Push pull legs vs upper lower: which split to pick
Push pull legs vs upper lower: how each split works, which one fits 3, 4, 5 or 6 training days, sample weeks, and how to pick the one you will stick to.
Choose between push pull legs and upper lower by how many days you can actually train. Upper lower fits four days best, push pull legs fits six, and five days works well as a mix of the two. When weekly sets are equal, neither split builds more muscle by itself, so the right one is the one your week can hold.
The short answer by days per week
| Days per week | Best fit | Times each muscle is trained | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Full body | 3 per week | Push pull legs here trains each muscle only once |
| 4 | Upper lower | 2 per week | The simplest, most forgiving setup |
| 5 | Upper, lower, push, pull, legs | About 2 per week | A hybrid of both splits |
| 6 | Push pull legs, twice | 2 per week | Needs reliable time and good recovery |
If your schedule changes a lot from week to week, pick the split for the number of days you can make on a bad week, not a good one.
What each split is
Upper lower divides the body in two. Upper days train chest, back, shoulders and arms. Lower days train quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Four sessions a week means each muscle is trained twice.
Push pull legs divides the body in three:
- Push: chest, shoulders and triceps.
- Pull: back, biceps and rear shoulders.
- Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
Run once through, that is three sessions and each muscle is trained once. Run twice through, that is six sessions and each muscle is trained twice.
What research says about frequency
The split matters mostly because it sets how often each muscle is trained.
A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues found that training a muscle twice a week led to more growth than once a week. A 2019 meta-analysis by the same group then found that when weekly volume is matched, frequency makes no meaningful difference to growth, and lifters can choose based on preference.
A 2025 meta-regression by Pelland and colleagues looked at 67 studies. It found that the effect of frequency on growth was uncertain and could be negligible, while strength gains did rise with frequency, with diminishing returns.
Put together, a practical rule follows:
- Aim to train each muscle at least twice a week. It makes it easier to fit enough sets without very long sessions.
- If strength on specific lifts matters to you, practicing those lifts more than once a week likely helps.
- Beyond that, choose the split you prefer and can repeat.
Sample weeks
4 days: upper lower
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper | Lower | Rest | Upper | Lower | Rest | Rest |
Make one upper and one lower day heavier, with 5 to 8 reps on the main lifts, and the other pair lighter, with 8 to 15 reps.
6 days: push pull legs twice
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push | Pull | Legs | Push | Pull | Legs | Rest |
Here are sample sessions. Use heavier main lifts in the first half of the week and higher reps in the second.
Push
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 3 | 5–8 | 2–3 min |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Incline dumbbell press | 2 | 8–12 | 90 s |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12–15 | 60 s |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 | 10–12 | 60 s |
Pull
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-up or lat pulldown | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Barbell or chest-supported row | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Seated cable row | 2 | 10–12 | 90 s |
| Face pull | 2 | 12–15 | 60 s |
| Dumbbell curl | 3 | 10–12 | 60 s |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 | 5–8 | 3 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 6–10 | 2–3 min |
| Leg press | 2 | 10–12 | 2 min |
| Leg curl | 3 | 10–12 | 90 s |
| Calf raise | 3 | 10–15 | 60 s |
Each of these takes about 45 to 60 minutes. That is one strength of push pull legs: sessions are focused and fairly short. The cost is that you need six of them.
5 days: the hybrid
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper | Lower | Rest | Push | Pull | Legs | Rest |
This trains most muscles about twice a week in five sessions. Make the upper and lower days heavier and the push, pull and legs days higher in reps.
3 days: why full body usually wins
Push pull legs on three days means each muscle is trained once a week. To get enough weekly sets, each session has to hold all of them, such as 9 or 10 sets for chest on push day. The later sets come when you are already tired, and a missed session means a muscle goes untrained for two weeks.
Full body three times a week spreads the same sets across three sessions instead. For most lifters with three days, it is the better fit.
How to choose the right split for you
Answer these honestly:
- How many days can you make on an ordinary week? Not your best week. If the answer is four, a six-day plan sets you up to miss sessions.
- How long can each session be? Push pull legs sessions are shorter. Upper lower sessions run a bit longer because each one covers more muscles.
- How often does your week change? Upper lower and full body leave rest days to move sessions into. Six-day push pull legs leaves almost no room.
- How well do you recover? Six days of training needs good sleep and enough food. If either is short, fewer sessions usually work better.
- What do you enjoy? Preference counts. The 2019 review above says as much.
Switching between splits
You can switch without losing progress. Keep these the same:
- Your main lifts. Squat, bench, row, deadlift and press stay in the plan.
- Your weekly sets per muscle. Count them before and after. Do not double your volume because you added a day.
- Your working weights. Carry them over and keep using the same rep ranges.
Give any new split at least 8 to 12 weeks before judging it.
Common mistakes
- Picking six days when you average four. The days you miss are often legs, and they fall behind.
- Treating three-day push pull legs as the same as six-day. It trains each muscle half as often.
- Program hopping. Switching splits every few weeks resets your exercise numbers, so you cannot see progress.
- Adding exercises with every new day. More days should spread your sets out, not pile new ones on.
If any lift causes pain rather than normal effort, stop and see a qualified professional.
How RepChief helps
RepChief lets you build and schedule sessions without limits, so you can set up upper lower, push pull legs or a hybrid on the days and times you pick. You log every set and keep your history and personal bests when you switch. With RepChief Pro, Chief, the coach, can build the plan and change it when your week changes.
