Both splits build muscle and strength. Neither one is magic. The better split is the one that fits the days you can actually train, week after week. Here's how each one works and how I'd pick between them.
How each split works
Push / pull / legs groups muscles by movement. Push day is chest, shoulders and triceps. Pull day is back, biceps and rear delts. Leg day is quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. You can run it 3 days a week (each day once) or 6 days a week (each day twice).
Upper / lower splits your body in half. Upper day hits everything above the waist, lower day everything below it. Most people run it 4 days a week: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower.
How often each muscle gets trained
This is the biggest difference. Studies that compare training frequencies with the same total weekly sets point to hitting each muscle about twice a week as a small but real edge over once a week for growth.
- Upper / lower, 4 days: every muscle twice a week.
- Push / pull / legs, 6 days: every muscle twice a week.
- Push / pull / legs, 3 days: every muscle once a week.
So if you can only train 3 days, a 3-day PPL hits each muscle once, while a full body plan hits everything three times. More on that below.
Pick upper / lower if
- You can train 4 days a week.
- You're newer to lifting and want simple workouts you can repeat.
- Your schedule moves around. A missed day on a 4-day plan is easy to make up.
- You want more rest days to recover.
Start with the free Upper / Lower program, or Power + Size Upper / Lower if you've been lifting a while and want heavier days.
Pick push / pull / legs if
- You can train 5 or 6 days a week.
- You like focusing on one area at a time.
- You've been lifting a while and want more weekly volume.
The free Push / Pull / Legs program runs 6 days. If 6 is too many, PPL + Upper / Lower gets you most of the way in 5.
Only have 2 or 3 days?
Go full body. Training everything each session means every muscle still gets hit two or three times a week. Try Full Body (3 days), 2-Day Full Body, or Dumbbell Full Body if you train at home.
What matters more than the split
- Hard sets. Roughly 10 to 20 challenging sets per muscle per week works for most people.
- Progressive overload. Add reps or weight over time. Here's how to do it.
- Showing up. A split you run for six months beats a perfect one you quit in three weeks.
- Food and sleep. Enough protein (here's how much) and 7 or more hours of sleep.
Still not sure? Count the days you can train on a bad week, not a good one, and pick the split that fits that number.