Bro Split vs Upper Lower for Intermediate Lifters

Bro Split vs Upper Lower for Intermediate Lifters

For an intermediate lifter, the Upper/Lower split is better than a bro split. The primary reason is frequency. An Upper/Lower split allows you to train every major muscle group two times per week. This is widely considered the optimal frequency for muscle growth once you are past the beginner stage.

A bro split trains each muscle group only once per week. While this can work for beginners or very advanced lifters focusing on tiny details, it leaves potential growth on the table for intermediates. The goal is to stimulate a muscle, let it recover, and stimulate it again as soon as it is ready. Waiting a full seven days is simply too long.

This guide is for lifters who have been training consistently for at least one year and have seen their initial rapid progress slow down. If your lifts have stalled, switching from a bro split to an Upper/Lower routine is one of the most effective changes you can make. Here's why this works.

Understanding the Intermediate Plateau: When Newbie Gains Dry Up

If you're reading this, you likely remember your first year of lifting. Every week, you could add 5 lbs to your bench press or squat. Progress was fast, consistent, and incredibly motivating. This magical period is known as "newbie gains." Your body is hyper-responsive to the new stimulus of resistance training, and it adapts quickly by building muscle and strength. But then, it stops. The weight on the bar stalls for weeks, maybe months. The visible changes in the mirror slow to a crawl. This is the intermediate plateau, and it's where many lifters get stuck.

The bro split, which may have served you well initially, often becomes the very thing holding you back. During the newbie phase, almost any consistent program works. A single high-volume chest day was enough to stimulate growth for the entire week. As an intermediate, your body is more resilient. It adapts faster and recovers quicker. The growth signal from a single workout doesn't last a full seven days anymore. The problem isn't that you're not training hard enough; it's that you're not training smart enough for your current level. Your muscles are repaired and ready for more work by day three or four, but your split forces them to wait until day eight. This is a huge missed opportunity for growth.

Why Hitting a Muscle Once a Week Stalls Progress

The main reason an Upper/Lower split outperforms a bro split for intermediates is how our bodies build muscle. After a workout, the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) increases. This is the process of repairing and building new muscle tissue. For a trained lifter, this elevated state lasts for about 36 to 48 hours, not a full week.

With a bro split, you might train your chest on Monday. MPS is elevated on Monday and Tuesday, but then it returns to baseline. Your chest is fully recovered and ready for another stimulus by Wednesday or Thursday, but you do not train it again until the following Monday. You miss several days of potential growth signals. With an Upper/Lower split, you train chest on Monday, let it recover, and train it again on Thursday. You get two growth signals per week instead of one, effectively doubling your opportunities to build muscle over time.

The goal is not to annihilate a muscle once a week. It is to stimulate it just enough, twice a week. Bro splits often encourage excessive volume in a single session, leading to junk volume. These are sets performed when a muscle is already too fatigued to be stimulated effectively. For example, after a heavy bench press and incline press, your fifth chest exercise for 3 sets of 12 is likely doing more to accumulate fatigue than to stimulate new growth. This only increases muscle damage and soreness without adding much benefit, delaying recovery and preventing a second, more productive workout that week.

Tired of guessing? Track it.

Mofilo tracks food, workouts, and your purpose. Download today.

How to Structure a 4-Day Upper Lower Split

Transitioning to an Upper/Lower split is straightforward. It revolves around managing your total weekly training volume and spreading it across four days. This provides a great balance between stimulation and recovery for most intermediate lifters.

Step 1. Choose your four training days

A common and effective schedule is training two days on, one day off, then two days on. For example, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. This gives you a rest day after every two training sessions and the full weekend to recover. Monday would be Upper Body, Tuesday would be Lower Body, Thursday would be a different Upper Body workout, and Friday a different Lower Body workout.

Step 2. Set your weekly volume target

For intermediates, a good target for muscle growth is 10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week. A hard set is one taken 1-3 reps shy of muscular failure. You will split this volume across your two weekly sessions for that muscle group. For example, if your target for your back is 16 sets per week, you would do 8 sets on your first upper body day and 8 sets on your second.

Step 3. Plan your exercises and progression

Your first upper and lower days can focus on strength with heavy compound lifts in lower rep ranges. Your second pair of days can focus on hypertrophy with more isolation work and higher reps. This approach, known as power/hypertrophy training, is highly effective.

Here is a sample 4-day Upper/Lower split:

Monday: Upper Body (Strength Focus)

• Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
• Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
• Overhead Press: 3 sets of 6-10 reps
• Lat Pulldowns: 2 sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Tuesday: Lower Body (Strength Focus)

• Barbell Back Squats: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6-10 reps
• Leg Press: 2 sets of 10-15 reps
• Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Thursday: Upper Body (Hypertrophy Focus)

• Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Seated Cable Rows: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Machine Chest Flys: 2 sets of 12-15 reps
• Tricep Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Friday: Lower Body (Hypertrophy Focus)

• Conventional Deadlifts: 1 top set of 5 reps (or Leg Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps)
• Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps per leg
• Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Seated Calf Raises: 4 sets of 15-20 reps

Keeping track of your total weekly sets for each muscle group can be tedious with a spreadsheet. You have to manually add up the volume from different days. The Mofilo app automates this. Its volume tracker calculates your total weekly sets for each body part, so you can see at a glance if you are hitting your 10-20 set target without any manual math.

What to Expect When You Switch Splits

When you switch from a bro split to an Upper/Lower split, expect a few changes. Your individual workouts will feel less fatiguing for any single muscle group. Instead of doing 15-20 sets for your chest in one day, you will do 6-10. This often means less muscle soreness, which is a key indicator that you can train that muscle again sooner. Don't mistake less soreness for a less effective workout; the weekly volume is what truly drives growth.

You should see measurable progress in your lifts within 4 to 6 weeks. This assumes your nutrition, sleep, and effort are consistent. The key is to apply progressive overload. Aim to add a small amount of weight (e.g., 2.5-5 lbs) to your compound lifts or do one more rep than last time with the same weight. This consistent, small improvement is what drives long-term growth.

This approach is not magic. It works because it is a more efficient way to schedule your training. If you find you are not recovering well between sessions, you can slightly reduce your volume. Listen to your body and adjust as needed. The goal is consistency over a long period.

You read this far. You're serious.

Track food, workouts, and your purpose with Mofilo. Download today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a bro split ever good for intermediates?

Yes, in specific cases. If an intermediate has a significant lagging body part, they might use a bro split day to dedicate a high volume of work to it. However, for overall balanced growth, Upper/Lower is generally more effective.

How many sets should I do per workout on an upper lower split?

Aim for 5-10 hard sets per muscle group in each workout. This allows you to hit the weekly target of 10-20 sets per muscle group when you train it twice. For example, 6 sets for chest on Monday and 6 sets on Thursday.

Can I do an upper lower split 3 days a week?

Yes. A 3-day schedule works well by alternating workouts. In week one, you might do Upper, Lower, Upper. In week two, you would do Lower, Upper, Lower. This results in each muscle group being trained 1.5 times per week on average, which is still better than a bro split's 1x frequency.

How long should I stay on an Upper/Lower split?

An Upper/Lower split can be effective for years. As long as you are applying progressive overload and recovering well, there is no mandatory reason to switch. Many advanced lifters continue to use this split. You might change exercises every 8-12 weeks to provide novel stimulus, but the underlying split structure can remain the same.