The upper lower split is one of the best balances of training frequency and recovery available. Unlike full-body training (which limits volume per muscle group) or bro splits (which only hit each muscle once per week), the upper lower split lets you train each major muscle group twice per week at moderate volume. The result is faster strength and muscle gains than either extreme.
This 12-exercise program covers Upper Day (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and Lower Day (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). Run it 4 days per week (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday is the standard schedule) for the most balanced approach, or condense to 2 days per week for time-limited lifters.
Upper Day
Upper day covers all major upper-body muscles with horizontal and vertical pressing, horizontal and vertical pulling, plus shoulder isolation and direct arm work. The six exercises below cover every major upper-body pattern.
Barbell Bench Press
The Barbell Bench Press is the foundational pressing movement for upper body. Lying flat with a barbell over the chest, you lower the bar to mid-chest and press it back to lockout. It builds the chest, front delts, and triceps as a complete unit.
Every upper day starts with bench pressing. The barbell allows the heaviest possible load and the bilateral lift develops raw pressing strength better than any unilateral or machine variation. Run it for 4 to 5 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range.
Plant the feet flat, arch the upper back slightly, and pull the shoulder blades together hard. Lower the bar to the lower-to-mid chest under control, then drive it back up. Keep the elbows tucked at roughly 60 to 75 degrees from the torso.
Pull Up
The Pull Up is the king of vertical pulling. Hanging from a bar with an overhand grip, you pull the body up until the chin clears the bar, then lower under control. It builds the lats, biceps, mid-back, and core in one brutal exercise.
After bench pressing, the pull-up handles the back side of upper day. Bodyweight loading scales naturally with the lifter, and progressing to weighted pull-ups gives years of additional strength gains. Run it for 3 to 4 working sets, weighted if possible.
Hang fully at the bottom with arms straight. Drive the elbows down and back to pull the chest toward the bar. Lower under control to a full hang and reset. Avoid kipping or swinging the body to use momentum.
Barbell Standing Military Press
The Barbell Standing Military Press is the king of vertical pressing. Standing with a barbell at the shoulders, you press it overhead to lockout while keeping the body rigid. The standing version requires significant core and glute engagement on top of pure pressing strength.
After horizontal pressing and pulling, the military press fills the vertical pressing pattern. Run it for 3 to 4 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range. The standing version produces stronger overall body strength than seated variations.
Brace the core hard before unracking the bar. Press the bar in a slight arc around the head, ending with the bar directly over the crown. Keep the rib cage stacked over the pelvis throughout to avoid arching backward.
Barbell Bent Over Row
The Barbell Bent Over Row hinges at the hips with a barbell in the hands and rows the bar to the lower chest or upper abdomen. It is the most effective horizontal pull for total back development, hitting the lats, mid-back, and rear delts together.
Horizontal pulling complements the vertical pulling that pull-ups handle. The barbell row hits the rhomboids, mid-traps, and rear delts that pull-ups do not target effectively. Run it for 3 to 4 sets in the 6 to 10 rep range.
Hinge at the hips with a flat back and a slight knee bend. Pull the bar to the lower chest or upper abdomen, squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top. Lower under control. Avoid using momentum or jerking the bar upward.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The Dumbbell Lateral Raise stands with dumbbells at the sides and lifts them out to shoulder height. It is the most effective side delt exercise and the foundation of any program built for visible shoulder width.
After heavy compound work, lateral raises finish the shoulders. Most pressing exercises emphasize the front delts heavily, leaving the side delts under-trained. Lateral raises fix that. Run them for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps with strict form.
Keep the elbows slightly bent and lift the dumbbells straight out to the sides until parallel with the floor. Pause briefly at the top, then lower under control. Avoid swinging the weight; if the load is too heavy to do strict, drop down a pair.
Barbell Curl
The Barbell Curl is the most effective bicep mass-builder. Standing with a barbell in both hands at the thighs, you curl the bar up toward the shoulders. The barbell allows heavier loading than dumbbells and produces a strong contraction at the top.
Direct arm work closes upper day. The barbell curl loads the biceps directly with the heaviest weight you can curl strictly. Pair it with cable pushdowns or skullcrushers for tricep work. Run both for 3 sets in the 8 to 12 rep range.
Keep the elbows pinned to the sides through the entire rep. Avoid swinging the bar up using body momentum. Lower under control to full extension between reps for a complete range of motion.
Lower Day
Lower day covers the squat pattern, the hinge pattern, accessory leg work, and direct calf training. The six exercises below cover the entire lower body in one focused session.
Barbell Squat
The Barbell Squat is the foundation of every serious leg routine. With a barbell across the upper back, you squat to roughly parallel depth or below, then drive back to standing. It is the single best lift for total lower-body strength and mass.
Every lower day starts with squatting. The bilateral compound load builds the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back as a coordinated unit. Run it for 4 to 5 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range, with proper warm-up and rest periods.
Set the bar across the upper back, brace the core, and break at the hips and knees together. Squat to whatever depth your mobility allows cleanly (parallel or below). Drive up by pushing through the whole foot, not just the heels.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
The Barbell Romanian Deadlift is a hip-hinge variation performed by lowering the bar from the standing position rather than pulling from the floor. It targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back through a deeper stretch than conventional deadlifts.
