You’ve probably heard of the upper lower split routine before. It’s everywhere, and countless people tout it for its effectiveness and flexibility.

You might have even tried it yourself. At first glance, it looks simple enough:

Split your training into upper and lower workouts. But, as you probably imagine, there is more to it.

Below, we’ll go over the most important considerations regarding the upper lower split routine. More specifically, how to schedule and program it, how to build your workouts, and how to progress.

What Is The Upper Lower Split Routine?

Next to full-body training, the upper lower split is perhaps the simplest way to organize your weekly training. All you have to do is train the upper body one day and the lower body on another.

The most common way to use the upper lower split is to have four workouts each week. Like so:

On your upper days, you train your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and abdominals. On your lower days, you train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Examples Of Different Upper Lower Splits: 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-Day Examples

Let’s take a look at the different scheduling options:

2-Day Split Example

Two days is the bare minimum, and I don’t recommend it for anyone who wants to progress well and can dedicate more than two days for training. If you can only train twice per week, go for it. But your workouts will have to be much longer for you to do enough volume per muscle group, and you won’t progress optimally.

3-Day Split Example

This split is a bit better because you have the opportunity to do a bit more volume. The downside is, your schedule changes from week to week. The upside is, you have a fair amount of scheduling flexibility. Plus, you don’t have to train on the weekend if you don’t want to.

4-Day Split (The Most Popular) Example

This is the sweet spot for most lifters out there. The split is excellent because:

a) You can do enough volume to cause significant hypertrophy and strength gains.

b) You get to train all muscle groups twice per week, which seems more beneficial than once.

c) You still have scheduling flexibility and can move your workouts around if something comes up.

d) You have a consistent schedule from week to week.

e) You don’t have to train on the weekend if you don’t want to.

f) You have enough time to recover in-between training sessions.

5-Day Split Example

This is a tad more advanced, and it offers you the ability to do more work and, hopefully, cause better growth. The main issue is, your training schedule changes from week to week, which can be a nuisance. You also never get more than one day away from the gym, which can become stressful after a while. You also have to train three days in a row on two different occasions.

Typically, I don’t recommend this schedule for most people, as I feel the 4-day split offers similar results without these drawbacks.

6-Day Split Example

Typically, such a high frequency is not needed for the average lifter. Recovery can become a problem, and having to train every day can be a huge psychological burden for some people.

I tried a similar split a while back, but I kept my per-session volume much lower. I would go to the gym, do no more than ten sets, and call it a day. It was beneficial because I didn’t have to train for too long, and I didn’t feel particularly tired by any given session.

The 3-Step Formula to Building a Better Upper Lower Split

Now that we’re familiar with the upper lower split, let’s take a look at the three steps you should take to program a good routine for yourself:

Step #1: Determine Your Weekly Training Frequency

I recommend the 4-day split for the majority of lifters out there. As I pointed out above, this frequency offers a healthy balance between training commitment and the results you can achieve. You don’t have to get to the gym every day, and you also don’t have to deal with lackluster results.

If you can’t make it four days per week, the 3-day split can also work. I typically don’t recommend the 5-day split as I feel it complicates things too much and piles too much fatigue without delivering any significant advantage.

If you’re near your genetic limit and progress has slowed down to a crawl, the 6-day split can work if you can make it to the gym that often. It allows you to accumulate more weekly volume and more frequent exposure to the various exercises without spending two hours at the gym every time.

Here’s an example of a 4-day upper lower split routine:

You can also do it like this:

Or like this:

Or like this:

Really, there are many ways to go about it. Once you’ve picked your weekly frequency and schedule, move on top the next step:

Step #2: Pick Exercises And Program Your Upper and Lower Workouts

The upper lower split can be tricky to set up because you have to train more muscle groups on your upper than on your lower-body days. You have to train your chest, back, biceps, triceps, and shoulders on the upper days. On lower days, you have to train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

To create an effective upper workout, include one of each:

1. Horizontal push (e.g., bench press)
2. Horizontal pull (e.g., barbell row)
3. Vertical push (e.g., overhead press)
4. Vertical pull (e.g., pull-ups)

This is the bare minimum. Once you’ve added one of each, you can also include some accessory and isolation work for your biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Here’s how an upper workout might look like:

Structuring your upper workouts that way ensures that the major muscle groups receive direct work, which prevents imbalances from occurring. If you follow the 4-day split, you will have two upper workouts per week. To ensure optimal development, it’s a good idea to make your second workout a bit different. Like so:

As you can see, this workout follows a similar structure, but there are a few differences. Namely, you start this workout with a pull instead of a push. The exercise selection is also slightly different, and you now have an incline press variation to emphasize your upper chest. There is also a bit more volume for your biceps and triceps.

If you follow the classic 4-day upper lower split routine and have two lower workouts per week, your second one should be a tad different. Like so:

Our exercise selection is slightly different, and we are also working with somewhat different repetition ranges. 

