and D’Andréa Greve J M. Split or full-body workout routine: which is best to increase muscle strength and hypertrophy. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2021; 19: eAO5781.doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2021AO5781. PMID: 34468591
2. Maeo S, Yuhang Wu, Huang M, Sakurai H. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. July 2022 European Journal of Sport Science DOI:10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279.
3. Kreider R B, Kalman D S, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss T N, Wildman R, Collins R, Candow D G, Kleiner S M, Almada A L & Lopez H L. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 18 (2017). doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

Add Fitness Volt to your Google News feed. 

For the latest news and updates please follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.