Check out my book to learn how to run a training program over time for optimal hypertrophy: askdrswole.com/ . If you’d like a free copy of my exercise substitution lists: 1. Follow me on IG (@dr_swole); 2. DM me “exercise selection” and I’ll send you the chapter from my book! It's a perfect complement to my programs
@@DrSwole I was just beginning so doing my own version of an upper/lower 5 days a week, but I felt like I needed to mix it up. Most plans I was seeing were either 3,4, or 6 days a week-- very few were 5, or at least seemed effective as 5. Gonna try this out and see how I like it
Thank you Doc for the free program! It looks very well thought out and I like that you included the total number of sets as well. I'll have to give it a try once I want to switch it up from my upper lower split.
@@DrSwole Yup. I like the idea of splitting up one of the upper days into a push/pull which makes it easier to get more volume in. Trying to add more volume to a 4 day U/L can make the workout a bit too long.
For the next few months I'm running a 5 day split because of tough schedule and this was gold. Your modified programm looks great, thanks for the content!
@@DrSwole get jacked lol I'm trying to get more arm work in while maintaining a 50min to 60min long session. I've done Upper-Lower 4x for the past few months and upper days lasted 90+ min. Gonna try you modified approach
I’ve been thinking of switching to Push/Pull/Legs from Upper/Lower, and never once thought of mixing both, great idea man definitely going to try this out
@@DrSwole though I need to drop body fat percentage, I’m prioritizing muscle growth right now. Definitely liking strength gains too. I think sticking with a good routine where I see results is my main goal though, then I’ll try focusing more on getting a good body fat percentage.
@@DrSwole I would say yay - because it's very balanced; it affords an extra day of recovery because it's a 5-day frequency split as opposed to a 6-day frequency split like the PPL 2× a week, is more balanced than a traditional U/L imo, and gives you a little more time to isolate (focus) on upper body parts than a pure U/L because of the PP days... 5 days a week is good for those gym rats that have the time to dedicate to it; as for myself, I just prefer no more than 4× a week - and I like a separate, isolative arm day (my current split is a minimalistic full body 3× a week - M/W/F - with a separate arm day on Saturday; just what I'm doing currently). Plus, the U/L days on this 5-day frequency split can be lighter weight/higher rep days - as you've stated, which will give your body a little more recovery from the heavier PPL days... So a pretty great routine I think - as long as you don't mind doing PP workouts without a separate arm day. I've just found out for myself that I can always hit my arms harder in isolation; separately from the larger upper body parts. But I might even try this myself at some point, after I've run my full body/arms routine for awhile! I'm sure that your subscribers appreciate this; clean and to-the-point content as always.
This is perfect for me! I'm a beginner/intermediate who needs a 5 day split and the way you explained how is all broken down makes so much less daunting!
Love this vid! Been training for over a year and I started 3 days a week full body and then switched to 4 Days upper Lower. I think I need some more volume especially for my upper body and this split is perfect for it. Thanks a lot!
@@BeepinGiri I did 3 day full body for about 4 months and built a foundation with compound lifts. I felt stronger and more balanced and filled out a bit. I strongly recommend if u want to get into lifting.
@@DrSwole Gain size. Build muscle doc. Just finished day 1 of this program today. I'm an intermediate training for just nearly 3 years now. Hopefully this plan will be suitable for me
Right now my goal is to drop down to a realistic and sustainable bodyfat level "12-15%". I'm currently at 22. I'm also trying to build my deadlift and squat back up after having a lumbar sprain. So I'm taking a very slow approach on that. The overall goal is to have longevity, be strong and look good as a natural athlete. Thanks for asking Dr Swole, keep us posted with progress and content.
I’ve been doing this program for a while but I didn’t know if it was an actual program or just me bs-ing, glad to find an actual trusted source to see the actual pros/cons and reasoning behind it. The only difference is that I was doing my upper and lower first and then my PPL. Gonna give your way a try and see if it’s better. Thank you
Wanted to research this type of routine as I often implement it from time to time in my training and I really like how you have it setup with pull day first and that you have OHP as the first move on Upper day. I’m motivated to start this routine tomorrow.
Im so glad I found this program thanks dr.swole you are amazing and you obviously know how to develop a program... Why channels like yours are so underrated you deserve a lot more than this keep it up
I use a similar split! And have been for the past month and it feels great. However I have squats on Lower 2 and deadlifts on lower 1. Squats have my legs feeling DEAD so I use the weekend to help me recover instead of having them having a negative impact on my deadlifts. Great video!
@@DrSwole just different for other people I guess! And another issue I’ve noticed is that shoulders can be a bit sore from the pull to push day but other than that everything else seems okay!
@Dr.swole, thank you for this... This is my favoritable split and its good to know it can be work better..."a workout split is like a frame work to where you can build your own preferred program", been waiting to hear this
I definitely prefer ULPPL over both UL and PPL. Happy middle ground between them and removes some of their disadvantages. The only thing I dislike is it getting a lil awkward trying to train smaller areas like biceps/side delts 3x/wk. Your method is great but at the same time Im not a huge fan of doing any upper work on lower days since im not giving the shoulder girdle a break. But then that means id have to have some bicep/side delt on back to back days since thats how its organized. I could rearrange it to ULxPLPx but this raises a new issue. Depending on if you do push or pull first, there will always be inefficient recovery for big push compounds or big pull compounds. For example: push compounds, 4 days rest, push compounds, then only 1 day of rest. At a 2x/wk freq pushing volume per session will be decently high and youre only giving that 1 day of rest. I dont love any of them tbh and Im always undecided. Thoughts? Also Beardsley/Krieger/Kaseem say how research shows 'smaller' muscles recovering faster and need a higher freq is a big myth, your take?
Its simple. Do Bíceps before back in the Pull day, and A shoulders focused push day. In the upper day, focus on big compounds, and supersets for Bis and Tris. Its perfect
i found it’s best to run the split as chest and back, lower 1, arms and shoulders, rest, upper, lower 2, rest. just because i find arms don’t tend to grow as well (doesn’t mean they don’t grow obv) when tacked onto the end of a workout so one day directly targeting them has helped them grow a lot
Running this type of a split for 1,5 years now. Modified every little time a bit and ended with direct arm work reversed on push and pull days. ->Push + biceps/Pull + triceps/legs/upper/lower. Really enjoying it. Your content is huge man, thanks 👍🏻
Hi Dr, I've been doing this for a few months (it's my 3rd time intercalating with a similar program). It still feels fantastic. Congrats :) QQ: Now, I am focusing more on muscle growth; what is the recommended rest between series and exercises?
Dr. Swole thank you so much for being real and sharing your information with us especially with these free programs instead of charging money. I'm appreciative of that.
@@DrSwole I would like to see an Advanced version of this program and an Adavnced version of an Upper/Lower split when your time allows doc! Thanks for everything.
Extremely helpful and insightful. Couple of points/questions: 1) on moving shoulders work to lower days, does it not cause additional fatigue and increase the risk of injury as you’re effectively training shoulders almost 4 days a week. 2) a lot of people are now doing antagonist splits (e.g back/chest, shoulder/arms, and legs) instead of PPL and UL. What are your thoughts on the chest/back, shoulder/arm, legs split. I get that workouts are meant to be personalised but is hitting shoulders one day after hitting chest ok from a recovery / injury prevention standpoint? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with every one here. Keep the doing the awesome job.
