Advanced Gym Program for Women (5-Day Glute & Strength Split)

Program overview

This advanced program is for women with at least 1–2 years of consistent lifting who want maximum glute development, strong legs and a strong, athletic upper body. You train five days per week: three lower-body days and two upper-body days.

Each lower day has a different main lift and rep range: heavy hip thrusts and deadlifts on day 1, squats and lunges on day 3, and a high-volume pump session on day 5. This variety hits the glutes from all angles and keeps progress going.

Sessions take 60–75 minutes. Plan a deload week (half the sets) every 6–8 weeks to stay fresh and avoid injuries.

Equipment needed: Full gym.

Weekly schedule

• Mon: Lower – glute strength
• Tue: Upper – push
• Wed: Lower – quads & glutes
• Thu: Upper – pull
• Fri: Lower – glute pump
• Sat: Light cardio or rest
• Sun: Rest

You can move days around to fit your life. Just avoid training the same muscle group hard on two days in a row, and keep at least one full rest day per week.

Warm-up (8–10 minutes, before every workout)

1. 3–5 minutes of easy cardio: brisk walking, marching on the spot, light jumping jacks or cycling.
2. Cat-cow stretch × 8 reps to loosen the spine.
3. World’s greatest stretch × 5 per side to open the hips and upper back.
4. 10 bodyweight squats and 10 glute bridges.
5. 1–2 light warm-up sets of the first exercise of the day.

The workouts

Perform the exercises in order. "Rest" is the time between sets. Click any exercise for animated pictures and step-by-step instructions.

Glute strengthHeavy lower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Hip Thrusts	5	5–8	150 sec
Barbell Deadlifts	4	5	180 sec
Bulgarian Split Squats	3	8 per leg	90 sec
Lying Leg Curls	3	10–12	60 sec
Hip Abduction Machine	3	15–20	45 sec

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Key exercise of the day: Barbell Hip Thrusts. The hip thrust is the number-one glute-building exercise in the gym. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Upper – pushShoulders, chest, triceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	4	6–10	90 sec
Incline Dumbbell Press	3	8–10	90 sec
Lateral Raises	4	15–20	45 sec
Parallel Bar Dips	3	6–10 (assisted OK)	75 sec
Triceps Rope Pushdowns	3	12–15	45 sec
Plank	3	60 sec	30 sec

Key exercise of the day: Dumbbell Shoulder Press. The dumbbell shoulder press builds strong, rounded shoulders by pressing dumbbells overhead, seated or standing. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Quads & glutesLower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Back Squats	4	6–8	150 sec
Leg Press	4	10–12	90 sec
Walking Lunges	3	12 per leg	75 sec
Leg Extensions	3	15	45 sec
Standing Calf Raises	4	15	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Barbell Back Squats. The barbell back squat is often called the king of exercises. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Upper – pullBack, rear delts, biceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Pull-Ups	4	4–8 (assisted OK)	120 sec
Bent-Over Barbell Rows	3	8–10	90 sec
Seated Cable Rows	3	12	75 sec
Face Pulls	3	15–20	45 sec
Hammer Curls	3	12	45 sec
Hanging Leg Raises	3	10–12	60 sec

Key exercise of the day: Pull-Ups. The pull-up is the king of bodyweight back exercises. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Glute pumpHigh-volume lower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Romanian Deadlifts	4	10–12	90 sec
Barbell Hip Thrusts	3	15–20 (lighter)	75 sec
Step-Ups	3	12 per leg	60 sec
Back Extensions	3	15–20	45 sec
Donkey Kicks (Glute Kickbacks)	3	15 per leg (cable)	30 sec
Side-Lying Leg Raises	2	20 per leg	30 sec

Key exercise of the day: Romanian Deadlifts. The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a hip-hinge exercise that focuses on the hamstrings and glutes. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Cool-down (5 minutes)

Finish every session with 60 seconds of child’s pose, slow walking and a few deep breaths. Gentle stretching after training will not prevent soreness, but it helps you relax and shift into recovery mode.

8-week progression

Keep a simple training log: date, exercise, weight (or variation) and reps for each set. If a number goes up compared with last week, you are making progress. If you stall for 2–3 weeks on a lift, check your sleep and food first, then swap to a similar exercise for a few weeks.

Cardio and daily steps

Strength training is the base of this program, but cardio supports heart health and fat loss. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (for example 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week), which matches the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines. A daily step goal of 7,000–10,000 is a simple target that also burns a meaningful number of calories without hurting recovery.

For fat loss, add 2–3 sessions of 20–30 minutes of cardio after your workouts or on rest days. Incline treadmill walking, cycling and the elliptical are low-impact choices.

Nutrition for this program

Training creates the signal; food provides the building blocks. Three simple rules work for almost everyone:

1. Eat enough protein: about 0.7–1 g per pound of body weight (1.6–2.2 g/kg) per day, spread over 3–5 meals.
2. Set your calories for your goal: a moderate deficit to lose fat, a small surplus to build muscle, maintenance to recomposition. Use our calorie calculator.
3. Eat mostly whole foods: lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, whole grains, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.

For a ready-made menu, try our 7-day meal plan or get personal numbers with the plan builder.

Recovery: sleep, rest days and soreness

Muscles grow between workouts, not during them. Sleep 7–9 hours per night, take at least one full rest day per week, and manage stress. Mild muscle soreness (DOMS) 24–72 hours after a workout is normal, especially in the first weeks. Light activity such as walking usually helps it fade faster. Sharp joint pain is not normal: stop the exercise and get it checked.

Frequently asked questions

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