The upper/lower split is the classic 4-day split — two upper-body days, two lower-body days, every muscle group trained twice a week. Here's how to structure Upper A, Lower A, Upper B and Lower B, how to program sets and reps, and how to build it in LiftHero.
By Meitar Lazimi · Updated July 2026
In short: The upper/lower split is a strength-training routine that alternates upper-body and lower-body sessions across four training days — commonly Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B, run Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday. Because there are two upper and two lower days, each muscle group gets trained about twice a week, a strong balance of frequency, volume and recovery that makes it a favourite for intermediate lifters. You can set up your upper/lower split in LiftHero for free — save Upper A, Lower A, Upper B and Lower B as reusable routines (no routine cap) and rotate through them, or start from a built-in program, with unlimited routines, supersets, warm-up and drop-set tracking, and automatic personal-record detection, free on iOS with no interruptive ads. Or assemble the whole thing as a guided multi-week program with the custom program builder in Hero.
The upper/lower split organizes training into two day types — upper (chest, back, shoulders, arms) and lower (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves) — and runs each one twice over a four-day week. The most common layout labels them Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B, typically trained Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with rest days breaking up the load.
The reason it's so popular with intermediates is frequency. Splitting the body in half means every muscle group shows up twice a week instead of once — and training a muscle roughly every 2–4 days tends to favour growth when weekly volume is matched. At the same time, four training days leaves three rest days, so recovery rarely becomes the bottleneck. It's the balance point between the low frequency of a bro split and the high demand of a 6-day push pull legs routine.
The trick that keeps two upper days and two lower days from feeling repetitive is differentiating the A and B versions. A clean convention makes the A days horizontal- and squat-focused and the B days vertical- and hinge-focused, so you train the same muscles from different angles across the week. Here's a sample week:
| Upper A (Mon) | Lower A (Tue) | Upper B (Thu) | Lower B (Fri) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | Back squat | Overhead press | Deadlift |
| Barbell row | Romanian deadlift | Pull-up or lat pulldown | Leg press |
| Incline DB press | Leg press or lunge | Seated cable row | Walking lunge |
| Lateral raises | Leg curl | Lateral raises | Leg curl |
| Triceps pushdown | Calf raise | Biceps curl | Calf raise + core |
The split gives you the structure; sets, reps and progression do the actual work. A simple, durable scheme looks like this:
The right split is mostly a function of how many days a week you can train and recover:
| Split | Days/week | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Upper / Lower | 4 | Balanced frequency on a 4-day week; the intermediate default |
| Push Pull Legs | 3–6 | Frequency + volume; intermediates who can train 5–6 days |
| Full Body | 3 | Beginners and busy lifters; high frequency, low per-session volume |
| Bro Split | 5 | One muscle group per day; isolation focus, lower frequency |
On four days, upper/lower is the cleaner fit than PPL — it still hits every muscle twice a week without demanding a fifth or sixth session. If you can only train three days, a full-body routine keeps frequency high; if you can train five or six, push pull legs gives you more quality volume per muscle group.
LiftHero doesn't lock you into a fixed template. For free, you can save each day as its own reusable routine — Upper A, Lower A, Upper B and Lower B — each with supersets, warm-up sets, drop sets and tempo, with no routine cap on the free tier, then rotate through them across the week. Prefer to start from something ready-made? Run one of the structured programs LiftHero ships with — 5/3/1, Starting Strength, Push Pull Legs, Texas Method and Madcow 5×5 — or copy a program a Hero member has shared. And if you want the whole split stitched into one guided, multi-week plan, the custom program builder in Hero assembles it for you.
Whatever you build, LiftHero logs the full vocabulary of serious training — sets, reps, supersets, RPE — and detects personal records automatically, so every upper and lower day stacks into a progress trend you can watch over time. It's free on iOS (Android is coming), with no interruptive ads. LiftHero logs and tracks your training and lets you save your own routines for free; it doesn't auto-program for you or connect to wearables.
Unlimited routines, deep set logging and built-in programs like 5/3/1, Starting Strength and Push Pull Legs — free in LiftHero. Add the custom program builder any time with Hero.
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It's a 4-day routine that alternates upper-body and lower-body sessions — commonly Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B. Two upper and two lower days mean every muscle group is trained about twice a week, balancing frequency, volume and recovery.
Yes. Four days is enough to train every muscle group twice a week, which research on training frequency tends to favour for growth when weekly volume is matched. Upper/lower fits four days cleanly and leaves three days to recover.
Upper/lower fits a 4-day week and spreads frequency across two day types; push pull legs spreads across three and rewards a 5–6 day week with more per-session volume. Pick upper/lower for 3–4 days, PPL for 5–6.
A common approach makes Upper A horizontal-focused — flat bench and barbell row, extra triceps — and Upper B vertical-focused — overhead press and pull-up, extra biceps. That trains the same muscles from different angles across the week.
Upper days use a horizontal press (bench), a vertical press (overhead press), a horizontal pull (barbell row), a vertical pull (pull-up or lat pulldown), plus arms. Lower days use a squat, a hip hinge (deadlift or Romanian deadlift), a leg press or lunge, plus hamstring, calf and core work.
Use progressive overload — add reps within your target range, then add weight — and track weekly volume per muscle group across your two upper and two lower sessions. LiftHero logs sets, reps, RPE and personal records so it's in the charts, not guesswork.
The upper/lower split is a widely used training convention, not a proprietary program. LiftHero lets you save your own upper/lower routines for free and ships built-in programs like 5/3/1, Starting Strength and Push Pull Legs, credited on the Program Credits page; the custom program builder for guided multi-week plans is part of the optional Hero subscription. This guide is educational and not medical advice — consult a qualified professional before starting any program.
By Meitar Lazimi, founder of LiftHero · Last updated July 1, 2026.