3 Day Upper / Lower Splits | The Ultimate Guide!

Are you curious about 3 day upper lower splits?

Do you wonder how to use the upper lower 3-day split to build size and strength?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this comprehensive guide, I will show you how to use the 3 day upper lower split to take your training to the next level!

Introduction

Part 1: Westside Barbell Training
Part 2: Charles Poliquin Style Programming
Part 3: Dante Trudel’s DC Training
Part 4: Josh Bryant Style Programming

The classic upper / lower split is easily one of the best training splits ever invented. The idea is simple: you train your entire upper body in one workout and your entire lower body in another workout.

There are three main versions of the upper / lower split:

Option #1: The 4 day upper / lower split
Option #2: The 3 day upper / lower split
Option #3: The 2 day upper / lower split

Each of these training splits has their own advantages and disadvantages. However, in my opinion the 3 day upper / lower split is probably the best all-around choice for most trainees.

Here is what your weekly workouts might look like:

Week #1

Monday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body

Week #2

Monday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body

With the 3 days per week upper / lower split you are training body parts once every 4-5 days.

This moderate training frequency is a favorite of the world-class strength coach Charles Poliquin. It works EXTREMELY well for a large percentage of the training population.

You get plenty of rest between workouts for each body part so you can use a lot of volume and intensity during your workouts. However, the frequency is high enough that productive workouts add up really quickly.

In my experience beginners, intermediates AND advanced trainees can all make awesome progress with this split.

The IFBB professional bodybuilder David Henry made some of the best gains of his life training 3 days per week using a modified upper / lower split. The bench press world champion Julius Maddox also gets his best results training his upper body once every 5 days.

Just take a look at Julius bench pressing 782 pounds:

Talk about incredible! If training 3 days per week works for David Henry and Julius Maddox then maybe it will work for you too.

I have to warn you that these are advanced programs designed for advanced trainees. You need at least 1-2 years of hardcore training experience before you attempt any of these programs.

If you are experienced enough then these 3 days per week upper / lower split programs will help you build size and strength faster than you ever thought possible.

Note: if you have any trouble reading the routines presented here then check out this article on how to read a training program. Now let’s get down to business…

Part 1: Westside Barbell Training

The Westside Barbell training program is one of the most popular powerlifting training programs in the world.

The official Westside Barbell training program uses a 4 days per week upper / lower split. Check it out:

The Official Westside Barbell Training Schedule

Sunday: Dynamic effort bench press
Monday: Max effort squat / deadlift
Wednesday: Max effort bench press
Friday: Dynamic effort squat / deadlift

You train the squat, bench press and deadlift twice per week using a combination of “max effort” workouts where you lift ultra-heavy weights and “dynamic effort” workouts where you lift lighter weights explosively.

The original Westside program works AWESOME for people with above average recovery ability.

There’s just one problem: most people can’t recover from the original Westside split!

In fact the 4 days per week Westside Barbell program runs most people into the ground within 1-2 months! This is especially true when it comes to training the lower body.

Most trainees find that they cannot recover from 2 hard lower body workouts per week. It is just too hard on their lower backs and their central nervous systems to recover. Fortunately there are ways to modify the original Westside program to make it easier to recover from.

One of the best strategies is to train Westside style using a 3 days per week upper body / lower body split. For example:

Week #1

Monday: Dynamic effort bench press
Wednesday: Max effort squat / deadlift
Friday: Max effort bench press

Week #2

Monday: Dynamic effort squat / deadlift
Wednesday: Repeat!

You just continue rotating through your workouts so you would perform your dynamic effort bench press workout on Wednesday of week 2. Then on Friday of week 2 you would perform your next max effort squat / deadlift workout etc.

Almost everything else about the Westside program stays the same.

This 3 days per week Westside program works AWESOME for a lot of powerlifters.