After squats handle the quads, the RDL handles the posterior chain. The combination covers everything from quads to calves. Run it in the 6 to 10 rep range for 3 to 4 sets.
Hinge at the hips while keeping a slight knee bend. Lower the bar in a path close to the legs until the hamstrings stretch. Drive the hips forward to stand back up. Keep the back flat throughout.
Sled 45 Leg Press
The Sled 45 Leg Press sits at a 45-degree angle and presses a weighted sled away with both feet. The angled position takes the lower back out of the equation, allowing pure leg loading without the spinal compression of squatting.
After heavy squatting and hinging, the leg press lets you continue training the legs at high volume without further loading the spine. Run it for 3 to 4 sets in the 10 to 15 rep range.
Place the feet shoulder-width on the platform. Lower the sled until the knees come close to the chest, then drive back to lockout without snapping the knees fully straight. Foot position changes the emphasis: higher targets glutes and hamstrings, lower targets quads.
Lever Lying Leg Curl
The Lever Lying Leg Curl is performed face-down on a leg curl machine, curling the heels toward the glutes against the machine’s resistance. It is a dedicated hamstring isolation exercise that hits the muscle through pure knee flexion.
Romanian deadlifts train the hamstrings through hip extension. Leg curls train them through knee flexion. Both functions need direct work for complete hamstring development. Run leg curls for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Lie face-down with the ankles under the pads. Curl the heels toward the glutes by squeezing the hamstrings. Lower under control rather than letting the weight crash down. Avoid arching the lower back as the heels approach the glutes.
Walking Lunge
The Walking Lunge holds dumbbells at the sides and walks forward in alternating long lunges. The unilateral pattern catches strength imbalances bilateral squatting hides and produces more balanced lower-body development.
Walking lunges close lower day with significant unilateral leg work. The continuous walking also drives heart rate up, providing some conditioning stimulus alongside the strength work. Run them for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 16 total steps (6 to 8 per leg).
Step into a long lunge and drop straight down rather than forward. The front knee tracks over the toes; the back knee hovers just above the floor. Drive through the front heel to take the next step. Alternate sides naturally as you walk.
Standing Calf Raise
The Standing Calf Raise stands on the balls of the feet on a step or block and raises the heels by squeezing the calves, then lowers below the step level for a deep stretch. It is the most effective calf exercise for the gastrocnemius (the visible upper calf muscle).
Calves get hammered indirectly during squats and lunges, but they need direct work for full development. The standing calf raise hits the upper calf with the deep stretch and contraction pattern that drives growth. Run it for 3 sets of 15 to 25 reps.
Stand with the balls of the feet on the edge of a step. Lower the heels below step level for a deep stretch, then raise up onto the toes by squeezing the calves hard. Pause briefly at the top before lowering.
How To Schedule The Upper Lower Split
The standard upper lower schedule is Monday Upper, Tuesday Lower, Thursday Upper, Friday Lower, with weekends off. That gives each major muscle group two full sessions per week with 48 hours of recovery between same-pattern days. Most lifters find this schedule balances training stimulus with recovery better than any other 4-day structure.
For lifters with less time, condense to 2 days per week (Upper Tuesday, Lower Friday). The total weekly volume drops, but the structure still hits each major muscle group once per week with high quality. Beginners often start here before progressing to the full 4-day schedule once recovery improves.
For other split structures, see our best push pull legs routine and best bro split workout guides.
Final Thoughts
The best upper lower split routine works because it respects how the body actually adapts. Hitting each muscle group twice per week with moderate volume per session produces faster strength and muscle gains than once-per-week high-volume sessions for most lifters. The structure is also more forgiving on recovery than higher-frequency splits like push-pull-legs.
Stick with this 12-exercise framework for at least 8 to 12 weeks before changing it. Progress comes from incremental load increases on the same lifts session after session, not from constantly rotating exercises. Pick a starting weight you can do for clean reps, add load every week or two, and let the program work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days per week is the upper lower split?
The standard version is 4 days per week (two upper days, two lower days). Some lifters condense to 2 days per week for time efficiency, while others extend to 3 upper plus 2 lower days for additional pressing and pulling volume. Four days per week is the most common and most effective for most lifters.
Is the upper lower split better than push pull legs?
Both produce strong results. The upper lower split is more forgiving on recovery and easier to fit into busy schedules; push pull legs allows more total weekly volume per muscle group at the cost of higher recovery demand. Beginners and intermediates often do better on upper lower; advanced lifters often shift to push pull legs as their volume tolerance increases.
What rep ranges should I use?
A balanced approach uses lower reps (4 to 6) on the heavy compounds at the start of each session, moderate reps (8 to 12) on the second compound, and higher reps (12 to 15) on accessories. That structure builds both strength and muscle simultaneously rather than choosing one over the other.
Can I add more exercises per day?
Yes, especially on lower days where the basic 6-exercise structure leaves room for accessories like leg extensions, hip thrusts, or calf raise variations. On upper days, adding a fly or shoulder press accessory works well. Keep total session length under 90 minutes; longer sessions usually mean quality has dropped off.
Is the upper lower split good for fat loss?
The upper lower split is primarily a muscle-building structure, but it works well for fat loss when combined with appropriate nutrition. Heavy compound lifting preserves muscle mass during a calorie deficit, which is the most important goal during fat loss. The fat loss itself comes from diet, not from the training split.
