Beginner workout splits explained: full body vs upper/lower vs PPL (with running)

A workout split is just how you divide your lifting across the week. Full body every session, upper body one day and lower the next, or push, pull and legs on separate days. That's it. The internet treats choosing one like picking a religion. It's closer to picking a calendar.

Here's the short answer on beginner workout splits: if you lift two or three days a week, do full body. If you lift four, upper/lower. If you lift five or six and don't run much, push pull legs can work. If you also run, the split has to fit around your hard runs, not the other way round, which is the part most split guides skip and the reason people end up hunting for an app like Fitbod that also programs running.

Below: what each split is, who it suits, what the research says about choosing between them, and sample weeks with running already slotted in.

How to choose a split (the 30-second version)

Pick based on three things, in this order:

1. ›How many days you can actually lift. Not the number you wish. The number you hit in a bad week.
2. ›How much you run, and on which days the hard runs land.
3. ›What you enjoy enough to repeat for months.

Those are the same choices you'd find in workout split templates built around running. The logic is all below.

Why the split matters less than you think

Here's the bit that annoys people who've spent years arguing about splits. A 2024 meta-analysis comparing split routines with full-body routines found similar strength gains and similar muscle growth when total training volume was matched (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024). The authors' conclusion was that people can choose a routine based on preference.

A meta-analysis on training frequency found the same pattern for muscle growth: when weekly volume is equal, training a muscle once, twice or three-plus times a week produced no meaningful difference (Schoenfeld et al., 2019). A larger, more recent set of meta-regressions agreed for hypertrophy, but found strength gains did increase with frequency, with diminishing returns (Pelland et al., 2026).

So the split is mainly a delivery system for weekly sets. What actually drives results is how many hard sets each muscle gets per week (there's more on how many sets per workout in the volume guide), plus showing up consistently. Choose the split that gets you there with the fewest skipped sessions.

Full body: the best beginner workout split

What it is: every session trains the whole body. Usually a squat or hinge, a push, a pull, and maybe a carry or core move. Two to four sessions a week.

Who it's for: beginners, anyone lifting two or three days a week, and most people who run seriously.

Why it works for beginners: you practice each main movement several times a week, which is how technique gets good. If you miss a day, nothing gets skipped for a whole week, because every session hits everything. And it uses the five basic patterns in a guide to beginner strength training as its backbone.

The catch: sessions get long if you try to cram in every exercise, and heavy legs show up on every lifting day. For runners, that second point matters. More on that below.

A simple 3-day full body workout template:

Notice the lower-body lift rotates. Day A is the heavy one; B and C are lighter or more single-leg. That rotation is what makes full body survivable alongside running.

Upper/lower: the four-day middle ground

What it is: two upper-body days and two lower-body days a week. Often heavier on one pair and higher-rep on the other.

Who it's for: people with four lifting days, intermediates who've outgrown short full-body sessions, and hybrid athletes who want leg training concentrated into two days.

Why it works: each muscle still gets trained twice a week, sessions stay shorter than full body, and for runners it's easy to see where the leg fatigue lives. Two lower days, placed carefully, and the other two lifting days barely touch the legs at all.

A common way to run the upper/lower split is upper Monday, lower Wednesday, upper Thursday and an optional light lower day at the weekend, with runs slotted into the gaps (sample week below). Comparing it head to head with full body comes down to the days you have and how long you like each session to be; that's the whole question of upper/lower vs full body in one sentence.

If you want a strength-and-size hybrid of the two, PHUL (power hypertrophy upper/lower) is a popular variation: one heavy upper and lower day, one higher-rep upper and lower day.

Push pull legs: the high-frequency option

What it is: push day (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull day (back, biceps), leg day. Run once a week as a 3-day split, or twice through as a 6-day split.

Who it's for: lifters with five or six days and enough recovery to use them. Mostly people for whom lifting is the main sport.

