Familiar · 5 days a week

Foundation

Push, pull, legs, then upper and lower. The classic five-day split.

Complementary pairs for a balanced split. Keep accessory sets modest on weeks with both Push/Pull and Upper Body. Needs: Gym machines, cables and dumbbells.

  • You’ve trained before and can get to a gym five days a week
  • You like a fixed split that hits each muscle twice a week

Not the right fit if your weeks are unpredictable. A three-day plan is easier to keep.

Split and full-body routines build similar muscle when weekly sets match, so the best split is the one you’ll keep. Split versus full-body routines: 2024 meta-analysis

Your week

  1. Mon
    Push6 exercises · about 47 min
    Exercises
    • Dumbbell bench press2 × 6–10
    • Incline dumbbell press2 × 8–12
    • Seated dumbbell press2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell lateral raise2 × 10–20
    • Overhead triceps extension2 × 10–15
    • Cable triceps pushdown2 × 10–15
  2. Tue
    Pull6 exercises · about 45 min
    Exercises
    • Lat pulldown2 × 8–12
    • Seated cable row2 × 8–12
    • Reverse dumbbell fly2 × 12–20
    • Dumbbell curl2 × 8–15
    • Cable face pull2 × 12–20
    • Hammer curl2 × 10–15
  3. Wed
    Legs6 exercises · about 47 min
    Exercises
    • Leg press2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift2 × 8–12
    • Seated hamstring curl2 × 10–15
    • Leg extension2 × 10–15
    • Standing calf raise2 × 10–20
    • Hip thrust2 × 8–12
  4. Thu
    Rest
  5. Fri
    Upper Body7 exercises · about 55 min
    Exercises
    • Dumbbell bench press2 × 6–10
    • Lat pulldown2 × 8–12
    • Seated cable row2 × 8–12
    • Seated dumbbell press2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell lateral raise2 × 10–20
    • Dumbbell curl2 × 8–15
    • Overhead triceps extension2 × 10–15
  6. Sat
    Lower Body6 exercises · about 47 min
    Exercises
    • Goblet squat2 × 8–12
    • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift2 × 8–12
    • Seated hamstring curl2 × 10–15
    • Leg extension2 × 10–15
    • Standing calf raise2 × 10–20
    • Hip thrust2 × 8–12
  7. Sun
    Rest

Every exercise has a target. Log what you lift and the next week is written from it: same lifts, with the weights you earned.

Where it goes

  1. Week 1 · Foundation

    Learn the lifts. Leave about 3 reps in the tank.

  2. Weeks 2–3 · Build

    Add reps while your form stays clean.

  3. Weeks 4–5 · Progress

    Same five days, and every lift starts from the weight you reached in week 3.

    62 working sets a week. The weights go up, not the workload.
  4. Week 6 · Consolidate

    Repeat your best numbers and lock them in. The next block starts from there.

General fitness guidance, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before you start if you have a medical condition, an injury or symptoms, or are pregnant, and stop if something feels wrong.

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