Building quality muscles is never an easy job but when the process is carried out strategically, results do show up quickly. There are often many confusions when it comes to the perfect workout split. To make things easier for you we are providing the best 5-day workout split. This workout split will help you in building muscles easily.
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Why go for a 5-Day Workout Split?
Under split workout, one muscle group is targeted on one day. You shouldn’t be doing entire body workout on one-day to get maximum results as your muscles will not get the time for recovery. The bro-split or the traditional split where it starts on Monday with Chest and ends on Saturday with legs is also not great for muscle building. “Push”, “Pull” and “Legs” is what the experts believe should be the perfect workout split and we are going to emphasize the same here.
Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) gets elevated after 2-3 days of exercising a muscle group. So it is best to train the same muscle on the 3rd or 4th day to get maximum output. Therefore, the Push-Pull-Leg routine works like a charm.
The 5-Day Workout Routine And Split –
Without wasting any of your time let’s get to the core of this article; here is the best 5-day workout routine that you can follow to gain muscle –
- Day 1 – Legs (Legs) & Abs
- Day 2 – Chest (Push)
- Day 3 – Back (Pull)
- Day 4 – Rest
- Day 5 – Shoulders (Push)
- Day 6 – Arms (Pull)
- Day 7 – Rest
This is what perfect 5-day workout split looks like; based on the Push-Pull-Leg routine. Even beginners can go for this split. Let’s reveal each one of them –
Day 1: Legs and Abs –
Most people believe that legs should be the finishing workout in any split as the intensity of the workout is high and the body should get rest after that. But take it this way- if the leg workout is a high-intensity workout why not perform it on the first day to get maximum output? Makes sense? Right.
Training legs on the first day not only maximize your gains but also reduce the chances of ignoring this muscle in a workout split which often happens when we put it on the last day. Here’s what you can do on a leg day –
- Barbell Squat
- Leg-press
- Lying Leg curls
- Leg extension
- Lunges
- Calf raises
For the Abs check “Tips” section.
Day 2: Chest –
After legs, we get to our first push exercise i.e. chest. Training it after legs will give your muscle testosterone boost that they need to develop. Moreover, you will feel energetic. There are many chest exercises but we are providing you a routine that will isolate your entire chest muscle. Here’s the chest routine that you can follow –
- Flat Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Decline Bench Press
- Dumbbell Flyes
- Cable Crossovers
- Pushups
Don’t put too many exercises on your chest day as it is not recommended by experts. You should focus on hitting the entire chest muscle during your workout. We have put a flat bench press on the top as this is the god of all chest exercises. Introduce pushups at the end to give the finishing pump to your chest muscles.
Day 3: Back –
Back is one of the biggest muscle groups in the body hence it often gets difficult to develop it. To isolate the entire back muscle, we need to hit it right. Here’s the perfect back workout routine –
- Barbell Deadlift
- Lat pulldown (Wide-grip)
- Seated Rows (Close-grip)
- Pull-ups
- Dumbbell Rows
- Bent-over Rows
- T-bar Rows
This back workout will help you in getting a wide as well as thick back. You can put the deadlift in the end as well; this is the perfect exercise to isolate your entire back at once.
Day 5: Shoulder –
The shoulder is the next push exercise after chest and here’s the workout routine to get maximum isolation –
- Overhead Barbell Press
- Arnold Press / Dumbbell Press
- Lateral Raise
- Front Raise (Dumbbell/EZ bar)
- Reverse Peck Deck Fly
- Upright Rows
- Barbell Shrugs
In shoulder exercise, be extra cautious with the weights as it is an injury-prone muscle. You can also Overhead Barbell Press with Military Press if you are okay with that.
Day 6: Arms –
Most people face the issue of no-growth in arms however, they work out a lot. The worst thing you can do your arm is to load too much tension. Arms are involved in all of the exercises in your workout split; it gets isolated throughout the week on its own. Just hit it with a low-volume workout to get the pump –
- Barbell Curls
- Cable Triceps Push Down
- Dumbbell Curl
- Overhead Triceps Extension (Cable / Dumbbell)
- Hammer Curls
- Skull Crushers
Even this is too much but we have provided you with the options. You can eliminate one of the triceps exercises as triceps are heavily involved in your chest and shoulder exercises. Use light weights and concentrate on the form more in arms exercise.
Few tips –
So, this is the 5-day muscle and strength building workout but it is incomplete without some valuable tips. Take a look at them –
- We haven’t put any Abs exercises because the intensity may vary from person to person. If you are looking to shed extra fat from your belly then focus more on Abs otherwise you can do light cardio only.
- Make sure you are on a good diet because no workout can make you gain muscle without a proper diet.
- Be cautious with the weights rather than focus on the form more. Using extra weights can lead to injuries.
- You can introduce super-sets if you feel the workout is too light for you or you are at an intermediate or pro level.
Final words –
This was the perfect 5-day workout split build muscle. Make sure you take all the precautionary measures while working out and follow the tips to get the maximum result.