5-day body-part split workout plan

The plan, week 1

Week 1 is calibration: pick a weight for the bottom of each range with one more rep in reserve than later. The RIR column shows week 1 → week 2 onwards; the grid below shows what changes in weeks 2-8.

Tempo 3-0-1-0: 3 s lowering, 0 s pause in the stretch, 1 s lifting, 0 s pause in the squeeze. X: lift as fast as you can while staying in control.

What RIR means →How to read tempo →

B3fx3×6–10 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 5	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Squat	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	3:00
4	BRomanian Deadlift	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	3-0-1-0	2:30	Bar close to the legs, hips back; stop before the back rounds.
5	CLeg Press	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	2:00
6	DSeated Leg Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
7	ESeated Leg Extension Machine	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
8	FCalf Leg Press	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00

18 working sets · ≈50 min

B3fx3×6–10 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 5	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Bench Press	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	3:00
4	BIncline Dumbbell Bench Press	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-1-0	2:00
5	CMachine Chest Press	2 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	2:00
6	DCable Middle Chest Fly	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00
7	ESeated Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00	Sit tall and lift to shoulder height without leaning back.
8	FKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

16 working sets · ≈40 min

B3fx3×6–10 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 5	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Bent Over Row	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-1-0	2:30	Lean well forward and pull to the lower ribs without swinging.
4	BCable Lat Pulldown	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00	Pull-ups instead if you can do 10 or more strict reps.
5	CChest Supported Machine Row	2 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
6	DCable Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00	Neutral-grip pull-ups instead if you can do 10 or more strict reps.
7	ECable Face Pull	2 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

13 working sets · ≈35 min

B2fx3×10–15 · RIR 1

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	ADumbbell Biceps Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
3	BCable Triceps Pushdown	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00
4	CSeated Incline Biceps Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-0	1:00
5	DCable Overhead Triceps Extension	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-0	1:00
6	EDumbbell Hammer Curl	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
7	FSeated Calf Raise	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00

17 working sets · ≈30 min

B3fx3×8–12 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	ASeated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	2:00
4	BBarbell Hip Thrust	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-1-1	2:00	Here rather than on Legs, so the hamstrings and glutes get a second session. Pause for a second at the top.
5	CDumbbell Lateral Raise	4 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
6	DCable Rear Delt Fly	3 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00
7	ESeated Leg Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
8	FKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

18 working sets · ≈40 min

LegsChestBackArmsShoulders

Print / save as PDF

Track this plan for free

Week by week

Week 8 is a deload: about 60% of the sets (4→2, 3→2, 2→1), the same weights and rest, stop at RIR 4. Why a deload helps →

Saved only in this browser. The app keeps your weights and reps.

How to progress on this plan

The simplest method that works on any plan: double progression. Keep the weight and add reps while you finish your sets with the reserve in the RIR column. When every set reaches the top of the range, add one step and build the reps up again.

• Barbell Squat 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Leg Press 3 × 10–15 at RIR 1: when all 3 sets reach 15 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Barbell Bench Press 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
• Machine Chest Press 2 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when both sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Isolation exercises (10–20 reps) follow the same rule. With light dumbbells, the next pair can be too big a jump: use the in-between weight, or stay and go 1-2 reps above the range for a week or two.
• The squat, bench press and barbell row each come once a week, at 6-10 reps and RIR 2, and go up 2.5 kg at a time. With one session a week, several weeks of adding reps before a weight step is normal.
• The seated leg curl (Monday and Friday) and the cable crunch (Tuesday and Friday) have the same sets, reps and RIR on both days, so each session carries on from the previous one, whichever day it was.
• Side and rear delts get a different exercise on each of their days (seated lateral raise on Tuesday, standing on Friday; face pull on Wednesday, cable rear-delt fly on Friday), and each one progresses against its own last session.
• The incline dumbbell press and the seated dumbbell shoulder press go up a whole pair at a time. If the next pair your gym has drops you below 8 reps, stay with your pair and go 1-2 reps above 12 first.

The full guide: how to progress →

Your starting weights

Enter a recent set of the exercise: weight, reps and how many reps you had left. You get the week-1 weight for the bottom of the range with one rep more in reserve, from the widely used RPE chart (RTS).

1RM calculator →

Weekly volume per muscle

Working sets per muscle in a regular week, counted the way the app counts them: a set is 1 for a muscle the exercise trains directly and 0.5 for one it trains indirectly. Warm-ups don't count.

Abs and calves are optional. From 10 sets a week the app labels a muscle "High volume": above its default target and still productive.

Count your own sets →

Substitutions

Choose your substitute in week 1 and keep it for all 8 weeks: the app tracks progress per exercise. Each substitute trains the same muscles directly, so the volume above stays the same.

Adapt the plan

Short on time

Cut from the end of the session: the calf press on Legs (about 6 minutes), the crunches on Chest and Shoulders (about 4 minutes each), and on Arms the hammer curl and the seated calf raise (about 9 minutes; biceps keep 6 sets). Leave Back as it is: at about 35 minutes it is already one of the shorter days. No big muscle group loses a set.

Bulking or cutting

Keep the plan as it is in both. On a cut, aim to hold your weights: reps that drop by one or two are normal, and you can skip the last set of the isolation exercises if recovery suffers.

Bringing up one muscle

Add 2-3 weekly sets for that muscle only, spread over the sessions that already train it. The app's priority setting shows which zone it moves into.

Over 40

Warm up a little longer, keep one more rep in reserve on the heavy barbell lifts and take the full rest. Joints decide the pace, not the calendar.

Training at home

With dumbbells and a bench, swap each machine for a dumbbell exercise from the substitutions that trains the same muscles, and keep it for the whole 8 weeks.

The same plan in the app

The app opens exactly this plan: all 8 weeks, the same targets, week 1 calibration included. Its description in the app:

A 5-day body part split for intermediates: Legs, Chest, Back, Arms and Shoulders from Monday to Friday, about 45-65 minutes per workout. Chest, back and quads get one session a week; “PPL + Upper/Lower · 5 days” trains them twice a week on 5 days. 8 weeks: week 1 is calibration (one more rep in reserve than the target), weeks 2-7 at RIR 2 on free-weight compounds and RIR 1 on the rest, week 8: deload, about half the sets, RIR 4. Progression: add reps first, then weight once every set reaches the top of its range at the target RIR.

Free: the plan, logging weight, reps and RIR, the rest timer, history, previous results and the calculators.

This page teaches the manual method. With Premium, the app suggests the weight and reps for every set after each workout, from the weights, reps and RIR you logged, including week-1 calibration and the deload. Its suggestions can differ from this simple rule because it uses more of your data.

Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout

The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.

In the app: Plans → Body part split · 5 days