The upper/lower Split: a balanced 4-day routine
The upper/lower split is a simple way to structure four workouts a week while training every major muscle group twice. Instead of dedicating each day to individual muscles, this workout split alternates between upper body and lower body sessions, giving you plenty of training without requiring you to be in the gym six days a week.
For many people who have moved beyond full body workouts and can consistently train four days a week, that makes upper/lower a practical next step. Read more about workout split options here.
What is the upper/lower split?
An upper/lower split divides your training into upper body and lower body workouts, usually across four days. This allows you to train each half of your body twice per week while leaving recovery time between sessions.
A typical week looks like this: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest.
Upper body days generally train your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. Lower body days focus on your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, with core work fitting into either.
Why the upper/lower split works
One of the biggest advantages of the upper/lower split is efficiency. Four workouts are enough to train every major muscle group twice per week, without needing the six weekly sessions typically required to achieve the same frequency with a push/pull/legs split. Learn more about that workout split here.
Research suggests this can be a useful way to organize your training.
A 2016 meta-analysis found that training a muscle group twice per week produced significantly greater muscle growth than training it once per week when weekly training volume was matched.
However, an updated 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no significant difference between higher and lower training frequencies when total weekly volume was equal. That suggests training frequency may be useful largely because it helps you distribute your weekly work across more high-quality sets.
In other words, an upper/lower split simply gives you an efficient way to train each major muscle group regularly and spread your weekly training volume across a realistic number of days.
That can make it a particularly useful middle ground. You get more opportunities to train each muscle group than a traditional once-a-week body part split, without committing to six days in the gym.
There is one important catch: four workouts still require four days of your week. If you can realistically train only two or three days, a full body routine will probably fit your schedule better. For more guidance, check out our article about how many days a week to workout.
The 4-day upper/lower split: a sample week
A standard upper/lower routine alternates between two upper and two lower sessions.
Rather than repeating the exact same workout twice, each session can have a slightly different emphasis. One upper day might lead with pressing movements, while the other prioritizes pulling. Likewise, one lower session might be squat-led while the other focuses more heavily on hip-hinge movements.
- Upper A: Press-led
- Lower A: Squat-led
- Upper B: Pull-led
- Lower B: Hinge-led
Making the A and B workouts different allows you to train the same muscle groups twice without simply repeating an identical session. It can also help you spread different movement patterns and exercises across the week.
To show what this looks like in practice, we asked PureGym Personal Trainer and Coach Amir how he’d structure a four-day upper/lower split, and how he’d make each session different.
“There are a few ways to structure a four-day upper/lower split, but to keep it simple, we’ll focus on push and pull movements for upper body days, and compound and isolation movements for lower body days.”
Day 1: Upper Body – Push
Chest
- Dumbbell incline bench press
- Seated cable flys
- Machine chest press
Shoulders
- Cable lateral raises (cable set to wrist height)
- Rear delt flys on machine
- Overhead shoulder press
Triceps
- Overhead rope extensions
- Tricep pushdowns on cable machine
- Skull crushers with EZ bar or dumbbells
Day 2: Lower Body – Compound Movements
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Hip thrusts
Day 3: Upper Body – Pull
- Straight-arm lat pulldowns
- Chest-supported rows
- Hyperextensions
- Reverse dumbbell preacher curls
Day 4: Lower Body – Isolation Movements
- Single-leg step-downs
- Leg extensions
- Seated leg curls
- Hip abductions
- Hip adductions
How to progress week to week
Choosing a good workout split is only the beginning. For your training to keep moving forward, your workouts need to progress too.
There are several ways to make an exercise gradually more challenging:
- Add weight: Increase the resistance while maintaining good form.
- Add reps: Perform more repetitions with the same weight.
- Add a set: Increase your total training volume.
- Improve control: Perform the movement with better technique, stability, or control through the full range of motion.
The key is not to increase everything at once. Changing one variable at a time makes it easier to track your progress and judge whether you are ready for the next step.
