4-Day Upper/Lower Split
A 4-day upper/lower split trains your upper body twice a week and your lower body twice a week, with rest days between. This page is a complete plan you can start this week: the exercises, sets, rep ranges, rest times, and how close to failure to take every lift. It is free to use and you do not need an account.
Who this plan is for
- You can train four days a week and want every major muscle hit twice.
- You have lifted consistently for a few months and are comfortable with the squat, bench press, row, and Romanian deadlift.
- You have a barbell, rack, bench, dumbbells, and either a cable stack or a few machines.
- You want two heavier days and two higher-rep days, so strength and size both get attention.
Who should pick something else
- You are brand new to lifting. A 3-day full-body routine gives you more practice on the main lifts with less volume to recover from.
- You can only train three days a week. A full-body split fits that schedule better than squeezing this plan into it.
- You want to train five or six days. A push/pull/legs split spreads the same work over more sessions.
- You only have bodyweight or a pair of light dumbbells. Most of this plan needs a loadable barbell, cables, or machines.
- You have pain with any of these lifts. Get advice from a clinician or qualified coach before using any template.
How the four days fit into a week
The plan has four sessions: Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, and Lower B. The A sessions are the heavy ones, with 4 to 8 reps on the main lifts and long rests. The B sessions use 8 to 20 reps and more total sets, so you build volume without grinding heavy singles twice a week.
The standard layout is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. That leaves three days between your two upper sessions and between your two lower sessions, a rest day in the middle of the week, and a spare Saturday. What matters is the order of the sessions, not the weekday.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Upper A: Heavier pressing and rowing |
| Tuesday | Lower A: Heavy squat and hinge |
| Wednesday | Rest |
| Thursday | Upper B: Higher reps, more total sets |
| Friday | Lower B: Higher reps, single-leg and machine work |
| Saturday | Spare day for a missed session, otherwise rest |
| Sunday | Rest |
What to do when you miss a session
Follow the order of the sessions, not the calendar. The week is a rotation of Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B, and a missed day just moves where you are in it.
- Missed one session: do it on the next free day and push the rest later by a day. If you miss Monday's Upper A, do it Tuesday, then Lower A on Wednesday, Upper B on Friday, and Lower B on Saturday. That is what the spare Saturday is for.
- Missed two or more: do the next session in the order on your next training day, even if that means a three-session week. Resume where you stopped rather than skipping ahead, so no session type gets dropped for weeks.
- Short on time: do the first three or four exercises of the session and skip the rest. The compound lifts at the top are worth more than a skipped session.
- Never double up: two sessions squeezed into one day means you do the second one tired. Move on to the next session instead.
- A week or more off: restart with Upper A and the weights from your last session. After two or three weeks away, start about 5 to 10 percent lighter and let the first week rebuild.
The four workouts
Do the exercises in the order listed, with compound lifts first while you are fresh. Reps in reserve (RIR) is how many more good reps you could have done when you stopped the set, and RPE (shown under each RIR) is 10 minus RIR. Use the RPE and RIR chart if the scale is new to you. Warm-up sets are not listed and do not count toward the working sets below.
