Workout split tracker: which muscle groups you trained and what is due next
A workout split tracker shows which muscle groups you hit this week and what is due next. Push pull legs, upper lower, full body, and how revns scores rotation.
revns editorial · Published November 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Track which muscle groups you trained this week and which are due next. Push pull legs, upper lower and full body splits, with WHO and ACSM baselines and rotation in revns.
A workout split tracker answers two questions before you tie your shoes: which muscle groups did I train this week, and which one is due next. It is not a programme; it is the map on top of your programme. When the map is blank, you repeat chest day because it is fun, skip hamstrings for a month, or stack three hard leg days before a rest. A workout split tracker turns Monday, Wednesday and Friday from memory into a short list you can read in ten seconds.
TL;DR
| Question | Plain answer |
|---|---|
| What it tracks | Session type: push, pull, legs, upper, lower, full body, or your own labels |
| WHO minimum | Muscle-strengthening ≥2 days/week for adults 18–64 |
| Common beginner split | Full body 2–3×/week, non-consecutive days |
| Common intermediate split | Upper / lower 4×/week or push / pull / legs 3–6×/week |
| Weekly volume cue | Often 8–14 hard sets per muscle per week, split across sessions |
| What is due next | The rotation group you trained longest ago, after rest rules |
| revns today | Log session type; rotation group in the brief; device sync not live |
What is a workout split?
A workout split is how you divide resistance training across the week so each muscle group or movement pattern gets enough work and enough recovery. Full body trains most patterns every session. Upper and lower alternates two halves of the body. Push, pull and legs groups exercises by whether they mainly push, pull or hinge at the hips and knees.
The World Health Organization's 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour recommend that adults aged 18 to 64 do muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups on at least two days a week. That line does not pick push pull legs versus full body. It sets a floor: your split should cover legs, pushing, pulling and trunk across the week, not only what you enjoy.
The American College of Sports Medicine's 2009 position stand on progression models in resistance training for healthy adults describes typical novice programmes as moderate loads for about 8 to 12 repetitions, one to three sets, on two to three days per week, with load increased gradually. Again, the split is your choice as long as frequency and recovery match your stage.
Which workout split should you use?
Pick the split that matches how many days you truly train, not how many days you wish you trained.
Full body (2–3 days)
| Day | Example focus |
|---|---|
| Mon | Squat pattern, push, pull, core |
| Wed | Hinge, push, pull, carry |
| Fri | Repeat with slightly more load or one new rep |
Best when: you are new, time is tight, or you also run or play sport on other days. Pairs well with strength training for beginners.
Upper / lower (4 days)
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Mon | Upper |
| Tue | Lower |
| Thu | Upper |
| Sat | Lower |
Best when: you want more sets per muscle than a three-day full body allows, and you can recover between days.
Push / pull / legs (3–6 days)
| Pattern | Typical muscles and movements |
|---|---|
| Push | Chest, shoulders, triceps; presses and dips |
| Pull | Back, biceps, rear delts; rows and pulls |
| Legs | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves; squats and hinges |
Classic 3-day: push Monday, pull Wednesday, legs Friday. 6-day variants hit each pattern twice; they demand sleep, food and rest days that most busy adults underestimate.
Bro split (one muscle per day)
Chest Monday, back Tuesday, and so on. It can work for experienced lifters with high volume and strict recovery, but beginners often fall off when life skips a day and the whole week slides. A tracker that shows what is overdue, not only what is on the calendar label, saves bro splits from month-long chest streaks.
How do you track muscle groups across a week?
Use one honest label per strength session. The label is the split bucket, not every curl variant.
Minimum weekly tracker (paper or sheet)
| Date | Split label | Main lifts (short) | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 10 Nov | Push | Bench 3×8, OHP 3×10 | Moderate |
| Wed 12 Nov | Pull | Rows 4×10, pulldown 3×12 | Hard |
| Fri 14 Nov | Legs | Squat 4×6, RDL 3×10 | Hard |
At the top, list targets: which labels should appear at least once per rolling seven days. Circle anything missing before Sunday night.
