2 September 2026 · Mark Stent
Upper Lower Split: The Complete Guide and Weekly Plan
The upper lower split divides your training into upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and lower-body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves), usually run four days a week as two upper and two lower. It is the best-fit split for most people who can train four days, because it hits every muscle twice a week while leaving plenty of recovery between sessions. If you are not sure which split to run, this is the safe, high-return default.
What is the upper lower split?
Two session types, alternated across the week:
- Upper days: all pressing and pulling for the torso and arms - bench, overhead press, rows, pull-ups, curls, triceps.
- Lower days: everything below the waist - squats, deadlifts, lunges, leg curls, calves.
Run four days a week, you get two of each. That means each muscle group is trained twice weekly, which research consistently shows is a strong frequency for building both size and strength - without the six-day commitment a push pull legs split needs to reach the same frequency.
The upper lower weekly plan
The standard four-day layout, with compounds leading and accessories following:
| Day | Focus | Example exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Upper A | Bench press, barbell row, overhead press, pull-up, barbell curl, triceps pushdown |
| Tue | Lower A | Squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, leg curl, calf raise |
| Wed | Rest | - |
| Thu | Upper B | Overhead press, pull-up, incline bench, chest-supported row, hammer curl, overhead triceps extension |
| Fri | Lower B | Deadlift, front squat, walking lunge, leg extension, calf raise |
| Sat / Sun | Rest | - |
Upper A and Upper B are not identical - vary the main lift (flat vs incline, barbell vs pull-up emphasis) so both days together cover the muscle from more than one angle. Same idea on the lower days: one squat-led, one deadlift-led.
Upper lower on three or six days
The split flexes if four days does not fit:
| Days | How to run it |
|---|---|
| 3 | Alternate U / L / U one week, L / U / L the next - each muscle averages ~1.5x per week |
| 4 | The standard two upper, two lower (best fit) |
| 6 | Three upper, three lower - high frequency, closer to a PPL workload |
Four is the sweet spot. Three works but drops frequency slightly; six is doable but starts competing with PPL, which is arguably built for that volume.
Sets, reps, and volume
Nothing exotic: 5 to 8 reps on the heavy compounds, 8 to 15 on accessories. Because each muscle is trained twice a week, you split its weekly sets across two sessions - roughly 5 to 10 hard sets per muscle per day, landing near 10 to 20 hard sets per week. That is the productive range covered in training volume for muscle growth and how many sets per week to build muscle.
Splitting volume across two days is one of the quiet advantages here: it is easier to do ten quality sets as two blocks of five than one gruelling block of ten.
Who the upper lower split is for (and who it isn't)
Upper/lower is a great fit if you: can train three or four days, want each muscle hit twice a week, and want balanced progress in both size and strength without a six-day schedule.
Look elsewhere if you: can genuinely train six days and want the higher volume of push pull legs, can only train two to three days (a full-body routine will hold frequency better), or are a raw beginner who would progress faster on a simple 5x5 first.
Not sure? Start from how to build a workout routine and let your available days choose for you - four days points straight here.
How to run upper/lower in Setkord
Four alternating sessions are easy to muddle from memory. Setkord is built for exactly this:
- Save Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, and Lower B as routines (or start from the built-in program library) and open the right one in a tap.
- Your last weight and reps pre-fill on every set, so progressive overload is obvious, not guesswork.
- Personal records and your estimated 1RM are tracked automatically.
- It works fully offline and the core is free forever.
You run the split; Setkord keeps the score.
FAQ
Is the upper lower split good for building muscle? Yes, it is one of the best. Training each muscle twice a week at moderate volume is a proven setup for hypertrophy, and the four-day schedule is realistic for most people to actually complete.
How many days a week is an upper lower split? Most commonly four - two upper, two lower. It also runs on three days (alternating) or six days (three of each), but four is the sweet spot for frequency and recovery.
Upper lower or push pull legs - which is better? Upper/lower is better if you can train three or four days; PPL is better if you can train five or six and want more volume. Neither is superior in a vacuum - the right one is the one that matches your days.
Should upper A and upper B be the same workout? No. Vary the lead lifts and angles between them - one bench-led, one press- or pull-up-led - so across the week you cover each muscle from more than one angle instead of repeating the same session twice.