programming · training splits

The upper lower split.

The upper lower split alternates upper-body and lower-body training days, usually across four sessions a week. It trains each muscle about twice weekly, which is part of why it is one of the most reliable structures a coach can put a client on. This guide covers what it is, how to build the week, who it fits, and how it stacks up against push pull legs and full-body.

By Markus Evers · Updated June 2026

the short answer

An upper lower split is a training plan that divides workouts into upper-body days and lower-body days and alternates between them - most commonly four sessions a week, two upper and two lower. That structure trains each muscle about twice weekly, which tends to outperform once-a-week training when total volume is equal. It is a flexible default for intermediate clients chasing muscle and strength.

No split is magic. The real driver of growth is weekly training volume - the hard sets a client does per muscle - matched to what they can recover from and stick to. The upper lower split is simply one of the cleanest ways to organize that volume.

the structure

What an upper lower split actually is.

The split is exactly what the name says. Upper days train everything above the waist - chest, back, shoulders, and arms. Lower days train everything below - quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. A client alternates between them across the week instead of trying to train the whole body in every session.

The reason coaches reach for it so often is frequency. Run as four sessions - two upper, two lower - every muscle gets trained about twice a week. Training a muscle roughly twice weekly tends to beat once a week when the total number of sets is the same, because the work is spread across two recoverable bouts instead of crammed into one. That frequency benefit is the upper lower split's main selling point.

Splitting the body in half also keeps each session a manageable length. Half the muscles per workout means you can give the upper and lower work enough sets without a client standing in the gym for two hours. For the bigger picture of how splits compare, see our overview of workout splits explained.

a sample week

A four-day upper lower week.

Here is the classic layout - two upper and two lower sessions with rest spaced through the week. The two upper days and the two lower days use different exercise emphases so the client covers more angles without repeating the same session twice. This is a template to adjust, not a fixed prescription.

Day	Focus	What it includes
Monday	Upper (push emphasis)	Bench or incline press, overhead press, a row, lateral raises, triceps. Heavier compound work front-loaded while fresh.
Tuesday	Lower (quad emphasis)	Squat or leg press, a hip-hinge accessory, lunges, leg extensions, calves. Knee-dominant work leads the session.
Thursday	Upper (pull emphasis)	Weighted pull-up or pulldown, a horizontal row, chest press, rear delts, biceps. Different angles than Monday for fuller coverage.
Friday	Lower (hip emphasis)	Deadlift or Romanian deadlift, hip thrust, split squats, hamstring curls, calves. Hip-dominant work leads here.

Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are rest or light-activity days. Lead each session with the heaviest compound lift while the client is fresh, then move to isolation accessories. For hypertrophy, keep most working sets in the 6 to 15 rep range, and apply progressive overload by nudging load or reps up over the weeks.

how to program it

Building the split for a client.

Start from volume, not from the day. Decide how many hard sets per muscle the client should accumulate each week, then divide that target across the two relevant sessions. If a muscle needs, say, twelve weekly sets, six on each of its two days is far easier to recover from than twelve in one. How much weekly volume to aim for is a topic on its own - our guide to training volume covers setting it.

Within each session, sequence from heavy compound to lighter isolation, and vary the angles between the two upper and two lower days - horizontal push and pull on one upper day, vertical on the other; quad-led on one lower day, hip-led on the other. Manage fatigue with sensible rest between sets, then drive results over time with progressive overload rather than chasing soreness.

The structure also slots neatly into a longer plan. Because each session is repeatable, you can wave volume and intensity across blocks - a topic our guide to periodization walks through. The same logic underpins how you assemble the whole document, covered in how to write an online coaching program.

In Coachway's workout builder you can build both upper and lower templates once and reuse them - with supersets, dropsets, AMRAP and warm-up sets, per-set logging, a rest timer, and exercise video. Progressive overload is built in, and you can leave RPE or tempo cues as notes on a set so the client trains at the right effort without guesswork.

who it suits

The clients an upper lower split fits.

The split is not for everyone, but it suits a wide middle. It earns its place when a client can train four times a week and has progressed past needing the absolute simplest plan.

01

Intermediate clients who have outgrown full-body

Once a client can no longer recover from hitting every muscle in one session three times a week, splitting upper and lower lets them add sets per muscle without each workout running too long. It is the natural next step up from full-body.
02

Clients who can reliably train four days a week

The classic structure is four sessions, two upper and two lower, which hits every muscle twice. Clients with three or five available days can still run it - you just adjust which days repeat.
03

Hypertrophy and general strength goals

Because each muscle is trained roughly twice a week, the upper lower split fits muscle growth and balanced strength well. It is flexible enough to bias either, depending on rep ranges and load.
04

Clients who want session length kept sane

Half the body per session keeps each workout focused and finishable in 45 to 75 minutes, which helps adherence for busy clients more than a long whole-body grind.