Thanks and insightful questions! I think doing pushing movements 4x a week might cause fatigue issues for some people but side delts (ie lateral raises) can usually be trained often without issue
I think antagonistic splits are great! I'm actually thinking of covering one soon with a program, especially since I used to train that way. It just shifts the emphasis onto different muscles and provides a different flow. Shoulders after chest should be okay if you're doing side/rear delts, but a lot of heavy anterior delt work with pressing can be problematic if you're not careful
@@DrSwole excellent that’s what I thought too. So mainly heavy OHP (standing of sitting) should be avoided in that kind of split. And btw Looking forward to your video already 😀
hey, thinking of starting this split, is there enough work on the other parts of the shoulders? seems like a lot of focus on side delts and not the rest? love ur work!
@@DrSwole ive been running an upper lower, going 6 days a week and focusing on hypertrophy. i found 6 days a week too much, and in my past experiences with training ive found 4 days to be too little, so now ive been looking for a 5 day split and ive come across this hybrid. im currently busy with exams but in a week from now ill be able to resume my training and get back into it. im a late beginner, going into an early intermediate, so ive been researching heavily recently where i can and trying to set myself up for success.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm going to swap this in instead of a six-days/week push-pull-legs split. How many reps would you recommend for each exercise in an abs triset?
@@DrSwole Just did the first workout and it was great. It was way shorter than my previous workouts and that was really nice. The shoulder isolation felt amazing as I'm not used to doing it. All in all the spilt seems really well designed and I look forward to doing the other days!
Hey Dr Swole! Going from a Upper Lower, Upper, Lower (4x a week) which I took from one of your previous video's, now I'm gonna try this program which looks awesome :)
Going to give this a try for the next 6 weeks running up to my wedding see what i can build up to as never tried a modified split before feel like this could be a good compomse between an aesthetic and strength program
@@Omar-cp4bj going really good tbh good muscle engagement a decent split over each group and I'm making progress again not a much as I could with a better diet but in the run up to the wedding diet has gone out the window lol
Somebody who finally puts quality content and replies to comments👏 If I train for example, flat bench press and incline bench on push day, would you do it again on upper day OR would you do something different for chest like flys and pec dec? This is 💯 the best video on youtube! Thanks!
dude your'e so underrated here in youtube.... ive seen many youtube channels here in youtube with 1million plus subs but i didnt learn much from them majority of them are just indorsing supplements, workouts and fatloss tips,every video... but you bring the whole package .. i hope your channel grow more and more people discover and learn from you ...
@@DrSwole i am 17 ..my goals right now is just to build my body up and loose some weight.. just get in good shape naturally, but my main goal is to compete in Mens physique someday and if by any chance ...Win✌️a competition
@@DrSwole bulking for now, i want to ask you please, i ve read that we can not do deadlifts with squats in the same session, so why did have you done it both in lower 2 ? And if so, which one do you suggets, conventional or sumo dead lift, thank u
Wow This split looks amazing and balanced! The only thing I would try to do is work in some rear delt isolation. Possibly swap one of the side delt movements on lower day 1 with rear delt flies.
@@DrSwole Yeah, they used to be. They have definitely improved once I started including direct work. I used to just rely on compounds and indirect work but I didn’t see the growth I was looking for so at least one isolation for them is a priority to me.I take the rear delt flies to high reps and then incorporate partials. It’s been working well.
Right now i am on a calorie deficit .benn doing great .abs and obliques are looking good.light in the gym make a big difference tho lol. Next month i ll switch slowly to a surplus to add some muscle mass
I have been training for 3 years but never counted caloris before . Now that i do the nutrition part looks a lot easier . And i am experimenting things to se how body responds 😅
Awesome video and a very interesting take on this split! What would your suggestion be for someone looking to get a little more arms in? My arms have always been lagging and need a little extra attention.
@@DrSwole I was Push/Pull/Legs/Rest format twice a week, so 5-6 days. Jeff Nippard and Chris Bumstead both had their own setup for these that were fun. Before this I was mainly powerlifting focus for a long time which is why I think aesthetically my arms started lagging.
I think it would depend on how much the compounds use the muscles you trained on isolation work. For instance, you might not perform as well on pulling movements if your biceps are very fatigued
Thank you. I’ve started working out with friends a lot more which is way better and they can only go 5 days a week so I need a new split that isn’t ppl ppl. And I guess on my last day I’ll either rest or do cardio
What do you recommend to replace the leg press, working from home I don’t have one 😅 I thought about elevated sumo squat with a Dumbell but maybe there is better. Thank you for the free program !
Thanks for the knowledge, I was using your upper lower program for nearly 3 months, thought to change the program and I hit the jackpot... thanks man much appreciate it... How often do we need to change the split or is it alright to use same split? Because I like your upper lower program... Once again thanks for knowledge !!!!
Dr. Swole question, would it be a good idea to replace ab triset with rear delt work and work on abs as a separate workout? Also like how you reply to most comments shows you really want to help.
It's been two and a half months since I started the sport. Is this programme suitable for me or should I do it regionally, that is, should I work two regions a day. What do you recommend?
The split I am currently using-> Day 1 Chest/Back/Biceps Day 2 Legs/shoulders/Triceps Day 3 Rest Day 4 Repeat day one (different exercises) Day 5 repeat. Day 2 Different exercises Rest Rest Mostly compounds
Great vid, doc! Is there any problem in running a 5 or 6 day split as a beginner? I know its not needed, but training makes me happy and i would like to do it as much as I can.
@@DrSwole I’ve managed to lose about 10 lbs over the last 4 to 5 months, while increasing most of my lifts. I took a diet break last week so today i’m getting back on track. Med School starts feb 1st so i want to get as much as i can until there!
This program looks very interesting. How to go with programming weights? If there are 4 sets of 6-10 reps should I go decrease reps per set? Increase? Or do all sets with the same reps? When to increase weight?
What do you think about doing this Monday through Friday and make it a little easier to commit to? Dedicate the week for work and gym. The weekends for family time. Also now that I’ve packed some muscle I’m starting to feel a lot more stiff on my shoulders and and upper back. Hell if I touch my shoulder with my left ear I can crack my right rhomboid. I’ll be the first to say I been slacking on proper warm up and stretching so I was wondering what would be the best way to implement some mobility training into this program?
Fatigue management. You can try it, but what makes full body 3x/week and 4x/week very effective is no more than 2 training days before a rest day. I share your interest in avoiding a Saturday training day though.
Is this still a good program in 2025? trying to begin my journey, and I can't seem to find any good free program until I found this. but was just wondering if its still good in 2025 or there's something better. thanks
I've been running the modified variation of this program at home for a few months and I love it! I do not have access to a leg press machine so I substituted for barbell hack squats at the same 8-12 rep range. Do you feel this is a reasonable substitute? Do you have any other ideas for substitutions? This is easily the hardest workout for the whole week so I wonder if my substitution made it more difficult or if it's intended to be a monster leg day. Regardless, thanks for the awesome program!
Good stuff well explained. As you asked, I'm using full body 4 days a week. Would you recommend an advanced lifter eventually pushes up sets to 20 sets per week, or train harder on these sets provided? Have you already made a video on sets/muscle/week?
