An anterior posterior split divides your training week into front-of-body days and back-of-body days, usually over four sessions: anterior, posterior, anterior, posterior. Each muscle group gets trained twice a week, and no single session tries to cover the whole body. It is a way of organizing exercises, not a proven method, and to our knowledge no published trial has compared it with other splits. What follows is the reasoning behind it, a complete four-day template, and the evidence that applies to how you set it up.
At a Glance
- Structure: four days a week, such as Monday (anterior), Tuesday (posterior), Thursday (anterior), Friday (posterior).
- Frequency: each muscle group is trained twice a week, with about 72 hours between sessions for the same muscles.
- Best fit: lifters who can train four days a week and prefer shorter, focused sessions to full-body workouts.
- Main limit: missing a session leaves half the body untrained that week.
What Is an Anterior Posterior Split?
The names refer to the front (anterior) and back (posterior) of the body. A typical grouping looks like this:
| Day type | Muscles usually included | Typical lifts |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior | Quadriceps, chest, front and side shoulders, abdominals, and often triceps | Squats, leg press, bench press, overhead press, lateral raises |
| Posterior | Hamstrings, glutes, back, rear shoulders, calves, and often biceps | Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, rows, pulldowns, leg curls, calf raises |
The labels are loose. Triceps and calves sit on the back of the body, yet many programs put triceps with pressing and calves with pulling days because the muscles work alongside each other. Other versions pair "push plus quads" with "pull plus hamstrings and calves." There is no standard definition, so choose one grouping and keep it for the whole training block.
It is also not a full-body routine. Each session trains about half of your muscles, which is what separates it from a full-body plan and puts it closer to an upper/lower split.
How It Compares With Other Splits
| Split | Typical days per week | Times each muscle is trained | How sessions are divided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anterior posterior | 4 | 2 | Front-of-body vs. back-of-body |
| Upper/lower | 4 | 2 | Upper body vs. lower body |
| Push/pull/legs | 3 or 6 | 1 (three days) or 2 (six days) | Pushing, pulling, and legs |
| Full body | 2 to 4 | 2 to 4 | Every session covers all major muscles |
The practical difference from upper/lower is that each anterior day mixes a leg exercise with upper-body pressing, so no day is only legs. Some lifters like that because they never face a dedicated leg day. The trade-off is that heavy squats and heavy pressing share a session, which can make the end of the workout feel tougher.
What the Evidence Says
Because we are not aware of any trials comparing anterior posterior splits with other arrangements, the useful question is whether its building blocks are sound. Here is what the research on those pieces shows.
Training frequency
A 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no significant difference in muscle growth between higher and lower training frequencies when weekly volume was equal (Schoenfeld et al., 2019). Training each muscle twice a week is therefore a reasonable and convenient setup, but it is not required. A split like this works because it makes it easy to spread your weekly sets across the week.
Weekly volume
The research points to weekly volume as the more important variable (Schoenfeld et al., 2017a; Schoenfeld et al., 2019). A meta-analysis of weekly set volume found a graded dose-response: more weekly sets were linked to more growth, although even low volumes (four or fewer weekly sets per muscle group) produced substantial gains (Schoenfeld et al., 2017a). Many programs use roughly 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle group each week as a convention, not a research-established target, and the template below sits in the lower-middle of that range.
Loads and rep ranges
A meta-analysis of studies in which every set was taken to momentary failure found similar muscle growth with lighter and heavier loads, while one-repetition-max strength improved more with heavier loads (Schoenfeld et al., 2017b). That is the reasoning behind a template that mixes heavier sets of 5 to 8 with moderate sets of 8 to 15 instead of treating one range as the only way to grow.
Training to failure
A meta-analysis found that training to failure was not required for strength or muscle gains and did not seem harmful either, although a subgroup analysis of resistance-trained lifters showed a small hypertrophy advantage for failure (Grgic et al., 2022). A second review, published in Sports Medicine, found no evidence that going to momentary failure beats stopping short (Refalo et al., 2023). A practical approach is to stop most sets with one to three reps left, and to push the final set of isolation exercises closer to failure.
Rest between sets
In one eight-week trial of 21 resistance-trained men, resting three minutes between sets produced greater strength and thigh-muscle thickness gains than resting one minute (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). The study was small and short, so treat it as a reason to avoid rushing heavy sets rather than as a precise rule.
A Complete Four-Day Anterior Posterior Routine
This template suits lifters with some training experience. The exercise selection and set counts are practical suggestions, not a research-tested program. Train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, so each muscle gets 72 hours before it is trained again. Warm up with a few lighter sets of your first exercise, and rest two to three minutes after heavy compound sets and about one to two minutes after isolation work.
