3-day upper/lower split workout plan
An 8-week intermediate plan with an Upper, a Lower and a Full Body day each week, every set, rep range and RIR written out.
Three days don't split evenly into upper and lower: one half would get two sessions a week and the other only one. This plan keeps an upper day and a lower day and makes the third session full body, so every big muscle is trained twice a week and every week looks the same. The main lifts are the bench press and barbell row on Upper, the squat and Romanian deadlift on Lower, and the hack squat, incline dumbbell press and hip thrust on Full Body. Chest, back, quads, hamstrings and glutes get 9-9.5 sets a week.
| Split | Days a week | Level | Weeks | Minutes | Sets a week | Equipment | In the app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper/lower | 3 | Intermediate | 8 | ≈45–50 | 61 | Barbell, Dumbbells, Machines | Upper/Lower · 3 days |
Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout
The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.
In the app: Plans → Upper/Lower · 3 days
Good fit if
- You can train three days a week and prefer separate upper- and lower-body days to full body every session.
- Your weights go up every week or two, not every session.
- You want heavy squats, bench presses and rows, with every big muscle trained twice a week in sessions of 45-50 minutes.
Take another plan if
- You can train four days: the 4-day upper/lower plan gives each half two full sessions.
- You are in your first months of training: the 3-day full body plan for beginners practises each lift more often.
Weekly schedule
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper | Rest | Lower | Rest | Full Body | Rest | Rest |
Missed a day? Do the next session in order: the app runs the sessions in sequence.
Any three days with a rest day between them work. If two sessions must fall on consecutive days, make it Upper and Lower: Full Body repeats both, so keep a rest day on each side of it.
The plan, week 1
Week 1 is calibration: pick a weight for the bottom of each range with one more rep in reserve than later. The RIR column shows week 1 → week 2 onwards; the grid below shows what changes in weeks 2-8.
Tempo 3-0-1-0: 3 s lowering, 0 s pause in the stretch, 1 s lifting, 0 s pause in the squeeze. X: lift as fast as you can while staying in control.
What RIR means →How to read tempo →How supersets work →
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 5 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Barbell Bench Press | 3 × 6–10 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-X-0 | 3:00 | |
B Barbell Bent Over Row | 3 × 6–10 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-0 | 2:30 | Lean well forward and pull to the lower ribs without swinging. One lighter warm-up set first helps. |
C Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-0 | 2:00 | |
D Cable Lat Pulldown | 3 × 8–12 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 2:00 | Pull-ups instead if you can do 10 or more strict reps. |
E Cable Middle Chest Fly | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:00 | |
F1 Cable Triceps Pushdown | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | → | |
F2 Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-0 | 1:00 |
21 working sets · ≈50 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 5 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Barbell Squat | 3 × 6–10 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-X-0 | 3:00 | |
B Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 2:30 | Bar close to the legs, hips back; stop before the back rounds. One lighter warm-up set first helps. |
C Seated Leg Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:30 | Swapping it? Take a different curl than on Full Body, so each day keeps its own history in the app. |
D Seated Leg Extension Machine | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:30 | |
E Calf Leg Press | 3 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-2-1-0 | 1:00 | |
F Kneeling Cable Abs Crunches | 2 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:00 |
17 working sets · ≈45 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 8 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Machine Hack Squat | 3 × 8–12 | 2 → 1 | 3-0-1-0 | 2:30 | |
B Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-0 | 2:00 | |
C Barbell Hip Thrust | 2 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-1 | 2:00 | |
D Chest Supported Machine Row | 3 × 8–12 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 2:00 | Chest on the pad: your lower back rests after the hip thrust. |
E Seated Single Leg Curl | 2 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:30 | One leg at a time, on the same machine as the Lower day's curl. Swapping it? Take a different curl than on Lower. |
F1 Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 × 12–20 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-0 | → | |
F2 Cable Rear Delt Fly | 3 × 12–20 | 2 → 1 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:00 | |
G1 Cable Overhead Triceps Extension | 2 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 3-0-1-0 | → | |
G2 Seated Incline Biceps Curl | 2 × 10–15 | 2 → 1 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:00 |
23 working sets · ≈50 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair
Track this plan for free
Week by week
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase | Calibration | Build | Build | Build | Build | Build | Build | Deload |
| RIR | 3 / 2 | 2 / 1 | 2 / 1 | 2 / 1 | 2 / 1 | 2 / 1 | 2 / 1 | 4 |
| Working sets | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 39 |
| What to do | Find your weights | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Same weights, half the sets |
| Done: Upper | ||||||||
| Done: Lower | ||||||||
| Done: Full Body |
Week 8 is a deload: about 60% of the sets (4→2, 3→2, 2→1), the same weights and rest, stop at RIR 4. Why a deload helps →
Saved only in this browser. The app keeps your weights and reps.
