You want to know which is better between an upper lower vs push pull legs split, right?
The upper lower split has a higher training frequency and prioritizes compound exercises, which makes it better suited to beginners. The push pull legs split has slightly less training frequency, but allows you to more thoroughly and proportionately develop individual muscle groups. This makes it better suited to intermediate and advanced lifters.
Let’s dive deep into the pros and cons of each split.
Check out this video from fitness YouTuber Michael Marmina for an excellent analysis of an Upper Lower split vs Push Pull split:
Upper Lower Splits: God’s Gift to Strength Training
Pop quiz: What’s the one type of training split used by athletes, bodybuilders, and powerlifters?
(A): Bro splits
(B): PPL splits
(C): Upper lower splits
(D): Banana splits
If you answered C, pat yourself on the back and enjoy a banana split!
Upper lower splits are versatile enough to be used in several completely different athletic endeavors. And that goes to show how effective they can be when done right. After 13 years of training, I’ve found upper lower splits to be my personal favorite. And the most effective. For me at least.
It’ll probably come as no surprise that an upper lower split is divided into two training days: upper and lower.
In almost every case (except for raw beginners), it is best to split each type of session into “A” and “B”. So, you would have an “Upper Body (A)” day, and an “Upper Body (B)” day. And the same goes for lower body.
Now, let’s see what a well-planned upper lower split looks like.
What Does an Upper Lower Split Look like?
There are several ways you can space out the training days, but I’ve found this to be the most effective:
Sunday – Off
Monday – Upper Body A
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – Lower Body A
Thursday – Upper Body B
Friday – Off
Saturday – Lower Body B
Now let’s look at the types of exercises we’re going to be performing each day.
Upper Body A
Back – Bent over barbell row
Chest – Incline dumbbell bench press
Shoulders – Dumbbell lateral raise
Traps – Dumbbell shrug
Biceps – Incline dumbbell curl
Triceps – Band pushdown
Lower Body A
Quads – Back Squat
Hamstrings – Cable or band pull throughs
Calves – Standing calf raises
Abs – Kneeling band or cable crunches
Upper Body B
Shoulders – Military press
Back – Dead hang weighted pull ups
Chest – Dumbbell floor press
Rear delts – Face pull
Biceps/forearms – Hammer curl
Triceps – EZ curl bar rolling triceps extension
Lower Body B
Hamstrings – RDL (Romanian Deadlift)
Quads – Dumbbell lunge
Calves – Seated calf raise
Abs – Ab circuit
Pro Tip #1: Have a specific training emphasis for your ‘A’ and ‘B’ days. For example, your ‘A’ day might be for heavy lifting. And the ‘B’ day would be for lighter, higher rep training. Or you could do one day with dumbbells, and the next with barbells. You catch my drift.
Pro Tip #2: The choice and order of exercises for each day is also important. Take a look at Upper Body (A) and then Upper Body (B). For ‘A’ you are doing back, then chest, and then shoulders. For ‘B’ you are doing shoulders, then back, and then chest. Changing up the order makes sure you are not devoting too much attention to one muscle group. You have to spread the love around.
What’s so Great About an Upper Lower Split?
Training Frequency Matters – And Upper Lower Splits Get it Right
Why does training frequency matter?
There’s been a lot of research done on training frequency in recent years. And it suggests higher frequency has benefits for strength, and to a lesser extent, hypertrophy (muscle growth). Though, this benefit seems to be greater in untrained individuals (i.e. beginners) than trained individuals.
Upper lower splits hit the frequency sweet spot, training each muscle group twice a week.
It isn’t excessive. This is contrary to total body training, where you hit each muscle group a whopping three times a week! And, if you have a bad training day on an upper lower split, you only have to wait 3-4 days to hit that muscle again. Unlike with bro splits, where you have to wait a week or so.
Therefore, upper lower splits reap the benefits of higher frequency without overdoing it.
Upper Lower Splits and Beginners: A Love Story
Let’s be honest. Beginners suck. That’s why they’re beginners, right?
