Upper Lower Push Pull Legs Workout 5 Days a Week

ULPPL , or Upper Lower Push Pull Legs, is a popular 5-day-per-week split designed for those looking to gain maximum muscle mass. This split optimizes frequency and volume by training each muscle group twice per week.

In this text, we will see how to do the ULPPL training with maximum results.

How the Upper Lower Push Pull Legs Workout Works

The ULPPL workout divides exercises into five different movement patterns: upper body, lower body, push, pull, and legs, on specific days.

Here is a description of the muscles trained in each workout:

Upper body: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps.Lower body: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves.Push: chest, shoulders, triceps.Pull: back, trapezius, rear deltoids, biceps.Legs: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves.

Basically, the ULPPL split is a combination of the two most effective and popular workouts of all time: the upper/lower split and the push/pull/legssplit .

As you can see, this hybrid approach doesn't involve a "shoulder day" or an "arm day," which is a less productive way to train for most people (especially naturals).

Most importantly, each body part is trained twice a week, which is the training frequency that tends to work best for most people, and the ULPPL does this in a way that allows for the perfect amount of training without risking training a muscle that is still recovering from the previous workout or has been untrained for so long that adaptation (and results) are lost.

In short, the Upper Lower Push Pull Legs is everything we want in a workout and basically nothing we don't.

The training sheet

Next, we'll see what an Upper Lower Push Pull Legs workout sheet would look like, with the days, which exercises to do, sets and repetitions, followed by important tips that will probably answer your questions.

Day 1: Upper BodyDay 2: Lower Body:Day 3: RestDay 4: PushDay 5: PullDay 6: LegsDay 7: Rest

You also have the option of training from Monday to Friday and resting on the weekend.

Day 1: Upper BodyDay 2: Lower Body:Day 3: PushDay 4: PullDay 5: LegsDay 6: RestDay 7: Rest
Upper bodyBench press: 3×6-8Bent-Over Row: 3×6-8Development: 3×8-10High pulley pulldown (back pulley): 3×8-10Flying: 3×10-15Direct curl: 3×12French curl: 3×12-15Lower bodyFree squat: 3×6-8Leg press: 3×6-8Stiff: 3×8-10Chair or leg curl table: 3×8-10Standing Calf Raises: 4×6-8PushIncline bench press: 3×6-8Dumbbell or articulated machine bench press: 3×8-10Flying or straight crucifix: 3×10-12Lateral raise: 4×10-12Triceps rope on high pulley: 3×10-12PullPull-up or pull-down on high pulley: 3×6-8Bent-over row or seated row: 3×8-10Inverted crucifix: 3×10-12Shrinkage: 4×10Alternating curl: 3×10-12LegsFree squat: 3×6-8Stride: 3×8-10 (each leg)Romanian or stiff deadlift: 3×10-12Extension table or chair: 2×10-12Seated Calf Raise: 4×10-15About the number of repetitions

You probably understand that the number after the exercise name (e.g., 3x6-8) represents the number of sets and reps. However, it's important to emphasize that this number of reps is a range where you should fail or come close to failure.

For example, if an exercise calls for 6-8 repetitions, you should choose a load where you'll reach near failure, or failure occurs when you reach the sixth, seventh, or eighth repetition. Less than 6, and you've used too much load, and more than 8, you've used less than you could handle.

 

Rest between sets

Generally speaking, you should rest 2-3 minutes between sets for lower rep exercises (6-8 reps), 1-2 minutes for higher rep exercises (10-15 reps), and somewhere in between for exercises that fall somewhere in between (8-10 rep exercises).

Abdominals

You can add two abdominal exercises after your workouts, but it is not recommended to train two days in a row (without having a rest day between workouts).

For example, do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each for abdominal crunches on the pulley followed by leg raises .

Exercise substitutions

Some people may find exercises they can't do. In these situations, try replacing the exercise with a similar variation.

For example, bench presses can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, or a machine. If you can't do chin-ups with your own body weight, you can do pull-ups on a high pulley. If the fly/peck deck is occupied, you can do dumbbell flyes or a crossover.

However, it's not recommended to make exercise changes without a valid reason or to make incorrect substitutions. For example, swapping squats for leg extensions or bench presses for decline presses.

How to progress and get the most out of ULPPL

With ULPPL (or any training), it's important to train with the right intensity and aim to impose more and more work on your body as the weeks go by.

See, if you do the exercises for the same number of sets and reps, lifting the same amount of weight, for the next five years, nothing much different will happen, except for the first few months while you get used to the routine.

Each workout needs to be a challenge so that the body has the stimulus to adapt, becoming bigger and stronger. At the same time, this doesn't mean that with every workout you'll be able to do more and more.

In many workouts you will end up lifting the same amount of weight, for the same number of sets and reps as you did before and this is completely normal.

The key here is to avoid falling into the abyss of your comfort zone. Every day, you need to go to the gym with the mindset that you need to (at least try) increase the amount of work your muscles are doing, whether by lifting more weight, doing more reps with the same weight, or doing more sets.

For example, let's say the prescription for a particular exercise is 3 sets of 6-8 reps. The idea is to select a weight that allows you to perform at least 6 reps in each set, but no more than 8.

Every time you hit the gym, try to do more reps than you did in the previous workout. Once you can do 8 reps in every set, increase the weight for the next workout.

It's also important to ensure your technique remains solid from one workout to the next. Increasing load by sacrificing movement quality isn't progress, it's regression.

Ultimately, you need to give your muscles a reason to grow, or you'll stay stuck at the same size you are now. So, be sure to keep a workout journal, record your numbers, and always try to outdo your previous workout in some way.