45 Minute Upper Body Lower Body Split Workout

A Great Workout
Recently I was approached by Petro at ETB Fit to describe my current workout and what I do before and afterwards to maximize success.  They feature different bloggers on their social media sites each month so I was happy to oblige when they reached out to me.  If you're in need of pre workout supplements, check them out.

My workout continually evolves, but I am currently doing an upper body lower body split routine, 3 times a week.  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I do resistance training. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do cardio.  Saturdays I typically fit some kind of exercise in, but it is usually fun and different.  I would classify this workout routine as "intermediate" level, as I have been workout out regularly now for a couple of years.  If you're just beginning, I would suggest looking at this post.

I put together the following routines after reading the principles on the web site A Workout Routine, coupled with my own knowledge and experience.  This approach seemed to be one of the most effective for gaining strength and losing fat.  

Resistance Training
This is an upper/lower body split routine, 3 times a week.  For example, on Monday I might do an upper body routine.  Then on Wednesday I would do a lower body routine, and Friday upper body again.  The following Monday would be lower again, so basically I just alternate between upper and lower body, 3 times a week.  Some weeks will have two lower body workouts, some will have two upper body.  But I'll never go more than 5 days without working the upper or lower body again, usually 4.  That gives the muscle groups time to repair, but not too long.  My workouts typically last about an hour - if I finish early, I usually do some sort of cardio intervals to fill the remaining time.  For variety, I have 3 different upper body and 3 lower body routines defined.  

Upper Body 1
Barbell Bench Press (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
Body Weight Inverted Row (3 sets of 8 reps)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Lat Pulldown (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Triceps Pushdown - Rope Attachment (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Dumbbell Bicep Curl (2 sets of 10-12 reps)

Upper Body 2
Pull-Up (3 sets of 6 reps)
Standing Barbell Shoulder Press (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
Seated Cable Row (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Dumbbell Bench Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Dumbbell Flyes (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Superset:
Barbell Curl (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Lying Barbell Triceps Extension (2 sets of 10-12 reps)

Upper Body 3
Superset all of the below:
Chin-Up (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Push-Up (3 sets of 20-25 reps)
Bench Dip (3 sets of 20-25 reps)
Arnold Dumbbell Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Wall Plank (3 sets of 45 sec - 1:00 minute each)
Front Dumbbell Raise (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Weighted Decline Sit-Up (3 sets of 12 reps)

Lower Body 1
Romanian Deadlift (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
Leg Press (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Seated Leg Curl (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Standing Calf Raise (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Crunch (3 sets of 25 reps)

Lower Body 2
Barbell Squat (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
Barbell Split Squat (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
Lying Leg Curls (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Seated Calf Raise (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Weighted Decline Crunch (3 sets of 15 reps)

Lower Body 3
Superset:
Goblet Squat (dumbbell) (3 set of 12 reps)
Side Plank (3 sets of 30 seconds)
Superset:
Barbell Hip Thrust (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Reverse Crunch (3 sets of 15 reps)
Mountain Climbers (3 sets of 20 reps)
Superset:
Sumo Deadlift (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
One-Arm Kettlebell Swing (3 sets of 15 reps/each side)

Schedule
So putting it all together, my workout schedule would look something like this:
Mon Upper Body 1
Tue  Cardio
Wed  Lower Body 1
Thur  Cardio
Fri  Upper Body 2
Sat  Light Cardio/Other Fitness Activity
Sun  Rest

Mon Lower Body 2
Tue  Cardio
Wed  Upper Body 3
Thu  Cardio
Fri  Lower Body 3
Sat  Light Cardio/Other Fitness Activity
Sun Rest

And then repeat.

​Here's a downloadable version of the workout:

45_min_total_body_workout.pdf
File Size:	62 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Resistance Training Notes

• If you're unsure of what an exercise is, you can either search YouTube or Bodybuilding.com for videos and explanations
• The general rule is to lift heavy, but with proper form.  Form is more important than the amount of weight, but push yourself, track your progress and keep making advances
• Typically rest 1-2 minutes between sets.  Within supersets more like 30 seconds
• If you're not familiar with supersets, it's where you perform one set of an exercise, then go on to do a set of the next exercise, etc. until you get through all of the superset exercises, then you go on to do the next set of each one, etc.   
• I use the Fitocracy web site and iPhone app to track my workouts.  It keeps track of previous workouts, sets, reps and weights for reference.  Plus it has some fun social aspects.  But you can use a notebook or anything else you'd like to write down your progress
• The above routines I will probably use over an 8-12 week period, then I will identify a new plan

Cardio Training
These I like to change up more frequently.  Lately I've been taking a spinning class for an hour Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  The spinning class is usually a pretty intense cardio workout, and includes sprint and resistance intervals.  Sometimes for variety I will stay home and do an exercise video - Fitness Blender and Befit on Youtube have some great choices.  I also have the set of original P90X workout DVDs.  On Saturdays sometimes I rest, sometimes I will go to the gym with my son and swim for an hour, play tennis or some other form of cardio activity.

Supplementation
I usually drink a protein shake before my resistance training.  Currently, it's a scoop of whey protein and a teaspoon of creatine powder in 8 oz of milk.  I also currently take an NO2 pre-workout supplement that contains Arginine, Beet Root Extract, Citrulline Malate, Ornithine, and Vitamin B-3 and B-12.  Nothing magical about that formula - but it does tend to give me an extra boost early in the morning to work out a little harder. The protein can be any high-quality brand.  I like to consult Labdoor.com and view their rankings for supplements, but they don't have an exhaustive list so do your own research and use what works for you.   With breakfast I usually take a few additional supplements, like Vitamin C, D and Fish Oil.

I usually only have water before my cardio routines.  Primarily because I feel like it will maximize calorie and fat burning.  Then I have the protein shake, breakfast and supplements mentioned above following my workout.

Music
I always listen to tunes during my workouts, they always give me more energy.  I use Spotify premium, which for $10 per month gives me access to just about any artist and track available.  I usually put together a fitness-specific playlist that I edit over time as I run into new tunes and weed out old tunes.  

Diet
My diet is about 2200 calories per day diet comprised of about 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fats (including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains) with a cheat meal on the weekends.  My breakfast is pretty much the same each day - 2 eggs plus 2 egg whites, scrambled with 2 or 3 strips of turkey bacon and a piece of multigrain toast with jam.  I have healthy snacks three times a day - morning, afternoon and evening.  For lunch and dinner it's usually veggies with some kind of lean protein (usually chicken) and a healthy starch.

Bottom Line
Obviously I didn't start out with a program like this.  When I was 75 pounds heavier and unhealthy, I started out slow.  Something more like this routine.  Then over time my workouts became more intense.  I really look forward to my time in the gym each morning - it's a time where I can focus on myself, my health and it gives me a great boost of self-confidence as I start each day.

If you ask me again in 6 months, I'm sure that my whole routine will be different, but this is a current snapshot and it's working well for me at the moment.  All of this adds up to me being able to maintain a healthy body weight and 15% body fat which is considered in the athletic range and is maintainable for me.

If you like this upper body lower body split routine, please click on an ad or two, that helps pay for my costs to maintain my blog. Thanks.