Giulia Ralph is a qualified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Weightlifting Coach, and Personal Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.
New school bodybuilding splits often advocate hitting each muscle group twice a week, and this is a method that has proven effective for many. That said, not everyone can commit to this frequency.
Time constraints, recovery rates, personal preferences, or even specific fitness goals can all dictate a different approach.
So, a more “old school” method may be more suitable for some – the 5-day split workout.
This routine, designed for beginners, targets each major muscle group on a separate day, allowing ample rest and recovery time between sessions. It’s likely to better fit into busy schedules and provides a solid foundation for strength and muscle development.
Read on to discover a sample 5-day split workout plan that can kickstart your journey to a fitter, stronger you.
A 5-day split workout is a bodybuilding routine that divides the major muscle groups into five separate training days.
Each day focuses on one or two specific muscles, allowing for more volume and intensity to be targeted at those areas.
The premise behind this type of split is to maximize recovery time for each muscle group, while still providing enough stimulation for growth and development.
This routine typically requires a significant time commitment, with each training session lasting around an hour to an hour and a half.
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Yes, a 5 day split can be effective if executed well and performed consistently.
The benefits of this type of split include:
Muscle Focus: With a 5-day split, each training day is dedicated to one or two muscle groups. This allows for a high volume and intensity of exercises targeting these specific muscles, which can lead to improved muscle hypertrophy (1).
Improved Recovery: The 5-day split ensures ample recovery time for each muscle group. This rest period is critical in allowing your muscles to repair, grow, and become stronger.
Variety: This type of workout allows for a wide range of exercises for each muscle group. Variety can prevent boredom, keep you motivated, and challenge your muscles in different ways, promoting continuous improvement.
Flexible Schedule: A 5-day workout split is typically easier to fit into a busy schedule as compared to a full-body workout. If you miss a day, you only need to reschedule one muscle group workout, not an entire full-body session.
Customization: A 5-day split can be easily tailored to individual fitness goals and preferences. For instance, if you want to focus more on your upper body, you can allocate more days to those muscle groups.
Which 5 day split works best for you will depend on your fitness goals, training experience, and personal preferences.
Below are some common types of 5 day splits and who they work best for:
This 5-day split is designed to target each major muscle group twice a week. It alternates between upper and lower body workouts to allow for muscle recovery, while maintaining an intense training schedule.
For example, you might have upper body workouts on Monday and Thursday, and lower body workouts on Tuesday and Friday, with Wednesday as an active recovery or cardio day.
This split is often used by intermediate to advanced gym-goers who have already developed a solid strength base and are looking to push their muscle growth and endurance to the next level.
Find out how to create such a split in our blog: 5 Day Workout Plan for Men
The 5-day split for beginners is structured to ease new gym-goers into a consistent workout routine. Each day targets a specific muscle group, allowing beginners to learn and master key exercises without feeling overwhelmed. It can look like:
Monday – Chest, Tuesday – Back, Wednesday – Legs, Thursday – Shoulders, and Friday – Arms. This routine provides the perfect balance of structure and variety to keep beginners motivated and see consistent improvements.
Read more: Bubble Butt Workout 101: Achieve Your Booty Goals with These Proven Exercises
This split is tailored towards individuals whose primary goal is weight loss. It combines strength training with cardio in a way that maximizes fat burning.
For instance, Monday might be a focus on the lower body, followed by a short high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, Tuesday could be an upper body workout with moderate cardio, and so on.
The incorporation of both strength training and cardio ensures a high daily caloric burn, promoting weight loss.
Find out how to create such a split in ur blog: 5-Day Workout Split for Women
The 5-day split for muscle gain is designed with hypertrophy (muscle growth) in mind. Each day you would focus on one or two muscle groups, performing a high volume of exercises to stimulate growth.
This split might include multiple exercises for each muscle group, different types of sets, and a variety of rep ranges. It is often used by bodybuilders and those looking to increase their muscle mass.
For those looking to build and define their glutes, this 5-day split incorporates a higher frequency of glute-focused exercises.
Two or three of the 5 days might be dedicated solely to the glutes, with the other days targeting the remaining muscle groups. It’s particularly effective for those wanting to shape and strengthen their lower body.
Find out how to create such a routine in our blog: 5-Day Workout Routine For Women
In this variation of the 5-day split, three days are dedicated to leg workouts for people who want to focus on building lower body strength and muscle.
The other two days could focus on the upper body or other specific areas. As leg exercises often engage multiple muscle groups and burn many calories, this can also be an effective workout split for overall fitness and weight loss.
This 5-day routine is a hybrid that aims to achieve both weight loss and muscle gain. It balances strength training exercises that stimulate muscle growth with cardio exercises that boost caloric burn (2).
This might look like strength training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with cardio and core work on Tuesday and Thursday. It’s ideal for anyone looking for a balanced fitness routine that promotes both fat loss and muscle development.
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Here is a sample 5-day split routine for beginners that you can modify according to your needs:
Take another rest day or perform some light cardio to aid in recovery.
Rest and recover before starting the routine again on Day 1.
Remember, this is just a sample routine, so you can modify it according to your needs.
Some tips for beginners starting with this split:
If you’d like to try the sample routine above at home, find the best workouts that don’t need machines in our blog: 5-Day Dumbbell Workout
Read more: Indoor Exercise 101: Your Guide to Effective Workouts at Home
Four days of lifting can be quite effective, especially for beginners or those with busy schedules, offering ample time for rest and recovery.
On the other hand, lifting five days a week can be beneficial for advanced individuals aiming for more intensive training, increased muscle mass, or enhanced athletic performance. Before you choose a workout split, consider your fitness level, goals, and schedule to find the best fit for you.
Absolutely. A 5-day split can be adapted for beginners. It may seem intense, but if you start with lighter weights, focus on the correct form, and gradually increase intensity as your strength and endurance improve, it can be an effective routine for muscle growth and overall fitness. Allow your body ample rest and recovery time to prevent overtraining and injury.
Training legs once a week can be enough, especially if your leg day is comprehensive and includes a variety of exercises targeting all the major muscle groups in your lower body. However, if you’re looking to significantly increase lower body strength or muscle mass, you may benefit from incorporating more leg-focused training into your routine
For beginners, a balanced 5-day workout split might look something like this: Day 1 – Chest, Day 2 – Back, Day 3 – Legs, Day 4 – Shoulders, Day 5 – Arms or legs.
This structure allows you to focus on one major muscle group each day, ensuring you give each group adequate attention and allowing enough rest before each muscle group is trained again.
It’s a great way to ease into a consistent routine, learn the correct form of exercise, and start seeing results.
A 5-day split workout can be an effective and manageable routine for beginners to build strength and muscle. With consistency, proper form, and adequate rest, this type of split can lead to significant progress towards your fitness goals.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!