5-Day Workout Plan for Muscle Gain

Five days in the gym is the sweet spot for lifters who have outgrown a 3 or 4-day program and want more volume without living at the gym.

A well-structured 5 day workout plan gives you enough weekly sets per muscle group to drive serious growth, enough frequency to keep skill sharp on your main lifts, and two full rest days to recover before repeating the cycle.

This guide gives you two complete 5-day options. The first is an Upper Lower Push Pull Legs hybrid (ULPPL), which is the recommended approach for most people. The second is a classic bro split for those who prefer bodybuilding-style training. Both include full exercise tables, progression rules, and recovery guidelines.

TL;DR

• A 5 day split works best for intermediate to advanced lifters with at least 1 year of training experience
• Option 1 (ULPPL) combines upper/lower frequency with push/pull/legs volume. This is the recommended setup.
• Option 2 (Bro Split) trains one muscle group per day. It works but is less efficient for natural lifters.
• Each ULPPL day has 6-7 exercises with full sets, reps, and rest periods
• Use double progression: add reps first, then weight
• Aim for 15-20 hard sets per muscle group per week
• Build your personalized version in the Free Workout Planner

Who Should Use a 5-Day Split?

A 5-day program is not for everyone. It requires more time, more recovery capacity, and more training maturity than a 3 or 4-day split.

You have at least 1 year of consistent training. If you are still learning the basic movement patterns, a full body workout plan or a 4-day upper/lower split will produce faster results with less time commitment. You need a solid strength base before 5-day volume becomes productive.

You can realistically make it to the gym 5 days per week. Missing one session on a 3-day plan is manageable. Missing one session on a 5-day plan means an entire muscle group gets zero work that week. If your schedule is unpredictable, a 3-day plan for busy people might be a better fit.

Your recovery is dialed in. Five training days leaves only two rest days. That means your sleep, nutrition, and stress management need to be solid. If you are sleeping 5 hours a night and eating fast food, adding more training days will not help you grow. It will burn you out.

You want more volume per muscle group. Intermediate and advanced lifters often need 15-20 sets per muscle group per week to keep progressing. A 5-day split distributes that volume across enough sessions to keep each workout manageable and productive.

You enjoy training and want variety. Five different workouts per week means more exercise selection and less repetition. If you thrive on variety, a 5-day split keeps training interesting.

If you are not sure whether a 5-day split is right for you, read the Best Workout Split Guide for a side-by-side comparison of all the major splits.

Option 1 Upper Lower Push Pull Legs (ULPPL)

The ULPPL hybrid is the smartest way to run a 5 day workout routine. It combines the frequency benefits of an upper/lower split with the volume and focus of a push pull legs routine.

Here is the weekly layout:

The beauty of this setup is that every major muscle group gets trained twice per week. Chest, back, shoulders, and arms are hit on the upper day and again on the push or pull day. Legs are hit on the lower day and again on the dedicated legs day. This frequency is optimal for hypertrophy.

The mid-week rest day separates the upper/lower block from the PPL block. This prevents fatigue from snowballing across five consecutive sessions.

Day 1 Upper Body

This session trains your entire upper body with a balance of pushing and pulling. The goal is moderate volume across all upper body muscles to set the foundation for the week.

Session notes:

• Alternate between a pressing and a pulling movement at the top of the workout. This keeps you fresh for both patterns.
• Bench press and bent over row are your anchors. Track these lifts closely and aim for progressive overload each week.
• If you cannot do 8 pull-ups with good form, substitute lat pulldowns and build toward bodyweight pull-ups over time.
• Lateral raises, curls, and pushdowns round out the session with targeted isolation work.

Day 2 Lower Body

This lower body session covers all the major leg muscles with an emphasis on compound movements and moderate to heavy loading.

Session notes:

• Squat is your primary lift. Warm up thoroughly and go as deep as your mobility allows while keeping a neutral spine.
• Romanian deadlifts target the hamstrings and glutes through hip extension. Focus on a deep stretch at the bottom and a strong glute squeeze at the top.
• Leg press adds quad volume without additional spinal loading after heavy squats.
• Pair the leg curl with the leg extension to cover both sides of the thigh.
• Calves respond to volume. Four sets with controlled reps and a full stretch at the bottom.

Day 3 Push

After a rest day, you come back fresh for a dedicated push workout. This session focuses on chest, shoulders, and triceps with higher volume and more exercise variation than the upper day.

Session notes:

• This day uses dumbbells for pressing instead of the barbell. The different implement provides a new stimulus and addresses any left-right imbalances.
• Incline press targets the upper chest, which often lags behind the mid and lower chest in development.
• Cable flies isolate the chest with constant tension through the full range of motion. Squeeze hard at the peak contraction.
• Double up on lateral raises across the week. Side delts respond well to high volume and frequency.
• Two tricep exercises ensure full development. The skull crusher hits the long head and the pushdown emphasizes the lateral head.

