Advanced Upper Lower Split Workout Plan (with PDF)

No matter which exercise regimen you choose, it will enhance your strength and muscle mass to some extent. But the results will depend on the efficiency of your workout plan. Many trainers believe that their workout routine is better, some believe that all workout plan leads to same result. Why place trust in mere beliefs when we have results and research that proves there are ways of training which are better than others.

Other workout plans have their advantages, but if you want to gain the most efficiently, you should think about using the upper-lower split workout plan. With the upper-lower split, you split your training into two groups: one for upper body and one for lower body.

Bro split workouts, which focus on one muscle group in a session, limit you to a maximum of one session per week for each muscle group. This might provide 6 days to recover which is more than needed and in fact decelerates the progress. On the other hand, with upper body lower body split you can train one muscle group more than once a week, that greatly accelerate the muscle hypertrophy.

Breaking your workouts into upper and lower body sessions helps you work on different sets of muscles more often, more than once a week. Studies have found that exercising the same muscle groups more than once a week leads to better results. Having more than one session per week for each muscle group enables you to both increase the intensity of each session and the frequency of your training.

Higher training volume along with high frequency results in more muscle growth. Thus, for overall strength and mass gains, upper lower split is more effective than many other alternatives.

There are mainly 3 things that induce increase in muscle size; that are, mechanical tension, muscle damage and, metabolic stress. Mechanical tension is nothing but the tension developed in the muscles while lifting weights. With upper lower workout you can focus more on heavy lifts.

It makes sense to opt for an upper-lower split in bodybuilding. The chemical by-products resulting from anaerobic metabolism, known as metabolic stress, contribute to 25% of hypertrophy. The increased metabolic stress due to higher workout intensity and frequency is what benefits you when you follow upper lower split for mass gains. 

What is an Upper Lower Split Workout?

The idea behind the upper/lower split workout is easy to understand. You just split your training into two groups: one for working on your upper body muscles and another for your lower body.

In an upper-lower split, you don’t do both upper body and lower body exercises in the same session. Instead, you focus on either upper or lower workouts on one day and then switch to the other on the next day.

Upper Body Muscle Groups

The upper body day consists of exercises targeting upper body muscle groups namely; chest, shoulders, triceps, and biceps, middle and upper back. Do not include any exercise that targets lower body muscle groups.

Lower Body Muscle Groups

In lower body day you will be doing the workouts to target lower body muscle groups. The muscles you are targeting would be; quads, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals, lower back and calves. You have the option to switch lower back and abs exercises to upper body days.

How Upper Lower Split Maximizes Workout Frequency?

To get better muscle growth you need to optimize your training frequency. It is said and proven that high frequency training will yield higher muscle growth. The traditional workout programs that target one muscle group per day and one week recovery for the muscles trained, does not allow you to squeeze in higher frequency.

Training only one muscle group per day means it takes more than a week before you cycle back to training the same muscle group again.

Studies indicate that weightlifting enhances aspects of metabolism, and this effect lasts for about 2 days. Traditional training programs often involve longer rest periods than necessary, potentially underutilizing this metabolic boost.

With upper/lower split routines, you typically train each muscle every two days. This approach ensures that you train a muscle again when the anabolic activity of that muscle group is still at an elevated level. And research shows that muscle recovery takes place in 48 hours and the same muscle can be trained without any loss of strength after that period.

Training a muscle group every 48 hours, rather than waiting a whole week, enables you to lift heavier weights while still allowing ample time for recovery. This maximizes workout frequency to an optimum level.

Optimizing Training Volume

After training a muscle group, it’s essential to allow 1-2 days of recovery before training the same muscle group again. Rest periods longer than 2 days can be considered a waste of valuable time if you are working towards a definite target. With an upper/lower split workout, you train each body part twice a week, allowing for an optimal recovery phase in between sessions. specific goal.

The spread of workout volume through the week allows you to achieve higher frequency and put in higher training volume without compromising recovery.

Why you need an Upper Lower Split Workout routine?

The schedule of our advanced upper lower split workout allows more reps, sets, and weights for each muscle group per week, leading to accelerated muscle growth. This approach ensures an adequate rest period while retraining the muscle group during elevated anabolic activity, leading to consistent strength gains.

