Organise your training with workout splits

Workout splits describe how you organise your exercises across the week. On this page, I’ll list exercise categories or slots for each day. This means you can add any exercise that fits that category.

Having templates like these offers simple starting points. It’s just a matter of plugging in the exercises and getting started. Over time adjust as needed.

Here are my favourites:

Upper Lower Split

I’ve always enjoyed upper-lower splits. This grouping is great if you want more recovery, as you’ll always have at least two days of rest before hitting the same muscle groups.

Squatting and deadlifting on the same day will polarise people. For some, it works well; for others, it’s too taxing. Personally, I like getting it all done in one go.

The downside of this split is that the upper body can do more sets than the lower body so the session lengths can get unbalanced. It also limits upper body frequency. For this situation, consider full-body workouts or a 5-day upper-lower split (U,L,U,L,U).

Day 1 – Lower

Squat
Secondary Deadlift
Quads
Hamstrings

Day 2 – Upper

Bench
Secondary Bench / Overhead Press
Row variation
Vertical Pull Variation
Triceps
Biceps

Day 3 – Lower

Deadlift
Secondary Squat
Lower Accessory
Abs

Day 4 – Upper

Bench
Push Accessory / Overhead Press
Vertical Pull
Row variation
Triceps
Biceps

 

Upper Lower Split (Rows on lower days)

When to use this split over the one above:

• The upper days are getting too long
• The back work is interfering with deadlift performance

Day 1 – Lower

Squat
Secondary Deadlift
Lower Accessory
Row Variation
Abs

Day 2 – Upper

Bench
Secondary Bench
Accessory Push
Triceps
Biceps

Day 3 – Lower

Deadlift
Secondary Squat
Lower Accessory
Row Variation
Vertical Pull

Day 4 – Upper

Bench
Secondary Bench / Overhead Press
Delts
Triceps
Biceps

 

Full body (4-day)

Instead of piling all the work done to each muscle group into one or two days, full-body splits spread it across the week. This allows for higher overall performance. This is good for powerlifters who need to bench 3-4 times a week to make progress.

This template is loosely based on Reactive Training Systems.

Day 1

Squat
Bench
Push Accessory
Triceps
Biceps

Day 2

Deadlift
Bench Secondary
Squat Accessory (eg. Bulgarian split squat)
Row variation

Day 3

Secondary Squat
Bench
Push Accessory
Triceps
Biceps

Day 4

Deadlift Secondary
Push Accessory
Deadlift Accessory (eg. RDL for reps)
Vertical Pull

 

Full body (3-day)

The one is great for when you have limited days to train.

If you are focusing on powerlifting (eg. improve bench, squat and deadlift) then:

• Switch the Overhead Press for an additional Bench slot
• Add a Secondary Deadlift to Day 3 if you need a second exposure.

Day 1

Squat
Bench
Vertical Pull Variation
Triceps
Biceps

Day 2

Deadlift
Overhead Press
Lower Body Accessory
Delts

Day 3

Secondary Squat
Bench
Row Variation
Triceps
Biceps