It really depends on the individual. Most people will require more volume going from beginner to intermediate, but not everyone requires more as an advanced athlete
Love the program man, I was looking at adding an additional 3 sets of light deadlift work to one of the days, would this be best to add into the first lower day or on the pull day?
Hello Doc, This Split looks good. But, I have some doubts. Hope you will reply.Im focusing on Fat loss and Cutting. So, Firstly, For a muscle group,such as chest muscles there are a number of work outs that target the same muscle. Also I have heard that if we train the muscle group with different workouts in every week, there won't be any chance of progressive overload and no positive result. So can I split those workouts in the same week?? Eg: On 1st push day, You have added Cable flys, but not on second push day. does it include incline and Decline? Also is it enough to do chest flys only once per week? If not, can I swap it with Dumbbell flys in the second push day? Eg : 2 , On Pull day we have lat pull downs( Normal, Reverse Grip, Close grip, Machine). How can I accommodate all these?? Then, How will I accommodate all other back workouts such as, Machine Row, T bar Row, Dumbbell pull overs, bent over row and Reverse peck deck? My point is how will I accommodate various variety of workouts between sets? Secondly you haven't added any Decline movements for Chest muscles (dumbbell or Barbell). Why is that? And can I add it in between??? Thirdly, is Push Pull legs a good split if I'm focusing on Fat loss and Cutting and not muscle Building on proper Fat loss diet??
Another con of PPLUL is if you don’t have access to equipment to support isolation exercises. For example, barbell rows on back day fatigue the lower back before deadlifting on leg day. I’ve tried this a million different ways with my home gym (only barbells, dumbbells, and calisthenics) and I’m not a fan. It’s just too much fatigue if you train hard. I’m not saying I have the perfect formula, but I personally don’t like this split for myself.
@@DrSwole I’ve been experimenting throughout covid with upper/lower, push/pull, PPL, full body, bro splits. My progression is consistent but the split has been changing to see what works best for recovery and progress. As of now my personal favorite is a bro split for my chest and arms and a 2x/week leg and back workout. I really like annihilating my chest and arms and a week of recovery seems right with the overlap in muscle groups. I like legs and back together and splitting the volume over two workouts seems ideal for fatigue. At least this is my opinion at this moment in time. Chest Legs and back Rest Shoulders Legs and back Arms Rest
@@flabio7074 You could always do heavy chest-supported incline dumbbell rows (on an adjustable bench) for your back the day before doing deadlifts; a useful option I've seen on another channel... Saves your lower back from fatigue carryover. And btw, Back & Legs is a very testosterone and growth hormone-producing body part pairing; some people are against it because it's a huge pairing, but it produces great results. My take on it is to hit your back first and your legs second, and save the deadlifts for last (on the same day; also another viable option imo).
@@DrSwole I've always done deadlifts on back days, combining pull with legs was the logical thing to do since the deadlift is a pull and legs exercise while less of an upper body push or arm exercise. I start off doing lots of barbell work, starting with strict pendlay rows, building up to a 3 plate 5x3 bent over row with some momentum, continuing with heavy deadlifts for both reps and singles up to 5 plates supersetted with tens of shrugs and as I pyramid down the barbell I do romanian deadlifts. After that I do machine and other free weight work for back, rear delts and bi's and finish it off with hack squats and calves. It's a very fatiguing workout and there's 4 full days in between that workout and my leg workout.
Talking about fatigue, there's no research done towards how many reps you lose and the dose response for muscle growth. Right now my way to determine volume is based on how many reps I lose compared to my best set in the workout, say 50%, but that's all for good measure. + my own bodyweight becomes too much. I'm more interested in seeing which percentage of reps lost due to fatigue triggers the growth signal the best and at what percentage you get diminishing returns.
Awesome program... i will definitely follow this workout program..but i need a help can u help me actually i have a foot & hand pain with wrist how can i prevent is it vitamin deficiency or uric acid pls help me
YW! I always did something like 5 sets of 20 reps. Tough but satisfying. Only downside of it was how much time I was working in the gym.. a little to long ;p
How do you progressively overload yourself? Do you increase RIR over each week and then deload? Do you think it's necessary, or is it just best to increase weight and reps overtime without tracking RIR? Also, as an MD would it negatively impact growth/development if you were to cut at age 19 years old from say 16% BF to 8-10%?
Good questions. The RIR progression is controversial. I personally progress RIR slightly but the main thing is progressing weight and reps. How are you doing right now?
I think it would be fine to go to 10% as long as you don’t feel any negative health side effects like fatigue, low gym performance, or low mood. That being said, if you have concerns you should ask your doctor!
Can I just do a 4 day split training legs once a week? I don't want to hit them twice. Also, would it be fine doing Push (Saturday), Pull (Sunday), Rest, Legs (Tuesday) Upper (Wednesday)? Would there still be sufficient rest between the upper day on Wednesday and the Push day on Saturday?
Hi doc! i was wondering what you think of my split: DAY1 - CHEST/BACK/BICEPS DAY2 - LEGS/TRICEPS DAY3 - SHOULDERS/BICEPS DAY4 - CHEST/BACK DAY5 - SHOULDERS/LEGS/TRICEPS Focussing on big lifts between 6-8 reps and more isolated movements between 8-12 range!
I just came across your channel today and I love the content! I've been following this split for about a month but because I'm only able to get in the gym on the weekdays, I use the weekend as my two rest days. Do you have any tips for how I should rearrange the days in order to minimize performance interference? Thank you!
Honestly the structure doesn’t lend it self very well to having two days off in a row… Have you thought of other splits? Because the leg days will end up being very close together
Hey Dr. Swole! First of all I want to say that the program looks awesome, and I'm excited to try it (just had my first pull day today, it was nice!) I just had two questions, first what do you think of replacing the lat pulldowns by pull ups? And second, why aren't the tricep exercises moved to different workouts, the same way as is done with the biceps and side delts? For me the triceps are a higher priority, since that is what is lacking on my arms
@@DrSwole No, in my latest routine my triceps were rarely sore. I’ll have to see how my triceps react to this routine! Thanks for replying! Again I’m super stoked to see results! Today though, doing my first pull day since a while (before I did full body), I was really surprised. My performance on back exercises really decreased after crushing it on barbell rows, I’m hoping this goes away soon or that it’s just a coincidence. What do you think? I normally am able to do 10-11 pull ups on my first set, today it got down to 7. Normally I did deadlifts before pull ups, today I did barbell rows before pull ups.
@@omarruder4129 I wouldn’t worry about it. Your performance will depend on exercise order and level of fatigue, but as long as numbers are progressing over time!
@@DrSwole Allright thanks again, I’ll make sure to check the week-to-week progression. And you’re right, just cranked out 10 pull ups at home, way easier than when I stood in the gym this afternoon
Could you give us an example of how to program a 5 day upper/lower split (ULULU) vs upper/lower/PPL? How would you divide the volume/exercises across the upper body days?
@@DrSwole that would be great! I'd been using ppl 6 days a week but found it didn't allow sufficient recovery time. So I switched to pplul, but after the first upper workout on that split i felt so good & so fresh on each movement i thought of going back to an upper lower split - with side & rear delts being worked on lower days as per your suggestion. But i was wondering how to split the upper body workouts when training upper 3 days/week. Should I increase the volume for example adding an extra 3-6 sets for each muscle group on the 3rd upper day - which would equal a total of about 15-18 working sets per muscle group/week - or spread it out across the 3? Atm for my upper days i do 1 exercise for shoulders, 2 chest, 2 back & 2 each for bis & tris (super-setted), with 3 working sets for each exercise. Thanks in advance for replying and thanks for the great content.
