Whether you’re looking to gain muscle, lose fat, or make strength gains, you need to organize your training intelligently and stay consistent.
One of the simplest ways to do that is to find a workout split that fits your needs. But what exactly is a “split,” how does it work, and which one should you pick? Let’s discuss.
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What are Workout Splits?
A workout split is a way to organize your weekly training in a logical, sustainable manner. Instead of training everything in each workout, a split dictates what and when you train, how many times you train each muscle, and how many rest days you take.
To be clear, some splits involve training full-body, but most segment training based on movement patterns, specific muscle groups, or fitness goals.
Splits differ from random workouts, where you show up at the gym and simply do what you feel like. They provide structure and support balanced muscle development by giving each body part enough attention.
Splits also differ from traditional strength training programs like 5×5. Instead of dictating exercise selection, loading, rep targets, and progression, splits only provide a framework for organizing your weekly training. Two people could follow the same split, but their actual workouts may look vastly different.
That’s why it’s important to find a split that fits your needs and preferences and then determine details, such as exercise selection, loading, and rest periods, through experience and seeing what works best for you.
Why Workout Splits Exist
A split is a tool for organizing your training to balance stress, recovery time, and progression, leading to better results and less wasted effort. Here are some concrete reasons why:
- Sufficient recovery time – splits organize your training in a way that body parts get enough time to recover after hard sessions. This supports your performance and reduces the risk of overtraining and overuse injuries.
- Volume allocation – splits spread your weekly training into multiple sessions, allowing you to do the necessary number of sets close enough to failure to support muscle growth.
- Training frequency – splits allow you to train each major muscle group once, twice, or even three times per week.
- To fit your schedule and preferences – not everyone can work out a certain number of days, and not everyone likes one workout approach. Luckily, there are numerous splits to organize your training in a way that works with your preferred frequency and leads to enjoyable workouts.
- To match specific workout goals – training for muscle hypertrophy, strength, fat loss, or some mix of these (for example, muscle growth and strength focus) determines the best frequency, exercise selection, and loading. Splits help you organize your training in a way that makes the most sense for your goal.
In short, splits exist to address different needs and constraints.
The Main Types of Workout Splits
Upper/Lower Body Splits
An upper lower split is one where you have distinct upper body and lower body sessions. On upper days, you focus on the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and core; on lower days, you do leg exercises for the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
This split provides balanced frequency for upper- and lower-body muscles and is ideal if you train two, four, or six times per week.
Upper/lower can also work as a powerbuilding split, where you focus on muscle growth and strength gains simultaneously. One popular variation is the power hypertrophy upper lower split (PHUL), which typically involves two strength-focused and two muscle-growth-focused workouts each week.
Push Pull Legs (PPL) Splits
Push pull legs is mostly a movement-based split, where you do three distinct workouts:
- Push – train multiple muscle groups involved in pressing: the chest, shoulders, and triceps
- Pull – train the muscles involved in pulling, rowing, and curling motions: the back, biceps, and forearms
- Legs – train the lower body: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves
This gym routine works well on a 3-day frequency, but it’s also suitable for people who want to train six days a week.
Body Part/Bro Splits
A body part split, also known as a bro split, is one where each workout revolves around one or two muscles – for example, back day, chest day, arm day, leg day, and shoulder day.
These splits are typically high in overall frequency (training four to six days a week) but low in per-muscle frequency, since each body part is trained directly once per week.
While often criticized for not being ‘optimal,’ bro splits have been and continue to be popular in bodybuilding culture. Even all-time great bodybuilders like Arnold have used variations of the body part split.
Powerbuilding and Hybrid Goal-Based Splits
Powerbuilding splits focus on strength development and muscle mass gain. The power hypertrophy upper lower (PHUL) split is a common approach. With it, you have two strength-focused workouts, an upper and a lower one, and two muscle-building sessions.
Such an approach is great for anyone who wants to split their training, with dedicated heavy days for compound lifts and lighter days for assistance and isolation work.
Full Body & Mixed Splits
A full body split is an approach where you do a full body workout each time you’re at the gym. Whether you train two, three, or five days a week, you always do at least some exercises for the upper and lower body.
Full body training is a good option for beginners and trainees limited on time because it allows you to spread your training more evenly, train each muscle more than once per week, and keep soreness at bay by targeting major muscles more frequently but less intensely. For instance, if you want to train three times per week, a full body plan works great.
Mixed splits are those that include workouts from other splits, typically to work better for a specific frequency or to add extra volume for some muscles.
The push pull legs upper lower split is a popular mixed that works well for intermediates on a 5-day frequency. In contrast, the upper lower full body split is more suited for beginners and those who can only train three days a week.
Workout Splits by Training Days Per Week
1-Day Workout Split
Here’s a basic overview of a 1-day split:
- Main benefit – you only train once per week and can make small progress, or at least maintain some of your fitness.
- Who it’s for – people who can’t possibly dedicate more than one day to training.
