THE UPPER/LOWER PROGRAM This is an extremely versatile and popular split routine which is divided into two upper body and two lower body workouts. It is usually ran with four workouts per week with upper for example being trained Monday and Thursday and lower trained on a Tuesday and Friday. If recovery becomes a factor then changing Friday's workout to a Saturday could definitely help in this regard. You could also run this program three workouts per week with a day's rest in between each session and picking up the fourth workout at the start of the following week. This is still considered to be in the frequency range and could benefit trainees with less training time available. POINTS OF PROGRESSION • Novice trainees - Train with the lower end of volume prescribed here, working slowly up to the higher end volume when recovery poses no problem for you. • Intermediate trainees - Train using the high end volume per workout. If recovery is not an issue here, then adding training strategies could be advantageous for the lifter. Drop-sets, super-sets, myo-reps etc can all be used for individual body parts that require extra volume as long as recovery is not interfered with. • Starting with the lower end of the rep ranges using good form, gradually progress to reaching the high end rep range on all sets required. • Aim to use the same weight for each set. When the high end is reached on every set, add weight and start again at the lower end rep range. • For the rate of effort required on these exercises an RPE range has been included. RPE 10 = to failure, RPE 9 = stop 1 rep short of failure, RPE 8 = stop 2 reps short of failure, RPE 7 = stop 3 reps short of failure. REP RANGES AND REST • For sets using 5-8 reps rest 2-3 mins • For sets using 8-12 reps rest 90 secs- 2 mins • For sets using 12-15 reps rest 1 minute LENGTH OF WORKOUTS • Novice lifter - About an hour • Intermediate lifter - Up to 1 hour 30 mins OTHER CONSIDERATIONS • Eat in a calorie surplus depending on your activity level throughout the day. • Eat enough protein to build muscle. Around 0.8 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is sufficient. • Consume protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats as the main part of your diet. • Supplements could be considered such as creatine, fish oil, multivitamins, zinc and magnesium etc. • Feel free to use variations of similar exercises which may suit the individual's training needs. FINAL THOUGHTS The Upper/Lower training split is a tried and tested routine which gives the lifter enough volume, frequency and recovery that is needed. Happy lifting 👊💪👍💯🤣😉