The best free 5-day workout programs, compared
8 5-day programs, every one free and shown in full on its own page. Pick by level, then by what you have to train with.
- Beginner: 28-Day Shred
- Intermediate: Bro Split, Candito 6 Week Strength, Wolverine
- Advanced: GZCL UHF, nSuns LP, PHAT, Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower
All 8, line by line
| Program | Days | Session | Length | Level | Equipment | By |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28-Day Shred | 5 | 25–35 min | 4 weeks | Beginner | Full gym | Durata |
| Bro Split | 5 | 50–70 min | Ongoing | Intermediate | Full gym | Traditional |
| Candito 6 Week Strength | 5 | 25–35 min | 6 weeks | Intermediate | Barbell + dumbbells | Jonnie Candito |
| Wolverine | 5 | 45–60 min | 4-week cycle, repeats | Intermediate | Full gym | David Kingsbury |
| GZCL UHF | 5 | 35–45 min | 5 weeks | Advanced | Full gym | Cody Lefever |
| nSuns LP | 5 | 50–65 min | Ongoing | Advanced | Full gym | nSuns |
| PHAT | 5 | 50–70 min | Ongoing | Advanced | Full gym | Layne Norton |
| Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower | 5 | 55–70 min | Ongoing | Advanced | Full gym | Traditional |
Session times are worked out from each program's sets, reps and rests: the same estimate the app shows.
Who each one suits
28-Day Shred
Best forRun this if you want a short, sharp cut with a visible finish line — four weeks before a holiday, or a quick lean-out between building phases.
ProgressionThe lifting runs double progression: keep the weight, push every set to the top of its rep range (8–12 on most lifts, 5–8 on the deadlift), then add 2.5 kg and start again — deliberately modest jumps, because in a deficit the reps are where the progress lives.
Bro Split
Best forPick this split if per-session focus matters more to you than per-week frequency: you get to empty the tank on one muscle, chase the pump through four angles, and know it has a week to grow back.
ProgressionOne rule runs the entire week: double progression.
Candito 6 Week Strength
Best forThis block is for intermediate lifters who want to convert a training cycle into visible PRs, and it slots naturally into the last six weeks before a powerlifting meet or a planned gym max-out.
ProgressionThere are no per-session weight decisions.
Wolverine
Best forThis wolverine workout is for intermediates who want strength numbers and a visible physique from the same program and can genuinely commit five days a week — the volume only pays off if the sessions actually happen.
ProgressionEverything keys off a working max set at 90% of your true 1RM — the same conservative buffer as a 5/3/1 training max, and the reason week three's 90% sets are heavy but honest.
GZCL UHF
Best forThis is the advanced entry in the GZCL lineup, and the frequency is the filter.
ProgressionEverything is a percentage of the true 1RM you set on day one; the block is too short for mid-cycle adjustments, so the wave is pre-baked.
nSuns LP
Best forRun n suns 531 when a novice program has stopped paying out and you respond well to volume.
ProgressionThe training max moves weekly, and the 1+ AMRAP decides by how much — the spreadsheet's own table: 0–1 reps holds, 2–3 earns a small bump, 4–5 a bigger one, 6 or more the biggest, with lower-body lifts taking larger steps than upper.
PHAT
Best forThis is an advanced program and the workload is real: five long sessions, over twenty working sets on some days, and every muscle hit twice a week.
ProgressionThe power lifts add weight whenever you finish every set within the 3–5 (or 5–8) rep prescription.
Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower
Best forThis 5-day split fits the intermediate who has outgrown three-day programs but knows a six-day PPL would collapse the first busy week.
ProgressionTwo engines drive the week.
Common questions
Which of these has the shortest sessions?
28-Day Shred, at about 25–35 minutes a session. Session times are worked out from each program's sets, reps and rests, the same estimate the app shows.
Which ones suit a beginner?
28-Day Shred. It is written for lifters in their first year or so of training.
Are these programs free?
Yes. All 8 are free to run in Durata, and every set of every session is shown on each program's own page.
Run any of them in Durata
Every program here is free in Durata, with each one's own progression worked out for you as you log.