Full body, upper/lower, or push/pull/legs? How to pick a beginner workout split by days per week, with a sample week for each split and when to switch.
The best workout split for a beginner is the one that fits the days you can actually train. With 3 days a week, run full body; with 4 days, run upper/lower; with 5 or 6 days, run push/pull/legs. When weekly sets are matched, research finds little difference in strength or muscle growth between splits, so aim for about 10 sets per muscle per week, train each muscle about twice, and add reps or weight whenever you can.
Search for "best workout split" and you will find people arguing about it with real passion. Full-body fans say splits are for bodybuilders. Push/pull/legs fans say full body is too little work. Upper/lower fans quietly get strong in the middle.
For a beginner, the argument matters far less than it sounds. This guide shows you how to pick a split for your schedule, gives you a sample week for each, and explains when and how to switch.
Less than people think. A 2024 meta-analysis by Ramos-Campo and colleagues compared split routines with full-body routines and found that when weekly volume was matched, there was no meaningful difference in strength or muscle growth.
Two earlier papers point the same way. A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn, and Krieger found that training a muscle at least twice a week produced more growth than once. A 2019 follow-up by Schoenfeld, Grgic, and Krieger looked only at volume-equated studies and found that frequency itself made little difference. Frequency mostly helps because it makes it easier to fit in more good sets.
What does matter is volume. A 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn, and Krieger found a dose-response relationship: more weekly sets led to more growth, with 10 or more sets per muscle per week doing better than fewer.
So the split is a scheduling tool. Its job is to spread enough hard sets across your week that every muscle gets trained about twice with good quality.
Start with an honest count of the days you can train every week, not the days you hope to train in a perfect week. Our guide on how many days a week to lift weights explains what the research says about each option.
| Days per week | Best split | How often each muscle is trained | Session length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Full body | 2× per week | 60 to 75 min |
| 3 | Full body | 3× per week | 50 to 70 min |
| 4 | Upper/lower | 2× per week | 45 to 60 min |
| 5 | Push/pull/legs (rolling) | About 1.5× to 2× per week | 45 to 60 min |
| 6 | Push/pull/legs, twice through | 2× per week | 45 to 60 min |
If you are unsure, pick the option with fewer days. A full-body plan you complete three times every week beats a six-day plan you finish four times, then skip, then restart.
Full body is the classic beginner choice. You practice the main lifts often, and missing a day costs little because the next session trains the same muscles. Our 3-day full body workout plan gives you a complete version to follow.
Alternate two workouts, A and B, on non-consecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. One week runs A, B, A; the next runs B, A, B.
Workout A
Workout B
Over a typical week, that puts most major muscles somewhere around 8 to 10 hard sets, which is a sensible starting dose.
Upper/lower suits four days a week, for example Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each muscle is trained twice, and sessions stay shorter because you cover half the body at a time.
Upper 1
Lower 1
Upper 2
Lower 2
Push/pull/legs groups muscles by what they do: pushing (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulling (back, biceps), and legs. Run through it twice in six days with Sunday off, or rotate it across five days so it keeps rolling into the next week.
Push
Pull
Legs
Run twice a week, this gives chest, back, and quads roughly 12 to 16 sets each, so PPL works best once you recover well from four days a week.
This is the part that decides your results, and it is the same on every split. Pick a rep range, add reps each session, and add weight when you reach the top of the range on every set with a rep or two left in the tank. That is double progression.
Here is a bench press in the 6 to 10 range, trained twice a week on upper/lower:
| Session | Bench press | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 115 lb × 8, 8, 7 | In the range: add reps |
| 2 | 115 lb × 9, 8, 8 | Add reps |
| 3 | 115 lb × 10, 9, 9 | Add reps |
| 4 | 115 lb × 10, 10, 10, 1 rep in reserve | Top of the range: add weight |
| 5 | 120 lb × 8, 7, 7 | Climb back up |
Beginners can often add weight every week or two on big barbell lifts. Use the smallest jump available: 2.5 lb plates per side on a barbell, 5 lb per hand on dumbbells, and about 10 lb on most machines.
Change when your schedule changes or your split can no longer fit the work, not because a new routine looks exciting. Good reasons to switch:
If you have an injury, joint pain, or a health condition, check with your doctor before starting or changing a program, and see a qualified professional for pain that does not settle.
Alexandros is an iPhone app that works like a personal weightlifting coach you talk to in a chat. It does not hand you a split, so pick one from the table above. What it does is make the progression part automatic.
You log a session by describing it, like "squat 3x8 at 155, last set was hard," or tap in sets yourself. Each set gets an effort rating from Very easy to Max effort, or you can give reps in reserve directly. With a goal of building muscle, it moves compound lifts through 6 to 10 reps and isolation lifts through 10 to 15, adding a rep inside the range and adding weight when you hit the top with a rep to spare. Ask "What should I do today?" and it answers with a session plan based on your own log.
Neither is better on its own. When weekly sets are equal, research finds little difference in growth between full-body and split routines. Pick the one that fits your days per week and lets you do enough quality sets.
A split that trains each muscle once a week is not useless, but it is a weaker choice for most beginners. Training a muscle twice a week makes it easier to spread your sets out and practice the main lifts more often.
Four to six is plenty. Build each session around one or two compound lifts, then add a few accessories. More exercises usually means less effort on the ones that matter.