If a client can only commit to two or three sessions, full-body usually serves them better. If they have six days and want more isolation work per muscle group, a push pull legs structure may fit. The choice is always about matching the split to the schedule and recovery in front of you - our guide on training frequency for muscle growth unpacks why twice-weekly tends to win.

how it compares

Upper lower vs PPL vs full-body.

The honest answer is that no split is superior in a vacuum. Each is just a different way to package the same weekly volume across the days a client has. What changes between them is frequency, session length, and how much fits per muscle.

Upper lower

Twice-weekly frequency on just four days, with manageable session length. The most efficient route to good frequency for a client who can train four times a week.

Push pull legs

More room for isolation work per session, but to match twice-weekly frequency it usually needs six days. Great for higher-volume clients with the time. See push pull legs.

Full-body

Highest frequency on the fewest days - every muscle each session. Best for beginners and time-poor clients training two or three times a week, but sessions can get long.

The deciding question is never "which split is best" but "which split lets this client hit their weekly volume, recover, and keep showing up". On four days, upper lower usually answers that better than the alternatives. When you are choosing for a real client, our guide on how to choose a workout split walks through the decision, and our breakdown of full-body vs split training covers the lower-frequency end. Whatever you land on, build it once in the workout builder and reuse it across clients.

questions coaches ask

Frequently asked questions.

What is an upper lower split?

An upper lower split is a training plan that divides workouts into upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and lower-body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves), alternating between them. Run most commonly as four sessions a week - two upper, two lower - it trains each muscle about twice weekly, which tends to beat once-weekly training when total volume is matched.

How many days a week is an upper lower split?

Most often four days a week: two upper sessions and two lower sessions, hitting every muscle about twice. It also works on three days by alternating which half repeats week to week, or on five or six days by adding a third upper or lower session. Four is the default because it balances frequency, recovery, and a schedule most clients can keep.

Is an upper lower split better than push pull legs?

Neither split is inherently better. The upper lower split gives most clients twice-weekly frequency on four days, while a push pull legs split usually needs six days to match that frequency. The best choice is whichever lets your client hit their weekly volume, recover, and actually show up. On four available days, upper lower usually wins on frequency.

Is an upper lower split good for building muscle?

Yes. By training each muscle about twice a week, an upper lower split makes it easy to accumulate the weekly volume that drives growth while spreading the work across recoverable sessions. Pair it with a hypertrophy rep range of 6 to 15, progressive overload over time, and enough sets per muscle, and it builds muscle as well as any split.

How do I program an upper lower split for a client?

Set a weekly hard-set target per muscle, then divide it across two upper and two lower days. Lead each session with a heavier compound lift, follow with accessories, and vary angles between the two upper and two lower days for full coverage. Apply progressive overload across weeks and adjust volume to what the client recovers from and adheres to.

Can beginners use an upper lower split?

Beginners often do better starting with full-body training, which hits each muscle three times a week at low per-session volume and builds the movement patterns fast. An upper lower split suits clients who have outgrown full-body and can recover from more sets per muscle. Many coaches move clients onto upper lower once full-body sessions get too long.

This article is general training information for coaches, not medical advice. Programming should always be adjusted to the individual client's experience, recovery, and any injuries or conditions - refer medical questions to a qualified clinician.

The split is the container; the training inside it is what grows muscle. For the principle that underpins every split, see our guide to hypertrophy training and how to organize volume, frequency, and overload into a plan a client will actually follow.

Keep reading

all guides

Platform7 min

Workout Splits Explained: Types & How to Program Them

What a workout split is, the main types (full-body, upper/lower, push/pull/legs, body-part), and how coaches choose one - by training days, weekly volume, and frequency. No split is magic; total volume drives growth.

Read the guide

Platform7 min

Push Pull Legs Split: What It Is + How to Program It

What the push pull legs (PPL) split is, who it suits, a sample week, pros and cons, and how coaches program it as a 3-day or 6-day plan for clients.

Read the guide

Platform7 min

Training Frequency for Muscle Growth: How Often to Train

Training frequency is how often you train a muscle each week. At equal volume, twice a week tends to edge once - but total weekly volume, not frequency, is the real driver. How it interacts with your split, and how to program it.

Read the guide

Platform7 min

What Is Training Volume? Sets, MEV, MAV & MRV

Training volume is the biggest lever for muscle growth, and easy to count once you know what counts. The working definition (hard sets per muscle per week), how to calculate it, the MEV/MAV/MRV landmarks, and weekly guidelines.

Read the guide

See what Coachway can do for your coaching business

Coachway was built after working with 150+ coaches who all had the same frustrations - slow platforms, clunky workflows, wasted hours. Book a demo and see what we fixed. 15 minutes, and you'll know if it's the right fit.