Upper Lower Split: The Complete 4-Day Guide With Workouts
An upper/lower split alternates upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) with lower-body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves), usually 4 days per week. Every muscle gets trained twice weekly, the frequency a 2016 meta-analysis linked to roughly 63% more growth than once-per-week training.
Maciej Glowacki
An upper/lower split divides training into two session types. Upper days cover chest, back, shoulders, and arms. Lower days cover quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The standard schedule is 4 days per week: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, weekend off.
The result: every muscle is trained twice per week. A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. found roughly 63% more muscle growth from training each muscle twice weekly versus once. Upper/lower delivers that frequency in just 4 sessions, which is why it is the default recommendation for lifters who can train 4 days per week.
Key takeaways:
- Upper/lower trains every muscle twice per week in 4 sessions of 45-60 minutes.
- Weekly volume lands at 10-16 sets per muscle group, inside the 10-20 set range research supports for growth.
- When volume is equal, upper/lower grows muscle just as well as PPL or full body (2024 meta-analysis).
- Best fit: intermediate lifters with exactly 4 training days. With 3 days, run full body. With 5-6, run push/pull/legs.
- Upper sessions can run long. Cap them at 6 exercises and superset arm work if needed.
What is an upper lower split?
Instead of splitting by movement pattern like push pull legs, upper/lower splits the body in half at the waist. Each half gets two dedicated sessions per week:
| Day | Session | Muscles |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Upper A | Chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps |
| Tuesday | Lower A | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves |
| Wednesday | Rest | |
| Thursday | Upper B | Chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps |
| Friday | Lower B | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves |
| Weekend | Rest |
The A/B structure matters: the two upper days should not be identical. A common approach makes the A days heavier (5-8 reps, more barbell work) and the B days volume-focused (10-15 reps, more machines and dumbbells). This trains strength and hypertrophy in the same week and keeps sessions from going stale.
The 4-day upper lower workout
Upper A (heavy)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 x 5-8 |
| Bent-over row | 4 x 6-8 |
| Barbell overhead press | 3 x 6-10 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 x 8-10 |
| Dumbbell curls | 2 x 10-12 |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 x 10-12 |
Lower A (heavy)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell squats | 4 x 5-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8-10 |
| Leg press | 3 x 10-12 |
| Leg curls | 3 x 10-12 |
| Standing calf raises | 4 x 10-12 |
Upper B (volume)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 4 x 10-12 |
| Seated cable row | 4 x 10-12 |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 3 x 10-15 |
| Lateral raises | 3 x 12-15 |
| Face pulls | 2 x 15-20 |
| EZ-bar curls | 2 x 12-15 |
Lower B (volume)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Leg press | 4 x 10-15 |
| Bulgarian split squats | 3 x 10-12 per leg |
| Stiff-leg deadlift | 3 x 10-12 |
| Leg extensions | 3 x 12-15 |
| Seated calf raises | 4 x 12-15 |
Take working sets within 1-3 reps of failure, rest 2-3 minutes on compounds and 60-90 seconds on isolation work (rest guide). Progress using double progression: add reps until the top of the range, then add weight.
Weekly volume: does upper/lower hit the targets?
Count the hard sets from the workout above per muscle per week: chest gets ~11, back ~13, shoulders ~8 direct plus indirect pressing work, quads ~14, hamstrings ~9. That lands inside the 10-20 weekly sets range supported by the volume research (Schoenfeld et al., 2017; Pelland et al., 2025).
To bring up a lagging muscle, add 2-4 weekly sets for it and hold everything else constant for 4-6 weeks. The weekly sets calculator gives per-muscle targets matched to your schedule and focus.
Upper lower vs PPL vs full body
A 2024 meta-analysis of 14 studies found no hypertrophy difference between split types at equal volume. Choose by available days:
- 3 days: full body. Highest frequency for the session count.
- 4 days: upper/lower. The cycle divides evenly, every muscle 2x/week.
- 5-6 days: push/pull/legs. More focus per session at high volume.
The most common upper/lower complaint is long upper sessions: upper days cover five muscle groups. Cap upper sessions at 6 exercises and superset biceps/triceps work to stay under an hour.
For a broader comparison of every split type by training days, see the best workout split guide.
Hypro has upper/lower plans pre-built with progression targets on every set, and tracks your weekly volume per muscle automatically.
Browse free training plans
Maciej Glowacki
Founder and CEO of Hypro. Built the platform from the ground up with years of hands-on lifting experience.