One of the biggest reasons this split works so well is the lower body training frequency. You are training squats and/or deadlifts once every 4-5 days instead of once every 3-4 days with the original Westside training split. This makes the program much easier to recover from.

You can also use a lot more training volume per workout without having to worry too much about recovering between workouts.

Here are some sample Westside Barbell workouts featuring the 3 day upper / lower split. Check it out:

Sample Westside Dynamic Effort Bench Press Workout

A1: Dynamic effort bench press with chains and bands, 9 x 3**, X/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
B1: 3-board press against bands, 2 x 5, 2/1/X/0, 120 seconds rest
C1: 30 degree incline DB press, 2 x 20-30****, 1/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
D1: Standing rope cable pushdowns, 4 x 10-12, 3/0/1/1, 60 seconds rest
E1: Lat pulldown (narrow / neutral grip), 4 x 8-10, 2/0/1/0, 60 seconds rest
F1: Seated cable rope face pull, 4 x 12-15, 3/0/1/1, 60 seconds rest

**Perform 3 sets with a shoulder-width grip, 3 sets with a medium grip and 3 sets with a wide grip.

****Perform 2 sets all the way to concentric muscular failure. Use the same dumbbells for both sets.

Here is a great video of the dynamic effort bench press with chains and bands:

Sample Westside Max Effort Squat / Deadlift Workout

A1: Deficit conventional deadlift (2 inch deficit), 3 x 1**, X/0/X/0, 240 seconds rest
B1: Safety squat bar low box squat (narrow stance / heels flat), 2 x 6, 2/1/X/1, 120 seconds rest
C1: Glute ham raise (holding DB at chest), 4 x 8-12, 3/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
D1: 45 degree back extension (with band tension), 4 x 7-10, 2/0/X/2, 60 seconds rest
E1: Forward sled drags, 4 x 100 feet, 60 seconds rest

**Perform 3 sets at 85%, 93% and 100% of your estimated 1-rep max for that day. Perform these singles after a good warm-up on this exercise.

Here is a great video of the max effort deficit deadlift:

Sample Westside Max Effort Bench Press Workout

A1: 30 degree incline bench press (shoulder-width grip), 3 x 1, 1/0/X/0, 240 seconds rest
B1: Floor press (medium grip), 2 x 15-25****, 2/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
C1: JM press, 3 x 10-12, 2/0/1/0, 60 seconds rest
D1: Standing overhead rope cable extensions, 3 x 15-20, 1/0/1/0, 60 seconds rest
E1: Seated machine row (neutral grip), 4 x 10-12, 2/0/X/2, 60 seconds rest
F1: Seated DB hammer curls, 4 x 10-12, 2/0/1/0, 60 seconds rest

**Perform 3 sets at 85%, 93% and 100% of your estimated 1-rep max for that day. Perform these singles after a good warm-up on this exercise.

****Perform 2 sets all the way to concentric muscular failure. Use the same weight for both sets.

Here is a great video of the max effort incline bench press:

Sample Westside Dynamic Effort Squat / Deadlift Workout

A1: Dynamic effort box squat against bands (medium or wide stance / heels flat), 8 x 2, 1/1/X/0, 60 seconds rest
B1: Dynamic effort sumo deadlift against bands, 4 x 1, X/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
C1: Dynamic effort conventional deadlift against bands, 4 x 1, X/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
D1: Reverse hyperextension, 4 x 12-15, 1/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
E1: 90 degree back extension (barbell on back), 4 x 6-8, 2/0/X/2, 60 seconds rest
F1: Hanging leg raise, 4 x 10-12, 2/0/1/0, 60 seconds rest

Here is a great video of the dynamic effort squat against bands.

These sample Westside Barbell workouts feature a lot of Louie Simmons’ favorite exercises like bench presses with bands / chains or safety squat bar squats.

If you are a true hardgainer then you are probably better off trying a 2 days per week Westside program. I talk a lot about it in my article on the 2 days per week upper / lower split.

