What’s The Best Workout Split For You?

Between “push-pull-legs,” “bro splits,” and “upper-lower-full body,” it can feel like you need a degree in exercise science just to plan a week of workouts or understand your program. But don’t worry, workout splits aren’t as complicated as they sound, and finding the right one for you can totally change your results (and your motivation to keep showing up).

So, let’s talk about what workout splits are, the pros and cons of different options, if there is a best split, and how to figure out which one will actually support your life - not just your training goals.

First up, what is a workout split?

A workout split is basically how you divide your training across the week. Instead of doing full-body workouts in every session, you “split” your training into different muscle groups or movement types.

Think of it like an itinerary - instead of driving all over town each day, you’re focusing on exploring one suburb at a time and then moving on to another one.

With strength training, structuring your week this way is great if you’re doing several sessions. It allows you to really fatigue an area, then let it rest and rebuild while you train the next area.

Why workout splits are so effective

If your goal is to build strength, muscle or confidence, a structured split can help you get there faster. Here’s why:

• Recovery = results: Muscles grow when you rest, not when you’re lifting. Splitting your training lets one group recover while you train another.

• More focus: You can give each muscle group the attention it deserves and really fatigue it (instead of squeezing your whole body into one session and rushing through everything).

• Better progress tracking: When you train similar movements together, it’s easier to see your strength improving week to week.

Basically, splits help you train smarter, not just harder.

Common workout splits (and their pros and cons)

Here’s a rundown of the most popular splits and how to know which one might work best for you:

Full-Body Split

Example: 3 workouts per week, training your whole body each session.

What we love: This split is time-efficient if you only have a few days a week to train, it's great for beginners to build balanced strength, and it's pretty easy to recover from with rest days in between.

What's not so great: Effective, balanced full-body workouts can feel long, and it can be hard to fit in enough volume (sets and reps) for each muscle group if you want to see progress.

Best for: Beginners, anyone short on time who still wants a solid routine, or people who simply enjoy full-body training!

Upper/Lower Split

Example: 4 workouts per week — two upper-body days and two lower-body days.

What we love: This split offers balanced training for all major muscle groups, the recovery time is manageable, and it's great for building overall strength, muscle and definition.

What's not to great: If you miss a day, the balance can get thrown off, and four workouts a week can feel like a lot if you've got a busy schedule. If you like this split but can only manage three sessions a week, you could do one upper-body day, one lower-body day and one full-body day to keep it balanced.

Best for: Intermediate lifters who want structure but still some flexibility.

Push/Pull/Legs Split

Example: 5–6 workouts per week — rotating between push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps), and a couple of lower body sessions. Strength with Kayla follows this style of split!

What we love: This split offers focused training for each muscle group and is ideal for building strength and muscle tone. It also keeps workouts interesting because no two days feel the same, and it can help you move better in daily life since it's based on real movement patterns like pushing and pulling.

What's not so great: This obviously requires more commitment to hit everything evenly, and 5+ sessions per week isn't feasible for many people. Like the upper-lower split, if you miss a day, the balance can get thrown off.

Best for: Intermediate to advanced lifters who love structure, are committed and can train often.

Body-Part Split (aka the “Bro Split”)

Example: Train chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, glutes & hamstrings on Wednesday, etc.

What we love: Having a laser focus on one muscle group at a time is great for hypertrophy (muscle growth) and seeing progress. It's also very easy to follow once you get into the swing of it!

What's not so great: If you miss a day, it’s tough to make it up, or you might feel like there are long gaps between training the same muscle group again. Training this way can be boring for some people, and it's far from functional training, where your workouts are designed to mimic how you move in daily life.

Best for: Advanced lifters or anyone who loves to spend lots of time in the gym.

Find your rhythm

If you’ve been following a certain workout split for a while and have new goals, a new schedule or are feeling bored, know that your split can evolve as you do!

Some seasons in life might call for you to dial things back to an upper/lower split because you simply don’t have time, or you might be aiming to try them all out and see what feels right.

At the end of the day, it’s not about doing what’s best on paper — it’s about finding what keeps you coming back, sweating it out, and feeling strong.