Day 4 Pull

This session is all about your back, rear delts, and biceps. The exercise selection complements the pulling work you did on upper day by using different movements and rep ranges.

Session notes:

• On upper day you used barbell rows and pull-ups. Here you use lat pulldowns and dumbbell rows to hit the back from different angles.
• Wide grip lat pulldowns target lat width. Pull your elbows down and back, not just toward your body.
• One arm dumbbell rows allow a fuller range of motion and let you focus on each side independently.
• Face pulls and rear delt flies are non-negotiable. These muscles are critical for shoulder health and a balanced physique. Most lifters neglect them.
• Two bicep movements with different grips ensure full arm development. Hammer curls hit the brachialis for arm thickness. Standard curls target the bicep peak.

Day 5 Legs

The second leg session of the week uses different exercises and rep ranges than Day 2. This provides new stimulus while building on the work you already did earlier.

Session notes:

• Deadlift is the anchor for this session. It trains the entire posterior chain: hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and upper back. Keep reps lower and focus on quality.
• Bulgarian split squats address any single-leg imbalances and absolutely crush your quads and glutes. If you are not doing these, start.
• Hip thrusts are the most effective glute builder based on EMG data. Use a pad on the barbell. Your glutes will thank you.
• Higher rep ranges on leg curls, leg extensions, and calf raises accumulate volume and metabolic stress without excessive fatigue heading into the weekend rest.
• Day 2 was squat-dominant. Day 5 is deadlift and hip-dominant. This combination gives your legs complete coverage across the week.

Option 2 Bro Split (5-Day Body Part Split)

The classic bro split assigns one muscle group to each day. It is a staple in bodybuilding and works well for lifters who prefer high-volume sessions dedicated to one area.

The downside is frequency. Each muscle only gets trained once per week, which is not optimal for natural lifters based on current research. Studies show that training a muscle twice per week produces better growth than once per week at the same total volume. Read more about this in The Science of Building Muscle.

That said, the bro split can still work if you train hard and progress consistently. Some lifters simply prefer it, and adherence matters more than theoretical optimization.

Day-by-Day Breakdown

How to run it:

• Perform 4-5 exercises per session with 3-4 sets each. That puts you at 12-20 sets per muscle group in a single session.
• Rest days go on Saturday and Sunday, or you can shift the entire block to start on a different day.
• Use a mix of heavy compounds (6-8 reps) and moderate isolations (10-15 reps) within each session.
• Track your main compound lift for each day and apply progressive overload week over week.

Who should pick the bro split over ULPPL?

Choose the bro split if you prefer long, focused sessions on one muscle group, if you have been training this way for years and it works for you, or if you find the ULPPL setup too complex to manage. Otherwise, the ULPPL gives better frequency and is the stronger choice for most lifters.

Exercise Selection Guide

The exercises in the tables above were chosen deliberately. Here is the logic behind the selections so you can make smart swaps when needed.

Compound exercises come first. Every session starts with 1-2 multi-joint movements like squats, bench press, rows, or deadlifts. These recruit the most muscle fibers, allow the heaviest loads, and produce the greatest growth stimulus. They also require the most energy, which is why they go first when you are fresh.

Isolation exercises come second. After compounds, you add isolation movements to target specific muscles that did not get enough work from the compounds alone. Lateral raises for side delts, curls for biceps, leg extensions for quads. These movements are safer to push close to failure because they involve less systemic fatigue.

Balance pushing and pulling. Your weekly push volume (chest presses, overhead presses, flies) should roughly match your pull volume (rows, pulldowns, curls). This prevents imbalances that lead to shoulder problems. In the ULPPL plan above, total pushing and pulling sets are roughly equal across the week.

Address your weak points. If your side delts are lagging, add an extra set of lateral raises. If your hamstrings are a weak point, add an extra set of leg curls. The core program is built for balanced development, but you can shift 2-3 sets toward any body part that needs extra attention.

Vary your implements across the week. Notice that the ULPPL plan uses barbell bench press on upper day and dumbbell bench press on push day. It uses barbell rows on upper day and dumbbell rows on pull day. This variety challenges the muscle differently and prevents pattern overuse.

Browse the complete exercise library for video demonstrations and instructions on every movement in this plan.

Volume and Progression

Volume and progression are the two factors that determine whether you actually build muscle or just go through the motions.

Weekly volume targets for a 5-day split:

These numbers include both direct and indirect sets. For example, bench press counts as a chest set and also provides indirect tricep work.

Use double progression. This is the most reliable way to make consistent progress:

1. Start at the bottom of the prescribed rep range (e.g., 4 x 6 if the target is 4 x 6-8).
2. Each session, try to add 1 rep to at least one set.
3. When you hit the top of the rep range on all working sets (4 x 8), add weight.
4. Drop back to the bottom of the rep range with the new weight (4 x 6 at a heavier load).
5. Repeat.

When to add volume. Start at the lower end of the set ranges above. If you are recovering well, performance is climbing, and you feel ready for more, add 1 set per muscle group per week. Do not jump from 14 sets to 20 sets overnight. That is a recipe for burnout.