Love the 5 days PPLUL Split. I have a concern with regards. to fatigue for the modified version. Don't you think by removing Biceps to Push and lower 2 day you mess up with recovery? i.e by the time you hit back again you could potentially lift lighter because your biceps are still sore? I know biceps recover faster but I want to hear your thoughts around it.
How do you recommend properly adding volume to this program? This is the structure/split I prefer as I would consider myself an advanced trainee at this point (17 years of experience). I’d like my total sets per body part to gradually increase over the course of this program as I require the volume for continued growth, but wasn’t sure if you had any suggestions on how to do so without compromising performance. Maybe add sets/reps every so often? Thanks, Doc!
Check out my book to learn how to run a training program over time for optimal hypertrophy: askdrswole.com/
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If you’d like a free copy of my exercise substitution lists: 1. Follow me on IG (@dr_swole); 2. DM me “exercise selection” and I’ll send you the chapter from my book! It's a perfect complement to my programs
Sir please accept my entry to your fb page
can you please accept my entry request to the group
This is exactly what I was looking for. Just want to go 5 days a week 😂😂 I didn’t want to have to decide between 4 and 6!
You can still run upper lower 5 days a week but this one works too!
What split were you following before?
@@DrSwole I was just beginning so doing my own version of an upper/lower 5 days a week, but I felt like I needed to mix it up. Most plans I was seeing were either 3,4, or 6 days a week-- very few were 5, or at least seemed effective as 5. Gonna try this out and see how I like it
@@triroa so how did it go?
@@DrSwole Can you approve me on your facebook page?
LOL whenever I'm looking for info on a specific week split and spreadsheets... it's always you that comes out first... God bless you man.
Gotchu!
Thank you Doc for the free program! It looks very well thought out and I like that you included the total number of sets as well. I'll have to give it a try once I want to switch it up from my upper lower split.
Thanks! I think the Excel file will also be a useful resource since it shows how I count sets and put programs together
You're training 4 days per week?
@@DrSwole Yup. I like the idea of splitting up one of the upper days into a push/pull which makes it easier to get more volume in. Trying to add more volume to a 4 day U/L can make the workout a bit too long.
For the next few months I'm running a 5 day split because of tough schedule and this was gold. Your modified programm looks great, thanks for the content!
Thanks! Help me share the channel around 👌🏼
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole get jacked lol
I'm trying to get more arm work in while maintaining a 50min to 60min long session. I've done Upper-Lower 4x for the past few months and upper days lasted 90+ min. Gonna try you modified approach
I’ve been thinking of switching to Push/Pull/Legs from Upper/Lower, and never once thought of mixing both, great idea man definitely going to try this out
Thank you!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole though I need to drop body fat percentage, I’m prioritizing muscle growth right now. Definitely liking strength gains too. I think sticking with a good routine where I see results is my main goal though, then I’ll try focusing more on getting a good body fat percentage.
Looks like a pretty clean split!... Honestly one of the best I've seen; nice and balanced.
Thanks man! I’m curious to hear how people do with it in a few months
What’s your thought on PPLUL overall? Yay or nay?
@@DrSwole I would say yay - because it's very balanced; it affords an extra day of recovery because it's a 5-day frequency split as opposed to a 6-day frequency split like the PPL 2× a week, is more balanced than a traditional U/L imo, and gives you a little more time to isolate (focus) on upper body parts than a pure U/L because of the PP days... 5 days a week is good for those gym rats that have the time to dedicate to it; as for myself, I just prefer no more than 4× a week - and I like a separate, isolative arm day (my current split is a minimalistic full body 3× a week - M/W/F - with a separate arm day on Saturday; just what I'm doing currently). Plus, the U/L days on this 5-day frequency split can be lighter weight/higher rep days - as you've stated, which will give your body a little more recovery from the heavier PPL days... So a pretty great routine I think - as long as you don't mind doing PP workouts without a separate arm day. I've just found out for myself that I can always hit my arms harder in isolation; separately from the larger upper body parts. But I might even try this myself at some point, after I've run my full body/arms routine for awhile! I'm sure that your subscribers appreciate this; clean and to-the-point content as always.
@@carlosmorris4510 good thoughts! Having a separate arm day is nice to have for sure. I luxury I wish I had time for ahah
@@carlosmorris4510 so what are your thoughts after a year?
Wow - just came across this and this is genuinely excellent. Thank you.
This is perfect for me! I'm a beginner/intermediate who needs a 5 day split and the way you explained how is all broken down makes so much less daunting!
Awesome! Hope you make some sick gains
@@DrSwole Just followed you on BoostCamp! This'll be fun!
@@REMsleeper428 cool! Lmk how it goes
Love this vid! Been training for over a year and I started 3 days a week full body and then switched to 4 Days upper Lower. I think I need some more volume especially for my upper body and this split is perfect for it. Thanks a lot!
Cheers!
@serfulus8333 For how many months you did 3days a week program? Did you get good results with this program?
@@BeepinGiri I did 3 day full body for about 4 months and built a foundation with compound lifts. I felt stronger and more balanced and filled out a bit. I strongly recommend if u want to get into lifting.
@@serfulus8333 Thank you ❤️
I just came across your channel doc. And it's safe to say that you surely deserve wayyyyy moree subscribers! I subbed!
Thanks friend! Help me share the channel around 👌🏼
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole Gain size. Build muscle doc. Just finished day 1 of this program today. I'm an intermediate training for just nearly 3 years now. Hopefully this plan will be suitable for me
This is one of the best and smartest splits I've seen. Subscribed!
Great to hear! Share it around 👌🏼
What are your goals?
Right now my goal is to drop down to a realistic and sustainable bodyfat level "12-15%". I'm currently at 22. I'm also trying to build my deadlift and squat back up after having a lumbar sprain. So I'm taking a very slow approach on that. The overall goal is to have longevity, be strong and look good as a natural athlete. Thanks for asking Dr Swole, keep us posted with progress and content.
@@alfredochavarria1103 nice! Careful with the back, you got this
I’ve been doing this program for a while but I didn’t know if it was an actual program or just me bs-ing, glad to find an actual trusted source to see the actual pros/cons and reasoning behind it. The only difference is that I was doing my upper and lower first and then my PPL. Gonna give your way a try and see if it’s better. Thank you
Awesome! glad you found this
How were your results with the old program?
I really like these split program videos
I think they give people a lot of value! Surprised I’m giving out programs for free tbh ahah
Thoughts on PPLUL?
@@DrSwole yeah, it really looks awesome
@@tiyreks 👌🏼👌🏼
No more slacking off.... Today is the day I start this program . Thanks
Awesome! Let me know how it goes
What program were you following before?
The GOAT split. The extra day of rest is big vs the standard ppl.
6 days per week is definitely a lot for most people
Do you use PPLUL?
Yeah I switched from upper lower since I was struggling to get through the work outs. The push and pull workouts are a bit easier.
@@Hansgruber69 fair enough!
Absolutely.
