Choosing a workout split is one of the first decisions you'll make when you start taking training seriously. It's also one of the most debated topics in fitness. The truth is that multiple splits work — what matters is picking one that fits your schedule, experience level, and recovery capacity, and then sticking with it long enough to see results.
Here's a practical breakdown of the most common splits and who each one is best for.
Full Body (3 Days/Week)
Structure: Train every major muscle group each session.
Example:
- Monday: Full body
- Wednesday: Full body
- Friday: Full body
Best for: Beginners and people who can only train 3 days per week. Full body training hits each muscle group three times per week with moderate volume, which is ideal for people still learning movement patterns and building a base level of strength.
Trade-off: Individual muscle volume per session is limited since you're covering everything. As you advance, you'll likely need more volume per muscle group than a single full-body session can handle.
Upper/Lower (4 Days/Week)
Structure: Alternate between upper body and lower body sessions.
Example:
- Monday: Upper
- Tuesday: Lower
- Thursday: Upper
- Friday: Lower
Best for: Intermediate lifters who want more volume per muscle group than a full-body split allows, without committing to 5–6 days in the gym. Upper/lower hits each muscle group twice per week and gives you enough room to include both compound and isolation work.
Trade-off: Sessions can get long if you try to cover too many exercises. Keep it focused — 4 to 6 exercises per session is usually enough.
Push/Pull/Legs (6 Days/Week)
Structure: Group muscles by function — pushing muscles, pulling muscles, and legs. Run the cycle twice per week.
Example:
- Monday: Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)
- Tuesday: Pull (back, biceps)
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Push
- Friday: Pull
- Saturday: Legs
- Sunday: Rest
Best for: Intermediate to advanced lifters who have the time and recovery capacity for 6 sessions per week. PPL allows high volume per muscle group while still hitting everything twice per week.
Trade-off: It's a big time commitment. If you frequently miss sessions, the balance breaks down — you might end up hitting push twice but legs only once, which creates imbalances over time.
A 3-day PPL rotation (push, pull, legs once each) also works if 6 days is too much.
Bro Split (5–6 Days/Week)
Structure: Dedicate each day to a single muscle group.
Example:
- Monday: Chest
- Tuesday: Back
- Wednesday: Shoulders
- Thursday: Arms
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday: Rest
Best for: Advanced lifters who need very high volume for specific muscle groups and are already strong across all movement patterns.
Trade-off: Each muscle only gets trained once per week. Research generally suggests that training a muscle at least twice per week is more effective for growth, which makes the bro split suboptimal for most people.
How to Choose
Ask yourself three questions:
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How many days per week can you realistically train? Don't pick a 6-day split if you can only make it to the gym 4 times. Consistency beats optimization.
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How long have you been training? Beginners make the fastest progress on full body or upper/lower splits. PPL and more advanced splits become useful once you've built a foundation and need more volume to keep growing.
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Can you recover from it? More training isn't always better. If you're constantly sore, fatigued, or dreading sessions, your split is too aggressive for your current recovery capacity.
The Most Important Variable
The best split is the one you follow consistently, track properly, and progressively overload over time. A simple full-body routine followed religiously with tracking will always outperform a perfectly designed PPL split that you skip half the time.
Pick a split that matches your schedule, track your sessions, and focus on doing a little more each week. The results will follow.
Related reading:
- Push/Pull/Legs: The Best Training Split for Most People
- What Is Progressive Overload and Why Does It Matter?
- How to Start Going to the Gym — A No-Nonsense Beginner Guide
Hercules includes a built-in plan library with PPL, Upper/Lower, and Full Body programs — plus a schedule builder so you always know what's next. Download Hercules free on Google Play.