4-day upper lower split workout plan
Four sessions a week, two for the upper body and two for the lower body: the natural next step after a full body program.
Who this program is for
For lifters who have trained consistently for at least six months, which the ACSM defines as the intermediate level. It then recommends 3 to 4 sessions a week, with loads from 1 to 12 rep max and an emphasis on the 6 to 12 range for muscle growth.
Weekly schedule
For example: Monday upper A, Tuesday lower A, Thursday upper B, Friday lower B. Each muscle is trained twice a week, with a rest day in the middle and two at the weekend.
The workouts
Upper A
18 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 6–8 | 3 min |
| Barbell row | 4 × 6–10 | 2–3 min |
| Standing overhead press | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 min |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Barbell curl | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Cable triceps pushdown | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
Lower A
19 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 × 6–8 | 3 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | 2–3 min |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 × 8–12per leg | 2 min |
| Leg curl | 3 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Cable crunch | 3 × 8–12 | 1 min |
Upper B
19 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8–10 | 2–3 min |
| Pull-ups | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 min |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Cable fly | 3 × 10–12 | 1–2 min |
| Lateral raises | 3 × 10–12 | 1–2 min |
| Overhead triceps extension | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
| Incline dumbbell curl | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 min |
Lower B
18 sets in total| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 × 5–6 | 3 min |
| Leg press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Leg extension | 3 × 10–12 | 1–2 min |
| Seated calf raise | 3 × 10–12 | 1–2 min |
| Plank | 3 × 30–60 s | 1 min |
Volume per muscle per week
The table is calculated from the program itself: it counts the sets where the muscle is the main target. Compound lifts work other muscles too, such as the triceps and front delts on presses and the biceps on rows and pulldowns. In 2017, Brad Schoenfeld's meta-analysis showed a dose-response relationship between volume and muscle growth: more sets, more muscle, with a trend favouring 10 or more sets per muscle per week.
Most major muscle groups get 10 or more sets a week, the level Schoenfeld's meta-analysis leaned towards. Shoulders get 6 direct sets, plus the work from pressing.
| Muscle | Direct sets |
|---|---|
| Chest | 10 |
| Back | 13 |
| Shoulders | 6 |
| Biceps | 4 |
| Triceps | 4 |
| Quads | 13 |
| Hamstrings | 9 |
| Glutes | 16 |
| Calves | 6 |
| Abs | 6 |
How to progress
Each exercise has a rep range. Keep the same weight until you reach the top of the range on every set. Once you beat it by one or two reps, add weight: the ACSM recommends a 2 to 10% increase.
For example, on the bench press at 3 × 8 to 12: you start at 60 kg, add reps session after session until you complete 3 sets of 12 or 13, then move to 62.5 kg and work back up from the bottom of the range.
How hard to push each set
Stop most sets 1 to 3 reps short of failure: the last rep should feel genuinely hard. Martin Refalo's meta-analysis (2023) found no evidence that going all the way to muscle failure builds more muscle. Read our article on training to failure.
Rest times
The ACSM recommends 1 to 2 minutes of rest for muscle growth, and 3 to 5 minutes for very heavy loads. On compound lifts, Brad Schoenfeld's 2016 study got better results with 3 minutes than with 1 minute in trained lifters: don't cut rest short on the big lifts. Read our article on rest time.
Adapting the program
- The first exercise of each session is the heaviest: do it fresh, before isolation work, as the ACSM recommends.
- Can't do strict pull-ups yet? Swap them for lat pulldowns.
- Machine taken or missing? Swap the exercise for another one that targets the same muscle, with the same sets and reps.
- If you stall, feel constantly tired or have achy joints, a lighter week can help you get going again. Read our article on deloading.
Running this program in Loaden
- Create one routine per workout in the program builder, picking exercises from the library sorted by muscle, and set the rest time for each exercise.
- You can also ask the AI coach to generate an equivalent program, telling it about your equipment or injuries.
- During the session, the rest timer starts on every completed set, you can swap exercises on the fly, and the app suggests the weight for your next session.
Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine, "Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults", Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2009.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis", Journal of Sports Sciences, 2017.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "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.
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al., "Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men", Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016.
- Refalo M.C. et al., "Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis", Sports Medicine, 2023.
Start this program at your next session
Loaden logs every set, starts your rest timer and tells you what to lift next time.