Worked example: Barbell Squat
Sample numbers of a simulated lifter, worked through with the manual rule on this page.
| Week | Weight | Reps per set | RIR | Next session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92.5 kg | 6 · 6 · 6 | 3 | Calibration done: add reps |
| 2 | 92.5 kg | 7 · 7 · 7 | 2 | Add reps |
| 3 | 92.5 kg | 8 · 8 · 8 | 2 | Add reps |
| 4 | 92.5 kg | 8 · 8 · 8 | 2 | Add reps |
| 5 | 92.5 kg | 9 · 8 · 8 | 2 | Add reps |
| 6 | 92.5 kg | 9 · 9 · 8 | 2 | Add reps |
| 7 | 92.5 kg | 9 · 9 · 9 | 2 | Next week: deload |
| 8 | 92.5 kg | 8 · 7 | 4 | Next run starts at 100 kg |
How to progress on this plan
The simplest method that works on any plan: double progression. Keep the weight and add reps while you finish your sets with the reserve in the RIR column. When every set reaches the top of the range, add one step and build the reps up again.
- Barbell Bench Press 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
- Barbell Bent Over Row 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Cable Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
- Barbell Squat 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
- Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
- Isolation exercises (10–20 reps) follow the same rule. With light dumbbells, the next pair can be too big a jump: use the in-between weight, or stay and go 1-2 reps above the range for a week or two.
- No exercise repeats within the week: quads get the squat on Lower and the hack squat on Full Body, hamstrings two different leg curls. Each exercise progresses against its own session from the week before.
- The squat and bench press run at 6-10 reps and RIR 2 and go up 2.5 kg at a time. Each comes once a week, so several weeks of adding reps before a step is normal.
- The two dumbbell presses (seated shoulder press and incline press) go up a whole pair at a time. If your gym's next pair drops you below 8 reps, stay with your current pair and go 1-2 reps above 12 first.
- After week 8, start again from week 1 with your week-7 weights, or move to the 4-day upper/lower plan if you can add a fourth day.
What to do next session
| You logged | Next session |
|---|---|
| All sets at the top of the range with the planned reserve | One weight step up |
| Below the top, with the planned reserve | Same weight, +1 rep on the sets that allow it |
| One rep less in reserve than planned | Same weight and reps: repeat the session |
| Sets below the range, or RIR 0 when the target was 2 | Keep the weight; if sets fell below the range, one step down |
| No progress for 2 sessions | Check rest and honest RIR; after a 3rd session, about −10% and build back up |
Your starting weights
Enter a recent set of the exercise: weight, reps and how many reps you had left. You get the week-1 weight for the bottom of the range with one rep more in reserve, from the widely used RPE chart (RTS).
Weekly volume per muscle
Working sets per muscle in a regular week, counted the way the app counts them: a set is 1 for a muscle the exercise trains directly and 0.5 for one it trains indirectly. Warm-ups don't count.
- Chest9 · 2×/wk
- Back9 · 2×/wk
- Quadriceps9 · 2×/wk
- Hamstrings9 · 2×/wk
- Gluteus9.5 · 2×/wk
- Side delts6 · 2×/wk
- Rear delts6 · 1×/wk
- Biceps5 · 2×/wk
- Triceps8 · 2×/wk
- Front delts7.5 · 1×/wk
- Calves3 · 1×/wk
- Abs2 · 1×/wk
- Trapezius6 · 1×/wk
- Lower Back4 · 1×/wk
Abs and calves are optional. From 10 sets a week the app labels a muscle "High volume": above its default target and still productive.
Substitutions
Choose your substitute in week 1 and keep it for all 8 weeks: the app tracks progress per exercise. Each substitute trains the same muscles directly, so the volume above stays the same.
Adapt the plan
- Short on time
- Skip the optional calf raise and crunch on Lower, and the overhead extension and incline curl pair on Full Body. That saves about 10 minutes on Lower and 5 on Full Body, and every compound lift stays. Upper has nothing optional: if you must, drop the last set of the chest fly and the last round of the arm superset (about 4 minutes).
- Bulking or cutting
- Keep the plan as it is in both. On a cut, aim to hold your weights: reps that drop by one or two are normal, and you can skip the last set of the isolation exercises if recovery suffers.
- Bringing up one muscle
- Add 2-3 weekly sets for that muscle only, spread over the sessions that already train it. The app's priority setting shows which zone it moves into.
- Over 40
- Warm up a little longer, keep one more rep in reserve on the heavy barbell lifts and take the full rest. Joints decide the pace, not the calendar.
- Training at home
- With dumbbells and a bench, swap each machine for a dumbbell exercise from the substitutions that trains the same muscles, and keep it for the whole 8 weeks.
The same plan in the app
The app opens exactly this plan: all 8 weeks, the same targets, week 1 calibration included. Its description in the app:
Upper body on Monday, lower body on Wednesday and full body on Friday: an upper/lower split for intermediates with 3 days, every big muscle group twice a week, about 60-70 minutes per workout, the same layout every week. 8 weeks: week 1 is calibration (one more rep in reserve than the target), weeks 2-7 at RIR 2 on free-weight compounds and RIR 1 on the rest, week 8: deload, about half the sets, RIR 4. Progression: add reps first, then weight once every set reaches the top of its range at the target RIR.
Free: the plan, logging weight, reps and RIR, the rest timer, history, previous results and the calculators.
This page teaches the manual method. With Premium, the app suggests the weight and reps for every set after each workout, from the weights, reps and RIR you logged, including week-1 calibration and the deload. Its suggestions can differ from this simple rule because it uses more of your data.
Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout
The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.
In the app: Plans → Upper/Lower · 3 days