The 4-day upper/lower split: schedule, lifts and numbers

A four-day upper/lower split is the best return on time for most recreational lifters: every muscle group gets trained twice a week, and no session runs past about 75 minutes. You do not need six days in the gym or ten exercises per session. You need a plan you can repeat for three months straight, and a rule for adding weight.

The weekly layout

• Monday – upper A
• Tuesday – lower A
• Thursday – upper B
• Friday – lower B

What matters is at least 48 hours between two sessions of the same type, not the exact weekdays. If Friday does not work, move it to Saturday. Avoid four days back to back, because the two lower days stack on each other and your legs never recover.

What goes in each session

Upper A (push emphasis)

• Bench press: 4 sets x 5–8 reps, 3 minutes rest
• Pull-up or lat pulldown: 4 x 6–10, 2 minutes rest
• Seated shoulder press: 3 x 8–12
• Barbell row: 3 x 8–12
• Dumbbell lateral raise: 3 x 12–20
• Cable triceps extension: 2 x 10–15
• Biceps curl: 2 x 10–15

Lower A

• Back squat: 4 x 5–8, 3 minutes rest
• Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8–10
• Leg press: 3 x 10–12
• Leg curl: 3 x 10–15
• Calf raise: 3 x 10–15
• Plank: 3 x 30–45 seconds

Upper B (pull emphasis)

• Weighted pull-up: 4 x 6–10
• Incline dumbbell press: 4 x 8–12
• Seated cable row: 3 x 10–12
• Standing overhead press: 3 x 6–10
• Face pull: 3 x 15–20
• Biceps and triceps: 2 x 10–15 each

Lower B

• Deadlift: 3 x 3–5, 3–4 minutes rest
• Bulgarian split squat: 3 x 8–12 per leg
• Hip thrust or back extension: 3 x 8–12
• Leg extension: 3 x 12–15
• Calf raise: 3 x 12–20

That is roughly 20 working sets per session and 10–14 weekly sets per major muscle group. Under 8 sets a week progress is slow; over 20 you mostly accumulate fatigue rather than muscle.

How hard, and how long to rest

Take working sets to 1–3 reps in reserve — you stop knowing you had two or three clean reps left. Save true failure for the last set of an isolation lift, and not every session. Rest 3 minutes on squats, deadlifts and bench, 2 minutes on other compounds, 60–90 seconds on isolation. Cut rest to 45 seconds and you will lose 10–20 percent of your reps on the next set for no extra benefit.

Warm-up: 5 minutes on a bike or treadmill, then ramp the first lift — empty bar x 8, 50 percent of your working weight x 5, 70 percent x 3, 85 percent x 1. One easy set is enough for everything after that.

How to add weight

Use double progression. If a lift is prescribed as 4 x 6–10, start with a load you can hit for 6 reps on all four sets. Each week try to add one rep per set. Once all four sets reach 10, add 2.5 kg on upper-body lifts or 5 kg on squats and deadlifts, and drop back to 6 reps.

A realistic pace after your first year: 2.5–5 kg per month on the squat, 1–2.5 kg on the bench. If you stall on the same numbers for three weeks in a row, run a lighter week — same exercises, half the sets, 60–70 percent of the weight. Most people jump straight back into progress afterwards.

Food and sleep, briefly

Protein 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram of body weight per day, split across 3–4 meals. To gain, run a 200–400 kcal surplus and aim for 0.25–0.5 percent body weight gained per week; to lose, a 300–500 kcal deficit and 0.5–0.75 percent per week. Sleep 7–9 hours — chronically under 6 is the one variable that reliably wrecks progress on this schedule.

Cardio alongside it

Two sessions of 20–30 minutes of easy cardio (you can still speak in full sentences) will not blunt your strength. Put it after the upper days or on an off day, never within 3 hours before a lower session.

Common mistakes

• Swapping exercises every other week, so you have nothing to compare against. Keep the same selection for 8–12 weeks.
• Skipping Friday because you are tired — then it is not an upper/lower split, it is three random days.
• Doing small stuff first. The first two lifts get your fresh effort; lateral raises before squats is backwards.
• Not logging your sets. Double progression does not work if you cannot remember last week's numbers.

When to see a doctor

Mild muscle soreness for 24–72 hours is normal. Book an appointment if:

• joint or back pain lasts more than 2 weeks, or gets worse session to session;
• you feel numbness, tingling or weakness running down an arm or leg;
• you get chest pressure, dizziness, disproportionate breathlessness or an irregular heartbeat under load — stop the session immediately;
• you have swelling, bruising and loss of full range of motion after a sudden tweak;
• you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia, recent surgery, or you are pregnant — clear the loading plan before you start.

The short version

• Four sessions: upper A, lower A, upper B, lower B, with at least 48 hours between same-type days.
• About 20 working sets per session, 10–14 weekly sets per muscle group, stopping 1–3 reps short of failure.
• Rest 3 minutes on the big lifts, 60–90 seconds on isolation.
• Double progression: hit the top of the rep range on every set, then add 2.5 kg upper body or 5 kg lower body.
• Protein 1.6–2.2 g/kg, sleep 7–9 hours, take a lighter week every 6–10 weeks or whenever you stall.