Steve Cook 5-Day Split Workout for Muscle Gain (with PDF)

Steve Cook Workout Plan

Steve Cook is a popular fitness influencer, professional bodybuilder, model, and YouTuber. He is known for his aesthetic physique, functional fitness, and strong personality.

He has won multiple bodybuilding contests, including the 2012 IFBB Houston Pro and 2014 IFBB Dallas Pro.

In this article, I’ll share Steve Cook’s workout program which I’ve designed with the help of videos available on his YouTube channel.

This program may not be precise to his actual workout plan. However, it includes all the exercises that he performs in his training.

Steve Cook Muscle Gain Program Summary

Sessions/Week5 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, & Sat)
Duration/Session60-90 minutes
Workout Plan GoalGain Muscle & Strength
Experience RequiredIntermediate
Target GenderMale
Suitable Age Group16-35 years
Recommended Duration12 Weeks

Steve Cook’s Muscle Building Exercises

Here is the list of exercises I’ll use in this program. You can also save and use them according to your fitness level and goal:

Push Exercises

  • Incline Bench Press
  • Flat Bench Press
  • Decline Bench Press
  • Single-arm Dumbbell Neutral Grip Press
  • Decline Cable Fly
  • Landmine Squeeze Press
  • Rope Pushdown
  • Seated Overhead Barbell Extension
  • Push Press
  • Smith Machine Behind The Neck Shoulder Press
  • Seated Machine Press
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raises
  • Dumbbell Front Raises
  • Lean Away Lateral Raises
  • Barbell Skull Crusher

Pull Exercises

Legs & Abs Exercises

  • Leg Press
  • Leg Extension
  • Belt Squat
  • Back Squat
  • Front Squat
  • Hack Squat
  • Step Up
  • Lunges
  • Bulgarian Squat
  • Leg Curls
  • Romanian Deadlift
  • Single Leg RDL
  • Calf Raises
  • Hanging Ab Twisting Knee Raises
  • Hanging Knee to Chest
  • Decline Bench Leg Raise to Hip Lifts
  • Seated Oblique Twist
  • AB Wheel Rollout
  • Cable Crunches

Steve Cook 5-Day Split for Gaining Mass & Strength

  • Monday: Chest & Triceps
  • Tuesday: Back and Biceps
  • Wednesday: Legs
  • Thursday: OFF
  • Friday: Shoulder
  • Saturday: Abs and Cardio
  • Sunday: OFF

Day 1 – Chest & Triceps


Warm-up: Perform one set of 12-15 Inverted Rows, 10-12 Behind Neck Empty Barbell Presses, 10-12 Bent-over Rows with an Empty Bar, Plank Shoulder Sliders (5-6 per side), and 8-10 Clap Push-ups).

ExercisesSetsRepsRest
Flat Barbell Bench Press412, 10, 8, 62.5 mins
Incline DB Rotational Press315, 12, 101.5-2 mins
Hammer Strength Chest Press312-101.5 mins
Bent-over Cable Crossover2Failure1.5 mins
Dumbbell French Press310-121.5 mins
Single-arm Pushdown310/arm60-sec

Increase the load after each set.

Day 2 – Back & Biceps


Warm-up: Perform 4 sets of 8-15 bodyweight or assisted pull-ups before lifting weights.

ExercisesSetsRepsRest
1A Close Grip Machine Row 210-122.5 mins
1B Wide Grip Machine Row210-121.5-2 mins
Supine Grip Lat Pulldown212-152.5 mins
3A Incline Chest Supported DB Row212-1530-45 secs
3B Rope Lat Pullover210-1230-45 secs
Preacher Curls210-151.5-2 mins
Bayesian Curls*110+101.5-2 mins
EZ Bar Curls*121

Bayesian Curls: Perform 10 reps then lower the weight to half and aim to perform as many as possible to complete your first set.

EZ Bar Curls: It is based on the 21-rep scheme which involves performing 7 partial curls, 7 curls from midway to full contraction, and 7 regular curls.

Day 3 – Legs


Warm-up: Run on the treadmill for a few minutes, 10-12 leg swings per side, 5-6 World’s Greatest Stretch per side, and perform standing quad stretches for 15-30 seconds. That’s the warm-up.

ExercisesSetsRepsRest
Belt Squats310, 8, 61.5 mins
2A Leg Press310, 8, 61-2 mins
2B Smith Romanian DL310, 10, 101-2 mins
3A Smith Back Squat210-121-2 mins
3B Lying Leg Curls210-121-2 mins
Standing Calf Raises210-121.5 mins
Seated Calf Raises210-121.5 mins

Day 4 – Shoulders

ExercisesSetsRepsRest
1A Strict Shoulder Press412, 10, 8, 61-minute
1B TRX Y4530-second
1C TRX T4530-second
2A Seated Behind Overhead Press312, 10, 82-minute
2B 90-degree off-the-knee Shoulder Extension312/arm1-minute
Barbell Upright Row (Wide Grip)310-122-minute
Single-arm Cable Side Raises312/arm1-minute
5A Seated Bend Over Side Raises2730-second
5B Three-Way Raises2730-second
5C Dumbbell Front Raises2730-second

Perform strict shoulder presses, then move to the TRX cable to do Y and T raises and repeat this four times with 30 to 90 seconds of rest between each exercise.

Superset behind the head shoulder press with shoulder extension.

The last three exercises are a kind of dumbbell complex for shoulders which involves performing 7 rear delt raises, 7 bent arm to rear delt raises, and 7 front raises. All three exercises will be done sitting in the same place with the same dumbbells. After completing 21 reps, take 2 minutes of rest then repeat.

Day 5 – Abs and Cardio

  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 10 Hanging Toes to Bar
  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 30 Bicycle Crunches
  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 25 Reverse Crunches
  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 1-minute Plank
  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 50 Leg Lifts
  • 400-meter Sprint
  • 10 Hanging Toes to Bar
  • The End.

Who Can Follow Steve Cook’s Training Plan?

This program is for experienced lifters (preferably males) who have been lifting weights for a while and want to try a well-programmed workout plan to gain muscle mass and strength.

It will be challenging for beginners and can be too much for females, so I don’t recommend them.

I also suggest exploring Steve’s workout videos to learn why and how he performs certain exercises. This will help you get a better understanding of his training approach.

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Picture of Murshid Akram

Murshid Akram

I’m a personal trainer, fitness blogger, and founder of thefitnessphantom.com. I help people achieve their best shape through my science-based and practical workout programs.
Picture of Murshid Akram

Murshid Akram

I’m a personal trainer, fitness blogger, and founder of thefitnessphantom.com. I help people achieve their best shape through my science-based and practical workout programs.
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About Me

Murshid Akram, Author at The Fitness Phantom

I’m Murshid Akram, a personal trainer, fitness blogger, and founder of thefitnessphantom.com. I primarily design workout plans and share science-based and practical information that can help you become stronger, functional, and healthier.

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