4-day program
Upper Lower is the cleanest 4-day split for most lifters.
Upper Lower is the split I would give most intermediate lifters before PPL. Four days is enough frequency to practice the main lifts twice, but not so much that your week falls apart when life gets busy.
This version uses one heavier upper/lower pair and one volume upper/lower pair. That gives you strength practice and hypertrophy work without turning every session into a max-effort test.
Best fit
Lifters who want each muscle trained twice per week without living in the gym.
People who recover poorly from two lower-body sessions per week.
Train upper body twice and lower body twice each week.
Use the first upper/lower pair for heavier compounds.
Use the second pair for higher-rep volume and weak points.
Keep sessions to 5-6 exercises so quality does not collapse.
Weekly schedule
Put the hard sessions where recovery can support them.
- Monday: Upper Strength
- Tuesday: Lower Strength
- Thursday: Upper Volume
- Friday: Lower Volume
Program table
Exact sets, reps, rest, and intent.
Every exercise links to its RepStack form guide. Keep the movement names consistent in your log so your history, PRs, and next-session targets stay usable.
Upper Strength
Heavy press and row practice
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 4-6 | 3 min | Use a tight range for strength work. |
| Bent Over Barbell Row | 4 | 5-8 | 2-3 min | Match pressing volume with real pulling volume. |
| Standing Military Press | 3 | 5-8 | 2 min | Leave one rep in reserve on most weeks. |
| Pullups | 3 | 6-10 | 2 min | Use assistance or load to stay in range. |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 2 | 8-10 | 90 sec | Triceps work that still carries over to pressing. |
Lower Strength
Squat and hinge strength
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Full Squat | 4 | 4-6 | 3 min | Main lower-body strength slot. |
| Barbell Deadlift | 3 | 3-5 | 3 min | Keep total deadlift volume controlled. |
| Barbell Lunge | 3 | 8-10 | 90 sec | Unilateral work exposes left-right gaps. |
| Seated Calf Raise | 4 | 10-15 | 60 sec | Use full range, not ankle twitches. |
Upper Volume
Hypertrophy and shoulder balance
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-12 | 90 sec | Upper chest volume without another heavy bench day. |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8-12 | 90 sec | Controlled reps beat sloppy load. |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 | 90 sec | Less joint stress than another barbell press. |
| Cable Rear Delt Fly | 3 | 12-20 | 60 sec | This is shoulder health work disguised as bodybuilding. |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 8-12 | 60 sec | Progress it like any other lift. |
Lower Volume
Quad, hamstring, and glute volume
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 3 | 6-10 | 2 min | A lighter squat pattern with more torso demand. |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8-10 | 2 min | Hamstring tension without deadlift fatigue. |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-15 | 90 sec | Quad volume after the technical lifts. |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 | 60 sec | Do not skip knee flexion. |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 8-15 | 60 sec | Use a pause at the stretch. |
Progression
The plan is only useful if next week is measurable.
Why Upper Lower beats random 4-day splits
A good 4-day split needs repeat exposure. Upper Lower gives every major muscle two shots per week while keeping the exercise menu stable enough to track.
That matters because RepStack can only make useful progression calls when the log has repeatable movements. Constant exercise hopping creates noise.
Progression rule
Use narrower rep ranges on the first two days and wider ranges on the volume days. Strength slots progress slower, but they should still earn increases through reps before load jumps.
For example, a 4-6 bench range moves from 100kg for 4s toward 6s. Once every set hits 6, increase the load and rebuild.
The common recovery trap
Two lower days are productive only if the second one is not wrecked by the first. If deadlifts ruin the rest of the week, lower deadlift volume before blaming the split.
Most intermediates need less deadlift volume than they think and more consistent quad and hamstring work than they actually do.
Read next
Keep the program connected.
Sources
The evidence layer.
FAQ
Fast answers
Is Upper Lower good for muscle growth?
Yes. It distributes weekly volume across two exposures per muscle, which usually keeps set quality higher than one huge weekly session.
Can beginners run an Upper Lower split?
They can, but a 3-day full-body plan is usually easier to learn first. Upper Lower is strongest once you can handle four consistent weekly sessions.
How many exercises should be in each workout?
Most sessions should stay around 4-6 exercises. More than that usually means the later work is low-quality volume.
RepStack for iPhone
Run this program inside RepStack
Import the split, log your sets, and let RepStack turn the history into next-session targets.