As far as your abs, forearms, and traps are involved, I recommend doing them on your lower days. The reason for that is simple:

Your upper workouts are long and draining as is. Adding even more work will make them disproportionately long and fatiguing. Instead, it’s better to add direct work for these muscles on your shorter lower-body workouts to maintain a better volume distribution across your training week. For example:

Step #3: Learn How to Progress On An Upper Lower Split Routine

You’ve laid the foundation. Your split is ready, you’ve picked the exercises, you’ve assigned different ranges on the movements, and you’re amped to make gains. The next most logical question is, “But how do I progress over time?” There are a few things to consider:

1. Picking your starting weights.
2. Resting enough between sets.
3. Maintaining proper technique.
4. Increasing the weight when appropriate.

Let’s take a look at each of these:

1. Picking your starting weights.

Picking your starting weights takes a bit of trial and error, but you can get a good idea of what you’re doing within one to two workouts. For example, say that your program calls for three sets of 6 to 10 reps on the barbell back squat. If you’ve been training for a while, you should have a good idea of how much weight you should place on the bar to hit this goal.

For example, say that you pick 100 kilos (220 pounds), and it goes like this:

Set 1 - 12 reps
Set 2 - 12 reps
Set 3 - 11 reps

In that case, you’re overshooting the upper goal of ten reps, and you should bump the weight to 102.5 kilos (~226 pounds) for your next workout.

Let’s also say that your program also calls for three sets of 6 to 10 reps on the barbell bench press. You pick 85 kilos (~186 pounds), and it goes like this:

Set 1 - 7 reps
Set 2 - 6 reps
Set 3 - 5 reps

In that case, 85 kilos might be a bit too heavy, and you should drop to 80 or 82.5 kilos for your next workout.

In general, you should always leave at least one repetition in the tank. If you have to grind all of your sets to reach the upper end because you’re eager to add more weight to the bar, you’ll eventually find yourself ego lifting.

2. Resting enough between sets.

Resting enough between your sets is crucial for optimal performance and proper technique. You might be able to do well with your current weights, but resting too little between sets can be sabotaging you. 

For example, let’s take the above example of the squats again. Resting appropriately allows you to get 12, 12, and 11 reps with 100 kilos across the three sets. If you rest too little, however, it might look like this:

Set 1 - 12 reps
Set 2 - 8 reps
Set 3 - 6 reps

As a rule of thumb, you should rest:

It’s also essential to avoid pushing yourself to failure on each set, as that significantly prolongs your recovery time and hinders your performance on subsequent sets.

3. Maintaining proper technique.

Progression often brings ego lifting to the progress-hungry lifter, and the explanation for that is simple:

In the pursuit of lifting heavier weights, trainees often lose sight of a much more critical thing: performing each repetition with good form. This may sound like an obvious problem, but it can go unnoticed often. For example, many lifters start with decent squat form and depth. But then, as the months go by and they squat heavier weights, form starts to deteriorate, and depth becomes smaller and smaller. And thus, the half-squat is born.

The primary issue is, people want results, and they want them now. They expect that progress should come weekly and, if it doesn’t, they force it. 

But adaptations occur non-linearly and often unpredictably. In some cases, we seem to progress well for no apparent reason, and then, we hit a plateau. It’s normal. We all experience it. The goal isn’t to get frustrated, but to lift as much as we can with good form and hope that we do better next time.

No one will be impressed by a 315-pound half-squat, so do things at a sustainable pace and always prioritize good technique.

4. Increasing the weight when appropriate.

Knowing when to increase the weight is a bit tricky, and you should use your best judgment. Say that you’ve chosen to do six to ten reps per set on the bench press. You pick 80 kilos, and it goes like this:

Upper Workout #1: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 7, 7, 6
Upper Workout #2: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 8, 7, 7
Upper Workout #3: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 9, 8, 8
Upper Workout #4: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 10, 9, 8
Upper Workout #5: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 10, 10, 9
Upper Workout #6: 3 sets w/ 80 kg x 11, 10, 10

Now we’re talking. Add 2.5 kg to the bar and start progressing to sets of ten again. But, before you happily slap a couple of 1.25 kg plates on the bar, make sure that:

Ideally, you should increase the weight when you reach the upper end without training to failure and while doing each repetition with good form.

An Example 4-Day Upper Lower Split Routine

Here is what a 4-day intermediate upper lower program might look like in the real world:

Upper Workout 1 - Monday

Lower Workout 1 - Tuesday

Upper Workout 2 - Thursday

Lower Workout 2 - Friday

This is a reasonably standard upper lower program, and it should give you a decent idea of what your end split might look like. Because your lower workouts tend to be a bit shorter, you can also include some direct work for your traps, forearms, and abs to them.

The Upper Lower Split: Benefits, Drawbacks, And Who It’s For

As a whole, the upper lower split routine offers some benefits and a few drawbacks. Let’s see what they are:

Benefits

Drawbacks

The Bottom Line

The upper lower split is a perfectly viable option for organizing your weekly training. When applied well, it delivers many benefits and works well for lifters of all levels.

If you’re interested in getting started with it, you can download a quick start guide for the upper lower split routine. Simply write your email below and click the button: