Fitness

Upper / Lower

An upper/lower split alternates upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders and arms) with lower-body days (legs and hips). Four sessions a week train every muscle group twice, with a rest day in the middle of the week and two at the end.

Frequency
4 days a week
Days
Upper, Lower
Suits
Lifters moving on from full-body training who want twice-weekly frequency with fewer exercises per session.

A sample week

  1. MonUpper
  2. TueLower
  3. WedRest
  4. ThuUpper
  5. FriLower
  6. SatRest
  7. SunRest

Upper day

Chest, back, shoulders and arms. Muscles: Pectoralis major, Latissimus dorsi, Anterior deltoid, Triceps brachii, Biceps brachii.

Horizontal push

Lower day

Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Gluteus maximus, Calves.

Exercises for this day are coming soon as the library grows.

Who it suits

  • Lifters moving on from full-body training who want twice-weekly frequency with fewer exercises per session.
  • People who can train four days a week.
  • Anyone balancing lifting with sport or running, since lower days can be placed around hard sessions.

How it works

Each upper day includes a press and a pull; each lower day includes a squat or lunge pattern and a hinge. With two of each a week, every muscle group gets trained twice. On upper days, one flat or incline press per session works well, alternating between the two upper days. As experience grows, guidelines for healthy adults move from whole-body sessions toward splits like this one [1].

How to progress

  • Add load to the main lift of each day when you hit your target reps with good form.
  • Spread your weekly sets across both days: about 10 or more hard sets per muscle group a week is a reasonable target for growth in trained lifters [2].
  • Use one day for heavier, lower-rep work and the other for moderate reps if you want variety.

Can I do it three days a week?

Yes: alternate upper, lower, upper one week and lower, upper, lower the next. Each muscle group then gets three sessions every two weeks.

Other splits

Sources

  1. Ratamess NA, Alvar BA, Evetoch TK, Housh TJ, Kibler WB, Kraemer WJ, Triplett NT. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670Verified · checked 22 Oct 2026
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073–1082. Verified · checked 22 Oct 2026

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