This is the best thing I’ve ever seen program wise, thank you so much for the amazing advice
Haven't watched yet but can tell it is going to be great
You know it 👊🏼
Looking forward to seeing how people do with the program ahah
Wanted to research this type of routine as I often implement it from time to time in my training and I really like how you have it setup with pull day first and that you have OHP as the first move on Upper day. I’m motivated to start this routine tomorrow.
Im so glad I found this program thanks dr.swole you are amazing and you obviously know how to develop a program... Why channels like yours are so underrated you deserve a lot more than this keep it up
Thanks man! Help me share the channel around
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole 12%bf look better and gain strength
I use a similar split! And have been for the past month and it feels great. However I have squats on Lower 2 and deadlifts on lower 1. Squats have my legs feeling DEAD so I use the weekend to help me recover instead of having them having a negative impact on my deadlifts. Great video!
Fair enough! That’s interesting, most people find deadlifts to be more fatiguing than squats
Have you had any other issues with the programming structure?
@@DrSwole just different for other people I guess! And another issue I’ve noticed is that shoulders can be a bit sore from the pull to push day but other than that everything else seems okay!
@@DrSwole I also got rid of the issue by just having one lighter day and one heavy day so my shoulders are ready by the following day
@@DavidRamirez831 nice! Glad it's worked for you
@Dr.swole, thank you for this... This is my favoritable split and its good to know it can be work better..."a workout split is like a frame work to where you can build your own preferred program", been waiting to hear this
Glad it resonated!
I definitely prefer ULPPL over both UL and PPL. Happy middle ground between them and removes some of their disadvantages. The only thing I dislike is it getting a lil awkward trying to train smaller areas like biceps/side delts 3x/wk. Your method is great but at the same time Im not a huge fan of doing any upper work on lower days since im not giving the shoulder girdle a break. But then that means id have to have some bicep/side delt on back to back days since thats how its organized. I could rearrange it to ULxPLPx but this raises a new issue. Depending on if you do push or pull first, there will always be inefficient recovery for big push compounds or big pull compounds. For example: push compounds, 4 days rest, push compounds, then only 1 day of rest. At a 2x/wk freq pushing volume per session will be decently high and youre only giving that 1 day of rest. I dont love any of them tbh and Im always undecided. Thoughts? Also Beardsley/Krieger/Kaseem say how research shows 'smaller' muscles recovering faster and need a higher freq is a big myth, your take?
Its simple. Do Bíceps before back in the Pull day, and A shoulders focused push day. In the upper day, focus on big compounds, and supersets for Bis and Tris. Its perfect
i found it’s best to run the split as chest and back, lower 1, arms and shoulders, rest, upper, lower 2, rest. just because i find arms don’t tend to grow as well (doesn’t mean they don’t grow obv) when tacked onto the end of a workout so one day directly targeting them has helped them grow a lot
Running this type of a split for 1,5 years now.
Modified every little time a bit and ended with direct arm work reversed on push and pull days. ->Push + biceps/Pull + triceps/legs/upper/lower. Really enjoying it.
Your content is huge man, thanks 👍🏻
Btw i created the split with eric helms' muscle and strength pyramid.
And changed things on personal needs & experiences.
That’s really smart! I was thinking of doing that as well, but for some people their triceps take a long time to recover so I kept pushing together
@@24svg. any other changes you’ve made to the conventional split?
Just stumbled on this. This split is so well laid out!
Thanks my friend
What are your goals?
Hi Dr, I've been doing this for a few months (it's my 3rd time intercalating with a similar program). It still feels fantastic. Congrats :)
QQ: Now, I am focusing more on muscle growth; what is the recommended rest between series and exercises?
One hour between sets and 2 seconds between exercises :)
Been going to the gym on and off for 3 years and managed to lose over 30 pounds but I’m looking to go to the next level and this helped thanks!
That’s great man! Keep it up
Commenting for the Swolegorithm
Thanks my friend! Every comment and share helps ahah
What split are you currently following?
@@DrSwole hey I am doing full body 5 days a week
@@pulast4386 nice! Have you had any challenges with that?
@@DrSwole I am a 13 year old beginner not sure which split I should do. Quite strong any recommendations?
Dr. Swole thank you so much for being real and sharing your information with us especially with these free programs instead of charging money.
I'm appreciative of that.
Thanks for voicing your appreciation! It really motivates me
WhatProgram do you want to see me put out next?
@@DrSwole I would like to see an Advanced version of this program and an Adavnced version of an Upper/Lower split when your time allows doc! Thanks for everything.
@@franciscobautista1831 Thanks for the suggestions!
Extremely helpful and insightful.
Couple of points/questions: 1) on moving shoulders work to lower days, does it not cause additional fatigue and increase the risk of injury as you’re effectively training shoulders almost 4 days a week.
2) a lot of people are now doing antagonist splits (e.g back/chest, shoulder/arms, and legs) instead of PPL and UL. What are your thoughts on the chest/back, shoulder/arm, legs split. I get that workouts are meant to be personalised but is hitting shoulders one day after hitting chest ok from a recovery / injury prevention standpoint?
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with every one here. Keep the doing the awesome job.
Thanks and insightful questions! I think doing pushing movements 4x a week might cause fatigue issues for some people but side delts (ie lateral raises) can usually be trained often without issue
I think antagonistic splits are great! I'm actually thinking of covering one soon with a program, especially since I used to train that way. It just shifts the emphasis onto different muscles and provides a different flow. Shoulders after chest should be okay if you're doing side/rear delts, but a lot of heavy anterior delt work with pressing can be problematic if you're not careful
@@DrSwole excellent that’s what I thought too. So mainly heavy OHP (standing of sitting) should be avoided in that kind of split.
And btw Looking forward to your video already 😀
yeah I'd try not to put OHP back to back with other pressing days
@@adnankhan83 you could try this split,
Day 1=Chest/Back
Day 2=Legs
Day 3=Shoulder/Arms
Day 4=Rest
Repeat
Thank you very much this is what i was looking for. The perfect plan for 5 days.
You're welcome!
hey, thinking of starting this split, is there enough work on the other parts of the shoulders? seems like a lot of focus on side delts and not the rest? love ur work!
Yea i agree, no rear delt at all, what can we change to work those rear delts a bit?
Front delts are fine because of the amount of presses, rear delts though...maybe in some rows but i think doing an exercise or two is best
dude, this video is really helpful man!! great work and thank you for the insight :)
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
What split are you currently following?
@@DrSwole ive been running an upper lower, going 6 days a week and focusing on hypertrophy. i found 6 days a week too much, and in my past experiences with training ive found 4 days to be too little, so now ive been looking for a 5 day split and ive come across this hybrid. im currently busy with exams but in a week from now ill be able to resume my training and get back into it. im a late beginner, going into an early intermediate, so ive been researching heavily recently where i can and trying to set myself up for success.
@@t4whco239 okay nice! Glad to hear you’re being thoughtful about your volume requirements. Lmk how it goes
Too underrated.
Thanks 🙏🏼 help me share the channel around!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole I will!!
man this info is quality content, cant thank you enough!
Thanks man!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole I am 5 ft 10 at 75 kgs , i want to lose my fat ( mostly around the belly region) and simultaneously gain muscle
@@pratham2797 okay cool!
Thanks for sharing this! I'm going to swap this in instead of a six-days/week push-pull-legs split. How many reps would you recommend for each exercise in an abs triset?
Cool! Anywhere from 6-30 depending on how well you can overload the exercise
I have been doing this program for 6 months now. I like it. I do ppl then a day off then upper lower then a day off. My bench is up
Glad it’s working well!
