Push Pull Legs vs Upper Lower: Which Split Should You Choose?

Choosing between push pull legs vs upper lower can feel like selecting a character before the final boss. Both look powerful. Both have loyal fans. Both can also become a complete mess if you cram in 27 exercises, ignore recovery and call every set “intensity”.

The useful answer is less dramatic: both splits can build muscle extremely well. The better one is the structure that lets you train each muscle with enough quality weekly volume, recover between sessions and keep progressing for months rather than abandoning the plan after nine heroic days.

This guide breaks down how each split works, where each one shines and how to choose based on your schedule, experience and goals.

Push Pull Legs vs Upper Lower: The Quick Verdict

Choose upper lower if you train four days per week, want a simple balanced routine, or need more recovery days. Choose push pull legs if you enjoy training five or six days, prefer shorter and more specialised sessions, and recover well from frequent gym visits.

• Best for four days: Upper lower.
• Best for six days: Push pull legs.
• Best for busy or unpredictable weeks: Upper lower.
• Best for exercise variety and body-part focus: Push pull legs.
• Best for muscle growth: Either, when weekly volume, effort and progression are comparable.

The split itself is not anabolic wizardry. It is a filing system for your training.

What Is a Push Pull Legs Split?

A push pull legs split groups exercises by movement pattern:

• Push: Chest, front and side delts, and triceps.
• Pull: Back, rear delts, biceps and often forearms.
• Legs: Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

The classic six-day version runs push, pull and legs twice each week, followed by one rest day. A three-day version trains each category once weekly. Five-day rotating versions also work, although the calendar becomes less tidy—which is fine unless your muscles insist on knowing it is Monday.

Advantages of push pull legs

• Related muscles and exercises fit naturally together.
• Six-day versions usually train each muscle around twice weekly.
• Sessions can be focused without mixing heavy squats and presses on the same day.
• There is plenty of room for exercise variety and extra work for priority muscles.

Drawbacks of push pull legs

• The popular six-day version demands frequent attendance and strong recovery.
• Missing one session can disrupt the sequence, especially if you attach it rigidly to weekdays.
• Push sessions can become front-loaded with pressing, leaving triceps work sloppy.
• A three-day PPL often trains each muscle only once weekly and can require long sessions to fit enough work.

What Is an Upper Lower Split?

An upper lower split alternates sessions for the upper and lower body. The most common version uses four days:

• Monday: Upper
• Tuesday: Lower
• Thursday: Upper
• Friday: Lower

Each muscle is generally trained twice weekly, with generous recovery between repeated sessions. You can make one upper day more press-focused and the other more pull-focused, while one lower day emphasises quads and the other hamstrings or glutes.

Advantages of upper lower

• It fits four training days beautifully.
• Each major muscle can receive two weekly exposures.
• Rest days are easy to place between demanding sessions.
• If life steals a day, the routine is simple to resume without needing a spreadsheet and legal counsel.
• It works well for combining muscle and strength goals because major lifts can be repeated regularly.

Drawbacks of upper lower

• Upper sessions can become long when you train chest, back, shoulders and arms together.
• Lower sessions can be brutally demanding if every movement is heavy.
• Specialising in several small muscle groups may require careful exercise selection or extra short sessions.
• Some lifters simply enjoy body-part-focused training more.

Does One Split Build More Muscle?

There is no strong evidence that PPL has a unique hypertrophy advantage over upper lower. Research comparing different training frequencies generally shows that, when weekly volume is matched, frequency itself has little meaningful effect on muscle growth. Frequency is useful mainly because it helps distribute productive sets across the week.

A randomised trial in untrained women compared twice-weekly full-body training with a four-day upper/lower-style split while matching exercises and weekly work. Both groups gained similar muscle and strength. That does not prove every split is identical, but it supports the bigger point: the organisation matters less than the training you organise inside it.

For hypertrophy, focus on:

• Enough challenging sets across the week.
• Training reasonably close to failure with controlled technique.
• Progressing reps, load or execution over time.
• Choosing exercises you can perform consistently and recover from.
• Eating and sleeping like someone who actually wants to grow.

Weekly Frequency and Volume

Both splits can train a muscle twice per week:

• A four-day upper lower repeats upper and lower sessions twice.
• A six-day PPL repeats push, pull and legs twice.

That makes both practical for spreading weekly hard sets instead of dumping all chest work into one marathon session where the final exercise resembles interpretive dance.

Suppose you want 12 weekly sets for chest. On upper lower, you might perform six sets on each upper day. On PPL, you might perform six sets on each push day. The label changes; the useful weekly work does not.

Volume research suggests that doing more weekly sets can improve hypertrophy up to a point, but returns diminish and individual tolerance varies. More is only better while set quality, progression and recovery remain intact.

Which Split Is Better for Your Training Schedule?

If you train three days per week

Neither standard option is perfect. A three-day PPL trains each movement category once weekly. It can work, particularly for beginners, but a full-body routine often distributes practice and volume more evenly. If you love PPL, run the sequence continuously rather than forcing it into Monday-to-Sunday boxes.

