4 days · Upper and lower

4-day upper/lower workout

Upper and lower splits the body so one session can hold more exercises for that half. Four days still hits each half twice. The two upper days are not copies of each other, and the two lower days are not copies either.

Days: 4 days
Level: Intermediate
Equipment: Barbell, bench, and cables
Session length: 50–70 min

Who this is for

Use this if you already train consistently, you can get to the gym four days, and full-body sessions have started to feel too crowded. It is a lot if you are still learning the lifts or if four days only happens on a good week.

Experience level

Intermediate. You should already know how to squat, hinge, bench, row, and press overhead with a weight you can repeat. If four lifting days is new, start with the lower set counts — three sets on the first exercise instead of four — for two weeks.

If four days is too much to recover from, drop to the 3-day full body workout.

Equipment

You need a rack, a barbell, an adjustable bench, dumbbells, and cables for pulldowns, rows, pressdowns, and curls. A leg curl and a calf machine are part of the lower days. Every one of those has a swap.

How long it takes

Budget 50 to 70 minutes. Upper days tend to run longer because they carry more exercises. If you are over 70 minutes, drop the last arm exercise and keep the compounds. Rest times on the first lift are there on purpose; do not turn them into 45-second breaks and then add junk sets.

Weekly schedule

Monday upper, Tuesday lower, Thursday upper, Friday lower leaves a rest day after each pair and a weekend off lifting. Swap the pairs if you need to, but avoid two lower days in a row.

Weekly schedule for 4-day upper/lower workout
Day	Session
Monday	Upper A
Tuesday	Lower A
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	Upper B
Friday	Lower B
Saturday	Rest
Sunday	Rest

If you miss a session

If you miss one day, you can do it next only when that still leaves a rest day before the next session for the same half of the body. Otherwise skip it and continue. Four days is the plan; three done well is better than forcing the fourth on a tired lower back.

Warm-up

Five easy minutes, then ramp-up sets on the first lift only. On upper days, include one easy set of the row as well if your shoulders feel stiff. That extra set is not written in the table.

The workouts

The first exercise of each day is the one to progress. The rest support it. Do not add exercises to upper day because the list looks short compared with a body-part split.

On a small screen, swipe sideways to see sets, reps, and rest. The exercise name stays put.

Upper A — horizontal emphasis

Bench and a supported row come first. Overhead press and pulldown keep the vertical patterns in the week without taking over the day.

Upper A — horizontal emphasis: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Bench press	4	5–8	2–3 min
Chest-supported row	4	6–10	2 min
Overhead press	3	6–10	2 min
Lat pulldown	3	8–12	90 sec
Lateral raise	3	10–15	60 sec
Triceps pressdown	2	10–15	60 sec
Dumbbell curl	2	10–15	60 sec

Lower A — squat emphasis

Squat first, then a Romanian deadlift while you are still fresh enough to hinge with a flat back. Split squats are the third leg exercise, not a place to grind.

Lower A — squat emphasis: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Back squat	4	5–8	2–3 min
Romanian deadlift	3	6–10	2 min
Split squat	3	8–12 each leg	90 sec
Leg curl	3	10–15	60–90 sec
Standing calf raise	3	8–12	60 sec
Dead bug	2	8 each side	60 sec

Upper B — vertical emphasis

Overhead pressing and pulldowns lead. The incline press and cable row are the second pass at bench and row patterns from Upper A, with different angles.

Upper B — vertical emphasis: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Seated dumbbell press	4	6–10	2 min
Lat pulldown	4	6–10	2 min
Incline dumbbell press	3	8–12	90 sec
Seated cable row	3	8–12	90 sec
Rear delt fly	3	12–15	60 sec
Overhead triceps extension	2	10–15	60 sec
Incline dumbbell curl	2	10–15	60 sec

Lower B — hinge emphasis

Hip thrust instead of a heavy deadlift, because Lower A already hinged. If you want a deadlift, the swap note explains how to trade it in without stacking two hard pulls.

Lower B — hinge emphasis: exercises, sets, reps, and rest
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Hip thrust	3	6–10	2 min
Front squat	3	6–10	2 min
Walking lunge	3	8–12 each leg	90 sec
Leg curl	3	10–15	60–90 sec
Seated calf raise	3	10–15	60 sec
Cable crunch	2	10–15	60 sec

Exercise swaps

Use a swap when a machine is taken, a lift bothers a joint, or you do not have that piece of equipment. Keep the sets and rep range the same unless the note says otherwise.

Bench press Dumbbell bench press or a machine chest press.
Chest-supported row Seal row or a plate-loaded machine row.
Back squat Hack squat or safety-bar squat.
Romanian deadlift Dumbbell Romanian deadlift. Do not replace it with a heavy conventional deadlift on the same week as Lower B if you also swap in a trap-bar pull.
Seated dumbbell press Standing overhead press, if your shoulders tolerate it after Monday’s benching.
Lat pulldown Pull-up or assisted pull-up.
Hip thrust Trap-bar deadlift for 3 sets of 4–6. If you make that swap, drop the front squat to 2 sets.
Front squat Goblet squat, hack squat, or leg press.

How to progress

Progress bench on Upper A, squat on Lower A, seated press or pulldown on Upper B, and hip thrust on Lower B.
Add weight when every set of that lift is at the top of the range. Upper-body jumps should be small. Squat jumps of 5 kg are enough.
Leave the arm and calf work alone until the main lift of that day has moved. Those sets are practice, not a second program.
If Upper B feels worse because Upper A was heavy, repeat Upper B’s weights. Two upper days only work if the second one is allowed to be a little quieter.

When to ease off

Take an easier week every 6 to 8 weeks, or when the second lower day starts dragging the first one down.

That week, do two sets of the first two exercises each day at about 90 percent of the usual load, and skip the last isolation exercise.

Keep the four-day rhythm so the schedule does not disappear. The following week, restore the sets before you chase new weight.

Questions

Can a newer lifter use this four-day plan?

Only if the basic lifts are already comfortable. Otherwise the 3-day full-body plan gives more practice with less fatigue. You can always move here later. Starting here usually means the Thursday and Friday sessions become the ones you skip.

Where is the conventional deadlift?

It is optional, not required. Lower A already includes a Romanian deadlift. Adding a heavy conventional pull on Lower B is a lot of hinge stress beside squats. Use the trap-bar swap if you want a deadlift, and reduce the front squat as written.

What if I can only train three days this week?

Do Upper A, Lower A, and Upper B. Next week, start with Lower B so the lower body is not the half that always loses the extra day.

Should the two upper days use the same weights?

No. They are different exercises. Track them separately. Incline dumbbells will not match your flat bench, and they do not need to.

A note before you train

These plans are general templates for healthy adults who are able to exercise. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of a particular result. If you have pain, an injury, a heart condition, or you are returning after illness, talk with a qualified clinician or coach before you start. Stop a set if a joint feels sharp, unstable, or unlike ordinary effort, and get it checked before you train through it.

All workout programs

Join the Trynema waitlist

Follow the four-day rhythm as written. Join the waitlist when you want Upper A or Lower B opened without assembling it at the gym.