If you want to learn more about the Westside Barbell training program then check out these 2 articles:

Everything you need to know about the Westside Barbell program is in these articles.

Part 2: Charles Poliquin Style Programming

Charles Poliquin was one of the greatest strength coaches the world has ever seen. He trained Olympic gold medalists in 24 different sports and countless professional athletes.

Charles was a true rebel when it came to strength training.

Charles believed that most trainees do best training body parts about once every 5 days.

It didn’t matter if it was the shot put gold medalist Adam Nelson or the greco-roman wrestling gold medalist Helen Maroulis – almost all of his athletes trained body parts once every 5 days.

Charles sometimes used the 3 days per week upper / lower split with his athletes. For example:

Week #1

Monday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body

Week #2

Monday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body

One of the reasons Charles liked the classic upper / lower split is it allows you to train antagonistic body parts together.

Here are some of the antagonistic body part groupings that Charles used with his athletes:

Chest / Back
Biceps / Triceps
Quads / Hamstrings
Chest / Biceps
Back / Triceps

For example Charles might have his athletes perform a set for their chest, rest 1-2 minutes, perform a set for their upper back, rest 1-2 minutes and perform another set for their chest etc.

Antagonistic body part supersets have many advantages. They help you recruit more muscle fibers in your target muscle groups, they improve your muscular endurance throughout your workout and they let you double the amount of work you perform in a given period of time.

Talk about an awesome training method!

There are a ton of different ways that you could perform an upper body or lower body workout using antagonistic body part supersets. Let’s take a look at 2 different routines: 1 hypertrophy routine and 1 strength routine.

One of Charles Poliquin’s favourite methods for boosting muscular hypertrophy was regular supersets. Supersets are pretty simple: you perform 2 exercises for the same body part back-to-back with only 10 seconds rest between sets.

Supersets are great for boosting size because they make your muscles work longer by prolonging the time under tension of the set.

Here are some Poliquin-style upper body and lower body hypertrophy routines featuring supersets. Check it out:

Charles Poliquin Upper Body Hypertrophy Routine

A1: 30 degree incline DB press, 4 x 8-10, 2/1/X/0, 60 seconds rest
A2: Lat pulldown (medium / neutral grip), 4 x 10, 2/1/X/0, 60 seconds rest
B1: Hammer strength overhead press, 3 x 12-15, 3/0/1/0, 10 seconds rest
B2: Seated DB Poliquin lateral raise, 3 x 12-15, 3/0/1/0, 120 seconds rest
B3: Seated cable row (v-handle), 3 x 12-15, 2/0/1/2, 10 seconds rest
B4: Nautilus pullover machine, 3 x 12-15, 3/0/1/1, 120 seconds rest
C1: Flat DB extensions, 3 x 10-12, 2/0/2/0, 30 seconds rest
C2: 45 degree incline DB curls (supinating grip), 3 x 10-12, 2/0/2/0, 30 seconds rest

Charles Poliquin Lower Body Hypertrophy Routine

A1: Back squat (narrow stance / heels elevated), 4 x 8-10, 2/1/X/1, 60 seconds rest
A2: Bilateral lying leg curl (feet plantarflexed / pointing in), 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0, 60 seconds rest
B1: 45 degree leg press, 3 x 12-15, 3/0/1/0, 10 seconds rest
B2: Seated leg extension machine, 3 x 12-15, 3/0/1/0, 120 seconds rest
B3: Bilateral seated leg curl (Poliquin method** / feet pointing straight), 3 x 10-12, 3/0/1/0, 10 seconds rest
B4: Romanian deadlift, 3 x 10-12, 3/0/1/0, 120 seconds rest

**Dorsiflex your ankles (point your toes towards your shins) on the concentric range and plantar flex your ankles (point your toes away from your shins) on the eccentric range. This will help you to eccentrically overload your hamstrings.

These 2 workouts feature a ton of different exercises and training volume.