If you train four days per week

Upper lower is usually the clear winner. It is balanced, easy to recover from and gives each muscle two weekly sessions. A four-day PPL rotation can work, but its frequencies drift from week to week and may feel unnecessarily awkward.

If you train five days per week

Both can be adapted. You could run upper, lower, rest, push, pull, legs, rest; or use upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, plus a short priority-muscle day. Choose based on what you want to emphasise and whether five full sessions are genuinely sustainable.

If you train six days per week

PPL becomes highly convenient. It creates six focused sessions with predictable twice-weekly frequency. However, six days is not automatically superior to four. If your joints ache, performance declines and every session feels like a hostage negotiation, reduce the workload or take more rest.

Which Split Is Better for Strength?

Upper lower often has a slight practical edge for lifters who want to improve the squat, bench press and deadlift while also building muscle. The major lifts can be placed across four sessions with regular practice and clear recovery days.

PPL can still build excellent strength, but exercise order matters. Heavy benching, overhead pressing and triceps work all compete for resources on push day. Similarly, deadlifts may fit on pull or leg day, and either choice can affect the session that follows.

If strength is your priority, pick the split that lets you perform your key lifts fresh enough to practise them well.

Which Split Is Better for Beginners?

Most beginners do not need six gym days. Four-day upper lower is usually easier to learn, recover from and maintain. It provides repeated practice without turning the gym into a part-time tenancy agreement.

A beginner who can only manage three days may be better served by full-body training. Once training experience and workload increase, upper lower or PPL can organise additional volume more comfortably.

Which Split Is Better for Intermediate Lifters?

Intermediate lifters can thrive on either. Choose according to the bottleneck in your current program:

• If sessions are too long, a five- or six-day PPL can spread the work out.
• If recovery or attendance is inconsistent, four-day upper lower is more forgiving.
• If a muscle needs extra work, either add targeted sets or bias one session toward it.
• If your progress has stalled, do not assume changing the split fixes poor effort, excessive volume or absent progression.

Example Four-Day Upper Lower Routine

Upper A

• Bench press: 3 sets
• Chest-supported row: 3 sets
• Incline dumbbell press: 3 sets
• Lat pulldown: 3 sets
• Lateral raise: 3 sets
• Triceps and biceps: 2 sets each

Lower A

• Back squat: 3 sets
• Romanian deadlift: 3 sets
• Leg press: 3 sets
• Leg curl: 3 sets
• Calf raise: 3 sets

Upper B

• Overhead press: 3 sets
• Pull-up or pulldown: 3 sets
• Machine chest press: 3 sets
• Cable row: 3 sets
• Rear-delt fly: 3 sets
• Triceps and biceps: 2–3 sets each

Lower B

• Deadlift or hack squat: 2–3 sets
• Bulgarian split squat: 3 sets
• Leg extension: 3 sets
• Seated leg curl: 3 sets
• Calf raise: 3 sets

How to Make Either Split Work Better

1. Build around days you can consistently train. Your imaginary perfect week is not your schedule.
2. Track weekly sets by muscle. Count direct work and remember compounds also contribute.
3. Keep most sets productive. Stop adding exercises once performance and execution clearly deteriorate.
4. Use different emphases across repeated days. For example, one upper day can favour horizontal pressing and rowing; the other can favour vertical patterns.
5. Progress patiently. Add reps within a range, then add load when you reach the top with good form.
6. Adjust before abandoning. Remove a few sets, swap an irritating exercise or add a rest day before declaring the entire split cursed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is push pull legs better than upper lower for muscle growth?

No split is inherently better when weekly volume, effort and progression are similar. PPL suits frequent, focused sessions; upper lower suits four-day training and simpler recovery.

Can I do PPL four days per week?

Yes. Continue the sequence across weeks—push, pull, legs, push, then start the following week with pull. Muscle frequency will rotate rather than matching the calendar.

Is upper lower enough for arms?

Yes, provided you include direct biceps and triceps work after the larger upper-body exercises. If arms are a priority, begin one upper session with arms or add a small amount of volume.

Can I switch between the two splits?

Yes, but do not switch every fortnight because a new template looks exciting. Follow a well-built routine long enough to measure progression, then change when your schedule, goals or recovery needs genuinely change.

The Bottom Line

In the debate over push pull legs vs upper lower, the winner is the split that fits your real week and produces repeatable high-quality training.

Use upper lower for a straightforward four-day plan with reliable recovery. Use PPL when you want five or six focused sessions and can sustain the attendance. Then stop romanticising the spreadsheet, train hard, recover and make the numbers move.

Whichever split you choose, show up ready to work in the SWOL Base Pump Cotton Tee – Black, an active training tee built for the sessions your program keeps asking for.

References

• Schoenfeld, Grgic & Krieger: resistance-training frequency and muscle hypertrophy systematic review and meta-analysis
• Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger: weekly resistance-training volume and muscle mass meta-analysis
• Randomised trial comparing full-body and split-body resistance training in women