They don’t know how to properly work a muscle. It takes time to develop the famous “mind-muscle connection”. And there’s no chance beginners are going to be able to exhaust muscle groups efficiently. Because of this, upper lower splits don’t ask them to. They simply require beginners to focus on 1-2 big exercises per muscle group per week.
Beginners also lack the necessary neuromuscular adaptations in order to make strength gains. And developing these adaptations is critical.
And this is where upper lower splits shine again. By allowing newbies to hit the same exercise twice a week and thus hasten their neuromuscular adaptations. When you are able to hone in on a few basic exercises, you are able to quickly develop technical capabilities quickly. And technique and form are king.
Well-designed upper lower splits put emphasis on big, compound exercises like:
- Squats
- Military Presses
- Rows
- Pull-ups
You aren’t doing 3-4 exercises per muscle group on an upper lower split. Because of this, you need to choose the best bang-for-your-buck exercises. And these basic exercises are the ones beginners need to focus on the most.
Why Upper Lower Splits Make it Easy for Your Muscles to Recover
“Stimulate, don’t annihilate.”
Lee Haney (8x Mr. Olympia)
You ever had one of those brutal leg workouts where you can’t walk right for like a week?
Yeah, they’re not fun. And thankfully, with upper lower splits, you won’t have to worry about that. Because there’s no need to destroy each muscle group every time you’re in the gym. And this gives your muscles greater ability to recover. Cause screw not walking. I want to be able to get up from my computer chair without reeling in pain!
A lot of people overdo training volume and cut into their recovery. And this limits their gains.
But it’s much smarter to focus on a smaller amount of exercise (per muscle group). And work them a little more often.
Looking for a Solid Upper Lower Split?
One of my favorite all-time routines is Westside for Skinny Bastards. Check it out:
Summary:
• Good frequency, able to hit each muscle group twice a week
• Places emphasis on big, compound exercises
• Good for beginners to develop form and neuromuscular adaptations
• Allows for plenty of muscle recovery
Art of the Push Pull Legs Split
A push pull legs split (or PPL) is a weight training routine in which one day is dedicated to pushing exercises (chest, shoulders, triceps), one day to pulling exercises (back, biceps), and one day to leg exercises (quads, hamstrings, calves).
The PPL split is one of the classic bodybuilding routines that has been around for ages. It’s a testament to its effectiveness.
Unlike an upper lower split, which is pretty straightforward, the PPL has many variations. For example, you can choose to do each workout one time per week, which puts you in the gym three days a week.
Or you can choose to do a rotating PPL, which puts you in the gym 4-5 days a week. And then there is the classic three days on, one day off, rinse and repeat, which puts you in the gym a whopping 5-6 days a week.
Since I never recommend anyone train 6 days a week (and 5 is pushing it), whereas three days might not be optimal for many people, let’s go with the rotating PPL 4-5 days a week version. In this version, one week you will be in the gym 4 days and the next week you will be in the gym 5 days. Each workout will have different exercises and perhaps a different training emphasis (ex. heavy vs light).
As in the Upper Lower split, we will be using the same “A” and “B” breakdown to separate each type of day (push, pull, or legs) from each other and have a different point of emphasis.
Let’s look at what a sample PPL routine might look like:
What Does a Push Pull Legs Split Look like?
Week 1
Sunday – Push A
Monday – Pull A
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – Legs A
Thursday – Off
Friday – Push B
Saturday – Pull B
Week 2
Sunday – Off
Monday – Legs B
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday -Push A
Thursday – Pull A
Friday – Off
Saturday – Legs A
Week 3
Sunday – Off
Monday – Push B
Tuesday – Pull B
Wednesday – Off
Thursday – Legs B
Friday – Off
Saturday – Push A
Now let’s see the types of exercises we’d be performing each day.