Upper A: strength focus
Fewer exercises, heavier sets, longer rests. The bench, row, and overhead press are the lifts you are trying to get stronger at. 6 exercises, 18 working sets.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barbell bench pressDumbbell or machine chest press if you have no spotter or safeties. | 4 × 4-6 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 3 min |
| 2. Barbell rowA chest-supported row machine works if your lower back is tired. | 4 × 5-8 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2-3 min |
| 3. Standing overhead pressSeated dumbbell press is a fine substitute. | 3 × 6-8 | 2RPE 8 | 2-3 min |
| 4. Lat pulldown or weighted pull-up | 3 × 6-10 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 5. Overhead triceps extensionCable or a single dumbbell. | 2 × 8-12 | 1RPE 9 | 90 sec |
| 6. Incline dumbbell curl | 2 × 8-12 | 1RPE 9 | 90 sec |
Lower A: strength focus
A heavy squat and a heavy hinge, then machine work to add leg volume without more barbell fatigue. 6 exercises, 18 working sets.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Back squatSafety bar squat or leg press if the barbell squat bothers you. | 4 × 4-6 | 2RPE 8 | 3-4 min |
| 2. Romanian deadliftLower until your hamstrings stop you, back flat. | 3 × 6-8 | 2RPE 8 | 2-3 min |
| 3. Leg press | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 4. Lying leg curl | 3 × 8-12 | 1RPE 9 | 90 sec |
| 5. Standing calf raisePause at the bottom of each rep. | 3 × 8-12 | 1RPE 9 | 90 sec |
| 6. Cable crunch | 2 × 10-15 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 60-90 sec |
Upper B: volume focus
Lighter loads, more sets, and more variety. Pair the pushdown with the hammer curl as a superset if you are short on time. 8 exercises, 24 working sets.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Incline dumbbell pressBench angle of about 30 degrees. | 4 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 2. Chest-supported rowMachine or incline-bench dumbbell row. | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 3. Neutral-grip pulldown or pull-upAssisted pull-up if you can't reach 8 reps unassisted. | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 4. Dumbbell lateral raiseCable version works too. | 3 × 12-20 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
| 5. Cable fly or pec deck | 2 × 12-15 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
| 6. Face pullRear delts and upper back. Keep the weight light enough to pause each rep. | 3 × 12-20 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 60-90 sec |
| 7. Triceps pushdown | 3 × 10-15 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
| 8. Hammer curl | 3 × 10-15 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
Lower B: volume focus
Moderate reps, single-leg work, and isolation lifts. Nothing here is a max-effort barbell lift, so it should feel easier on your back than Lower A. 7 exercises, 21 working sets.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hack squatFront squat or a second leg press variation if there is no hack squat. | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2-3 min |
| 2. Bulgarian split squatDumbbells in hand, rear foot on a bench. Do the harder leg first. | 3 × 8-12per leg | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 3. Hip thrustBarbell, machine, or a glute bridge with a dumbbell. | 3 × 8-12 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 2 min |
| 4. Seated leg curl | 4 × 10-15 | 1RPE 9 | 90 sec |
| 5. Leg extension | 3 × 12-15 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
| 6. Seated calf raise | 3 × 10-15 | 1RPE 9 | 60-90 sec |
| 7. Hanging leg raiseKnee raises are fine until you can control the full version. | 2 × 10-15 | 1-2RPE 8-9 | 60-90 sec |
Weekly sets per muscle
Counted from the tables above. A set counts toward a muscle when that muscle is a prime mover in the lift, so a squat set counts for both quads and glutes. Arms and shoulders also get indirect work from every press and row, which is why their direct totals are lower.
| Muscle | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Chest | 10 |
| Back (lats and upper back) | 13 |
| Shoulders (overhead, side, and rear delts) | 9 |
| Biceps | 5 |
| Triceps | 5 |
| Quads | 16 |
| Hamstrings | 10 |
| Glutes | 13 |
| Calves | 6 |
| Abs | 4 |
Warming up and picking starting weights
Warm up the first lift of each session with a few ramp-up sets of fewer reps at heavier weights, and use one or two lighter sets before the next heavy exercise. The warm-up calculator builds the ramp for you, and the plate calculator shows what to load on each side. Machine and cable work needs no more than a single light set.
For week one, choose weights you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with two or three reps in reserve. If you know a recent set, the one rep max calculator and the RPE chart can turn it into a working weight for a given rep range and effort. Expect to guess low on some lifts and high on others. Fix it in week two.
How to progress: double progression
Every exercise has a rep range. Stay at the same weight until you reach the top of the range on every set while still hitting the target RIR. Then add weight and start again near the bottom of the range. You are progressing on reps first and load second, which makes small, steady gains easy to see.
Here is the barbell bench press at 4 × 4-6 and RIR 1-2. The numbers are an illustration, not a forecast. Yours may move faster or slower.
| Week | Weight | Reps, sets 1 to 4 | Next week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 155 lb | 5, 5, 4, 4 | Same weight |
| 2 | 155 lb | 6, 5, 5, 5 | Same weight |
| 3 | 155 lb | 6, 6, 6, 5 | Same weight |
| 4 | 155 lb | 6, 6, 6, 6 | Top of the range on every set, so add 5 lb |
| 5 | 160 lb | 5, 5, 4, 4 | Back near the bottom of the range |
In kilograms the same idea is 70 kg for weeks 1 to 4, then 72.5 kg in week 5.