- More suited for goal – it’s generally best for maintaining some muscle and strength, but can also lead to progress if you push hard enough and do more sets.
- Split options – full body.
2-3 Day Workout Splits
Here is a basic overview of 2-day and 3-day splits:
- Main benefit – time efficient while allowing you to get enough quality sets for progress.
- Who it’s for – beginners, more advanced but busy trainees, and those who prioritize consistency over total volume.
- More suited for goal – fat loss, but can also work if you want to get stronger and build muscle.
- Split options – full body, push pull legs, upper lower, and upper lower full body.
4-5 Day Workout Splits
Here is a basic overview of 4-day and 5-day splits:
- Main benefit – both frequencies give you enough time to do plenty of exercises and sets while not being too demanding, so long as you take good care of your nutrition and sleep well.
- Who it’s for – intermediate and advanced lifters who take their training seriously.
- More suited for goal – muscle and strength gain, but can also work for fat loss (particularly a 4-day split with moderate volume).
- Split options – upper lower, PHUL, push pull legs, body part workout split, full body, and push pull legs upper lower.
6-8 Day High-Frequency Splits
Here is an overview of 6-day, 7-day, and 8-day splits:
- Main benefit – excellent volume distribution, allowing you to have relatively short sessions (45 minutes or less) while still doing plenty of productive work to make progress.
- Who it’s for – intermediate and advanced lifters who don’t mind training daily and prefer shorter workouts.
- More suited for goal – muscle growth, but can also be effective in specialization phases, such as doing some lifts (like the bench press or pull ups) more often to build strength.
- Split options – upper lower, push pull legs, body part/bro split, and some mixed splits
How to Choose the Right Workout Split for You
There’s no such thing as “the best workout split” because it’s context-specific. The best training split for you is one you enjoy, can stick to, and can make steady progress with. Here are a few factors to keep in mind:
- Training experience – a beginner will typically benefit from a simpler, lower-frequency split, such as a 3-day full-body one. This is a good frequency to do enough quality training that’s also relatively easy to stick with.
In contrast, a more advanced trainee would benefit from a higher-frequency split, such as a 4-, 5-, or even 6-day one. Upper lower, full body, and push pull legs upper lower are three great opinions. - How often you can train – this is a relatively simple one, but if you can only work out two or three times per week, stick with full body, upper lower, or push pull legs.
It’s better to be consistent on a lower frequency than to constantly skip workouts because you can’t make it to the gym. - Days available during the week – this is slightly different, but still worth considering. For example, if you need to work out on back-to-back days, it’s better to focus on different muscle groups, such as with an upper lower or push pull legs. So:
2-day back-to-back: upper lower
3-day back-to-back: push pull legs
However, you can afford to train the same muscle groups if you work out every other day – for example, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Here, a full body program would work just fine. - Primary goal – if you mostly care about muscle gain, pick a split based on the previous three criteria we discussed. If your main goal is strength gain and you’re beyond the beginner stage, consider a split like the 4-day power hypertrophy upper lower (PHUL).
Lastly, if you want to lose fat, consider doing less overall training but at a high enough intensity to maintain strength. This means a frequency of 3-4 days per week: three if you’re a beginner or early intermediate and four if you’re intermediate or advanced.
Again, the exact split you go with will depend on your frequency and available days. - Preferences – pick a split you genuinely enjoy because that will play a big role in your motivation and adherence.
Explore Each Workout Split in Detail
As mentioned, there isn’t a single best split or workout routine because people have different goals, preferences, and schedules. Go for a split that fits your needs, allows you to train consistently, and leads to small but consistent improvements.
For a deeper breakdown of each split discussed above, including specific workout structures, weekly layouts, tips, and variations, read our guides below.
By Structure
By Number of Training Days
- 2-Day Workout Split
- 3-Day Workout Split
- 4-Day Workout Split
- 5-Day Workout Split
- 6-Day Workout Split
- 7-Day Workout Split
- 8-Day Workout Split
Lastly, download Hevy – a simple workout tracker to save your splits, log workouts easily, and track important metrics like sets per muscle and your performance on individual exercises.
Hevy – Workout Tracker
Create and log your workout with Hevy and track your progress
FAQ
1. Can I switch workout splits over time?
Of course. Splits are simply ways to organize your training, and you’re free to switch them over time if your circumstances change or you simply want to try something new.
2. Is the goal to go from a low-frequency split to a high-frequency one?
Not necessarily. While many trainees start from a lower-frequency split and transition to a high-frequency one as they become more advanced, you can stick to a specific frequency (say, a 3- or 4-day one) throughout your lifting journey and make progress, so long as you train hard, apply an overload, and recover well.
3. Does fat loss require a specific workout split?
The goal of training during fat loss is mainly to maintain muscle while shedding weight. For most people, this means reducing the overall volume (number of exercises and sets) and training less frequently (say, going from five to four or four to three weekly workouts). That said, you don’t need a specific split for superior fat loss.
