Workout Guide
Four days a week. Upper, lower, repeat. Every muscle twice.
Two heavy days, two volume days, and the rules for adding weight to both.
Upper Lower Split: What It Is and How It Works
An upper lower split divides your training into upper body days and lower body days, usually 4 days a week: Monday upper, Tuesday lower, Thursday upper, Friday lower. Every muscle gets trained twice a week, with at least two days between sessions for the same half of the body.
This guide gives you a full upper lower split workout routine with sets, reps and rest for each day, a warm-up, a concrete progression system, a 3-day version, and an honest comparison with full body and push/pull/legs. The two upper days and two lower days are different on purpose: one pair is built around heavy, low-rep strength work, the other around higher-rep volume for size.
The 4-Day Weekly Schedule
The classic layout uses a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday week, with Wednesday and the weekend off. Any arrangement works as long as you do not stack all four sessions back to back and each half of the body gets a rest day or two before it is trained again.
| Day | Workout | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Upper A | Heavy, strength-focused |
| Tue | Lower A | Heavy, strength-focused |
| Wed | Rest | Walk, stretch or easy cardio |
| Thu | Upper B | Higher reps, volume for size |
| Fri | Lower B | Higher reps, volume for size |
| Sat / Sun | Rest | Recover |
If you miss a day, shift the week rather than doubling up. Do the next workout in order and keep going. Because each muscle appears twice, one missed session still leaves you with one good session for that muscle that week.
Warm-Up Before Every Session
Ten minutes is enough. The goal is to get warm and rehearse your first lift, not to get tired.
- 3 to 5 minutes of easy cardio: rowing, bike or brisk walking until you feel warm.
- Dynamic moves: for upper days, arm circles, band pull-aparts or light face pulls, and 8 to 10 push-ups. For lower days, bodyweight squats, hip hinges and leg swings.
- Ramp-up sets for your first lift: for example, empty bar for 8 reps, then about 50%, 70% and 85% of your working weight for 3 to 5 reps each. Only the first exercise needs the full ramp; later lifts need at most one lighter set.
Upper A: Heavy Upper Body
Strength-focused. The first two lifts use lower reps and longer rest. Take the last set of each heavy lift within 1 to 2 reps of failure and stop the accessories a rep or two short.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 4-6 | 2-3 min |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 5-8 | 2-3 min |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 6-8 | 2 min |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8-10 | 90 sec |
| Skull Crusher | 2 | 8-10 | 60-90 sec |
| Dumbbell Curl | 2 | 8-10 | 60-90 sec |
Lower A: Heavy Lower Body
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Squat | 4 | 4-6 | 3 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 | 2-3 min |
| Leg Press | 3 | 8-10 | 2 min |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 8-10 | 90 sec |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 8-12 | 60-90 sec |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 2 | 8-12 | 60 sec |
If you are comfortable with the deadlift and want it as your heavy hinge, swap it in for the Romanian deadlift, but do not do both hard in the same session.
Upper B: Volume Upper Body
Same muscles, different tools. Rep ranges move up to 8-15, rest is shorter and there is more pressing and pulling variety. Stay a couple of reps shy of failure on compound lifts and go closer on isolation work.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 | 90 sec |
| Pull-Up or Assisted Pull-Up | 3 | 6-10 | 2 min |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 10-15 | 60 sec |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 10-12 | 60 sec |
Lower B: Volume Lower Body
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Squat or Hack Squat | 3 | 8-10 | 2 min |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-12 | 2 min |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 2 | 8-10 per leg | 90 sec |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 12-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Seated Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Seated or Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
Each muscle gets roughly 8 to 12 hard sets per week across the two days, which is a sensible range for most intermediate lifters. If you recover well and progress is slow after a couple of months, add one set to the muscles you most want to grow. Do not add to everything at once.
How to Progress: Top-Set Progression and Double Progression
A split is only as good as the progression behind it. Use two systems, one for the heavy lifts and one for everything else.
Heavy lifts (Upper A and Lower A)
Use top-set progression. The first set (or two) of each main lift in the strength days is your top work: the lowest rep range, the highest weight. Aim for the top of the range, for example 6 reps on a 4-6 bench press.
- Pick a weight where you hit about 4 reps with 1 to 2 in reserve on your first set.
- Each session, try to add a rep. When you hit 6 reps on every set, add weight next time: about 5 lb (2.5 kg) for upper body lifts, 10 lb (5 kg) for squat and hinge lifts.
- Drop back to 4 reps and build up again. Smaller jumps are fine if the plates are not available, and a plate calculator helps with odd loads.
Volume lifts and accessories (Upper B, Lower B and the smaller lifts)
Use double progression, the same method as in our full body workout routine: stay at one weight until every set hits the top of the rep range, then add weight and start again at the bottom. For dumbbells, jump to the next pair, or add reps first if the jump is big. The full logic is in our guide to progressive overload.
Because the A and B days train the same muscles at different rep ranges, a heavy bench day and an incline day will both move forward over time. Record each lift separately and compare each one only to its own last session.
