Why An Upper Lower Split for Hypertrophy Won’t FAIL!

Do you want a simple routine which actually builds muscle?

Broadly, there are four types of routines one can do for hypertrophy (muscle growth):

Total body training
Upper lower splits
Push pull leg splits
Bro splits (body part splits)

So, what makes an upper lower split for hypertrophy so effective? There are six unique benefits you need to know about.

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What Does an Upper Lower Split for Hypertrophy Look Like?

Just so we’re on the same page, let’s look at an example of an upper lower split for hypertrophy:

Here are two clever ways of dividing your training days across an entire week:

Sunday – Off
Monday – Upper Body (A)
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – Lower Body (A)
Thursday – Upper Body (B)
Friday – Off
Saturday – Lower Body (B)

Sunday – Off
Monday – Lower Body (A)
Tuesday – Upper Body (A)
Wednesday – Off
Thursday – Lower Body (B)
Friday – Upper Body (B)
Saturday – Off

Now that we’re on the same page with what an upper lower split looks like, it’s time to explain just why they are so good for hypertrophy.

6 Benefits of an Upper Lower Split for Hypertrophy

#1 – Why Training Frequency Matters and How Upper Lower Splits Get it Right

Training frequency is sort of like the abortion debate of the bodybuilding world.

The total-body-training fanatics are convinced they are on a holy crusade to save the world from bro splits. And the bro split crowd just wants the right to do endless sets of chest and biceps without being told what they can or cannot do with their bodies. And both of them have points.

Enter the upper lower split.

Providing the perfect middle ground of training frequency and individual attention to muscle groups, it is a bridge for both groups to meet on. But what exactly are the benefits of increased training frequency? Well…

According to several studies, higher training frequencies lead to 20-23% faster strength gains, and increased strength eventually leads to increased hypertrophy
Training frequency does appear to have significant hypertrophy benefits for untrained lifters, but only marginal benefits for trained lifters

Despite these benefits, we have to consider the downsides of increased training frequency as well, such as:

Less time for each muscle group to recover
Less attention to each individual muscle group

Like I said, the upper lower split for hypertrophy takes the middle ground. With total body training, you are training each muscle group three times a week. With bro splits, it is usually once a week. And with the upper lower, it is twice a week. Push pull legs can be either once or twice a week.

Let’s take one end of the spectrum: the bro split, which represents low frequency.

You have two days out of the week to hit each muscle group with an upper lower split. With a bro split, you have one chance every week to “get it right”. So, with an upper lower, there’s less reason to go in and utterly destroy the muscle group. This is because you will have the chance to hit it again in just a few short days. If you have a bad day at the gym or just aren’t “feeling it”, you don’t have to wait an entire week to hit it again, like you do with a bro split.

Now, on the other end of the spectrum, you have total body training.

This is a case where more is not necessarily better. Many people (including myself) find it difficult to maintain training the same muscle groups a whopping three times per week. It’s just a lot of stress on the same muscle groups and joints. Reducing the frequency a bit can really reduce that stress and lead to more long term progress (and less overuse-related injuries as well).

Upper lower splits hit the sweet spot and reap the benefits of moderate training frequency without suffering the negatives of total body training.

Summary

Several studies indicate increased training frequency has strength benefits and other studies indicate hypertrophy benefits for untrained lifters
There are downsides to increased frequency, such as less recovery time and attention to each muscle group
Upper lower splits moderate training frequency capitalizes on the benefits of increased frequency without suffering the drawbacks of overly frequent training

#2 – Upper Lower Splits: A Newbie’s Best Friend

What split allows you to hit the same exercise multiple times a week without overdoing it?

If you answered, “upper lower split”, give yourself a pat on the back!

I know those three-day total body training routines, like Starting Strength or Stronglifts are in vogue, but it just doesn’t strike me as smart for most newbies to be squatting three times a week. Unless you have an experienced lifter there to monitor your form 24/7, there’s too much room for error (and injury). You don’t want to ingrain bad technique early on.

And bro splits are out the window. There’s too much time in between each muscle group to learn the techniques quickly and efficiently. And beginners just don’t know how to fully exhaust muscle groups anyways.

Again, upper lower splits for hypertrophy win out by offering the sensible “middle path” option.

Beginners aren’t overloaded with the same, big, compound exercises three times a week. Yet, they are training them enough to efficiently learn and get good at these big exercises. Again, without being overwhelmed.

