Push
Chest, shoulders, triceps- Barbell bench press4×6–8 RIR 2
- Incline DB press3×8–10 RIR 2
- Seated DB shoulder press3×8–10 RIR 2
- Cable lateral raise3×12–15 RIR 0
- Rope tricep pushdown3×10–12 RIR 1
Workout · Hypertrophy · 5 day
5-Day PPL for Muscle Gain
You are past your first three months. You've stopped adding 5 kg to the bar every week. This is the plan that takes you from novice to a real intermediate — five sessions a week, honest volume per muscle, and a progression rule that survives real life.
- Days / week
- 5
- Session
- 65 min
- Level
- Late-beginner to early intermediate
- Equipment
- Standard commercial gym
Overview
Goal: Hypertrophy (bodyweight up 300–500 g per week in a 200 kcal surplus)
Day 1 — Push
Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2 — Pull
Back, rear delts, biceps
Day 3 — Legs
Quads, hamstrings, calves
Day 4 — Push
Rotated: overhead-first
Day 5 — Pull
Rotated: vertical-first
Push, Pull, Legs on a rolling 5-day rotation. Each muscle group is hit ~1.5× per week at MEV (minimum effective volume) — enough to grow, low enough that a beginner can actually recover. Every session opens with the heaviest compound, sits at RIR 2, and ends with isolation pump work at RIR 0–1.
Sessions
Sets × reps and RIR (reps in reserve) exactly as prescribed.
Template — adjust loads to you
Progression
Double progression. When you hit the top of a rep range on all working sets at the prescribed RIR, add 2.5 kg (compounds) or 1 kg (isolations) and reset to the bottom of the range.
Equipment substitutions
No barbell rack freeswap
DB bench press or machine chest press
No leg pressswap
Bulgarian split squats or hack squat machine
Chin-ups too hardswap
Assisted pull-up machine or negatives 3×3
Frequently asked questions
How long until I see results?
Visible chest and arm changes take 8–12 weeks at this training frequency in a small surplus. Weight moves faster — expect 300–500 g per week if you're eating and sleeping honestly.
Do I need a coach for this?
Not for the program itself, but a $20 form check on your squat, bench and deadlift in month one saves you two years of bad habits. Send video to a lifting friend or use the /form-check tool.
Can I add cardio?
Yes — 2–3 Z2 walks per week (20–30 min) improve recovery. Skip HIIT and hard cardio until you're deep into a plateau; it competes with recovery you need for the lifts.
Get this plan auto-adjusted to you
bodyBot.ai adapts every set, rep and rest to your recovery, equipment and week-over-week progress. This template becomes your program — not a static PDF.