You are performing 26 total sets in the upper body workout and 20 total sets in the lower body workout. Keep in mind that all of these sets are “working sets” using relatively heavy weights. Talk about a lot of training volume!

Don’t worry, if you are using the 3 day upper / lower split then you should have no problem recovering from these routines.

If you are a bodybuilder looking to pack on some muscle mass then these routines are a great choice.

If you are more interested in building strength then you have to try some Charles Poliquin style cluster sets.

Poliquin cluster sets are simply unbeatable for building maximal strength. The goal is to perform 5 sets of 5 reps using your 3-rep max. No – that was not a typo! You really are going to perform 5 sets of 5 reps with your 3-rep max.

The trick is you are going to rest for 15-20 seconds in between every rep.

Here is what a Poliquin cluster set should look like:

Step #1: Perform your 1st rep, rest 15-20 seconds
Step #2: Perform your 2nd rep, rest 15-20 seconds
Step #3: Perform your 3rd rep, rest 15-20 seconds
Step #4: Perform your 4th rep, rest 15-20 seconds
Step #5: Perform your 5th rep, 2-4 minutes, repeat!

In case you are more of a visual learner here is a picture-perfect demonstration of Charles Poliquin style cluster sets:

Cluster sets is definitely one of the most demanding training methods to recover from.

They work extremely well when paired with the 3 day upper body / lower body split because you have plenty of rest days to help with your recovery.

Here are some sample upper body and lower body Poliquin cluster set workouts that you may want to try. Check it out:

Charles Poliquin Upper Body Strength Routine

A1: Decline bench press (shoulder-width grip), 5 x 5**, 4/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
A2: Sternum pull up (wide / overhand grip), 5 x 5**, 4/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
B1: 60 degree incline DB press, 3 x 6-8, 3/2/X/0, 60 seconds rest
B2: Barbell dead stop row, 3 x 10-12, 2/1/X/0, 60 seconds rest

Charles Poliquin Lower Body Strength Routine

A1: Front squat (medium stance / heels flat), 5 x 5**, 4/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
A2: Unilateral kneeling leg curl (Poliquin method**** / feet pointed out), 4/0/X/0, 120 seconds rest
B1: Triple jumper’s step up (barbell on back), 3 x 6-8, 2/1/1/1, 60 seconds rest
B2: 45 degree back extension (holding barbell w/ snatch grip), 3 x 6-8, 2/0/1/2, 60 seconds rest

****Dorsiflex your ankles (point your toes towards your shins) on the concentric range and plantarflex your ankles (point your toes away from your shins) on the eccentric range. This will help you to eccentrically overload your hamstrings.

If you are going to use this routine then you MUST think about exploding the weight up on every rep. You want to treat these reps like “speed reps” where you lift them as explosively as possible!

If you have the guts to perform these workouts for 3-4 weeks then your strength is guaranteed to shoot through the roof.

Part 3: Dante Trudel’s DC Training

DC Training is a low-volume / high-intensity bodybuilding training program invented by Dante Trudel, the co-founder of True Nutrition.

Most bodybuilders believe that you have to lift 4, 5 or even 6 days per week in order to build as much muscle mass as possible.

Dante Trudel believes that this is unnecessary. In fact, Dante believes that one of the best ways to build muscle mass is using a 3 days per week upper body / lower body split.

If you are a bodybuilder and want to use the 3 day upper / lower split then DC Training might be your best bet.

Dante Trudel has his bodybuilding clients rotate through 3 different upper body and lower body workouts over the course of 2 weeks. For example:

Week #1

Monday: Upper Body Workout #1
Wednesday: Lower Body Workout #1
Friday: Upper Body Workout #2

Week #2

Monday: Upper Body Workout #2
Wednesday: Lower Body Workout #3
Friday: Upper Body Workout #3

Starting on week #3 the whole cycle starts repeating itself. For example on Monday of week 3 you would repeat your “upper body workout #1” and try to hit a personal record on all of your exercises.