Your workout plan is 🔥. Keep it up 👍
Thanks man!
help me share the channel around!
Looks great! Im going to try it tomorrow
Cool! Lmk how it goes
@@DrSwole Just did the first workout and it was great. It was way shorter than my previous workouts and that was really nice. The shoulder isolation felt amazing as I'm not used to doing it. All in all the spilt seems really well designed and I look forward to doing the other days!
Hey Dr Swole!
Going from a Upper Lower, Upper, Lower (4x a week) which I took from one of your previous video's, now I'm gonna try this program which looks awesome :)
Lmk how it goes!
just amazing, thank you sooo much . i just wanted to change my program to 5 day split.🌹🌹🌹
Cheers!
I'll definitelt try putting biceps training in my push day. Very unusual approach but logical and it's fun to switch it up
Yes I like it!
What’s your split right now? Traditional Push pull legs?
I'm running Jeff Nippard's powerbuilding atm. I'll switch too ppl, upper lower soon and incorporate some of your tips
@@simplifiedfit1998 ahh okay cool. Powerbuilding is fun ahah
I'm so happy I found you, thank you
Glad you found the channel!
What are your goals?
Thanks for the workout plan, I will start using it this fall!
Awesome!
What program are you following now?
@@DrSwole I’m following the Jason Blaha full body routine rn, I started this year and I have seen great progress.
@@alejandrosolano1061 Glad you’re seeing progress!
Going to give this a try for the next 6 weeks running up to my wedding see what i can build up to as never tried a modified split before feel like this could be a good compomse between an aesthetic and strength program
Hows it gone so far?
@@Omar-cp4bj going really good tbh good muscle engagement a decent split over each group and I'm making progress again not a much as I could with a better diet but in the run up to the wedding diet has gone out the window lol
'Nother great video. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks man! Appreciate the comments as always 👊🏼
Thank u so much.. Exactly what I wanted... 🙏
Somebody who finally puts quality content and replies to comments👏 If I train for example, flat bench press and incline bench on push day, would you do it again on upper day OR would you do something different for chest like flys and pec dec? This is 💯 the best video on youtube! Thanks!
Thanks DR. Swole!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers!
dude your'e so underrated here in youtube.... ive seen many youtube channels here in youtube with 1million plus subs but i didnt learn much from them majority of them are just indorsing supplements, workouts and fatloss tips,every video... but you bring the whole package .. i hope your channel grow more and more people discover and learn from you ...
Thanks man that means a lot! Help me share the channel around 👌🏼
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole yes doc.❤️👌
@@DrSwole i am 17 ..my goals right now is just to build my body up and loose some weight.. just get in good shape naturally, but my main goal is to compete in Mens physique someday and if by any chance ...Win✌️a competition
@@erueru212 Awesome to hear! Well you’ve come to the right channel
This is my favorite program, i'm start 2022 use this program. Thanks for your information.
Glad you like it!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole my goals have been healty and have good body until my old, because my parents have diabetes and i want to get up.
@@aninditoyoga6353 cool!
This was very informative thank you also do you think that workout program is good for beginners?
thank you so much , i will surely begin this routine to night , big thanks
Awesome!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole bulking for now, i want to ask you please, i ve read that we can not do deadlifts with squats in the same session, so why did have you done it both in lower 2 ? And if so, which one do you suggets, conventional or sumo dead lift, thank u
@@marocpiercing you can definitely do them both in one session depending on your experience level. How long have you been training for?
@@marocpiercing I think both conventional and sumo are great. Depends on whether you want more leg or lower back emphasis
Wow This split looks amazing and balanced! The only thing I would try to do is work in some rear delt isolation. Possibly swap one of the side delt movements on lower day 1 with rear delt flies.
Glad you appreciate it! I personally think rear delts get a lot of work from compounds but you can always add some in
Are they a weak point for you?
@@DrSwole Yeah, they used to be. They have definitely improved once I started including direct work. I used to just rely on compounds and indirect work but I didn’t see the growth I was looking for so at least one isolation for them is a priority to me.I take the rear delt flies to high reps and then incorporate partials. It’s been working well.
Picked that up from John meadows videos lol
@@zachross2987 ahh okay cool
Great video! I am using a full body split 3x per week . Sure will give this a try
Thanks!
What are your goals?
Right now i am on a calorie deficit .benn doing great .abs and obliques are looking good.light in the gym make a big difference tho lol. Next month i ll switch slowly to a surplus to add some muscle mass
@@eltondimo7231 dope. Sounds like you’ve got a handle on bulking and cutting 👌🏼
I have been training for 3 years but never counted caloris before . Now that i do the nutrition part looks a lot easier . And i am experimenting things to se how body responds 😅
Awesome video and a very interesting take on this split!
What would your suggestion be for someone looking to get a little more arms in? My arms have always been lagging and need a little extra attention.
Thanks! I’d just add some more sets to the workout as is, or adding on an extra exercise
What split were you using before?
@@DrSwole I was Push/Pull/Legs/Rest format twice a week, so 5-6 days.
Jeff Nippard and Chris Bumstead both had their own setup for these that were fun.
Before this I was mainly powerlifting focus for a long time which is why I think aesthetically my arms started lagging.
3:20 not necessarily. Just do isolation first. It won't affect your performance on the compounds.
I think it would depend on how much the compounds use the muscles you trained on isolation work. For instance, you might not perform as well on pulling movements if your biceps are very fatigued
Thank you. I’ve started working out with friends a lot more which is way better and they can only go 5 days a week so I need a new split that isn’t ppl ppl. And I guess on my last day I’ll either rest or do cardio
Awesome! Glad you found the video
Gonna make this my split for weight loss
Also subscribed
I'm watching this like: Wait, all of this information, FOR FREE?
What do you recommend to replace the leg press, working from home I don’t have one 😅 I thought about elevated sumo squat with a Dumbell but maybe there is better. Thank you for the free program !
Yoo that's pretty sick 🔥
Thanks 🙏🏼 help me share the video around!
What are your goals?
@@DrSwole In my country, gyms have been closed for 4-5 months due to covid. The goal is to start again in the best possible way
@@Andrea-jc3eg ahh okay. You'll get it back!
What are the substitutes for the deadlift and the Romania deadlift
Should I choose different exercises for the uper body day or can I just use the same as on the push & pull day? Good video🙌
You can use the same if you’d like
More advanced people will need more variation
@@DrSwole perfect, thank you!
@@Outofnowhere953 cheers
Thanks for the knowledge, I was using your upper lower program for nearly 3 months, thought to change the program and I hit the jackpot... thanks man much appreciate it... How often do we need to change the split or is it alright to use same split? Because I like your upper lower program... Once again thanks for knowledge !!!!
Great to hear! Basically, change the split when you stall in a muscle group
I discuss breaking plateaus here th-cam.com/video/1RFo0mskaiw/w-d-xo.html
Dr. Swole question, would it be a good idea to replace ab triset with rear delt work and work on abs as a separate workout? Also like how you reply to most comments shows you really want to help.
You could depending on your goals
It's been two and a half months since I started the sport. Is this programme suitable for me or should I do it regionally, that is, should I work two regions a day. What do you recommend?