What to do when you stall
A stall means you failed to beat last session on the same lift for 2 to 3 workouts in a row. Check sleep, food and rest times first. Overlong rests are a common culprit, and our guide on rest times explains why.
- First stall: repeat the weight and aim to add one rep.
- Second stall in a row: drop the weight about 10%, rebuild the reps and you will usually pass the old number within a couple of weeks.
- Deload: every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if several lifts stall and you feel beaten up, take an easier week. Keep the same exercises, cut the sets by about half and use weights 10 to 20% lighter, then resume.
To judge how hard a set really was, use the RPE calculator, and to turn a set of 4 to 8 reps into an estimated max, use the one rep max calculator.
No Time for 4 Days? The 3-Day Rotating Option
You can run the same four workouts on 3 days a week by rotating them in order and not tying them to the calendar. Train Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and just continue the cycle where you left off.
| Mon | Wed | Fri | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Upper A | Lower A | Upper B |
| Week 2 | Lower B | Upper A | Lower A |
| Week 3 | Upper B | Lower B | Upper A |
Each muscle is trained about 1.5 times a week on average instead of twice, so weekly volume drops by roughly a quarter. That is fine if you are short on time, and progress is still steady. If you can only do 3 days and want more frequency, a 3-day full body routine is the better fit.
Who an Upper Lower Split Suits
- Lifters past the beginner stage. Once linear gains on a full body plan slow down, splitting the work gives each muscle more volume and better-quality sets per session.
- People with four days to train. It fits a regular work week and leaves three rest days.
- Anyone who wants strength and size together. Heavy and volume days in the same week cover both. For a closer look at the difference, see hypertrophy vs strength training.
- Lifters who like predictable sessions. Only two session types, easy to remember and easy to log.
Who It Does Not Suit
- True beginners. Three full body days give you more practice on each lift while the weights are light and gains come fast. Start with the full body workout routine, then move here.
- People who can only train 2 or 3 days reliably. A missed day leaves half your body untrained for days.
- Lifters chasing a specific lagging muscle. A body-part split lets you add more specialized volume. You can still do this on upper/lower by adding sets for that muscle.
- Anyone who dislikes leg day twice a week. Two lower days are not optional here.
Upper Lower vs Full Body vs Push/Pull/Legs
| Full body | Upper/lower | Push/pull/legs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days per week | 3 | 4 | 3 to 6 |
| Frequency per muscle | 2 to 3x | 2x | 1x (3 days) or 2x (6 days) |
| Session length | 50-70 min | 45-60 min | 45-60 min |
| Missed workout | Small impact | Moderate | Larger on a 3-day split |
| Best for | Beginners, busy lifters | Intermediate lifters with 4 days | Lifters who want high volume and can train 5 to 6 days |
Upper lower sits between the two. Compared with full body, it lets you do more sets per muscle without 90-minute sessions. Compared with push/pull/legs, it needs fewer days to hit everything twice: PPL only reaches twice a week when you train six days. If you want to see how a push session is built, read our push day workout.
The downsides are real. Four days is a bigger commitment than three, lower body days are demanding (especially squats followed by Romanian deadlifts), and upper days can run long if you rest too much. Research on training frequency generally finds that total weekly hard sets matter more than how you divide them, so the best split is the one you will run consistently while progressing.
Track It So Progression Actually Happens
Both progression systems depend on knowing exactly what you did last time. A notebook or our weight training log template works. GymGod shows your last session on screen while you train and has auto-progression to help set your next weights, and it includes a rest timer that starts between sets. You can log from your iPhone or Apple Watch, and your first 3 workouts are free. If progress has stalled, the What's blocking your gains quiz may point to why.
Upper Lower Split FAQ
Is an upper lower split good for building muscle?
Yes. It trains every muscle twice a week with enough volume per session to grow, and the split between heavy and higher-rep days gives you both mechanical tension and volume. As with any plan, progress depends on adding weight or reps over time, eating enough protein and sleeping well.
Is upper lower better than push/pull/legs?
Not better, different. Upper lower hits every muscle twice a week in four days. Push/pull/legs needs six days to do that, though it spreads the work over smaller sessions. If you can train four days, upper lower is simpler. If you want to train five or six days, PPL gives you more room per muscle.
Is upper lower better than full body?
It depends on your experience and schedule. Full body suits beginners and people with three days. Upper lower suits intermediate lifters with four days who want more volume per muscle without very long sessions.
Can beginners do an upper lower split?
They can, and it will work if they stay consistent, but most beginners learn the lifts faster with three full body sessions a week. If you already have a few months of training behind you and four days available, upper lower is a good next step.
Can I do an upper lower split 3 days a week?
Yes. Rotate the four workouts in order (Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B) across three weekly sessions. Each muscle is trained about 1.5 times a week, so volume is a bit lower than the 4-day version, but progress continues.
How long should each upper lower workout take?
About 45 to 60 minutes, including the warm-up. If your sessions run longer, you are probably resting too long between accessory sets or doing more exercises than the plan lists.
