Ultimate 5-Day Workout Split Routine

 

This 5-day workout split is the ultimate way to build muscle, burn calories, and get shredded fast!

Championed by bodybuilders and fitness fanatics, the 5-day workout split takes dedication and commitment. You need to hit the gym 5 days out of 7, but the results will amaze you. The 5-day split is the most effective strength training routine you can practice, targeting individual muscle groupings on different days to give your body time to recover before you hit that same muscle again the next week.

You can work out with free weights, booty bands, body weight, or weight machines. You can even build your own personalized strength training circuits, and prepare to get ripped!

Here's our ultimate 5-day workout split routine!

What is the 5-day workout split?

The 5-day workout split is possibly the most effective strength training routine you could put your body through. This is a 5-day workout routine that you can tailor to meet your own strength training targets and bodybuilding goals.

A 5-day workout split will have you completing strength training circuits 5 days a week. That leaves you 2 rest days for recovery or 2 extra days for added cardio training!

The idea is that each day of your training week is dedicated to a particular muscle group. You can carefully select the muscles you want to target by creating individual circuits for each day. Grouping particular muscles together, such as back and core, will allow you to have significant rest days between working out each specific group.

Rather than putting your body through a full-body workout 5 days out of 7, you're only working on particular muscles each day. This gives your body more time to recover, allowing you to build muscle faster, without getting fatigued or injured.

For example, on Monday, you could target your chest, Tuesday, your arms, and so on. While you're working out 5 days a week, your chest won't actually be targeted again until the following Monday, effectively giving you a full 6 days of rest before you work it again. This is the basic concept behind split training.

A sample 5 day workout plan would look something like this:

Monday: Chest and triceps

Tuesday: Back and biceps

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: Shoulders

Friday: Legs

Saturday: Rest day

Sunday: Core and cardio

Is a 5-day split workout routine effective?

The best 5-day split workout program will allow you to individually target muscles on workout days for the most effective level of training. A carefully planned 5-day split essentially allows you to work your entire body throughout the week, hitting maximum capacity each exercise day, but also giving each muscle adequate recovery time.

That recovery time is essential, so it's important to keep to your schedule if you want to see significant results. You first need to establish what body parts to work on what days and then stick to that plan. We build muscle by first breaking it down. This happens when we lift weights or work out against resistance bands. The muscle then needs time to repair itself, and when it does, it will then grow back stronger and larger than before.

Without that rest period, your muscles won't have a chance to repair themselves. For instance, if you're working your chest muscles, the optimal rest period between workouts is 5 days. If you're doing a full-body workout every two or three days, you wouldn't be giving your chest muscles time to repair themselves, thereby limiting the effectiveness of your exercises.

As you can see, the best 5-day split requires planning to be the most effective, but when implemented correctly, it's the quickest way to build strength across your entire body.

What are the other benefits of a 5-day workout split?

As well as being particularly effective at building muscle across your major muscle groups, there are several other benefits that you can see from a 5-day workout schedule.

Because of consistent recovery times, each muscle grouping can be hit hard on its allocated day. This gives you the chance to increase your exercise intensity every single workout, allowing you to build bigger muscles faster.

If you're trying to improve your body's aesthetics, a 5-day workout split gives you a natural, all-over look, as you're targeting each major muscle group equally. And not only build muscle, but the intensity of exercise ensures that you're burning calories and fat simultaneously. Even on rest days, you can relax, knowing that you're still burning off excess calories while your muscles repair themselves. With 5 workout sessions per week, your metabolism is going to be on fire!

5 day splits might seem like a big commitment, but you'll be surprised how easy it is to stay motivated when you see positive results. You can easily diversify your routines and build your schedule around the exercises you love. You can go to the gym and use free weights or weight machines, or you could stay at home and focus on bodyweight and resistance band exercises.

Here's a rundown of the major benefits of a comprehensive 5 day workout routine:

• Target specific muscle groups to work out on exercise days
• Optimize your workout and recovery times
• Build bigger muscles, fast
• Burn more calories and shred more fat than 2-day or 3-day split routines
• Drastically improve your metabolism, to continue burning calories long after your workout has ended
• Create varied exercise circuits using the exercises you love the most
• Incorporate bodyweight exercises, resistance band workouts, and weight training routines into your schedule
• Create a focused, target driven exercise schedule that produces results
• Improve your body shape and improve your mental well being

Is it OK to workout 5 days a week?

A 5 day workout split is intense; we won't lie to you. For the program to work, you need to hit all of your exercise sessions and keep with your rigid schedule. Miss days off or mix up your training schedule, and you won't see the most effective results.

For that reason, you might be wondering if it's actually OK to workout 5 days a week. Everyone's body reacts differently to exercise, but a 5 day workout split is designed to optimize your routine as best as it can. You will have enough recovery time to ensure that you won't damage your body by working out too much.

