How to run the PabJoe 5-Day Beginner LP

Who Is This Program For?

PabJoe Beginner LP is for new lifters who want to train 5 days per week with a structured upper/lower split. Unlike 3-day programs, this program provides higher training frequency with dedicated accessory work for balanced development.

The program focuses on:

• Higher frequency: 5 sessions per week with an upper/lower split
• 4 main compound lifts: Bench Press, Squat, OHP, and Deadlift
• Progressive rep scheme: compounds move through 3×10 → 4×8 → 5×5
• Comprehensive accessories: each workout includes isolation and secondary compound work
• Bench emphasis: Bench Press appears as the main lift on both Day 1 and Day 5

If you want more gym time than a 3-day program allows and want dedicated days for upper and lower body work, this is a great choice.

Get Your Form Right First

Everything below assumes your form is already solid. Finding your working weight, adding weight, chasing reps, all of it only works if you can perform the lift correctly. While your form is not locked in, that is your only job. Make good form the goal of every set, not the weight on the bar. Drilling the movement with an empty bar beats loading plates onto a lift you cannot control yet.

To learn, don't hesitate to search Google and YouTube (there is a lot of good free material) and record yourself from the side to compare against a proper demonstration. In general, good form means a full controlled range of motion, a braced neutral spine, no bouncing or momentum, a consistent setup every rep, and ending the set when technique breaks down rather than grinding sloppy reps.

Before You Start

Before starting this program you will need to find your 5 rep max (5RM) in the main compound lifts: Squat, Bench, Overhead Press, and Deadlift. To do so, throw on some weight on the bar which is easy for you and work your way up higher and higher until you cannot perform 5 repetitions anymore with 1 rep left in your tank. If your form starts to break down or you cannot perform 5 reps with 1 rep in the tank, you have found your 5RM. If you already know your 1RM, you can calculate your starting weight from that.

You also have to find your initial working weight for the accessories. To find the weight you should start with, try out a weight which you can perform the specified repetitions stated in the program without straining yourself. When you have found the correct weight, use it as your starting weight in week 1.

Program Structure

The 4 Main Lifts

5 Workouts Per Cycle (Week)

Each cycle consists of 5 training days following an upper/lower split:

Detailed Workout Templates

Day 1: Upper 1 (Bench Press)

Day 2: Lower 1 (Squat)

Day 3: Upper 2 (Overhead Press)

Day 4: Lower 2 (Deadlift)

Day 5: Upper 3 (Bench Press)

Progression: How Weights Increase

This program is a linear progression program, meaning you will gradually add weight each week. The recommended increments are set in the program but can be edited. However, we do not recommend you edit these values unless your equipment increments differ from the stated increments. In that case, lowering the increments for isolation exercises could be beneficial, especially isolations for small muscles like the biceps, triceps, and delts.

Compound Lifts

Accessory Lifts

The weight added is to the total bar/machine weight, not per side.

Rep Scheme for Compounds

The main lifts use a failure-based rep scheme progression: 3×10, 4×8, 5×5. You start out with the first rep scheme and as you fail to complete all the sets, you move on to the next scheme.

Phase 1: 3×10 (Volume)

3 sets of 10 reps

Start here. High volume builds a base of work capacity and muscle.

Phase 2: 4×8 (Moderate)

4 sets of 8 reps

Move here when you fail to complete all sets at 3×10. More sets, fewer reps, heavier weight.

Phase 3: 5×5 (Strength)

5 sets of 5 reps

Move here when you fail to complete all sets at 4×8. Heavy strength work.

After Failing 5×5: Reset

Reduce weight by 20% → restart at 3×10

Once you fail the 5×5 rep scheme, decrease the working weight by 20% the next week and simply work your way back up.

Important: If a main lift does not use the compound rep scheme in a given workout (e.g., Overhead Press at 3×6 on Day 1, Squat at 3×8 on Day 4), it is used as an assistance exercise and follows the accessory failure protocol instead.

Example progression over time:

Start:    60 kg × 3×10
Progress: 60 → 65 → 70 → fail at 72.5 kg
Switch:   72.5 kg × 4×8
Progress: 72.5 → 75 → fail at 77.5 kg
Switch:   77.5 kg × 5×5
Progress: 77.5 → 80 → fail at 82.5 kg
Reset:    82.5 × 0.80 = 66 kg × 3×10 (restart)

Failing Accessories

Accessories follow a different failure protocol than the main compounds:

1. If you fail to complete all reps: keep the weight the same for next week, you don't go up
2. If you then fail the accessories again (twice in a row at the same weight): go back 4 increments

This approach keeps accessories progressing without interfering with compound recovery. The priority is always the main lifts.

Exercise Selection

This program has the recommended exercises set at default. However, it does include dropdown menus for every exercise containing other exercises which are alike. We do not recommend you change the exercises with alternatives unless you cannot perform a certain exercise or unless you know what you are doing.

Note: Your accessories for Upper 1 (Day 1) and Upper 3 (Day 5) should be the exact same to keep it simple.

Accessory Exercise Options

Rest Times

Warming Up

Before each main compound lift, perform 3 warm-up sets with increasing weight:

Example: If your working weight for bench press is 70 kg:

• Set 1: 30 kg × 5
• Set 2: 42.5 kg × 3
• Set 3: 55 kg × 2
• Work sets: 70 kg × 3×10 (or 4×8 / 5×5 depending on your current phase)

Warm-up sets should feel easy. They are not work sets. Warm-up sets that would fall below the empty bar (20 kg / 45 lbs) are skipped automatically. Accessory exercises generally don't need dedicated warm-up sets since the muscles are already warm from the main lifts.

Scheduling: How Often Should I Train?

The program is designed for 5 days per week with an upper/lower split. A typical schedule is:

You can adjust the days to fit your schedule, but try to:

• Keep workouts in order (Day 1 through Day 5)
• Take at least 2 consecutive rest days per week for recovery
• Avoid training more than 3 days in a row

Program Duration

The program runs for 10 cycles (10 weeks at 5 workouts per cycle, totaling 50 sessions).

After completing all 10 cycles, you can restart with updated weights based on your progress, or transition to a more advanced program.