Workout plan
5-Day Workout Split: A Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower Plan
Use a five-session push, pull, legs, upper, and lower sequence to train most muscle groups twice each week while keeping the heaviest overlapping work separated by recovery days.
Reviewed by Dorsi editorial teamUpdated September 1, 2026
Plan details
- Level
- Intermediate
- Frequency
- 5 days per week
- Session length
- 50–70 minutes
- Equipment
- Full gym with barbells or dumbbells, bench, cables, and leg machines
Base version
Your starting week
Day 1 — Push
Chest, shoulders, and triceps with one primary press| Exercise | Sets | Reps | First-week guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 3 | 5–8 | Keep one to three repetitions in reserve and use the same touch standard. |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8–12 | Use a low incline and stop before the shoulders roll forward. |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12–18 | Add repetitions without adding torso momentum. |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 | 10–15 | Keep the upper arm position stable across the set. |
Day 2 — Pull
Vertical and horizontal pulling plus elbow flexion| Exercise | Sets | Reps | First-week guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-up or lat pulldown | 3 | 6–10 | Use assistance that preserves a controlled full range. |
| Chest-supported row | 3 | 8–12 | Let the bench remove lower-back fatigue from this session. |
| Face pull | 2 | 12–16 | Use a load that allows the shoulder blades and arms to move together. |
| Hammer curl | 2 | 8–12 | Finish the set before the dumbbells require body swing. |
Day 3 — Legs
Squat-dominant lower-body work before the first recovery day| Exercise | Sets | Reps | First-week guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat or hack squat | 4 | 5–8 | Use a repeatable depth and leave two repetitions in reserve. |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 7–10 | Choose a range that keeps the hinge controlled. |
| Leg curl | 3 | 10–15 | Keep the hips stable rather than chasing the full weight stack. |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 8–15 | Pause in the stretched and shortened positions. |
Day 4 — Upper
Moderate second exposure for upper-body push and pull| Exercise | Sets | Reps | First-week guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead press | 3 | 6–9 | Keep the trunk position consistent from the first repetition. |
| Seated cable row | 3 | 8–12 | Match torso position and handle path across weeks. |
| Close-grip bench press | 2 | 8–10 | Use less load than Day 1 and stop before pressing speed collapses. |
| Lat pulldown | 2 | 10–12 | Treat this as controlled volume, not a second maximal pull session. |
Day 5 — Lower
Hinge emphasis and unilateral leg work before the second recovery day| Exercise | Sets | Reps | First-week guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadlift or trap-bar deadlift | 3 | 3–5 | Reset each repetition and stop when position changes. |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 | 8 each side | Use support when balance would otherwise limit the legs. |
| Leg extension | 2 | 10–15 | Use a controlled range that is comfortable for the knee. |
| Pallof press | 2 | 10 each side | Resist rotation without holding your breath through the set. |
Progression
How the plan moves forward
- 1Start every exercise near the bottom of its range with two to three repetitions in reserve and keep the weekly sequence unchanged for at least four weeks.
- 2Add repetitions before load; when all sets reach the top of a range with stable technique, increase by the smallest practical amount and return to the bottom.
- 3After four to six build weeks, use a lower-volume week by removing roughly one set per exercise before starting the next progression block.
When conditions change
Three ways to adjust without starting over
You miss one weekday
Body-part labels should not force five sessions into four consecutive days.
- Continue with the next session in sequence instead of skipping that body region for the week.
- Keep at least one recovery day after the first three sessions or before another heavy lower-body day.
Five days stops fitting your schedule
A split is useful only when it makes the weekly work more repeatable.
- Move to a three-day full-body plan or four-day upper/lower structure rather than repeatedly combining two full sessions.
- Preserve a squat, hinge, push, and pull across the reduced week instead of keeping only preferred body parts.
Elbows or shoulders stay fatigued
Push, pull, and upper days can create more overlapping arm work than the labels suggest.
- Remove one isolation exercise and one secondary press or pull for a week while keeping the main movement at a submaximal effort.
- If normal function does not return or pain is sharp, stop the aggravating movement and seek appropriate assessment.
Exercise demonstrations
See the main movement patterns
Incline Dumbbell Row
Mid-back + lats · chest-supported row
See substitutionsRomanian Deadlift
Hamstrings + glutes · hinge
See substitutionsBulgarian Split Squat
Quads + glutes · unilateral
See substitutionsFive days is a distribution choice
This split does not create better training simply by adding calendar entries. It uses five sessions to distribute enough weekly work for the main muscle groups without asking every workout to cover the whole body. The push, pull, legs, upper, and lower sequence also gives each pattern a focused first exposure and a moderate second one.
Place recovery days after Legs and Lower when possible. If your week requires a different arrangement, preserve separation between the two lower-body sessions and avoid putting the heaviest overlapping presses on consecutive days. The broader workout-split guide can help if this five-day structure is not the right fit.
Missed days should not erase a body part
Treat the five sessions as a rolling sequence. If Wednesday disappears, Thursday becomes the next session rather than an excuse to skip legs until the following week. A plan that repeatedly requires make-up doubles or six straight training days is no longer matching the schedule it was meant to organize.
Track completed sets, repetitions, load, and effort. Dorsi can use completed work and changing availability when planning what comes next; see the personalized planning model. The static split remains useful because every session and progression rule is visible before the app handoff.
This plan is for generally healthy adults. Sharp pain, fainting, chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, or persistent loss of normal function needs appropriate medical guidance rather than another schedule adjustment.
Sources we drew from
The schedule is a practical template for generally healthy adults. Evidence statements are tied to the sources below; the exact exercise order is an editorial programming choice, not a clinical prescription.
- 1
Domingo J Ramos-Campo et al. · 2024 · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
The meta-analysis found similar strength and hypertrophy outcomes for split and full-body routines when weekly training volume was equated.
- 2
Jozo Grgic et al. · 2018 · Sports Medicine
The review found that higher frequency primarily helps when it distributes or enables more productive weekly training volume.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best order for a 5-day workout split?
The best order separates overlapping hard sessions and fits your actual week. This push, pull, legs, rest, upper, lower, rest sequence gives the first three sessions a recovery break before the second upper- and lower-body exposures.
Is a 5-day split better than full-body training?
Not automatically. When weekly volume is similar, split and full-body routines can produce similar strength and muscle outcomes. Five days mainly lets you distribute the work into more focused sessions, which only helps if you can recover and attend consistently.
Can a beginner use this split?
A beginner can perform the exercises, but a three-day full-body plan is usually simpler to learn, easier to recover from, and less vulnerable to missed days. Move to five days when the added frequency solves a real scheduling or volume problem.