With sufficient rest periods and higher training volume the upper lower split creates optimum environment for muscle growth.

Science Behind Advanced Upper Lower Split

In our advanced upper-lower split workout, you have the flexibility to incorporate various training methodologies during your workout.

• Tempo weight training: In tempo weight training, when you’re lifting weights, you don’t take a break when the weight is at its resting position. You lift the weight faster, say in two seconds and at the end of movement you change the direction immediately. After that, you lower the weight more slowly, taking about four seconds, and immediately switch direction again without stopping at the resting position (using a 4-0-2-0 tempo).
• Ascending Pyramid style traditional training: Here you start off with lower weight and higher repetition set. Then you keep on increasing the weight and lowering the reps in each set.
• Drop set: You start off with certain weight, you complete certain sets of fixed reps with it. On the last set you do as many reps as you can and then drop or reduce the weight without any rest. Continuously lift the new weight till you fail and then drop the weight further. Repeat this till you can’t lift the bar any more. (This technique is employed to increase training volume.)
• AMRAP set: We utilize AMRAP as a finishing move, as many reps as possible as an extra set. For some exercises last set is AMRAP set (+ sign indicates AMRAP)
• Vince Gironda’s 8×8 high volume Method for chest: One of the methodologies of Vince Gironda is 8×8 program. Here you will do 8×8 high volume method for chest.
• Escalating Density training for arms: This involves performing as many reps as possible of two antagonistic exercises working on opposing muscles alternatively within given time frame. Here you choose two antagonistic exercises for arms, perform the given number of reps of one exercise then perform same number of sets of other exercise. Keep repeating this for 10-15 minutes. Your goal is to squeeze in as many reps as you can for both exercises and try to beat the number you achieved in the last session.
• Negative training for biceps: Negative or eccentric training for the biceps involves lifting the weight with the help of a partner or spotter and then lowering it slowly using the working muscle. This method allows you to load up to forty percent more weight in negative training.
• Additional workout day for deadlifts, abs & cardio: With our advanced upper-lower split, you have an extra workout day that you can dedicate to deadlifts, abs, and cardio. Whether you choose to utilize it or not depends on your training goals.

Why you need separate days for deadlifts in Upper/Lower split workout?

This advanced upper lower split is a demanding workout program. Doing heavy deadlifts along with the high intensity, high volume lower body workout may lead to burnout. It makes sense to do the deadlifting on separate days.

This approach allows you to lift heavier weights in deadlifts without burning out. Thus we have scheduled a separate optional day for deadlifts and cardio.

How to prevent Overtraining in Advanced Upper Lower Workout?

The advanced upper lower workout may seem a bit overwhelming in the beginning. Even if you are used to train regularly you will feel the burn when you shift to our upper lower split.

As it aims to increase the intensity and volume of your training than your current regime you are ought to feel more tired and have higher muscle soreness for first few weeks.

Your body will take time to adapt with the increased volume and intensity of the training. It is normal and you don’t have to worry. Within 3-4 weeks of following this workout your strength will rise.

If you find that the workout is too intense and is causing excessive muscle soreness, it’s advisable to ease up a bit to prevent injury.

Taking a day or two of rest, even within the first four weeks, is acceptable if the discomfort is too much.

Deloading in Advanced Upper Body Lower Body Spilt Workout

If you work your body really hard with tough workouts for a long time, it might slow down your progress and even lead to injuries. To get better results and avoid getting hurt, it’s important to do what’s called “deloading.”

Deloading involves intentionally reducing the frequency and intensity of your workouts. This provides your muscles with an opportunity to recover and prepare for the subsequent intense training sessions.

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While following this advanced upper lower split workout we recommend you to plan a deloading period of 1-3 weeks depending upon your fitness level.

This deloading period should be planned after every 8-12 weeks of high intensity training. During the deloading period you should be working with 60-70% of your normal weights.