When to reduce volume. If your performance drops for two consecutive sessions, you feel constantly sore, or your motivation tanks, cut 2-3 sets from each muscle group for one week. Then build back up. This is essentially a mini-deload.

For a deep dive into progression strategies, read the Progressive Overload Guide.

Recovery and Rest Days

You do not grow in the gym. You grow when you recover from the gym. A 5 day gym plan leaves you with two rest days per week, which means your recovery habits need to be intentional.

Sleep 7-9 hours per night. This is not optional. Growth hormone release peaks during deep sleep. Protein synthesis runs while you sleep. If you are sleeping 5-6 hours, you are leaving muscle on the table. No supplement replaces sleep.

Eat enough protein. Aim for 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight daily (or roughly 0.7-1 gram per pound). Spread it across 3-5 meals. Protein timing matters less than total daily intake, but eating within a few hours of training is a reasonable practice.

Stay in a slight caloric surplus. You cannot build muscle efficiently in a deficit. For muscle gain, eat 200-400 calories above your maintenance level. If you are gaining more than 0.5-1 pound per week, you are gaining too much fat. If you are not gaining weight at all, eat more.

Use active recovery on rest days. Rest does not mean lying on the couch all day. Light walking, easy cycling, stretching, or foam rolling on your off days increases blood flow to sore muscles and speeds recovery. Avoid intense cardio or anything that creates additional fatigue.

Deload every 6-8 weeks. A deload week reduces all working weights by 40-50% while keeping sets and reps the same. You still train, but the intensity is significantly lower. This allows your joints, connective tissue, and nervous system to fully recover. Skip deloads and you risk overuse injuries and plateaus.

Manage stress. Psychological stress impairs recovery just like physical stress. If you are going through a particularly stressful period at work or in life, consider dropping to 4 training days temporarily rather than pushing through 5 with poor recovery.

FAQ

Is 5 days per week too much for building muscle?

No, as long as your recovery supports it. Five training days is well within what most intermediate and advanced lifters can handle if they sleep enough, eat properly, and manage stress. The key is the quality of those sessions, not just showing up. If you notice consistent performance drops, reduce to 4 days and reassess.

Where should I place my rest days?

The ULPPL layout places rest on Wednesday and Sunday. This works well because it separates the upper/lower block from the PPL block and gives you a full weekend day off. If your schedule requires different days, the main rule is to avoid stacking more than three training days in a row. Your body needs at least one break every 3 days to manage cumulative fatigue.

Can beginners do a 5-day split?

Beginners will get better results from a 3-day full body plan or a 4-day upper/lower split. The reason is not that 5 days is dangerous. It is that beginners do not need that much volume to grow, and they benefit more from practicing the same movements with higher frequency. Once you have 12 or more months of consistent training and you are no longer making linear progress on a simpler split, a 5-day program becomes a productive next step.

How long should I follow this plan before changing?

Run it for a minimum of 8 weeks. Twelve weeks is better. You cannot evaluate a program after 2-3 weeks because meaningful muscle growth takes time to manifest. Stick with the same exercises, track your numbers, and apply progressive overload consistently. After 8-12 weeks, you can swap accessory exercises, adjust set counts, or change rep ranges. Keep the core structure the same for as long as it keeps producing results.

Can I do cardio on a 5-day lifting plan?

Yes, but be strategic. Light to moderate cardio (walking, cycling, easy swimming) on rest days is fine and can even aid recovery. High-intensity cardio (sprints, HIIT, intense classes) adds significant fatigue and should be limited to 1-2 short sessions per week if muscle gain is the priority. If you need conditioning work, place it after your lifting session, not before. Never let cardio cut into your recovery for the next lifting day.

What is the difference between ULPPL and a regular PPL?

A standard 6-day PPL runs the push/pull/legs cycle twice per week (Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest). The ULPPL hybrid runs an upper/lower block followed by a single PPL cycle in 5 days. Both hit each muscle twice per week. The difference is that ULPPL does it in 5 sessions instead of 6, making it more sustainable for people who cannot commit to training 6 days. Read the full Push Pull Legs Guide if you want to compare the two approaches in detail.

Generate Your 5-Day Plan

You have two complete 5 day workout plans to choose from. The ULPPL hybrid gives you optimal frequency and volume in a 5-day structure. The bro split offers focused, high-volume sessions for each muscle group.

Pick the one that fits your schedule and preferences, then commit to it for at least 8 weeks.

If you want a version customized to your goals, available equipment, and training history, use the Free Workout Planner. It generates a personalized plan you can start this week, with exercises, sets, reps, and progression built in.

For on-the-go tracking with video demonstrations, rest timers, and automatic progression, download the LoadMuscle app. Log every set, watch exercise demos between sets, and see your progress over time.

Browse pre-built programs in the Workout Routines library if you want to explore other splits before committing.

Stop planning. Start training. Your first upper body day starts today.