# 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. Published 2026-11-14 · Updated 2026-11-14 · revns editorial 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](/dictionary/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](/blog/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](/blog/rest-days-how-many-you-need-and-what-to-do) 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](/blog/stress-burnout-when-to-deload)). That rule is how the [multi-sport tracker](/features/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](/compare/spreadsheet-workout-tracker) or revns, shows four things. 1. **This week so far:** push ✓, pull ✓, legs blank. 2. **Last trained date** per group: legs four days ago. 3. **Due next:** legs, unless sleep or injury flags say otherwise. 4. **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](/features/ai-fitness-coach) morning brief names the member of the group trained longest ago, alongside sleep and [goal pace](/features/goal-tracking). 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](/blog/workout-log-with-sets-and-reps) guide, so [progressive overload](/blog/progressive-overload-in-plain-words) 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](/templates/workout-log-template), or [spreadsheet import](/features/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? 1. **Name your split** in writing: full body three days, upper lower four, or push pull legs three. 2. **Copy one table** for seven days with a column for split label and main lifts. 3. **Before each session**, read last week's numbers for that label from your log or app. 4. **After each session**, mark the label done and add set counts per group if you chase volume. 5. **Sunday**, circle missing labels and schedule them **before** you add extra chest work. 6. **Optional:** put the [one-rep max calculator](/tools/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](/blog/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](/blog/workout-log-with-sets-and-reps) - [Progressive overload in plain words](/blog/progressive-overload-in-plain-words) - [Strength training for beginners](/blog/strength-training-for-beginners) - [Rest days: how many you need](/blog/rest-days-how-many-you-need-and-what-to-do) - [Is your training going up or down?](/blog/is-your-training-going-up-or-down-reading-workout-trends) - [Multi-sport tracker](/features/multi-sport-tracker) - [Spreadsheet import](/features/spreadsheet-import) This is general training guidance, not medical advice. ## Sources - [Bull FC et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33239350/) - [American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/) ## Questions ### What is a workout split tracker? It is a simple weekly view of which muscle groups or movement patterns you already trained and which are longest overdue. You log each session by type, such as push, pull, legs or upper, and the tracker names the next group that fits your plan and your rest days. ### Is push pull legs good for beginners? Many beginners do better with full body two or three days a week for the first two months. Push pull legs suits people who train four to six days and can recover between harder days. WHO guidance asks adults 18 to 64 to do muscle-strengthening on at least two days a week; any split that hits that is valid. ### How many days a week should each muscle group be trained? Most lifters train a muscle group hard about two times per week, often with eight to fourteen sets per week across sessions. Absolute beginners may get enough from one hard full-body day plus one lighter day. If a joint aches for two weeks at the same movement, see a clinician instead of adding sessions. ### Can you track a split in a spreadsheet? Yes. One column per session type and a row per day is enough. An app adds a day score, a morning brief that names the group trained longest ago, and import from CSV. revns lets you assign metrics to a rotation group so push, pull and legs compete fairly for what is next. ### Does revns sync gym workouts from a watch automatically? Not yet. Apple Health, Strava and Garmin sync are on the roadmap, not live today. Until then, log the session type in one tap, one line or a spreadsheet import so rotation stays honest. ### What if I mix running and lifting in one week? Treat cardio and strength separately in the tracker. Leg day still counts as legs even if you ran yesterday; note easy runs on leg day in the session note. The split answers which lift pattern is due, not whether you walked to work. --- Canonical: https://revns.com/blog/workout-split-tracker-muscle-groups-due-next Index of everything: https://revns.com/llms.txt revns gives training guidance, not medical advice.