Day 1: Anterior A
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 5-8 |
| Barbell bench press | 3 × 5-8 |
| Seated dumbbell overhead press | 3 × 8-10 |
| Leg extension | 2 × 10-15 |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 × 12-15 |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 × 10-12 |
| Cable crunch | 2 × 10-15 |
Day 2: Posterior A
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6-10 |
| Pull-up or lat pulldown | 3 × 6-10 |
| Chest-supported row | 3 × 8-10 |
| Lying or seated leg curl | 3 × 8-12 |
| Rear-delt fly | 2 × 12-15 |
| Dumbbell curl | 2 × 8-12 |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 8-12 |
Day 3: Anterior B
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Leg press | 3 × 10-12 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8-12 |
| Cable or machine chest fly | 2 × 10-15 |
| Bulgarian split squat | 2 × 8-10 per leg |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | 2 × 12-15 |
| Overhead cable triceps extension | 2 × 10-15 |
Day 4: Posterior B
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Hip thrust | 3 × 8-12 |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 8-12 |
| Lat pulldown | 2 × 10-12 |
| Seated leg curl | 2 × 10-15 |
| Face pull | 2 × 12-15 |
| Hammer curl | 2 × 10-12 |
| Seated calf raise | 3 × 10-15 |
What the weekly volume adds up to
Counting only direct sets, the template gives about 10 sets for quadriceps, 8 for hamstrings, 8 for chest, 11 for back, 6 for calves, 5 for side delts, and 4 each for rear delts, biceps, and triceps. Glutes receive 3 direct sets from hip thrusts plus work from squats, split squats, and deadlifts. If you are newer to lifting, drop each exercise by one set. If a muscle is a priority and you recover well, add a set or two to it.
How to progress
Use double progression. Work within the rep range listed, and when you reach the top of the range on every set with clean form, add the smallest available load and drop back to the bottom of the range. Keep the same exercises for several weeks so you can see whether your numbers are improving.
Who the Split Suits, and Where It Falls Short
It fits people who can reliably train four days a week, want each muscle trained twice, and prefer sessions of roughly an hour. It also fits lifters who like splitting leg work across two days.
It is a weaker choice if your schedule changes often. Missing one session leaves half the body untrained that week, while a full-body routine can still hit everything in a shorter visit. If you can only train two or three days, a full-body plan is usually simpler. You can also run anterior, posterior, anterior one week and posterior, anterior, posterior the next, which trains each muscle about one and a half times per week.
Keep heavy hip hinges and heavy squats on different days, as the template does. That separates the load on your lower back and hips across the week.
Recovery, Protein, and Sleep
Protein. In a meta-analysis of 49 trials of protein supplementation during resistance training, extra gains in fat-free mass leveled off at total intakes of about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day on average (Morton et al., 2018). For an 80-kilogram (176-pound) lifter, that is roughly 130 grams a day. That figure is an average, so individual needs vary, and some lifters choose to eat more. If you have kidney disease, check with your clinician before raising your protein intake.
Sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night on a regular basis (Watson et al., 2015). The same statement links regularly sleeping less than seven hours with adverse health outcomes and impaired performance (Watson et al., 2015), so it is worth protecting when training volume rises.
Soreness vs. pain. Muscle soreness that fades in a day or two is normal. Sharp or joint pain, or soreness that keeps getting worse, is a reason to cut volume and get it checked.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the labels as rigid. If you move triceps to a pressing day or calves to a pulling day, stay consistent so no muscle is skipped.
- Going hard on anterior days and rushing posterior days. Hamstrings, glutes, and upper back need the same effort as chest and quads.
- Changing exercises every week. You cannot tell whether you are progressing if the lifts keep changing.
- Taking every set to failure. Studies have not shown a clear growth advantage over stopping a rep or two short (Grgic et al., 2022; Refalo et al., 2023).
- Adding sets before the current ones are progressing. Raise volume gradually, and only if recovery stays good.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the anterior posterior split good for beginners?
It can work if you are able to train four days a week, but beginners often progress well with simpler two- or three-day full-body plans. No research has compared the two approaches directly.
How does it differ from an upper/lower split?
Both train each muscle twice a week over four days. Upper/lower separates the body at the waist, so one day is all legs. Anterior posterior separates front from back, so each day includes some upper body and some lower body.
Can I run it for three days a week?
Yes. Alternate anterior, posterior, anterior in one week and posterior, anterior, posterior in the next. Each muscle then gets trained about one and a half times per week on average, so you may want to raise per-session sets slightly.
References
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2022. doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2021.01.007
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018;52(6):376-384. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2023;53(3):649-665. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9935748
- Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016;30(7):1805-1812. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2017;35(11):1073-1082. Findings summarized in the review table at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9302196
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017;31(12):3508-3523. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28834797
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2019;37. Abstract record
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep, 2015;38(6):843-844. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4434546