The split I am currently using->
Day 1 Chest/Back/Biceps
Day 2 Legs/shoulders/Triceps
Day 3 Rest
Day 4 Repeat day one (different exercises)
Day 5 repeat. Day 2 Different exercises
Rest
Rest
Mostly compounds
Nice!! Putting chest/back together is actually a great setup and something I did for a long time in my early training
Thinking of putting together a split for something similar to that
@@DrSwole yes please
@@AlsThoughts-99 👌🏼
THANKS A LOT
Cheers my friend!
Great vid, doc! Is there any problem in running a 5 or 6 day split as a beginner? I know its not needed, but training makes me happy and i would like to do it as much as I can.
Not a problem! You just want to be careful about not overdoing the number of sets or proximity to failure
How's your progress been?
@@DrSwole I’ve managed to lose about 10 lbs over the last 4 to 5 months, while increasing most of my lifts. I took a diet break last week so today i’m getting back on track. Med School starts feb 1st so i want to get as much as i can until there!
@@marcomontenegro1713 great! It’s cool to see other people in medicine on the channel
This program looks very interesting.
How to go with programming weights? If there are 4 sets of 6-10 reps should I go decrease reps per set? Increase? Or do all sets with the same reps?
When to increase weight?
did you figure it out?
Awesome video. What's the rest periods on the different days?
Thanks! I have a video on rest
th-cam.com/video/NQu69wV5-qw/w-d-xo.html
What do you think about doing this Monday through Friday and make it a little easier to commit to? Dedicate the week for work and gym. The weekends for family time.
Also now that I’ve packed some muscle I’m starting to feel a lot more stiff on my shoulders and and upper back. Hell if I touch my shoulder with my left ear I can crack my right rhomboid. I’ll be the first to say I been slacking on proper warm up and stretching so I was wondering what would be the best way to implement some mobility training into this program?
Fatigue management. You can try it, but what makes full body 3x/week and 4x/week very effective is no more than 2 training days before a rest day.
I share your interest in avoiding a Saturday training day though.
If you still interested lol i also like to rest on weekend so i swaped like this:
Mon: legs
T: pull
W: push
T: lower
F:upper
Weekend rest
@@honeybadger6916 I like the sound of that. Gonna give it a try. Thank you 🙏🏽
Is this still a good program in 2025? trying to begin my journey, and I can't seem to find any good free program until I found this. but was just wondering if its still good in 2025 or there's something better. thanks
Wow buddy, very smart plan and program. I have to try this. Just keep it up, great channel, all praise!
Thanks man! Appreciate the support
What are your goals?
I've been running the modified variation of this program at home for a few months and I love it! I do not have access to a leg press machine so I substituted for barbell hack squats at the same 8-12 rep range. Do you feel this is a reasonable substitute? Do you have any other ideas for substitutions? This is easily the hardest workout for the whole week so I wonder if my substitution made it more difficult or if it's intended to be a monster leg day. Regardless, thanks for the awesome program!
Yes any squat type movement will be fine
How long have you been training for?
Good stuff well explained. As you asked, I'm using full body 4 days a week. Would you recommend an advanced lifter eventually pushes up sets to 20 sets per week, or train harder on these sets provided? Have you already made a video on sets/muscle/week?
It really depends on the individual. Most people will require more volume going from beginner to intermediate, but not everyone requires more as an advanced athlete
And yes, I discuss volume here! th-cam.com/video/ZQ8h2zau0Ko/w-d-xo.html
Love the program man, I was looking at adding an additional 3 sets of light deadlift work to one of the days, would this be best to add into the first lower day or on the pull day?
You could try the pull day
Hello Doc, This Split looks good. But, I have some doubts. Hope you will reply.Im focusing on Fat loss and Cutting.
So, Firstly, For a muscle group,such as chest muscles there are a number of work outs that target the same muscle. Also I have heard that if we train the muscle group with different workouts in every week, there won't be any chance of progressive overload and no positive result. So can I split those workouts in the same week?? Eg: On 1st push day, You have added Cable flys, but not on second push day. does it include incline and Decline? Also is it enough to do chest flys only once per week? If not, can I swap it with Dumbbell flys in the second push day?
Eg : 2 , On Pull day we have lat pull downs( Normal, Reverse Grip, Close grip, Machine). How can I accommodate all these??
Then, How will I accommodate all other back workouts such as, Machine Row, T bar Row, Dumbbell pull overs, bent over row and Reverse peck deck?
My point is how will I accommodate various variety of workouts between sets?
Secondly you haven't added any Decline movements for Chest muscles (dumbbell or Barbell). Why is that? And can I add it in between???
Thirdly, is Push Pull legs a good split if I'm focusing on Fat loss and Cutting and not muscle Building on proper Fat loss diet??
Another con of PPLUL is if you don’t have access to equipment to support isolation exercises. For example, barbell rows on back day fatigue the lower back before deadlifting on leg day.
I’ve tried this a million different ways with my home gym (only barbells, dumbbells, and calisthenics) and I’m not a fan. It’s just too much fatigue if you train hard. I’m not saying I have the perfect formula, but I personally don’t like this split for myself.
I see your point. it’s tricky when you become more advanced and don’t have equipment
What split are you following?
@@DrSwole I’ve been experimenting throughout covid with upper/lower, push/pull, PPL, full body, bro splits. My progression is consistent but the split has been changing to see what works best for recovery and progress.
As of now my personal favorite is a bro split for my chest and arms and a 2x/week leg and back workout. I really like annihilating my chest and arms and a week of recovery seems right with the overlap in muscle groups. I like legs and back together and splitting the volume over two workouts seems ideal for fatigue. At least this is my opinion at this moment in time.
Chest
Legs and back
Rest
Shoulders
Legs and back
Arms
Rest
@@flabio7074 Cool! Glad it's been working for you
@@flabio7074 You could always do heavy chest-supported incline dumbbell rows (on an adjustable bench) for your back the day before doing deadlifts; a useful option I've seen on another channel... Saves your lower back from fatigue carryover.
And btw, Back & Legs is a very testosterone and growth hormone-producing body part pairing; some people are against it because it's a huge pairing, but it produces great results. My take on it is to hit your back first and your legs second, and save the deadlifts for last (on the same day; also another viable option imo).
4 day PPL UL.
Just integrate legs with pull by doing deadlifts and other leg exercises besides back and bicep work.
Sounds like that would be a really tough leg and back day
Do you not find that day to be too fatiguing?
@@DrSwole I've always done deadlifts on back days, combining pull with legs was the logical thing to do since the deadlift is a pull and legs exercise while less of an upper body push or arm exercise.
I start off doing lots of barbell work, starting with strict pendlay rows, building up to a 3 plate 5x3 bent over row with some momentum, continuing with heavy deadlifts for both reps and singles up to 5 plates supersetted with tens of shrugs and as I pyramid down the barbell I do romanian deadlifts.
After that I do machine and other free weight work for back, rear delts and bi's and finish it off with hack squats and calves.
It's a very fatiguing workout and there's 4 full days in between that workout and my leg workout.
Talking about fatigue, there's no research done towards how many reps you lose and the dose response for muscle growth.
Right now my way to determine volume is based on how many reps I lose compared to my best set in the workout, say 50%, but that's all for good measure.
+ my own bodyweight becomes too much.
I'm more interested in seeing which percentage of reps lost due to fatigue triggers the growth signal the best and at what percentage you get diminishing returns.
