The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people exercise and work out. Before the pandemic, many preferred visiting their favorite training gym in Atlanta. Covid lockdowns put a temporary halt to gym visits. Since people couldn’t access their gyms or trainers, they had to get creative. And many people turned to workout plans, especially the 3-day or 5-day split workout plans. Split workouts are excellent for your home exercise since they build muscles in specific parts of your body. Therefore, you can track your progress. This article will discuss the best 5-day workout split and its pros and cons. 

Who Should Use The 5-Day Workout Split?

Complete beginners to working out aren’t encouraged to start with the 5-day workout split. This workout plan requires you to have built up some consistency in your workouts. On top of that, complete newbies require more time to recover since the 5-day workout plan will tax their bodies. So, if you’re new to working out, try the 3-day workout split and build up some muscle first. The 5-day workout split is recommended for those who’ve worked out for more than six months. Your body will be strong enough to handle this workout plan if you’re in this group.

What Is The Best 5-Day Workout Split?

There are two commonly used 5-day workout splits. These splits are the upper-lower push pull leg split and the ‘bro split.’ The upper-lower push pull leg split is the best of the two splits. This split allows you to train a specific group of muscles twice a week. In each session, the training volume for each muscle group is less than the “bro split.’ However, the overall weekly volume will be almost similar. 

The Upper Lower Push-Pull Leg Split 

Day 1: Upper Body

Day 2: Lower Body

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Push

Day 5: Pull

Day 6: Legs

Day 7: Rest

This 5-day workout split provides excellent volume, workout frequency, and intensity. Combining the upper and lower split with the push-pull leg (PPL) split has better results than individually working on the two splits. The workout also hits each muscle group twice a week. Scientific studies show this condition is excellent for increasing muscle growth potential.

Now let’s explore the pros and cons of this split. This information will help you decide whether this 5-day workout routine is best for you.

Pros Of The Upper Lower Push-Pull Leg Split

  • Little Or No DOMS: When starting the workout sessions, you may experience some DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Over time, it should subside. However, if the DOMS doesn’t subside, it’ll be less intense and painful than ‘bro split’ related DOMS.
  • You Can Miss A Workout: First, this shouldn’t be a reason for you to miss working out regularly. Otherwise, you won’t see any results. However, if you miss a single workout session, your week’s progress won’t be completely thrown out the window. You will only miss working on half the volume of a single muscle group. 
  • Frequency: This workout routine provides room for rest based on your needs and daily schedule. You can rest every two or three days. Or you could choose to rest after working out for five days. 
  • Diversify this workout routine to work on increasing strength and hypertrophy. This factor makes the routine better than the ‘bro-split’ since the ‘bro split’ only focuses on hypertrophy.

Cons Of The Upper Lower Push-Pull Leg Split

  • Poor Recovery: There is a likelihood that your muscles won’t be well-rested and fresh during the next workout session due to fewer resting days. However, a rest day between the upper, lower and lower PPL workout sessions should provide ample rest time, making this less an issue.
  • The Routine Is Complicated: You need to put in extra thought when coming up with a workout routine. Since you’ll be training several muscle groups at each session, you’ll need to ensure that each muscle group receives the appropriate training.
  • Less Focused Routine: If you’re not a bodybuilding expert, it can be challenging to prepare intense workout sessions that exhaust your muscles completely. However, this shouldn’t be an issue if you can work out around 10 sets in each muscle group.  

The upper-lower push pull leg split is an excellent 5-day workout split. However, if you want to witness speedy and excellent results, you must remain committed to your workout routine. You also have to ensure you sleep at least 8 hours a day and eat a balanced diet to improve your recovery. If you have any questions, visit our website and schedule a consultation.

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