- How much to add: the smallest jump you can load. That is usually 5 lb (2.5 kg) on upper-body barbell lifts, 5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg) on squats, Romanian deadlifts, and the leg press, the next dumbbell up on dumbbell lifts, and one pin on machines.
- Count only clean reps: if you reached the top of the range but the set was closer to RIR 0 than your target, repeat the weight instead of adding. The same goes for reps with a bounce or a shortened range of motion.
- If reps drop below the range: lower the weight by 5 to 10 percent and work back up.
- If a lift stalls for about three weeks: check that you are stopping at the target RIR and taking the full rest first, then drop the weight by about 10 percent and rebuild.
- Easier week: every six to eight weeks, or when several lifts stall at once, keep the exercises and do about half the sets, stopping with three or more reps in reserve.
Swapping exercises
Keep the movement pattern, the rep range, and the set count when you swap something. The notes under each exercise list easy substitutes. With only dumbbells, use dumbbell presses and rows, goblet or Bulgarian split squats, and dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. If a substitute lets you move much more or less weight than the original, let the rep range and RIR guide you, not the number on the bar.
Using this plan in Gainr
The plan above works in any notebook or tracker. Gainr logs the weight, reps, and reps in reserve of every set, lets you mark sets as warm-up or working, shows plates per side for barbell lifts, and keeps your full workout history and progress charts on the free plan.
Gainr's Coach is a different thing from this template. It builds a weekly plan from your goals, schedule, session length, equipment, and recent training, so it will not copy this exact list. What it does for a plan like this one is adapt to the week you actually have. If you miss a session, tell Coach in chat. It records the missed workout and rebuilds the rest of that week around it, instead of leaving you to work out where to slide everything. You can also ask it to move, swap, or skip a session. Gainr's program generator offers an upper/lower split too, with 3 to 6 sessions a week, and free accounts get 2 AI generations.
Coach is free for a 14-day preview. After that it is part of Pro, which is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US. If you would rather keep logging in another app, see how Gainr compares with Hevy, Fitbod, and Strong.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 4-day upper/lower split good for beginners?+
It can work, but it is more volume than most people need in their first few months. A 3-day full-body routine gives you more practice on the main lifts and less to recover from. If you have trained consistently for a few months and are comfortable with the squat, bench press, row, and Romanian deadlift, this plan is a good next step. If you start here anyway, do one fewer set on each exercise for the first two weeks and leave an extra rep or two in reserve.
How long does each session take?+
Plan on roughly 60 to 75 minutes including warm-up if you rest as listed. To save time, superset two exercises that use different muscles, such as the triceps pushdown and hammer curl, or drop the last accessory exercise on a short day.
Can I use different days than Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday?+
Yes. Keep the order Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B and avoid training all four days back to back. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday works, and so does Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. The Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday layout simply gives each muscle three days between its two sessions.
Do I need to train to failure?+
No. Most sets here stop one or two reps short of failure (RIR 1 to 2). Leave at least one rep in reserve, ideally two, on heavy barbell lifts like squats and bench presses. Taking the last set of a machine or cable exercise to failure now and then is fine.
How much weight should I use in the first week?+
Pick a weight you could lift for the bottom of the rep range with two or three reps left, then adjust from set to set. Starting a little light costs you very little, because the weight goes up quickly once you know the movements.
How does upper/lower compare with full body and push/pull/legs?+
On four days a week, upper/lower trains each muscle twice with a simple A/B rotation. Full body on three days trains each muscle three times with less volume per session, which suits beginners and busy weeks. Push/pull/legs is usually run on six days to train each muscle twice, so it asks for more time in the gym.
Can I run this plan at home?+
A close version works with adjustable dumbbells, a bench, and a pull-up bar: dumbbell presses and rows, split squats, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, and hip thrusts or glute bridges. Keep the set counts, rep ranges, and RIR targets the same and swap only the equipment.
How long should I stay on this plan?+
Long enough to add weight a few times on each main lift, which is usually two to three months. Take an easier week every six to eight weeks, or sooner if several lifts stall together.
Let Gainr adapt this to your week
Miss a session and Coach rebuilds the rest of your week around it. Log every set with reps in reserve, and try Coach free for 14 days.
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