Rotation rule that matches most apps
"What is due next?" equals the label you trained longest ago, provided:
- at least one easy or rest day since the last hard leg day when legs are due, and
- you did not stack three maximal days in a row (see stress and deload).
That rule is how the multi-sport tracker brief can say "next strength: back" without you maintaining a colour-coded calendar.
Hybrid athletes
If you run, swim or do Hyrox on the same week, keep cardio sessions as their own metrics with cadence (for example run every three days). Strength rotation still reads push, pull and legs. A hard run is not a substitute for pull day; it is load you note when planning leg day effort.
What should a workout split tracker show on screen?
A useful tracker, whether it is a workout tracking spreadsheet compared with an app or revns, shows four things.
- This week so far: push ✓, pull ✓, legs blank.
- Last trained date per group: legs four days ago.
- Due next: legs, unless sleep or injury flags say otherwise.
- Volume hint: optional set count per group so you notice when chest gets twenty sets and hamstrings get six.
In revns you assign strength metrics to a rotation group (for example chest, back and legs share one "strength split" family). Each logged session updates the day score once for that family. The AI fitness coach morning brief names the member of the group trained longest ago, alongside sleep and goal pace. That is the product version of the paper table above.
Logging detail still matters: a session should list exercises, sets and reps as in the workout log with sets and reps guide, so progressive overload has numbers to read next week. The split label tells you which day type you are in; the exercise lines tell you whether to add load.
Device sync from Apple Health, Strava or Garmin is on the roadmap, not live. Until it ships, log split type in one tap, one line, the workout log template, or spreadsheet import.
How do you decide what is due when life interrupts?
Missed days are normal. The tracker should shift, not shame.
| Situation | Practical rule |
|---|---|
| Missed one planned day | Do the longest-overdue group next, not the lost calendar slot |
| Missed a week (illness, travel) | Repeat last logged loads, not personal records |
| Only 20 minutes today | Full body mini-session (one push, one pull, one leg pattern) and mark full body |
| Sleep under six hours two nights | Drop one accessory movement; keep the main lift light |
| Joint pain same spot two weeks | Stop that pattern; book a clinician |
This is where a split tracker beats a fixed wall calendar. The calendar says "Friday is leg day" on a Friday you are in another city. The tracker says legs were six days ago; when you land home, legs are still due.
What should you do this week?
- Name your split in writing: full body three days, upper lower four, or push pull legs three.
- Copy one table for seven days with a column for split label and main lifts.
- Before each session, read last week's numbers for that label from your log or app.
- After each session, mark the label done and add set counts per group if you chase volume.
- Sunday, circle missing labels and schedule them before you add extra chest work.
- Optional: put the one-rep max calculator on your monthly review to see if loads trend up on each label.
Vegetarian, vegan, eggetarian, Jain and non-vegetarian trainees use the same split logic. Food changes recovery, not the rotation map. After a hard leg day, protein at the next meal (dal, tofu, eggs, fish or chicken as you eat) supports repair; see how much protein per day.
When should you change your split?
Consider a change when:
- you stall on most lifts for three weeks while sleep and food are steady,
- you gain or lose training days (new job, new baby, new sport season), or
- joints complain on a high-frequency variant (six-day push pull legs).
Move one step at a time: from three-day full body to four-day upper lower, not from two days to six. Run the new split at least six weeks before you judge it.
Signs you need a clinician, not a new split:
- sharp or catching pain in a joint,
- numbness or tingling that spreads,
- chest pain or fainting with effort,
- unexplained swelling, or
- pregnancy with bleeding, fluid leakage or contractions during exercise.
Related
- Workout log with sets and reps
- Progressive overload in plain words
- Strength training for beginners
- Rest days: how many you need
- Is your training going up or down?
- Multi-sport tracker
- Spreadsheet import
This is general training guidance, not medical advice.
Sources
Terms in this post
revns publishes training and nutrition guidance, not medical advice. See a clinician for symptoms, injury or a medical condition. Accurate as of November 14, 2026.