Summary

Upper lower splits allow beginners to slowly work on the technical aspects of the big lifts rather than developing bad habits quickly (as may happen with total body training)
Beginners can’t effectively exhaust muscle groups, so having the opportunity to hit them twice a week in an upper lower split is a good idea

#3 – Free Your Mind: The Simplicity of the Upper Lower Split

Growing big muscles doesn’t have to be complicated.

In fact, the more complicated you make it, the more stressful and less effective it will often become. I always fall back on upper lower splits as my default routine precisely because of this. Two days dedicated to half your body, and another two days dedicated to the other half. No overly-complicated pairings of muscle groups or trying to fit working out your entire body into a single day.

To make it even more simple for you, I’ve provided this basic template which you can use to create your own routine:

Upper (A)

Pressing Exercise (Chest or Shoulders)
Lat Exercise (Rows, Pull-Ups, Pulldowns)
Shoulder Exercise
Traps
Biceps
Triceps

Lower (A)

Deadlift or Squat
Quad or Hamstring Exercise
Calf Exercise
Abs

Upper (B)

Lat Exercise (Rows or Weighted Pull-ups)
Pressing Exercise (Chest or Shoulders)
Chest Exercise
Rear Delts
Triceps
Biceps

Lower (B)

Deadlift or Squat
Quad or Hamstring Exercise
Calf Exercise
Abs

You simply plug in your favorite exercises and execute. Refer to the sample upper lower split image I provided above for examples of exercises.

Also, notice how I shifted the focus and order of each day slightly. For example, Upper (A) focuses on pressing as the main movement for the day, whereas Upper (B) shifts the focus to the lats. This provides balance in your routine, and makes sure you are giving the right amount of attention to all your muscle groups.

I did the same thing by splitting both upper body days so one is more focused on shoulders and one is more focused on chest.

And for legs, one day is focused on deadlifts, with the other day focused on squats. Whether you choose a quad or hamstring exercise as your secondary movement will depend on whether you squatted or deadlifted that day. If you squatted, then you will do a hamstring exercise. If you deadlifted, you’ll do a quad exercise.

Remember: these are just guidelines to ensure balance and simplicity in your routine.

Summary

Upper lower splits simplify training by allotting two days to each half of your body
Refer to the template above for an incredibly simple and balanced way to use an upper lower split

#4 – Muscular Recovery is Stupidly EASY With Upper Lower Splits

How easy is it to recover a muscle group when you have seven full days?

Pretty damn easy. Maybe a bit too easy. Unless you’re doing ridiculous amounts of training volume per muscle group, pretty much anyone can recover from a workout in seven days and be ready to train that muscle group again.

Upper lower splits generally give you three to four days to recover a particular muscle group before training it again.

And the volume per muscle group is lower than it would be on a once-per-week model, so you don’t need anymore time than three to four days. Yet, this still offers a high enough training frequency to reap all the benefits involved with increased frequency.

What about training muscle groups more often? Like three times a week as in total body training.

Like I said before, I just don’t like the idea of squatting (or something equivalent) three times a week. My muscles would not take to that for any long period of time. Upper lower splits for hypertrophy again offer us the sweet spot in the middle.

Just enough time to reap the benefits of increased frequency, and not too much so as to limit yourself.

Summary

Upper lower splits make it extremely difficult to overwork muscles by training them twice a week (provided volume is not too high)

#5 – Upper Lower Splits End the Compound vs Isolation Debate

Ah, the other age old debate in bodybuilding: compound vs isolation exercises.

The truth is you need both compound and isolation exercises to achieve maximal hypertrophy gains. The only exception is raw beginners. These guys (and gals) need to simply focus on the big exercises and establish a solid foundation of technique.

Compound exercises generally take precedence in upper lower splits for hypertrophy, and for good reason. These exercises target the most amount of muscle (and, therefore, yield the most results).

Still though, there is room in an upper lower split for plenty of isolation work.

For bodybuilding purposes, keeping your muscles in proportion does require specific attention to each muscle group. And, while it won’t be as much attention as on a bro split, there’s still enough to get a solid amount of work in.

Summary

Upper lower splits put an emphasis on compound exercises, but still include enough isolation work to round out your training and physique.

#6 – Upper Lower Splits Have a Proven Track Record of Success

Don’t believe me?

Here are four examples of ultra-famous programs which have turned many a man into hulking brutes:

How many people have gotten absolutely jacked off of these four routines alone? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Dare I say… hundreds of thousands? Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. But you get my point.

Of course, having a proven track record doesn’t in and of itself mean it’s the best way to train.

But it is another data point in the argument for the effectiveness of upper lower splits for hypertrophy.

Summary

There are several famous upper lower split routines which have countless testimonials from people who got strong and jacked on them. Refer to the links above for some examples.