Suppose you do start to feel fatigued, though, or are experiencing muscle aches in specific areas. In that case, it's OK to miss out on a leg or chest day now and then (but don't make it a habit). If you are lifting free weights or using weight machines, we recommend mixing up your exercises to include resistance bands and bodyweights too. That way, you can give your body a rest while still putting it through the movements and working muscles against lighter resistance.

On your rest days, you can try a yoga class or resistance band stretches to help your body better recover from the strain you're putting it through each week.

If you start to become mentally fatigued, you need to find ways to stay motivated while exercising. Join classes or find a training partner, vary your exercises or start trying out different equipment such as resistance bands. Set bigger targets or fitness goals, and stay motivated as you smash them!

5 day workout split routine

Finally, here's our ultimate 5-day workout split routine. This will target all of your major muscle groupings, including your chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, legs, and core. There's also a little cardio thrown in as well!

The following routines are an excellent place to start. Still, you can vary the exercises each day to fit your preferences or the availability of equipment. You can also perform many of these exercises with resistance bands, rather than free weights, meaning you can exercise at home!

Remember to stretch out before and after every workout session.

Monday: Chest and triceps

Start the week with a targeted chest and triceps session. You can use free weights, weight machines, or resistance bands for these exercises.

Complete 4 sets of each exercise 

• Chest press x 8
• Incline dumbbell press x 10
• Triceps pushdown x 10
• Chest flyes x 12
• Skull crushers x 12
• Banded push-ups to failure

Tuesday: Back and biceps

Target your back and bicep muscles on Tuesday, with weighted exercises. If you're feeling weak, then switch the weights for resistance bands.

Complete 3 sets of each exercise 

• Cable rows x 10
• Lat pulldowns x 10
• Bent over rows x 12
• Bicep curls x 12
• Deadlift x 10
• Barbell curl x 10
• Straight arm pulldown x 10
• Concentration curls x 12

Wednesday: Rest day

Take a day off from training. However, if you're feeling energized, you can enjoy some light cardio, stretching, or core exercises. Avoid the weights altogether, though, to ensure a full recovery.

Thursday: Shoulders and triceps

The focus on Thursday is your shoulders, but there will also be a few tricep exercises thrown in as well. Your triceps recover much quicker than larger muscles, so it's OK to exercise them more than once a week. If your triceps are still sore from Monday, use a resistance band where you can.

Complete 4 sets of each exercise 

• Shoulder press x 10
• Military press x 10
• Dips x 10
• Side lat raise x 12
• Triceps extension x 12
• Lat raises x 12
• Triceps pushdown x 12
• Reverse flyes x 12
• Shoulder shrugs x 10

Friday: Legs and biceps

Friday is everyone's favorite day of the week. That's right; it's leg day!

Again, we'll also be throwing in a few bicep exercises (because we know leg day can get boring). Like your triceps, your biceps need less recovery time than larger muscles such as the chest or shoulders, so we can work them out twice a week too.

Complete 4 sets of each exercise 

• Banded squats x 10
• Standing barbell curls x 12
• Leg press x 10
• Leg curls x 10
• Calf raise x 12
• Lying leg curls x 12
• Banded bicep curls x 12
• Leg extensions x 12

Saturday: Rest day

Saturday is your well-deserved rest day. Try to avoid any exercise today, especially if you were still active on your weekday rest day! If you can't resist, try some cardio rather than weightlifting. Go for a light jog or hike!

Sunday: Core and cardio

Sunday isn't a day of rest for you, because this is the all-important core and cardio day. We suggest at least 30 minutes of cardio before or after the core exercises. If you're feeling fresh, you can exercise for longer than 30 minutes.

Complete 3 sets of each exercise 

• 30 minutes of cardio (running, cycling, or swimming, for example)
• Crunches x 15
• Hanging leg raises x 12
• Banded Russian twist x 12
• Bicycle crunches x 12
• Banded glute bridge x 12
• Plank hold for 30 seconds
• Side plank hold for 30 seconds
• Seated calf raise x 12
• Crunches to failure

A fun Sunday alternative with a lacrosse rebounder

We know how hard it could be to force yourself to work out on Sundays. That's why we thought that mixing in something a little bit different and fun would make your workout way more desirable and exciting. 

Have you ever tried lacrosse? It's an amazing sport, where you can practice your reaction, focus, and get a full-body workout! And the best part? You don't need a whole team or even a partner to practice lacrosse. Work on your shooting anytime you feel like it! Just get yourself a portable lacrosse rebounder and start having a lot of fun while working out! 

So, break up your Sunday routine and try out a new hobby.     

The last word on the 5-day workout split

The best 5-day split workouts target your entire body very effectively each week. Just make sure to eat plenty of protein (meat or plant-based) as it is essential to build up energy. You can work major groups such as your back, core, chest, arms, and legs at their optimum level, allowing each grouping adequate recovery and rest time between sessions.

The 5-day split is intense, however, with only 2 full rest days each week. It takes commitment, but the 5-day workout split is the best way to build muscle and burn fat fast. Why not bookmark our ultimate 5-day workout split routine and give this hardcore workout plan a try next week?