Let’s use an example to make this easier to understand. Let’s say your 3 favourite chest exercises are incline dumbbell presses, incline bench presses and flat machine presses.

You would perform incline dumbbell presses on your 1st upper body day, incline barbell presses on your 2nd upper body day and flat machine presses on your 3rd upper body day.

Then when you repeat your 1st upper body workout you would try to hit a new record on incline dumbbell presses etc.

Here is how the different body parts are trained on the upper body and lower body training days in DC Training:

Upper Body DC Training Template

Exercise #1: Chest
Exercise #2: Shoulders
Exercise #3: Triceps
Exercise #4: Back Width
Exercise #5: Back Thickness

Lower Body DC Training Template

Exercise #1: Biceps
Exercise #2: Forearms
Exercise #3: Calves
Exercise #4: Hamstrings
Exercise #5: Quadriceps

As you can see Dante likes his trainees to train biceps and forearms on their lower body day. Other than that this is a classic upper body / lower body template.

For each body part you are going to pick 1 exercise and perform 1 all-out working set.

For most body parts you are going to perform a rest-pause set. Here is the exact protocol for a DC-style rest-pause set:

Step #1: Train to failure in the 6-12 rep range, rest 20-30 seconds
Step #2: Train to failure again using the same weight, rest 20-30 seconds
Step #3: Train to failure a 3rd time with the same weight, done!

Basically a rest-pause set is three separate sets performed to failure with short rest periods in between each set. Rest-pause sets are incredibly effective for building both muscular size and strength.

With DC Training you don’t perform rest-pause sets for every body part.

Here are a few body parts where you should perform straight sets only:

Back Thickness (1-2 straight sets in the 4-10 rep range)
Forearms (1 straight set of 8-12 reps)
Calves (1 straight set of 7-10 reps)
Quadriceps (1 straight set of 4-8 reps, then the “widowmaker”)

If you are paying attention then you should be asking yourself “what the heck is a quadriceps widowmaker?” I’m glad you asked!

The widowmaker is Dante’s version of a 20-rep “breathing squat.”

The basic idea is to perform 20 reps with your 10-rep max on the back squat. First you perform 10 reps with your regular 10-rep max. The 10th rep should be very difficult but you will make it. Then you lock out your legs and take in several deep breaths.

Once you feel recovered you squat back down and knock out an extra 1-3 reps. This process is repeated until you perform 20 total reps.

For inspiration here is Tom Platz squatting an unbelievable 530 pounds for 23 reps!!

Talk about a widowmaker! OK, let’s review. For most body parts you are going to pick 1 exercise and perform 1 all-out rest-pause set. For some body parts like back thickness and quads you will perform 1-2 straight sets instead.

For most body parts you are going to perform a very painful static stretch immediately after your 1-2 working sets. Dante Trudel calls these “extreme stretches.” They may look a little weird but they are incredibly effective for boosting muscular size and strength.

Here are some good stretches for the body parts that you are supposed to stretch:

Upper body extreme stretches

Lower body extreme stretches

For other body parts like back thickness you don’t have to perform any stretches. OK, you should have a decent idea of how to perform DC Training.

Now let’s take a look at a sample training routine! Remember, these workouts are performed using a 3-day upper / lower split. You are only performing 3 total workouts per week. Check it out:

Upper Body #1

A1: Flat DB press, 1 x 20-30 RP**, 3/0/X/0, rest as needed
B1: Nautilus machine overhead press, 1 x 11-20 RP**, 2/0/X/0, rest as needed
C1: Decline ez-bar extension (to forehead), 1 x 11-20 RP**, 2/1/X/0, rest as needed
D1: Rack chins, 1 x 11-20 RP**, 3/1/X/0, rest as needed
E1: Barbell bent over row, 2 x (8-10, 10-12), 2/0/X/0, 3 minutes rest