5 days · Push, pull, legs, then upper and lower

5-day push, pull, legs, upper, and lower workout

This week is push, pull, and legs, then a second upper day and a second lower day. The first three sessions hold the heavier compounds. Friday and Saturday repeat those areas with different exercises and less pressure to add weight. It is a five-day plan on purpose, not a six-day plan with one day crossed out.

Days: 5 days
Level: Intermediate
Equipment: Barbell, bench, and cables
Session length: 45–70 min

Who this is for

Use this if you like being in the gym most weekdays and you already recover from four days of lifting. It is too much if you are new, if sleep is shaky, or if the fifth day would be a rushed session you do not want.

Experience level

Intermediate. You should already have a few months of consistent training behind the main lifts. If five days is a goal rather than a habit, stay on the four-day upper/lower plan until four days feels ordinary.

If five days stops fitting the week, keep a similar split on the 4-day upper/lower workout.

Equipment

The same gym setup as the other barbell plans: rack, bench, barbell, dumbbells, cables, a leg curl, and a leg press or a sturdy place to lunge. Friday can be done with dumbbells and a cable stack if the racks are crowded.

How long it takes

The first three days usually land around 50 to 65 minutes. Friday and Saturday can be 45 to 60 if you keep the rests honest and do not add extra exercises. A 70-minute cap is plenty. Past that, you are usually resting too long or doing more than the list.

Weekly schedule

Monday through Wednesday are push, pull, and legs. Thursday is a full rest from lifting. Friday is upper, Saturday is lower, Sunday is off. Do not slide Saturday’s lower day onto Sunday and then start push again on Monday.

Weekly schedule for 5-day push, pull, legs, upper, and lower workout
Day	Session
Monday	Push
Tuesday	Pull
Wednesday	Legs
Thursday	Rest
Friday	Upper
Saturday	Lower
Sunday	Rest

If you miss a session

If the week breaks, keep push, pull, and legs, and drop Friday or Saturday first. Those two days are the second pass. Missing them is inconvenient. Missing the squat or the bench day and trying to replace it on Saturday, on top of the second lower day, is how the week gets messy.

Warm-up

Five easy minutes each day. On Friday, add an extra easy set of the dumbbell press if Monday’s bench is still in your shoulders. On Saturday, the first hip-thrust set should be clearly light. Wednesday’s squat does not need to be warmed up again from scratch, but the movement does.

The workouts

Sets are a bit lower than the 3-day push, pull, legs plan because Friday and Saturday train those areas again. Do not copy the longer three-day version on top of this week.

On a small screen, swipe sideways to see sets, reps, and rest. The exercise name stays put.

Push

Heavier bench and overhead work. Leave a little so Friday’s pressing is still useful.

Push: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Bench press	3	5–8	2–3 min
Incline dumbbell press	3	8–12	90 sec
Overhead press	3	6–10	2 min
Lateral raise	3	12–15	60 sec
Triceps pressdown	2	10–15	60 sec

Pull

Pulldown and two rows. Curls stay short because arms also get a little work on Friday.

Pull: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Lat pulldown	3	6–10	2 min
Chest-supported row	3	8–12	90 sec
Seated cable row	3	8–12	90 sec
Face pull	2	12–15	60 sec
Dumbbell curl	2	8–12	60 sec

Legs

Squat and Romanian deadlift are the hard lower lifts of the week. Saturday repeats the legs with different exercises, so you do not need a third compound here.

Legs: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Back squat	3	5–8	2–3 min
Romanian deadlift	3	6–10	2 min
Leg press	2	8–12	90 sec
Leg curl	3	10–15	60–90 sec
Standing calf raise	2	10–15	60 sec

Upper

Different pressing and rowing angles from Monday and Tuesday. Add weight here only when the reps are easy. This day supports the week. It does not replace the bench day.

Upper: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dumbbell bench press	3	8–12	90 sec
Seated cable row	3	8–12	90 sec
Seated dumbbell press	3	8–12	90 sec
Straight-arm pulldown	3	10–15	60–90 sec
Lateral raise	2	12–15	60 sec
Rear delt fly	2	12–15	60 sec

Lower

No heavy squat and no conventional deadlift. The hips, split squats, and leg curl are enough after Wednesday.

Lower: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Hip thrust	3	6–10	2 min
Split squat	3	8–12 each leg	90 sec
Leg curl	2	10–15	60–90 sec
Step-up	2	8–12 each leg	60–90 sec
Seated calf raise	3	10–15	60 sec
Dead bug	2	8 each side	60 sec

Exercise swaps

Use a swap when a machine is taken, a lift bothers a joint, or you do not have that piece of equipment. Keep the sets and rep range the same unless the note says otherwise.

Bench press Machine chest press, if the shoulders need a more stable setup on the heavy day.
Lat pulldown Pull-up or assisted pull-up.
Chest-supported row One-arm dumbbell row braced on a bench.
Back squat Hack squat. Keep the Romanian deadlift in the day if you make that change.
Straight-arm pulldown Lat pulldown with a lighter load, or a band pulldown.
Hip thrust 45-degree back extension, pausing at the top, or a dumbbell glute bridge.
Split squat Reverse lunge or leg press, if the knees are unhappy in a long stride.
Step-up Leg extension, using a weight you can pause briefly at the top.

How to progress

Add weight on Monday’s bench, Tuesday’s pulldown, and Wednesday’s squat when those sets all reach the top of the range.
Hold Friday and Saturday still while the first three days are moving. Progress the dumbbell press or the hip thrust only when they feel easy for two weeks in a row.
If Saturday’s split squats make Monday’s squat worse, reduce Saturday before you touch the squat day.
Small jumps only. Five lifting days amplify a weight that was a little too heavy on Wednesday.

When to ease off

Run an easier week every 5 to 7 weeks, a bit sooner than on the three-day plans. Five days accumulates.

On that week, drop Friday and Saturday entirely, and do 2 sets of the main lift on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at about 90 percent.

If you would rather keep the habit of five visits, make Friday and Saturday two easy sets per exercise and leave. Do not test heavier weights on the easy week.

Questions

Why not a six-day push, pull, legs?

Six days is another plan, with less rest. This one stops at five and uses the last two days as a second pass, not as a repeat of Monday through Wednesday. Most people who want “more days” do better stopping here than filling Saturday with another heavy push.

Can I move the rest day?

Yes, as long as you do not put the heavy squat and the second lower day on back-to-back mornings, and you do not start the next push day the morning after Saturday’s lower session.

What if I only make it four times?

Drop Friday or Saturday. If four days becomes the normal week, switch to the 4-day upper/lower plan so the work is designed for four days instead of a five-day plan with a hole.

Should Friday be as heavy as Monday?

No. Monday is the heavier press. Friday is a different press for more reps. If they feel identical in effort, Friday is too heavy.

A note before you train

These plans are general templates for healthy adults who are able to exercise. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of a particular result. If you have pain, an injury, a heart condition, or you are returning after illness, talk with a qualified clinician or coach before you start. Stop a set if a joint feels sharp, unstable, or unlike ordinary effort, and get it checked before you train through it.

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