How to Design an Upper/Lower Training Split (Pro Coach Breakdown)

Main ideas / concepts

• The upper/lower training split is presented as an effective, versatile, and easy-to-program approach for beginner through advanced lifters.
• The goal is to create a repeatable template that balances:
  • Performance (strength-focused compound work)
  • Preparation (warm-up/activation)
  • Smart exercise ordering, such as:
    • compound → pre-lift primer → accessory/supporting work → isolation → optional finisher
  • Progression over time, emphasizing:
    • adequate rest
    • avoiding excess fatigue
  • Targeted weak links and appropriate supplemental volume

---

Step-by-step methodology (7 steps)

1) Schedule your lifting days

• Decide which days of the week you lift (excluding cardio/walking/conditioning).
• Example schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (four lifting days).
• Spacing note:
  • Research is mentioned suggesting day placement may not matter much in the short term (up to ~8 weeks), even with lifting four days in a row (with rest afterward).
  • For long-term progress, more consistent rest between sessions is suggested to better support load/volume progression.

2) Add an activation circuit at the start of each session

• Add an activation circuit after your normal warm-up (warm-up specifics are acknowledged but not included in the 7 steps).
• Purpose:
  • increase tension and muscle activation for muscles/joints you’ll use
  • improve safety and performance
• Upper-day ideas:
  • shoulder external rotation (rear delt/trap activation)
  • pulling movements (e.g., pullovers/pulldowns)
  • “over and back” shoulder mobility
  • light pump/blood flow (e.g., push-ups or band curls)
• Lower-day ideas:
  • hamstring/glute work (leg curls, glute bridges)
  • core anti-rotation work (side planks)
  • stability-focused movements for the compound lift

3) Choose the session compound lift (and avoid repeating the same one)

• Use two upper days and two lower days.
• Don’t repeat the exact same compound lift across upper days (unless pursuing a specific competitive goal like powerlifting).
• To cover different movement patterns:
  • Upper (example): horizontal press (bench) one day, vertical press (overhead press) the other
  • Lower (example): squat pattern one day, hip hinge (deadlift pattern) the other
• Rep range guidance:
  • emphasize a lower rep range for the compound lift
  • avoid going below ~5 reps for most lifters/clients
  • lowest mentioned range is 4–6 reps, reserved for the compound lift
• Optional superset note for upper-body compounds:
  • Since presses are pushing movements, pair with a pulling movement to create a push–pull pairing (strength-focused volume, time-efficient).
  • Example pairings:
    • bench + horizontal row
    • overhead press + weighted chin-up or lat pulldown
• Lower-body superset rule:
  • Do not superset lower-body compounds; they’re too taxing and can reduce performance or increase fatigue/conditioning stress.

4) Add a pre-lift explosive primer (after choosing the compound lift)

• Place the primer after selecting the compound lift, but before performing the heavy compound work.
• Purpose:
  • prime the nervous system
  • recruit fast-twitch fibers/motor units
  • mimic the movement pattern for the main lift
• Examples by pattern:
  • Squat pattern: box jump / squat jump (often bodyweight; sometimes light loading)
  • Hip hinge: broad jump (more hinge-mimicking than squat-mimicking)
  • Bench (upper horizontal press): chest throw / explosive push-up
  • Overhead press: slam / wall ball / dumbbell or kettlebell snatch
• Intensity guidance:
  • keep it not overly fatiguing—the goal is explosive readiness, not exhaustion
  • example loading: chest throw with a light implement (e.g., 8–12 lb jam ball) to avoid losing explosiveness

5) Choose an accessory exercise (or superset) that supports the opposite day’s compound

• Rule: the first accessory targets the opposite pressing/lifting pattern from the compound lift.
• Upper-day logic:
  • If compound is horizontal press (bench), first accessory targets vertical pressing (e.g., overhead press variations)
  • If compound is vertical press (overhead press), first accessory targets horizontal pressing/pulling (horizontal press/pull pattern)
• Lower-day logic:
  • If compound is squat, first accessory is hip hinge
  • If compound is hip hinge (deadlift), first accessory is squat (e.g., split squat variation)
• Rationale:
  • increases pattern frequency across the week
  • strengthens weak links without overuse
  • helps avoid some injury/fatigue issues that can happen when doing too many similar heavy movements back-to-back (e.g., heavy squat followed immediately by split squat while fatigued or with poor mechanics)

6) Add supplemental isolation exercises (1–3 total)

• Beginners:
  • may be optional if session volume is already adequate
• Intermediate/advanced:
  • use this step to accumulate enough volume for meaningful progress
• Main approach:
  • choose a weak link and add high-quality, often higher-rep volume
• Upper-body examples (generally more pulling than pushing):
  • extra rows (cable face pulls, seated cable rows, chest-supported rows)
• Lower-body examples:
  • quad and ham/glute combinations:
    • quad + glute
    • glute + hamstring
    • tailored to client goals (e.g., glute hypertrophy focus)
• Technique/problem correction possibilities:
  • add hip hinge work for hip range/strength
  • add face pulls to improve shoulder external rotation and help reduce poor posture/shoulder pain risk
• Fatigue management:
  • pick isolation work that can be trained hard with volume without excessive fatigue or joint stress

7) Optional metabolic finisher (intermediate/advanced)

• Purpose:
  • target metabolic pathways
  • finish hard without excessive joint/muscle damage
• Upper-body options:
  • EDT / AMRAP-like format (rounds as many as possible in a block of time)
  • example exercises: dumbbell lateral raises, cable curls, pushdowns (delts/biceps/triceps)
  • can be circuits, supersets, or multiple rounds with rest as needed
• EDT terminology note:
  • presented as a strength-training version with nostalgia and a mindset benefit (reduce “push too hard too fast” leading to sloppy form)
• Lower-body options:
  • calves and glute abduction (calf raises, glute hip abductions)
  • core circuit work (ab circuit)
  • conditioning machines: sled / assault bike / rower
• Conditioning rationale:
  • prioritize movements with less eccentric joint loading → less muscle damage and lingering soreness
• Goal-based suggestions:
  • athleticism/conditioning: sled push/pull + farmers carries
  • fat loss/caloric burn: assault bike intervals
  • muscle building: extra glute/calf volume or hard leg-extension work to failure
• Conclusion:
  • can be metabolic conditioning, or
  • high-rep metabolite accumulation sets for hypertrophy (metabolic pathway → muscle growth)

---

Quick recap of the template (as stated)

• Choose lifting days (example: Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat).
• Add activation circuits at session start.
• Pick the compound lift:
  • Upper: horizontal press vs vertical press
  • Lower: squat pattern vs hip hinge (deadlift)
• Add a pre-lift explosive primer before the compound.
• Choose accessory work that mirrors/supports the opposite day’s compound pattern.
• Add 1–3 isolation exercises for weak links/volume.
• Add an optional metabolic finisher.

---

Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker/Source: Cody McBrroom (Founder and CEO of Tailored Coaching Method)
• Referenced sources (general): “scientific research in strength and conditioning” (no specific studies cited by name), plus general training-research references (including terminology/history such as EDT vs CrossFit-style AMRAP).