In the end, the best split is the one you design for yourself and my needs are having 3 and 4 rest days for every bodypart.
thanks dr. swole....keep up the good work....just one question....where we can adjust cardio days ....can it be on the rest days ?
Yes I would recommend putting them on Rest days
More on cardio programming here th-cam.com/video/yzpd5mgK4s8/w-d-xo.html
Thoughts on cardio and/or HIIT training on off days?
Good program bro, I’ve only got a barbell and Dumbells at the moment can I replace the cable work with other isolations for that muscle group 💪🏼
Yes for sure. Substitute as needed
How heavy do your dumbbells go?
@@DrSwole 40 kg
@@dsm5618 nicee
@@DrSwole with barbell bench do I pause bench or do I touch and go is there a big difference
Great program and explanation!
Are you able to share the excel file ?
Yes! You can download it in my Facebook group!
facebook.com/groups/drswole/
Hi Dr. Swole, I was wondering where you think direct forearm training might fit into this split? Thank you for all you do!
Probably at the end of days with arms training
Are they a weak point for you?
Awesome program... i will definitely follow this workout program..but i need a help can u help me actually i have a foot & hand pain with wrist how can i prevent is it vitamin deficiency or uric acid pls help me
Thanks man!
What split are you currently running?
@@DrSwole I'm doing bro split now. before i used your push pull legs Workout program it was very good
@@DrSwole no I'm not running
Ahh okay
Hi doc. Beautiful and helpful document. In terms of hypertrophy training, what do you suggest to add/change in this program?
Thanks man!
How do the volumes compare to what you were doing before?
YW! I always did something like 5 sets of 20 reps. Tough but satisfying. Only downside of it was how much time I was working in the gym.. a little to long ;p
How do you progressively overload yourself? Do you increase RIR over each week and then deload? Do you think it's necessary, or is it just best to increase weight and reps overtime without tracking RIR? Also, as an MD would it negatively impact growth/development if you were to cut at age 19 years old from say 16% BF to 8-10%?
Good questions. The RIR progression is controversial. I personally progress RIR slightly but the main thing is progressing weight and reps. How are you doing right now?
I think it would be fine to go to 10% as long as you don’t feel any negative health side effects like fatigue, low gym performance, or low mood. That being said, if you have concerns you should ask your doctor!
Can I just do a 4 day split training legs once a week? I don't want to hit them twice.
Also, would it be fine doing Push (Saturday), Pull (Sunday), Rest, Legs (Tuesday) Upper (Wednesday)? Would there still be sufficient rest between the upper day on Wednesday and the Push day on Saturday?
Hi doc! i was wondering what you think of my split: DAY1 - CHEST/BACK/BICEPS DAY2 - LEGS/TRICEPS DAY3 - SHOULDERS/BICEPS DAY4 - CHEST/BACK DAY5 - SHOULDERS/LEGS/TRICEPS Focussing on big lifts between 6-8 reps and more isolated movements between 8-12 range!
I think that should be fine as long as your hitting everything twice per week
Are shoulder and biceps a priority for you?
Ok! Thanks for your reply! Yes specially my biceps they are my most lagging body part
@@Ron-gb8cg No worries and fair enough!
Hi Dr.Swole for deadlift you think is better for this program to pull conventional, sumo or with a trap bar?
It’s up to you! I think they’re all decent
Which feels the best to you?
I just came across your channel today and I love the content! I've been following this split for about a month but because I'm only able to get in the gym on the weekdays, I use the weekend as my two rest days. Do you have any tips for how I should rearrange the days in order to minimize performance interference? Thank you!
Glad to hear that the content is helpful!
Honestly the structure doesn’t lend it self very well to having two days off in a row… Have you thought of other splits? Because the leg days will end up being very close together
@@DrSwole I will definitely look into other splits, thank you doc!
@@jessicadiaz3525 you’re welcome!
Hey Dr. Swole!
First of all I want to say that the program looks awesome, and I'm excited to try it (just had my first pull day today, it was nice!)
I just had two questions, first what do you think of replacing the lat pulldowns by pull ups?
And second, why aren't the tricep exercises moved to different workouts, the same way as is done with the biceps and side delts?
For me the triceps are a higher priority, since that is what is lacking on my arms
Pull ups would be a great sub for lat pulldowns. And I kept triceps together because sore triceps can really affect your pressing movements
That doesn’t apply to everyone tho. Do you find your triceps get really sore?
@@DrSwole No, in my latest routine my triceps were rarely sore. I’ll have to see how my triceps react to this routine! Thanks for replying! Again I’m super stoked to see results!
Today though, doing my first pull day since a while (before I did full body), I was really surprised. My performance on back exercises really decreased after crushing it on barbell rows, I’m hoping this goes away soon or that it’s just a coincidence. What do you think? I normally am able to do 10-11 pull ups on my first set, today it got down to 7. Normally I did deadlifts before pull ups, today I did barbell rows before pull ups.
@@omarruder4129 I wouldn’t worry about it. Your performance will depend on exercise order and level of fatigue, but as long as numbers are progressing over time!
@@DrSwole Allright thanks again, I’ll make sure to check the week-to-week progression. And you’re right, just cranked out 10 pull ups at home, way easier than when I stood in the gym this afternoon
Could you give us an example of how to program a 5 day upper/lower split (ULULU) vs upper/lower/PPL? How would you divide the volume/exercises across the upper body days?
Great suggestion. I’m planning to put out an ULULU program at some point
What are you using right now?
@@DrSwole that would be great! I'd been using ppl 6 days a week but found it didn't allow sufficient recovery time. So I switched to pplul, but after the first upper workout on that split i felt so good & so fresh on each movement i thought of going back to an upper lower split - with side & rear delts being worked on lower days as per your suggestion. But i was wondering how to split the upper body workouts when training upper 3 days/week. Should I increase the volume for example adding an extra 3-6 sets for each muscle group on the 3rd upper day - which would equal a total of about 15-18 working sets per muscle group/week - or spread it out across the 3? Atm for my upper days i do 1 exercise for shoulders, 2 chest, 2 back & 2 each for bis & tris (super-setted), with 3 working sets for each exercise.
Thanks in advance for replying and thanks for the great content.
Love the 5 days PPLUL Split. I have a concern with regards. to fatigue for the modified version. Don't you think by removing Biceps to Push and lower 2 day you mess up with recovery? i.e by the time you hit back again you could potentially lift lighter because your biceps are still sore? I know biceps recover faster but I want to hear your thoughts around it.
No I think it's fine. Biceps are unlikely to really affect back training in that setup
How do you recommend properly adding volume to this program? This is the structure/split I prefer as I would consider myself an advanced trainee at this point (17 years of experience). I’d like my total sets per body part to gradually increase over the course of this program as I require the volume for continued growth, but wasn’t sure if you had any suggestions on how to do so without compromising performance. Maybe add sets/reps every so often? Thanks, Doc!
I discuss tweaking your program here! th-cam.com/video/1RFo0mskaiw/w-d-xo.html
Hey, thanks for the vid, do you have any recommend replacements for the cable workouts?
Yes you can use dumbbell substitutes
Which exercises in particular?
@@DrSwole mostly the cable rows, but I imagine a single arm dumbbell row would work as well
what u mean by 5 to 8 ..do we start from heavy set of 5 and work up the reps to 8 and reduce wait ?