An upper lower routine divides training into upper-body days and lower-body days. Each half gets hit once or twice a week with full recovery between same-half sessions, which makes this one of the easiest splits to run for months without stalling.
Pick a weekly rhythm you can keep
Four days a week is the classic shape: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, then two rest days. On three days, alternate the halves each week so neither lags behind. Two days still works if every session covers its half fully and you never skip.
Choose the rhythm your calendar survives, not the one that looks most ambitious. Write the days down and treat them like appointments; an upper lower plan run from memory drifts into skipped leg days within a month. A lighter rhythm you never miss beats a perfect one you abandon.
Anchor each day with one big lift
Upper day: bench press or overhead press. Lower day: a squat or a deadlift. Do it first, while you are fresh, for three to five hard sets of five to ten reps.
This lift is the headline of the session. Give it your energy, your focus and your best warm-up; everything after it is support work. Keep the same anchor for at least six weeks, so progress on it actually means something.
Round out each day with two or three accessories
Upper day: a row, an overhead or lateral raise, and one arm exercise such as curls or triceps work. Lower day: a hinge if you squatted, a single-leg move like lunges, and calves or core.
Keep accessories at two or three sets each and stop a rep or two short of failure. Pick moves that are quick to set up, because they should never eat the time your anchor earned. They exist to balance the half, not to compete with the main lift.
Match sets, reps and rest to the day
Anchors earn long rest: two to three minutes between sets is normal, even if it feels lazy. Accessories need only sixty to ninety seconds, since the weight is lighter and the goal is volume, not records.
Order never changes: anchor first, then accessories in the same sequence every week. A session you can run on autopilot is a session you keep, and a fixed order makes your log comparable week to week.
Progress the anchors first
Add weight to the anchor lift when you reach the top of its rep range with clean form. For accessories, add reps first and weight later; they follow the anchor, they never lead it.
Log every set in Bulky so the next session starts with a number, not a guess. When an anchor stalls for three sessions in a row, drop its weight by ten percent and build back up instead of grinding angry reps.
Review after a month, not after one session
Run the plan for at least four to six weeks before judging it. If you keep missing sessions, drop a day rather than quitting the split. If everything is stalled and you feel worn down, plan a light week with the same exercises and half the sets.
The split is the skeleton; the log tells you when to push and when to ease off.