What type of exercise is included in this 5-day workout?
Guide
- Day 1 – Upper Body Day
- Day 2 – Lower Body Day
- Day 3 – Full Body Day
- Day 4 – Cardio Day
- Day 5 – Rest Day
Day 1 – Upper Body Day
Upper Body Day will focus on building your chest, back, shoulders, traps, and arms.
Start the day off with a warmup, incorporating light strength exercises and dynamic stretching. Then, proceed to focus your following exercises for each muscle group:
- Chest
- Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Dips
- Back
- Barbell Rows
- Lat Pulldown
- Pull-ups
- Shoulders
- Arnold Press
- Military Press
- Shoulder Raises
- Traps
- Shrugs
- Barbell Rows
- Behind the Back Shrugs
- Arms
- Bicep Curls
- Tricep Extensions
- Hammer Curls
Complete between 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise. Focus on progressive overload as you gain strength to challenge your body.
Finish with a cool down, using isometrics and static stretching, and rolling out any sore muscles.
Day 2 – Lower Body Day
Lower Body Day will focus on building your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
Start this day off with a warmup. Similar to Upper Body Day, incorporate light strength-based exercises and dynamic stretching. Then, focus on the following exercises for each muscle group:
- Quads
- Squats
- Leg Press
- Lunges
- Glutes
- Glute Bridges
- Hip Thrusts
- Step-Ups
- Hamstrings
- Deadlifts
- Lying Leg Curls
- Good Mornings
- Calves
- Standing Calf Raises
- Donkey Calf Raises
- Seated Calf Raises
Complete between 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise. Push yourself on the weight you use to challenge your body and increase overall strength.
Finish with a cool down, using isometrics and static stretching.
Day 3 – Full body Day
On Full Body Day, you will alternatively focus on your upper body, lower body, and core.
Start off with a warmup consisting of light strength-based drills and dynamic stretching. Then proceed to work through the following exercises:
- Upper Body:
- Flat Bench Press
- Incline Bench Press
- Dumbbell Rows
- Lower Body:
- Front Squats
- Walking Lunges
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Core:
- Hanging Leg Raise
- Russian Twist
- Bicycle Crunch
Complete between 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise. Select a weight that is challenging for your body and strive for optimal form with each repetition.
Finish off the day with a cool down, using isometrics and static stretching.
Day 4 – Cardio Day
Cardio Day will primarily focus on cardiovascular exercises to maximize your fat loss and cardiovascular health.
Start off by warming up with dynamic stretching and light jogging or cycling. Choose your favorite cardio exercise (ex. running, swimming, biking, rowing, etc.), and work your chosen exercise in either intervals or at a steady pace.
For intervals, alternate between 30 seconds of full-out intensity and 30 seconds of light activity for 30 minutes.
If you choose to do steady-state cardio, start with 30 minutes and slowly and progressively increase your time.
Finish off with isometrics and static stretching.
Day 5 – Rest Day
Rest Day is key in allowing your body to recover and repair any damaged muscles from the previous working days.
Use this time to do light activities of your choice. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Going on a walk
- Yoga or stretching
- Taking part in an outdoor activity
- Getting a massage or foam rolling
Food also plays an important role in recovering and repairing your muscles. Have a bigger meal towards the end of the day to prepare your body for the upcoming workout days.
FAQs
- What is progressive overload?
- Progressive overload is when you gradually increase the amount of weight and reps you do for an exercise over time. This helps build muscle strength.
- What is dynamic stretching?
- Dynamic stretching is an active type of stretching involving the use of momentum to increase your range of motion. Examples include arm swings, lunges, and leg swings.
