Upper/lower 4-day split
Two upper-body days and two lower-body days. Each muscle gets hit twice a week with enough volume per session to keep progressing.
- Days per week
- 4
- Session length
- 60-75 min
- Level
- Intermediate
- Schedule
- Mon upper A / Tue lower A / Thu upper B / Fri lower B
Who it is for
- Lifters past the beginner stage who need more weekly volume than a three-day plan.
- Anyone who wants a heavy day and a higher-rep day for each half of the body.
- People training four days a week who like a clear rest day between sessions.
The workouts
Upper A · Heavy push and pull
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 | 4-6 |
| Barbell row | 3 | 6-8 |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6-10 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 8-12 |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 | 10-15 |
| Barbell curl | 2 | 8-12 |
Lower A · Squat and hinge
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 | 5-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 6-10 |
| Leg press | 2 | 10-15 |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 8-15 |
| Hanging leg raise | 3 | 8-15 |
Upper B · Volume and shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Pull-up | 3 | 6-10 |
| Dumbbell row · Per arm | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12-20 |
| Face pull | 2 | 12-20 |
| Hammer curl | 2 | 8-12 |
| Skull crusher | 2 | 8-12 |
Lower B · Deadlift and glutes
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 2 | 4-6 |
| Front squat | 3 | 6-8 |
| Hip thrust | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lying leg curl | 3 | 8-15 |
| Leg extension | 2 | 10-15 |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 8-15 |
Weekly volume
Direct sets per week for each muscle that an exercise targets first. Secondary work, such as triceps during pressing, adds to this but is not counted.
| Muscle | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Lats | 12 |
| Quads | 11 |
| Shoulders | 8 |
| Hamstrings | 8 |
| Chest | 7 |
| Calves | 6 |
| Glutes | 5 |
| Triceps | 4 |
| Biceps | 4 |
| Abs | 3 |
| Brachialis | 2 |
How to progress
- Push the A days heavy (lower reps) and keep the B days higher reps with a little more control.
- Add weight when every set reaches the top of the range. Smaller jumps on isolation work, bigger on squat, press and deadlift.
- Every fifth or sixth week, drop each lift to roughly 60-70% of your usual sets for a deload week if you feel run down.
Questions
Upper/lower or push/pull/legs for four days?
Upper/lower is easier to recover from at four days because each muscle is trained twice a week without extra sessions. Push/pull/legs is better when you can train five or six days.
How should I schedule the rest days?
A common pattern is two on, one off, two on, two off. Whatever you choose, keep the two lower-body days apart by at least one rest day.
Do I have to deadlift twice a week?
No. This plan deadlifts once with low volume and uses Romanian deadlifts on the other day, which keeps hamstring work high while limiting spinal fatigue.
Run it and keep the numbers.
Log each session in Fortis, see your weekly volume and strength trends, and know whether the plan is working.
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