Why people like it: each session is focused, you can do plenty of volume per muscle without the session dragging, and the gym-bro community has written a thousand templates for it.

The catch: as a 3-day split, each muscle only gets trained once a week, which is fine if total sets are there but makes every missed session cost a full week for that muscle. As a 6-day split, it leaves very little room for running. Two leg days a week plus two or three runs is a lot of leg stress for most people.

Pair push pull legs with more than two runs a week and it becomes the hardest split here to schedule well.

How each split fits running days

This is where hybrid athletes live or die. The core rule from how hybrid athletes structure a week is simple: keep the hard leg session and the hard running sessions on different days, and let easy runs fill the gaps.

Research on concurrent training backs the general approach. A 2022 meta-analysis found adding aerobic training to strength training didn't meaningfully blunt maximal strength or muscle growth overall, but did reduce explosive strength gains, and that effect was more pronounced when both were done in the same session than when they were separated by at least three hours (Schumann et al., 2022). That's why the sample weeks below keep hard sessions apart and same-day pairings easy.

Full body plus running (3 lifts, 3 runs)

Heavy legs sit on Monday, a full day before Tuesday's quality run. Wednesday and Friday's lower work stays light so it doesn't sabotage Saturday.

Upper/lower plus running (4 lifts, 3–4 runs)

The heavy lower day lands on an easy run day, with a non-leg day after it. Upper days pair happily with easy runs.

Push pull legs plus running (3 lifts, 3 runs)

This works, but notice the legs get trained once a week. Fine for maintenance; not ideal if leg strength is a goal.

The detailed rules behind these tables are in running and lifting in the same week. And if your worry is that all this running will eat your muscle, running without losing muscle is mostly a scheduling and volume question, not a reason to stop running.

Beginner workout splits: common mistakes

Picking a split for a schedule you don't have. A 6-day PPL you complete three days of is a worse program than a 3-day full body you complete every week.

Changing splits every three weeks. Progress comes from adding weight or reps to the same lifts over months. Program-hopping resets that clock. Run a split for at least a full training block before judging it.

Too many exercises, not enough sets. Five different chest isolation moves for one set each isn't a plan. A few compound exercises done for enough hard sets carry most beginners a long way.

Putting heavy legs the day before the long run. The long run is a hard day. Treat it like one.

Ignoring that running is training. If you run three days a week, you're already doing plenty of leg work. Your split should account for that rather than adding two maximal leg days on top.

Which split should you choose?

• ›New to lifting, 2–3 days: full body. Stop reading split debates.
• ›Running is the priority: full body twice or three times a week, heavy legs once, kept away from the hard runs.
• ›Balanced hybrid, 4 lifting days: upper/lower.
• ›Lifting is the priority, 5–6 days, light running: push pull legs or upper/lower plus extras.
• ›Hyrox or general fitness: full body or upper/lower, because both keep leg training compatible with frequent running.

How exrsz handles splits

exrsz builds your lifting split and your running into one periodized plan, based on your goal, schedule, level and equipment. It keeps hard leg days and hard runs apart, adapts each week to how you actually trained, and reshuffles missed sessions instead of stacking them onto the next day.

FAQ

What is the best workout split for beginners?

Full body, two or three days a week. It practices the main lifts often, survives missed sessions, and fits around running more easily than split routines.

Is full body or a split better for muscle growth?

When weekly volume is matched, research shows similar muscle growth and strength gains from both (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024). Choose the one you'll do consistently.

How many days a week should a beginner lift?

Two to three is plenty for most beginners, especially if they also run. Add a fourth day only when you can recover from three and your schedule genuinely allows it.

Can I do push pull legs and run?

Yes, but it's the hardest split to pair with frequent running. As a 3-day version it trains legs once a week; as a 6-day version it leaves little room for runs and recovery.

Where should runs go in a lifting split?

Keep hard runs and heavy leg days on separate days, pair easy runs with upper-body or light days, and don't put a heavy leg session the day before your long run.