The Upper Lower Split Workout Guide

What Is Upper Lower Split | Benefits | Who Is It Good For | Training Days | Exercises | Upper Lower Weekly Workout Plan | Progression

Looking for a workout plan that gets you maximum results, without needing to workout daily? If your main goal is to build muscle mass, the upper lower split is a great training option. This is a classic workout split that divides your training into upper body and lower body workouts, allowing you to train each muscle group enough times for progress while getting adequate recover between workouts.

Here, PureGym London based PT Gary Docherty, who has over 10 years' experience in the fitness industry, shares everything you need to know about the classic upper lower workout split, from why it works to what exercises to include.

Workout splits are a way of grouping different muscles together in a workout to allow for each muscle to get the right balance of training and rest for your goals.

An upper lower body split separates workouts into:

• Upper body (chest, back, shoulders, arms)

• Lower body (legs, glutes, core)

The upper lower split is a popular way to approach training if your main goal is muscular hypertrophy (building muscle), as it allows you to train each muscle group more often than other training splits. With the upper/lower split, you can work each muscle group multiple times a week while still getting enough rest.

An upper/ lower training split can work for anyone, but it's particularly good for gaining muscle for the following:

Beginner to intermediate lifters who want to

The upper lower structure is great for beginners and intermediate lifters as it has a balanced approach, focusing on all major muscle groups while allowing for good recovery. Compared to full body workouts, dividing sessions into upper and lower body focused means you can include more exercises per muscle group, and compared to splitting workouts into body parts, you can work each muscle group more frequently in an upper lower split.

People who can only train 3-4 times a week

This workout split is easy to fit into a three or four day training week while placing enough tension and stress on the muscles to facilitate growth.

Busy people who only have limited time for workouts in their schedule

You don't need to spend hours at the gym to get an effective workout when splitting sessions into upper and lower workouts. You can easily work all upper or lower muscle groups in just 30 minutes, making this split ideal for those who want to achieve muscle hypertrophy but don't have a lot of time for their workouts.

If your goal is building muscle, you want to train each muscle group at least twice a week. On an upper lower split, that means a four-day training week is ideal.

However, one of the great things about upper lower split training is that it can be adapted to fit your schedule. Whether it's work, sport practice, or training for an event, you can easily adjust your strength training days to accommodate other commitments or even just your energy levels on any given week.

Here's how to organise your upper lower workouts depending on your training days:

• 2 days a week - 1 x upper and 1 x lower session per week

• 3 days a week - alternating between: Week 1: upper/ lower/ upper, Week 2: lower/ upper/ lower, or doing a full body upper lower split (1 x full body, 1 x upper, 1 x lower)

• 4 days a week - 2 x upper and 2 x lower sessions per week

You could continue to train upper lower workouts for a total of five to six sessions a week, but a four-day split is more than enough. If you prefer to workout more frequently, you could consider adding cardio, HIIT, mobility, or plyometric workouts to your weekly training plan.

Most of your workouts should focus on compound exercises. These multi joint moves work multiple muscles in one go, meaning each muscle group will get plenty of training volume even when training just twice a week. Isolation exercises can be added if you have time to further challenge specific muscles.

Include a variety of push and pull exercises that work the chest, back, shoulders, and arms in different movement patterns, such as different chest presses, overhead presses, rows, pulldowns, bicep curls and tricep extensions.

Your lower body days should cover the major movement patterns of squatting, hip hinging, and single-leg work for the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This includes exercises like squats and leg presses, lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts, step ups, and calf raises.

Your lower body days can also include core work such as planks, farmer’s walks, and deadbugs.

Ready to give this training split a go? Create your own workouts using our exercise guides, or try this free weekly workout plan from Gary.

Each muscle group is targeted twice per week, using different exercises across the two upper and lower workouts to ensure they are worked from different angles and movement patterns.

Targets: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps

Warm up

• Rowing machine (6/10 effort) - 3-5 minutes

• Arm swings - 30 seconds per side

• Shoulder dislocates - 45 seconds

Workout

1. Barbell bench press - 3 x 10-12 reps

2. Pull ups - 3 x AMRAP

3. Overhead press - 3 x 10-12 reps

4. Bicep curls - 3 x 8-10 reps

5. Tricep pulldowns - 3 x 8-10 reps

Cool down

• Standing chest stretch - 30 seconds per side

• Cross body shoulder stretch - 30 seconds per side

• Puppy pose - 30 seconds

Targets: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, core

Warm up

• Treadmill or cross trainer (6/10 effort) - 3-5 minutes

• Leg swings - 30 seconds per side

• Deep squat to forward fold - 10 reps

Workout

1. Barbell squats - 3 x 10-12 reps

2. Romanian deadlifts - 3 x 10-12 reps

3. Walking lunges - 3 x 8 reps per leg

4. Leg curl - 3 x 8-10 reps

5. Standing calf raise - 3 x 12-15 reps

6. Plank - 3 x 45 second holds

Cooldown

• Forward fold - 30 seconds

• Standing quad stretch - 30 seconds per side

• Pigeon pose - 30 seconds per side

Targets: chest, shoulders, back, rear delts, arms, triceps

Warm up and cooldown: same as day 1

Workout

1. Incline dumbbell press - 3 x 10-12 reps

2. Single arm row - 3 x 10-12 reps

3. Arnold press - 3 x 10-12 reps

4. Face pulls - 3 x 10-12 reps

5. Hammer curl - 3 x 8-10 reps

6. Skull crushers - 3 x 8-10 reps

Targets: hamstrings, glutes, calves, quads, glutes

Warm up and cooldown: same as day 2

Workout

1. Conventional deadlift - 3 x 10-12 reps

2. Leg press - 3 x 10-12 reps

3. Bulgarian split squats - 3 x 8-10 reps per leg

4. Hip thrust - 3 x 10-12 reps

5. Seated calf raise - 3 x 15 reps

6. Side plank - 3 x 30 seconds

Building muscle isn't a 'one and done' thing. Here are some tips to ensure you continue to progress over time.

Progressive overload

As you get stronger from your training, your body will adapt to your upper lower workouts and they will no longer place enough tension on the muscles to stimulate growth. Progressive overload involves increasing the weights lifted, number of reps or sets, choosing harder exercise variations, or increasing range or time under tension to make the exercises more challenging.

Nutrition

Make sure you are eating enough calories and protein to support your goal of building muscle. This means eating in a slight caloric surplus, with at least 1.6k protein per kg of bodyweight.

Recovery

The upper lower workout split is great for ensuring you get recovery between each workouts but make sure to include at least one full rest day a week and get at least 7-9 hours sleep each night.

Consistency

Consistency is key to change when it comes to fitness. Follow the same workout plan for at least 8-12 weeks while following progressive overload, and then evaluate and adjust your workouts if needed.

Book a session with one of our Personal Trainers who can help you with the best upper/lower programme for your goals. Find your nearest PureGym to get started.