The Upper/Lower Split, Run for You
It's the cleanest step up from a full-body novice program — and the version of "more volume" that actually fits a working week. Here's the 4-day Upper/Lower split, and how to run it without a spreadsheet.
If you came up on a StrongLifts-style 5×5 or a Starting-Strength-style 3×5, you already know the moment this page is about: the weight stops going up every session. The novice program did its job. The next move isn't a harder version of the same thing — it's a structure that gives each muscle more work without making any single workout run 90 minutes. That structure is the upper/lower split.
The idea is exactly as simple as the name. You split the body in two — everything above the waist on one day, everything below on the next — and you run it four times a week. That extra day buys you the volume full body couldn't fit, while keeping each session a manageable length. LiftRing ships this as a built-in program called Upper Lower Split, pre-fills every set, and tells you why each number changed. No spreadsheet, no programming.
Start free — 3 workouts unlocked →What is the upper/lower split?
The upper/lower split divides your training into two session types. Upper days cover chest, back, shoulders, and arms — every pressing and pulling movement above the waist. Lower days cover quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and usually core. You alternate them across four sessions a week, so each half of the body gets trained twice.
That twice-a-week frequency is the whole point. A muscle grows in response to how often and how hard you train it, and the research most coaches cite lands on training each muscle group about twice a week as a strong default. Full body hits that frequency too, but it crams everything into one session — fine for a beginner adding weight every workout, less workable once you need real accessory volume. Upper/lower keeps the frequency and gives each session room to breathe.
To get two non-identical sessions of each type, you run an A and a B version. Upper A and Upper B aren't the same workout twice — they rotate the emphasis (one leans into horizontal pressing and pulling, the other into vertical), so across the week your shoulders, chest, and back all get hit from more than one angle.
The exact structure: Upper A / Lower A / Upper B / Lower B
The standard layout is four days, run so each pair gets a rest day before its partner comes back around. Most people use Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday.
Day 1 — Upper A
Horizontal-emphasis upper. Bench press as the main lift, plus a row, an overhead or incline press, a vertical pull (pulldown or pull-up), and arm work.
Day 2 — Lower A
Squat-emphasis lower. Back squat as the main lift, plus a hip hinge (Romanian deadlift), a leg accessory (leg press or lunge), hamstring curls, and calves.
Day 3 — Upper B
Vertical-emphasis upper. Overhead press as the main lift, plus a pull-up or pulldown, an incline or flat press, a row, and arm work — angles that complement Upper A.
Day 4 — Lower B
Hinge-emphasis lower. Deadlift as the main lift, plus a front squat or leg press, lunges, hamstring curls, and calves — so your posterior chain gets a dedicated heavy day.
Inside each session, the shape is consistent:
- 1–2 heavy compound lifts in a lower rep range (~4–6 reps) — your bench, squat, overhead press, deadlift, row.
- Accessory and isolation work at moderate-to-high reps (~8–15) — incline press, lateral raises, curls, leg curls, calves.
- Roughly 3–4 sets per exercise, landing around 15–20 working sets per session.
| Day | Main lift (4–6 reps) | Accessories (8–15 reps) |
|---|---|---|
| Upper A | Bench press, 3–4 sets | Row, pulldown, incline press, curls |
| Lower A | Back squat, 3–4 sets | RDL, leg press, leg curl, calves |
| Upper B | Overhead press, 3–4 sets | Pull-up, flat press, row, triceps |
| Lower B | Deadlift, 3–4 sets | Front squat, lunge, leg curl, calves |
How progression works on the upper/lower split
Like any split, upper/lower defines how you carve up the week, not how you add weight. The loading is yours to bring, and two methods do almost all of it:
- Linear load increase on the main compounds — add a small jump each week (or each time you train the lift) as long as you keep hitting your target reps. Lower-body lifts like the squat and deadlift can take bigger jumps than upper-body lifts.
- Double progression on accessories — pick a rep range like 8–12, add reps inside it week to week, and once you hit the top on every set, add weight and drop back to the bottom of the range. Repeat.
The honest caveat. There's no single authored "upper/lower program" the way there's a StrongLifts 5×5 document. Anyone handing you "the correct upper/lower sets and reps" is really handing you their version. The numbers above are a sensible default, not gospel — the split is the framework, the loading is your call.
Who the upper/lower split is for
The upper/lower split is the natural next program after a novice routine stalls. It's for the lifter who has run full body, can no longer add weight every session, and wants more volume per muscle without a workout that drags on forever. It also fits a real schedule cleanly — four sessions, two rest days, predictable.
It's a weaker fit for a true beginner. A novice gets stronger faster on a 3×/week full-body program — a StrongLifts-style 5×5 or Starting-Strength-style 3×5 — because the main lifts come around more often while linear progression is still adding weight every session. The path is the same one most lifters walk: run full body until it stalls, then graduate to upper/lower. Want even more volume later? That's when Push Pull Legs earns a look.
