5-Day Workout Split: The Best Routines for Training 5x a Week
The best 5-day workout split for most lifters is the upper/lower + push/pull/legs hybrid: every muscle trained twice per week with 12-20 hard sets, in five 45-60 minute sessions. Twice-weekly frequency produced roughly 63% more growth than once-weekly in a 2016 meta-analysis. A 5-day bodybuilding split is the alternative if you prefer body-part focus.
Maciej Glowacki
The best 5-day workout split for most lifters is the upper/lower + push/pull/legs hybrid: upper, lower, push, pull, legs. Every muscle gets trained twice per week, sessions run 45-60 minutes, and no single day turns into a marathon.
That twice-weekly frequency is the reason this layout beats the classic 5-day bro split for most people: a 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. found roughly 63% more muscle growth training each muscle 2x per week versus 1x. Five days gives you enough slots to hit that frequency for every muscle with room left over for weak points.
Key takeaways:
- Upper/lower + push/pull/legs is the default 5-day split: every muscle 2x/week, sessions of 45-60 minutes.
- A 5-day bodybuilding split (one or two body parts per day) works if you pair muscles so pressing and pulling overlap keeps frequency near 2x.
- The classic bro split (chest / back / shoulders / arms / legs) drops every muscle to 1x weekly frequency. It can still work, but only with high per-session volume.
- 12-20 weekly sets per muscle group is the volume target on 5 days. Count only hard sets within 1-3 reps of failure.
- Split type does not change growth at equal volume (2024 meta-analysis). Use the extra day for volume where you need it, not everywhere.
Option 1: the upper/lower + PPL hybrid (recommended)
This layout combines the two most proven structures. The upper/lower pair covers everything twice early in the week, then push, pull, and legs days add focused volume:
| Day | Session | Emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Upper | Heavy: 5-8 reps, barbell focus |
| Tuesday | Lower | Heavy: 5-10 reps, squat focus |
| Wednesday | Rest | |
| Thursday | Push | Volume: 8-15 reps, chest, shoulders, triceps |
| Friday | Pull | Volume: 8-15 reps, back, biceps, rear delts |
| Saturday | Legs | Volume: 10-15 reps, leg press and isolation focus |
| Sunday | Rest |
Why it wins on 5 days: every muscle lands exactly 2x per week, the heavy/volume alternation trains strength and size in the same week, and the three focused days late in the week let you push volume on specific muscles without inflating every session.
Upper (heavy)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 x 5-8 |
| Bent-over row | 4 x 6-8 |
| Barbell overhead press | 3 x 6-10 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 x 8-10 |
| EZ-bar curls | 2 x 10-12 |
Lower (heavy)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell squats | 4 x 5-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8-10 |
| Leg press | 3 x 10-12 |
| Leg curls | 3 x 10-12 |
| Standing calf raises | 4 x 10-12 |
Push (volume)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 4 x 10-12 |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 3 x 10-15 |
| Cable flyes | 3 x 12-15 |
| Lateral raises | 3 x 12-15 |
| Triceps pushdown | 3 x 10-15 |
Pull (volume)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Pull-ups or lat pulldown | 4 x 8-12 |
| Seated cable row | 4 x 10-12 |
| Face pulls | 3 x 15-20 |
| Dumbbell curls | 3 x 10-15 |
| Hammer curls | 2 x 10-15 |
Legs (volume)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Leg press | 4 x 10-15 |
| Bulgarian split squats | 3 x 10-12 per leg |
| Stiff-leg deadlift | 3 x 10-12 |
| Leg extensions | 3 x 12-15 |
| Seated calf raises | 4 x 12-15 |
Take working sets within 1-3 reps of failure, rest 2-3 minutes on compounds and 60-90 seconds on isolation work. Longer rests are not wasted time: Schoenfeld et al. (2016) found 3-minute rests produced more strength and muscle growth than 1-minute rests in trained men.
Option 2: the 5-day bodybuilding split
If you prefer dedicating sessions to fewer muscles, pair body parts so the big muscles still get hit twice. An example layout that does this well:
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest and biceps |
| Tuesday | Quads |
| Wednesday | Rest |
| Thursday | Legs, back, and triceps |
| Friday | Hamstrings and quads |
| Saturday | Shoulders and back |
| Sunday | Rest |
Notice the difference from a classic bro split: back appears twice, quads appear on three days, and pressing work spreads across two sessions. Smart pairings restore most of the frequency a one-muscle-per-day layout gives up.
The trade-off is complexity. You need to manage overlapping fatigue: heavy rowing on Thursday affects Saturday's back work, and Tuesday's quad session affects Friday. If you would rather not think about that, run the hybrid from Option 1.
What about the classic bro split?
The traditional chest / back / shoulders / arms / legs layout trains every muscle once per week. It is simple and it feels focused, but the frequency research is not on its side: the same meta-analysis that found 63% more growth at 2x frequency compared it directly against the 1x frequency a bro split delivers.
One important nuance: when weekly volume is equated, a 2019 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Grgic, and Krieger across 25 studies found frequency itself made little difference. So a bro split with 15-20 hard sets per muscle in each session can grow muscle. The practical problem is set quality: by set 16 of chest day, most lifters are producing junk volume. Spreading those sets across two sessions keeps them productive.
We cover the full layout, who it suits, and how to fix its weak points in the dedicated bro split guide.
Volume check: are you hitting your weekly targets?
Whichever option you run, the target is 10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). The hybrid above lands chest at ~14 sets, back at ~15, quads at ~14, hamstrings at ~9, and shoulders at ~10 with indirect pressing on top.
Five days is where lifters most often overshoot. More gym days makes it tempting to add sets everywhere, but a 2025 analysis by Pelland et al. of 67 studies confirmed volume drives growth with diminishing returns per added set. Use the fifth day to bring up one or two lagging muscles, not to inflate everything.
Two tools help here:
- The weekly sets calculator gives per-muscle targets scaled to your schedule and focus.
- The progressive overload calculator tells you exactly when to add weight or reps on each lift.
Not sure 5 days is right for you? The best workout split guide compares every split across 3, 4, 5, and 6 training days.
Hypro has 5-day plans pre-built with sets, reps, and Smart Progression targets, and tracks your weekly volume per muscle group as you log.
Browse free training plans
Maciej Glowacki
Founder and CEO of Hypro. Built the platform from the ground up with years of hands-on lifting experience.