When you are newer to structured strength training, improvements may come relatively quickly. As you become more experienced, increases in weight, reps, or volume usually become smaller and less frequent.
The goal is to gradually do more over time while maintaining good technique and giving yourself enough recovery to perform well.
We asked PureGym Personal Trainer and Coach Amir how he’d progress someone on an upper/lower split over eight weeks, and how to know when it’s time to increase the difficulty.
I’d start by adding intensity, meaning pushing someone until they understand what muscle failure feels like. That way, they can learn how to challenge themselves without needing a trainer. Ideally, they should be finishing each set around 1–2 reps shy of muscle failure.
The way I teach most everyday gym goers is simple: if you can’t complete 8 reps with good form, the weight is too heavy, so we go lighter. If you can complete 12 reps with good form, it’s time to go heavier.
What we increase first really depends on the person. For example, if someone only has 30 minutes to work out, we might focus on two challenging sets of each exercise and increase the weight to make the most of those sets.
Fitting an upper/lower split around a busy gym
An upper/lower split can also be easier to manage when the gym is busy because you only have two dedicated lower body sessions each week.
That matters because lower body training can rely on some popular pieces of equipment. In a PureGym survey of UK gym managers, the squat rack was named the most-used piece of gym equipment by 49% of managers. The treadmill, at 33%, was another popular choice.
PureGym UK data also found that Mondays are typically the busiest day of the week, while Sundays are the quietest, followed by Saturdays and Fridays. Separate PureGym UK research found gyms tended to be quieter from 11am to 12pm, 2pm to 4pm, and after 8pm.
If your lower body session relies on a squat rack, try scheduling it for a day or time when your gym tends to be quieter. Because you only have two lower body workouts each week, you have more flexibility to move those sessions around than you would on a six-day PPL routine.
You can also adapt when equipment is busy. If you are unsure what alternatives are available, our Gym Equipment 101 guide can help you get more familiar with the equipment in your gym.
Most PureGym locations in New York are open 24/7, giving you more flexibility over when you train. You can also check the PureGym app before you leave to see how busy your gym is.
Frequently asked questions
What is an upper/lower split?
An upper/lower split divides training into upper body and lower body sessions, usually across four days. A typical week is upper, lower, rest, upper, lower. It trains every major muscle group twice a week, which is the frequency research associates with better results.
Is an upper/lower split good for beginners?
It can be, although full body training two or three days per week is often a simpler starting point. An upper/lower split can make sense once you are consistently training four times a week and the main lifts feel familiar enough to run a session without stopping to check every movement.
How many days a week is an upper/lower split?
Four is the standard, giving two upper and two lower sessions. It can be run over three days on a rolling basis, though each muscle group then gets trained less often. Four days is what makes the twice-weekly frequency work.
Is upper/lower better than push pull legs?
For most people, yes, on efficiency. Both can train each muscle group twice a week, but upper/lower does it in four days where PPL needs six. If you can reliably train six days, PPL gives more room per session. If you cannot, upper/lower is the better fit.
Should the two upper days be the same?
No. Vary the emphasis between the days. For example, one workout could lead with pressing exercises and the other with pulling exercises. You can also vary movements or rep ranges. Repeating an identical session twice a week tends to produce more fatigue than progress.
Can you build muscle on a 4-day upper/lower split?
Yes. Four days is enough to train every major muscle group twice a week with enough weekly volume, which is the pattern research associates with good results. What matters more than the structure is adding work over time and repeating the week consistently.
Is the upper/lower split right for you?
If you can consistently train four days per week, the upper/lower split offers a straightforward balance between training frequency, recovery, and time in the gym.
You can train every major muscle group twice, vary the focus of your workouts across the week, and still have three days available for rest or other activities.
The best routine is ultimately one you can follow consistently and progress over time. If four days fits your schedule, upper/lower is a strong place to start.
Ready to put your routine into practice? Find a PureGym near you and get started.