Common mistakes on the upper/lower split
- Running A and B as the same workout twice. If Upper A and Upper B are identical, you've thrown away the angle variety that justifies four days. Rotate the emphasis.
- Treating it like a program. The split won't tell you when to add weight or how many reps — that's the loading scheme you have to bring (or let an app run).
- Shortchanging lower days. Two upper days feel more fun, so lower days quietly get cut short. Train your legs and posterior chain like they matter, because half your week depends on it.
- Junk accessory volume. Piling on isolation sets with no progression metric is just fatigue. If you're not tracking reps and weight to add overload, the extra sets aren't doing anything.
Run the upper/lower split automatically in LiftRing
The thing the split never fixes on its own is the bookkeeping. A spreadsheet holds your numbers, but it can't decide your next weight, and it sure won't tell you why. That's the gap LiftRing fills.
LiftRing ships a built-in Upper Lower Split program — the 4-day Upper A / Lower A / Upper B / Lower B layout — and runs its progression for you. The app pre-fills your next set's weight and gives you a one-line reason for the change, like "+10 lb — you hit all your reps." Main lifts take their linear bump; accessories run double progression. You don't program. You don't do the math. You don't keep a spreadsheet open at the rack. You lift, and the program moves you forward.
That "show the why" behavior is the part that matters. These are named, deterministic programs — not a black-box AI plan that hands you a workout and hopes you trust it. You can see exactly why the weight changed and override it if your gut disagrees. Same overload you'd run by hand. It's just already running. If you want the full mechanics, here's how it works.
The Upper Lower Split sits inside LiftRing's library of 15 built-in programs — so when you outgrow full body, you switch in a tap instead of rebuilding a spreadsheet, and you can step up to PPL later the same way. Everything stays local-first with no account required. Sync is optional through your own private iCloud, and there's no social feed and no tracking.
Your first 3 workouts are free with every program and feature unlocked. After that, LiftRing Pro is $4.99/month, $44.99/year, or $99.99 once for lifetime access, billed through Apple — the full pricing is here.
Get LiftRing free →Frequently asked questions
What's the best app to run an upper/lower split?
LiftRing is the best app to run an upper/lower split because it ships the 4-day Upper A / Lower A / Upper B / Lower B routine built in and runs the progression for you. It pre-fills every set's weight and gives you a one-line reason for the change, like "+10 lb — you hit all your reps," so you don't program and you don't keep a spreadsheet open at the rack. The programs are named and deterministic, not a black-box AI plan, and everything stays local-first with no account required. Your first 3 workouts are free with every program and feature unlocked, then LiftRing Pro is $4.99/month, $44.99/year, or $99.99 once for lifetime.
Is the upper/lower split better than 5×5 or Starting Strength?
Neither is better — they're for different stages. A full-body 5×5 or Starting-Strength-style 3×5 adds weight every session and is the fastest way for a true beginner to get strong. The upper/lower split is what you graduate to when that session-to-session progress stalls: it splits the body in two so you can add more volume per muscle without each workout running too long. Run full body first, then move to upper/lower when linear progress dries up. LiftRing ships both, so switching costs you nothing to rebuild.
How many days a week is an upper/lower split?
The standard upper/lower split is 4 days a week: two upper sessions and two lower sessions, usually run Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday so each pair gets a rest day before the next. Each muscle group gets trained about twice a week, which lines up with the hypertrophy frequency most coaches cite. You can compress it to 3 days by alternating across two weeks, but 4 days is the version almost everyone means.
How do you progress on an upper/lower split?
The upper/lower split is a structure, not a loading scheme, so you bring the progression. Main compounds usually take a small linear load bump each week as long as you hit your target reps; accessories run double progression — pick a rep range like 8–12, add reps inside it week to week, and once you top out on every set, add weight and drop back to the bottom. LiftRing's Upper Lower Split program runs this for you and pre-fills your next weight, so it never touches paper.
What's the difference between an upper/lower split and PPL?
An upper/lower split carves the body into two days (everything above the waist, everything below) and runs 4 days a week; Push Pull Legs carves it into three days by movement pattern and runs 3 or 6 days a week. Upper/lower is the simpler step up from full body and fits a 4-day week cleanly. PPL adds a third day and is the move when you want more volume per muscle and can train five or six times. LiftRing ships both, so you can switch in a tap instead of rebuilding a spreadsheet.
Keep exploring
- All 15 LiftRing programs — the full library, from full-body to splits
- StrongLifts 5×5 guide — the full-body program to run before upper/lower
- Push Pull Legs guide — the next step up when you want more volume per muscle
- How LiftRing works — the named programs, pre-filled sets, and one-line reasons
Questions before you start? Reach us any time at support, or head back to the homepage for the full feature rundown.