Upper/lower split guide and free spreadsheet

How Upper/lower split works

An upper/lower split divides the week into upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and lower-body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). With four training days you do two of each, so every muscle gets worked twice a week.

A common week alternates the two types with rest days between: Monday Upper A, Tuesday Lower A, Thursday Upper B, Friday Lower B. The A and B days use different exercises, so each muscle is hit from a few angles. Our in-app templates are named Upper A (push focus), Lower A (squat focus), Upper B (pull focus) and Lower B (deadlift focus).

This guide lists the main barbell lifts of each day with the sets and reps from the in-app template. The template also holds accessories such as incline dumbbell press, lat pulldown, lateral raises, curls, leg press and calf raises. Those stay out of the sample-week calculator because you pick their weight by feel. Chin-ups on Upper B are bodyweight, so they have no weight box.

Sets and reps are a template, not a law. The PureGym example uses 3 sets of 10 to 12 on compounds. The Weightology example also works in sets of 10 to 12 but sets each one at a stated effort level, so you stop at a target effort rather than a target weight. Our template puts the first lift of each day lower, at 5 to 8 reps, to lean toward strength. Pick a style that fits your goal and keep it for several weeks.

The schedule

Train on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, or any other days with rest between. Every set uses the same weight, the one you can lift for the written reps.

Upper A (push focus)

Lower A (squat focus)

Upper B (pull focus)

Lower B (deadlift focus)

Progression and stall rules

Weekly volume

Work sets per lift, counted from the schedule above (warm-ups not included).

Who it suits

Common mistakes

Same lifts, same intensity, every day

One source warns that hitting the same muscles at the same weight and intensity every session can lead to overtraining. Make the A and B days differ in exercise choice and in difficulty.

Skipping the warm-up

Climb through progressively heavier warm-up sets before the first working set. Never open with your heaviest weight cold.

Stacking similar days

Two upper or two lower days back to back remove the recovery gap that makes the split work. Alternate them.

Ignoring the small muscles

With two upper days, arms and side delts get little volume. One source notes smaller muscles can need extra frequency, so add a few sets of curls, pushdowns and raises.

Never progressing

A split builds strength only if load or reps rise over time. Log every session and try to beat the last.

Your sample week

For each lift, enter: Weight you use for your working sets. The weights below update as you type. Your numbers stay in your browser and are not saved. The numbers shown are an example lifter.

Units lb kg

Bench press

Barbell row

Overhead press

Squat

Romanian deadlift

Deadlift

Front squat

Upper A (push focus)

Lower A (squat focus)

Upper B (pull focus)

Lower B (deadlift focus)

The spreadsheet

The file has three sheets: your numbers, the full week with every weight as a formula, and a progress table that carries the weights forward. It opens in Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice. The weights in the link below use the numbers you typed above.

Download the .xlsx

Want the weights to follow you into the gym? Create a free account and the program loads into Train for you.

How it compares

Upper/lower split vs Push/Pull/Legs

Both are muscle-group splits. Push/pull/legs uses three groups and needs six days to train each twice. Upper/lower does it in four. Read the Push/Pull/Legs guide.

Upper/lower split vs Starting Strength

Starting Strength is a full-body novice program that adds weight every session. Move to a split like this one once those jumps stop. Read the Starting Strength guide.

Common questions

How many days a week do I need?

Four: two upper and two lower sessions. PureGym also gives 2-day and 3-day versions, and Weightology has 5-day and 6-day versions. Four is enough for most people.

How many sets per muscle per week?

The Weightology 4-day layout works out to about 12 sets per muscle per week, or 16 with one extra set on each exercise. Start in that range and add sets only once recovery is good.

What rep ranges should I use?

The sources use 3 sets of 10 to 12 on compounds and roughly 8 to 20 on accessories. Our template puts the first lift of each day lower, around 5 to 8 reps, and accessories at 10 to 15.

Can I do it on three days?

Yes. PureGym describes upper, lower, upper one week and lower, upper, lower the next. Each muscle then trains once or twice a week, so progress is slower.

How long should I run it?

PureGym suggests following one program for 8 to 12 weeks, then reassessing. Keep going while you are still adding weight. Change it if you stall on most lifts.

Is this better than push/pull/legs?

Neither wins outright. Upper/lower trains each muscle twice on four days. Push/pull/legs usually needs six days to do that.

Know where you stand

Before you start, check how your lifts compare on the strength standards, estimate a max with the one-rep max calculator, or score your total with the DOTS calculator.

Sources and credit