Upper Lower Split
A training split alternating between upper body and lower body workouts.
The upper lower split divides training into upper body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and lower body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). Running this 4 times per week hits each muscle twice weekly, which is optimal for most people. It balances training frequency with recovery time.
Why the split works
Dividing training into upper-body and lower-body days lets each muscle group be trained roughly twice a week on a four-day schedule, which sits in the range most people respond well to, while keeping individual sessions short enough to stay high quality. It also separates the two biggest sources of systemic fatigue: heavy squatting and deadlifting do not have to share a session with heavy pressing and pulling.
How to run it
The standard arrangement is upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, with the second pair of sessions varying either intensity or exercise selection from the first. A common approach makes the first upper day press-led and heavier and the second row-led and higher-rep. Three days a week works too by rotating upper and lower across a fortnight, which is often the more realistic schedule for someone with a job.
Common mistakes
Cramming a full bodybuilding chest, back, shoulder and arm session into every upper day, which produces two-hour sessions where the last exercises are performed too tired to matter. The other is treating both lower days as maximal squat and deadlift days, which accumulates fatigue faster than it can be cleared. Vary the emphasis between the two, or the split gives you nothing a full-body programme would not.
Examples
- Monday/Thursday: Upper body
- Tuesday/Friday: Lower body
- 4-day training week structure
Compound exercises
Put this into practice with exercises from the library.
Leverage Incline Chest Press
Strength · Machine
Leverage Iso Row
Strength · Machine
Leverage Shoulder Press
Strength · Machine
Linear 3-Part Start Technique
Plyometrics · None
Linear Acceleration Wall Drill
Plyometrics · None
Linear Depth Jump
Plyometrics · Other
Log Lift
Strongman · Other
London Bridges
Strength · Other