Push A
Chest – Incline dumbbell bench press
Chest – Band pullover
Shoulders – Seated dumbbell shoulder press
Shoulders – Seated dumbbell lateral raise
Triceps – Overhead dumbbell extension
Pull A
Back – Dead hang weighted pull up
Back – Seated cable row
Rear Delts – Seated bent over fly
Biceps – Barbell curl
Legs A
Quads – Back squat
Hamstrings – Cable or band pull through
Calves – Standing calf raise
Abs – Kneeling band or cable crunches
Push B
Shoulders – Military press
Shoulders – Band front raise
Chest – Dumbbell floor press
Chest – Dumbbell floor fly
Triceps – Band pushdown
Pull B
Back – Pendlay row
Back – Lat pulldown
Traps – Dumbbell shrug
Biceps – Dumbbell preacher curl
Legs B
Hamstrings – RDL (Romanian Deadlift)
Quads – Dumbbell lunge
Calves – Seated calf raise
Abs – Ab circuit
As we can see, there is a lot of exercise variation here, but less exercises performed per workout than the upper lower split. Just like in the upper lower split, the structure of an A day vs B day might change. For example, I put shoulders first on the second push B day because we are doing the military press, which is a big, priority lift.
Another thing here is you should feel free to switch up the order of exercises. Some people like to do it like I’ve laid out here, hitting all chest, then shoulders, then triceps. Some people like to alternate muscle groups, hitting chest, then shoulders, then chest, then shoulders, and then triceps. It’s all personal preference.
Why Are Push Pull Legs Splits so Amazing?
Give Your Muscles the Love and Attention They Deserve
In a PPL, you will be hitting each muscle group once or twice a week, depending on the week. This type of split allows you to perform a wide variety of exercises, which is really good for bodybuilding purposes since it allows you to develop all aspects of your physique in proportion.
Each session is dedicated to only a few muscle groups, so you are able to work each one a bit more thoroughly. Because of the increased exercises per muscle group, you are able to thoroughly fatigue them. The increase in training volume per muscle group will generally lead to an increase in hypertrophy.
For a bodybuilder, designing your split around specific muscle groups is probably better idea. It allows you to increase or decrease volume effectively, and as needed, for specific muscle groups.
Push Pull Legs Splits Just Want to Have Fun
Another advantage is the simplicity of each day. Push, pull, and legs just makes things really simple. You know exactly what muscle groups to target for that day. There are also only 4-5 exercises per day, which allows you to get in and out of the gym pretty fast.
This type of split is just fun to do. You get to have the variation of working a muscle group with a bunch of different exercises, but you’re not spending hours in the gym. And, if you like training 5 days a week, then this split will be exciting for you.
Looking to go even deeper into the different types of PPL splits you can do? Check out this in-depth article breaking it all down from A Workout Routine
Summary:
• Wide variety of exercises to perform
• Can work each muscle group more thoroughly
• Daily workouts are simple and organized
• Less exercises each day means less time spent in the gym
Upper Lower vs Push Pull Legs: Showdown
Now, let’s take a look at how the upper lower split compares to the PPL.
| Upper Lower | PPL |
|---|---|
| 4 days in the gym | 4-5 days in the gym |
| Muscles hit 2x a week | Muscles hit 1-2x a week |
| Moderate exercise variety | High exercise variety |
| Long workouts | Short to moderate length workouts |
| Heavy focus on compound lifts | Moderate focus on compound lifts |
| Light focus on each muscle | Fairly heavy focus on each muscle |
Now we know how an upper lower split and PPL stack up in terms of their benefits. We can see from the table what the drawbacks might be.
Upper Lower Split Drawbacks:
- Not able to fully train each muscle group
- Less exercise variety
- Doing big lifts all the time can be mentally draining (especially if lifting heavy)
- Workouts can get a bit messy and long, trying to cram so many muscle groups into one day
PPL Split Drawbacks:
- Frequency of training per muscle group is less
- Not as many big, compound movements meaning it is less beginner friendly
- Due to higher volume per muscle group, recovery and DOMS for each one can be challenging
- Weekly schedule is a bit messy and difficult to manage, as it’s constantly changing
Now… it’s Time to Choose
Overall, there are great reasons to do both an upper lower split and a PPL split. The upper lower split is better suited to beginners and those with less time on their hands, whereas the PPL may be better suited to more advanced lifters and bodybuilders who want to focus on specific muscle groups.
Both routines will produce results so long as you work hard, work smart, aim to improve, and eat right.
Want to know what type of sets to use to build quality muscle? Check out this post on Straight Sets vs Ramping Sets
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