• Switch to 3 day upper lower split schedule with light weights and do normal 3 sets of 10 reps for all exercises

Upper/Lower Split Workout Schedule

• Note: Lower 1 (L1), Upper 1 (U1), Upper 2 (U2), Lower 2 (L2) & Additional Workout (AW)

3 Day Upper/Lower Split

Week 1

• Day 1: U1
• Day 2: Off
• Day 3: L1
• Day 4: Off
• Day 5: AW
• Day 6: Off
• Day 7: Off

Week 2

• Day 8: U2
• Day 9: Off
• Day 10: L2
• Day 11: Off
• Day 12: AW
• Day 13: Off
• Day 14: Off

4 Day Upper/Lower Split

• Day 1: L1 + optional Abs
• Day 2: U1
• Day 3: Off/AW
• Day 4: L2 + optional Abs
• Day 5: U2
• Day 6: Off/AW
• Day 7: Off

5 Day Upper/Lower Split

• Day 1: L1 + Abs
• Day 2: U1
• Day 3: Off
• Day 4: L2
• Day 5: U2
• Day 6: AW
• Day 7: Off

6 Day Upper/Lower Split

Week 1

• Day 1: L1 + Abs But instead of barbell squats do Deadlifts 8 x 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 (Tempo: 4-0-2-0)
• Day 2: U1
• Day 3: L2 + Abs
• Day 4: U2
• Day 5: L1 + Abs
• Day 6: U1
• Day 7: Off

Week 2

• Day 8: L2 + Abs But instead of barbell squats do Deadlifts 8 Sets of 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 (Tempo: 4-0-2-0)
• Day 9: U2
• Day 10: L1 + Abs
• Day 11: U1
• Day 12: L2 + Abs
• Day 13: U2
• Day 14: Off

Advanced Upper Lower Split Workout Routine

Upper 1 (U1)

• Dumbbell Bench Press- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Incline Barbell Bench Press- 8 sets of 8 reps (High volume + tempo approach, do it with 60% of your one rep max & 3-0-2-0 tempo)
• Barbell Row- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Wide Grip Lat Pull Down- 2 Sets 10 + 1 drop set
• Seated Arnold Press- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Cable Lateral Raises- 3 Sets 10+
• Cable Curl- + Cable Triceps Extension 10-15 minutes (Escalating Density Training)

Lower 1 (L1)

• Squat- 4 Sets 10, 8, 6, 4 (Tempo: 4-0-2-0)
• Goblet Squat- 3 Sets10+
• Leg Extension- 2 Sets 10 (slow reps) + 1 drop set
• Lying Leg Curl- 2 Sets 10 (slow reps) + 1 drop set
• Standing Calf Raise- 3 Sets 10+

Upper 2 (U2)

• Barbell Bench Press- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press- 8 sets of 8 reps (High volume + tempo approach, do it with 60% of your one rep max & 3-0-2-0 tempo)
• Barbell Row- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Wide Grip Lat Pull Down- 2 Sets of 10 + 1 drop set
• Seated Arnold Press- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Cable Lateral Raises- 3 Sets 10+
• Single Arm Cable Kickback- 3 Sets 10+
• Spider Curl- 3 Sets of 10 (Use heavy weight and focus on negative training, you might need spotting)

Lower 2 (L2)

• Squat- 4 Sets of 12, 10, 8, and 6 reps (Pyramid style training)
• Lunges- 3 Sets of 10
• Bulgarian Split Squat- 3 Sets of 10+
• Lying Leg Curl- 2 Sets of 10 (slow reps) 2 Sets of 10 (slow reps) + 1 drop set
• Standing Calf Raise- 3 Sets of 10+

Additional Workout (AW)

• Deadlifts- 8 Sets of 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 (Tempo: 4-0-2-0)
• Abs (optional)- Leg Raise with butt lift, Russian Twits, Jackknife Sit Up, Standing Cable Wood Chop & Tuck Crunch (repeat the circuit 2-4 times)
• 15-minute low-intensity cardio (optional)- spinning 

Advanced Upper Lower Split Workout Plan PDF

Click on the button to download advanced upper lower split workout plan PDF file

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Final Thoughts

As indicated in the description, this program is tailored for intermediate to advanced lifters. It’s advised not to combine this program with any other workout regimen, as it is a high-volume, high-intensity program on its own.

It’s crucial to adhere to both the workout schedule and the deloading schedule for optimal results and injury prevention. Following this well-rounded training plan will undoubtedly help you achieve your muscle-building goals.