Workout split builder
Tell us how you train and BodyPlan's planner picks the weekly split it would actually use for you.
Your training week
How your sessions are distributed
Why this split
How this is calculated · sources
The split comes from the same function BodyPlan's plan generator uses to structure a training week, driven by your available days, goal and experience. It aims to train each muscle group about twice a week, which the training frequency literature supports over once-weekly training at matched volume.
- Training frequency and muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger (2016). Training a muscle group about twice per week produced greater hypertrophy than once per week when volume was matched — the basis for how BodyPlan distributes training across a week.
- WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour Recommends muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days per week for adults, alongside aerobic activity.
- Updating ACSM's recommendations for exercise preparticipation health screening Riebe et al. (2015), Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Guidance on when medical clearance is advisable before starting or progressing an exercise programme, based on current activity level, known cardiovascular, metabolic or renal disease, and symptoms.
Turn this split into a real plan
A split is the skeleton. Build My Plan fills it in — the actual exercises for your equipment, sets, reps, rest and starting weights — and shows you your first session in full, free.
Build my full plan →Free, no account needed. Takes about a minute.
How your split is chosen
This isn't a lookup table mapping day counts to split names. It calls the same function BodyPlan's plan generator uses to decide how to structure a week, so the split suggested here is the one you'd actually be given.
The decision balances three things: training each muscle group often enough to drive adaptation, fitting enough work into each session to be worth doing, and leaving enough recovery between hard sessions.
The main splits, and when each one fits
Full body
Every session trains the whole body. Best at two or three days a week, because it's the only structure that still gives each muscle group two to three exposures. Splitting the body up at low frequency means training each part once a week, which is less effective for most goals.
Upper / lower
Alternates upper-body and lower-body sessions. Fits four to five days, where you can train each half twice a week and do more work per muscle group per session than full body allows.
Push / pull / legs
Groups muscles that work together: pressing movements, pulling movements, and legs. Works best at six days, where each grouping is trained twice a week. At three days it also works well for muscle gain, giving each grouping a dedicated session.
Muscle-group split
Individual muscle groups get their own day. Needs six or more sessions to give each group reasonable frequency, and suits experienced trainees who want to concentrate volume in specific areas.
Choosing the number of days first
Pick the number of days you'll genuinely train, then let the split follow. Three sessions you complete every week beat five you manage half of — consistency drives results far more than which split you picked.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best workout split?
The one that fits the number of days you'll genuinely train. At two or three days full body wins on frequency; at four or five upper/lower balances volume and recovery; at six there's room for push/pull/legs or muscle-group days.
Is push/pull/legs better than upper/lower?
Neither is better in isolation — it depends on frequency. Push/pull/legs works best at six days, where each grouping is trained twice a week. At four days, upper/lower gives each muscle group more frequency than PPL would.
How often should I train each muscle group?
Roughly twice a week is a reasonable target for most people. That's what drives the recommendations here: the split is chosen so your available days produce sensible frequency, rather than the other way round.
