The short answer
| Days a week | Best split | Each muscle trained | Plan in the app |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Full body, twice | Twice a week | Full Body |
| 3 | Full body, three times | 3 times a week | Full Body |
| 4 | Upper lower | Twice a week | Upper Lower |
| 5 | Upper lower plus push pull legs | About twice a week | Build your own, or ask your AI |
| 6 | Push pull legs, twice through | Twice a week | Push Pull Legs |
Pick the split that fits the days you can keep for the next three months, not the one that looks best on paper.
What makes a workout split work
A workout split is how you divide your training across the week: which muscles or lifts you train on which days. Three things matter more than the split's name.
Each muscle about twice a week
A 2016 review of the research found that training a muscle twice a week built more muscle than training it once a week [1]. A larger review in 2019 found that when the total number of sets is the same, spreading them over more days makes little difference on its own [2]. So twice a week is less a magic number than a practical one: it lets you fit enough sets in without sessions that drag on.
Enough hard sets each week
Growth tracks weekly volume. In a 2017 review of 15 studies, each extra weekly set went with a little more muscle growth. Grouped by volume, muscles grew 9.8% on average with 10 or more sets a week, against 6.6% with 5 to 9 sets and 5.4% with fewer than 5 [3]. Most people grow well on roughly 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle per week. A hard set is one that ends close to failure, with one to three reps left in the tank.
A week you can keep
The best split on paper fails if you miss a day every week. If you skip a session, a full body plan loses the least, because every muscle gets trained again in the next one. A body part split loses the most: skip a day and that muscle waits a full week. Be honest about your week before you pick.
The main workout splits compared
Full body
- How it works: every session trains your whole body with four compound lifts (a squat or leg press, a hinge, a press, and a row or pulldown) and one or two smaller exercises.
- A typical week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or two days if that is all you have.
- Good for: beginners, busy weeks, and anyone with 2 or 3 days.
- Watch out for: long sessions if you try to train everything hard. Keep it to 5 or 6 exercises.
- In the app: the ready-made Full Body plan.
Upper lower
- How it works: upper-body days and lower-body days take turns. Four days a week trains every muscle twice.
- A typical week: Monday upper, Tuesday lower, Thursday upper, Friday lower.
- Good for: lifters past their first months with 4 days, and strength goals, because the big lifts come around twice a week.
- Watch out for: upper days that run long. Start with a press and a row, then shoulders and arms.
- In the app: the ready-made Upper Lower plan.
Push pull legs
- How it works: a push day (chest, shoulders and triceps), a pull day (back, rear shoulders and biceps) and a leg day (quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves). Run it once a week on 3 days, or twice on 6.
- A typical week: push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest. On 3 days: push on Monday, pull on Wednesday, legs on Friday.
- Good for: lifters who can train often and like short, focused sessions.
- Watch out for: on 3 days, one session has to carry all of a muscle's weekly sets. Running the cycle twice a week spreads them out.
- In the app: the ready-made Push Pull Legs plan.
Upper lower plus push pull legs (5 days)
- How it works: upper, lower, rest, push, pull, legs, rest. Five sessions that train most muscles twice.
- Good for: lifters with 5 days who want the frequency of upper lower and the focus of push pull legs.
Body part split
- How it works: one or two muscle groups a day, for example chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms, usually over 5 days.
- Good for: experienced lifters who like long sessions for one muscle and enjoy training most days.
- Watch out for: each muscle is trained once a week, so each session needs a lot of sets. For most people, a split that trains each muscle twice builds muscle at least as well, with fewer sets per session.
Workout splits by days, frequency and session length
| Split | Days a week | Each muscle trained | Typical session | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full body | 2–3 | 2–3 times a week | 45–60 min | Beginners, busy weeks |
| Upper lower | 4 | Twice a week | 45–75 min | Most lifters after their first months |
| Push pull legs | 3 or 6 | Once or twice a week | 45–75 min | Lifters who train often |
| Upper lower + push pull legs | 5 | About twice a week | 45–75 min | Lifters with 5 days |
| Body part split | 5 | Once a week | 60–75 min | Experienced lifters who like long sessions |
Session times include the warm-up and the rest between sets, and are a rough guide.
How to choose your split, step by step
- Count the days you can train every week for the next three months: your normal week, not your best one.
- Pick the split for that number from the short answer above.
- Check the weekly sets. Each muscle you care about should get roughly 10 to 20 hard sets. The guide to how many exercises per workout shows how to count them.
- Run it for 8 to 12 weeks before you judge it. Add reps or weight when you can, take a deload week if your lifts stall, and change the split only if it stops fitting your week.
- Log every session, so you can see whether it works.
Common workout split mistakes
- A 6-day split for a 3-day life. Missed sessions cost more than any split gains.
- Switching splits every few weeks. Progress comes from adding weight and reps to the same lifts.
- Counting exercises instead of sets. Six hard sets for a muscle are six sets, whether they come from one exercise or three.
- Going to failure on every set. Leave one to three reps in the tank on most sets, especially on the big lifts.
- Letting one area slide. Count each muscle's weekly sets, the back of your body included.
Follow your split in the app
Full Body, Upper Lower and Push Pull Legs are ready-made plans in the Gym Commitment app. Pick one, and the app fills in last time's numbers in every set, starts the rest timer when you tick a set, and shows on a body figure which muscles you trained this week. Or ask your own Claude or ChatGPT to build a split around your week, and the plan arrives in the app, ready to follow.
Best workout split FAQ
What is the most effective workout split?
The one that trains each muscle about twice a week with enough hard sets, on days you can keep up. For most people that means full body on 2 or 3 days, upper lower on 4, or push pull legs on 6.
Is a 3 day split enough to build muscle?
Yes. Three full body sessions, or push, pull and legs once each, can build muscle well if each muscle gets roughly 10 to 20 hard sets a week.
Is push pull legs better than upper lower?
Not on its own. Both can train each muscle twice a week. Upper lower does it in 4 days, push pull legs in 6, so pick the one that fits your week.
Should beginners use a split?
A full body plan, 2 or 3 days a week, is usually best at first: you practice each lift more often. Move to a split once you want more days or more sets per muscle.
Sources
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2016;46(11):1689–1697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2019;37(11):1286–1295. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2017;35(11):1073–1082. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
