An upper lower split 4 days a week divides your workouts into two upper body days and two lower body days each week. It hits every major muscle group twice weekly with 48 to 72 hours of recovery between sessions, providing optimal volume and frequency for muscle hypertrophy and strength gains.
This guide gives you the complete 4 day upper lower split workout routine: exact exercises, sets, reps, and weekly schedule. For female lifters looking for tailored volume distribution, check out our 4 day workout split for women. If arm hypertrophy is your main focus, you can also add dedicated work from our arm day workout guide. For the bigger picture on how this split compares to others, see our workout splits explained guide, or take our workout split quiz to double-check it’s the right fit.
What Is a 4 Day Upper Lower Split?
A 4 day upper lower split is a training routine that divides the week into two upper body sessions and two lower body sessions, training every major muscle group twice with a rest day between repeats. The most common weekly layout:
| Day | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Upper A | Chest, back, shoulders, arms |
| Tuesday | Lower A | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves |
| Wednesday | Rest | Recovery |
| Thursday | Upper B | Chest, back, shoulders, arms (different angles) |
| Friday | Lower B | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves (different angles) |
| Saturday | Rest | Recovery |
| Sunday | Rest | Recovery |
This layout hits every muscle group twice in 7 days with a rest day built in after each pair, so you’re never training the same muscle group on back-to-back days. If Monday-to-Friday doesn’t fit your schedule, Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday works identically, as long as you keep at least one rest day between the two upper sessions and between the two lower sessions.
Who This Split Is For
Upper lower suits lifters who have outgrown a 3 day full body workout plan and can commit to 4 training days a week. It gives you more sets per muscle per session than full body, without the 5 to 6 day commitment push pull legs requires.
If you are still new to lifting, start with full body training for 3 to 6 months first. You will learn the core movements faster with more frequent practice, then have the technique to make the extra volume in an upper lower split actually count.
The 4 Day Upper Lower Workout Plan
Train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, or Upper, Lower, rest, Upper, Lower, rest, rest, whichever fits your week. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets on the big compound lifts and 60 to 90 seconds on everything else.
Day 1: Upper Body A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 | 6-8 |
| Barbell bent-over row | 4 | 6-8 |
| Overhead press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell bicep curl | 2 | 10-12 |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 | 10-12 |
Day 2: Lower Body A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | 4 | 6-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 8-10 |
| Leg press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Leg curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 12-15 |
| Plank | 3 | 30-45 sec |
Day 3: Upper Body B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Pull-up | 4 | 6-10 |
| Dumbbell shoulder press | 3 | 10-12 |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 3 | 10-12 per side |
| Cable lateral raise | 2 | 12-15 |
| Cable crunch | 3 | 12-15 |
Day 4: Lower Body B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional deadlift | 3 | 5-6 |
| Dumbbell lunge | 3 | 10 per leg |
| Leg extension | 3 | 12-15 |
| Seated leg curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Seated calf raise | 3 | 15-20 |
| Hanging knee raise | 3 | 10-15 |
How to Progress Each Week
Use progressive overload with double progression, the same method that works for any structured plan:
- Start each exercise at the bottom of its rep range with a weight you could lift for 2 to 3 more reps than prescribed.
- Add a rep each session until every set hits the top of the range.
- Add weight (2.5 kg on upper body lifts, 5 kg on lower body) and restart at the bottom of the range.
Not sure what weight to start with? Our one rep max calculator estimates your max and shows the working weights for each rep range so you are not guessing on day one.
Upper Lower vs Push Pull Legs
Both splits train each muscle twice a week at similar total volume. The real difference is training days and session length.
| Upper Lower | Push Pull Legs | |
|---|---|---|
| Days per week | 4 | 5-6 |
| Session length | 50-65 min | 45-60 min |
| Sets per session | 18-22 | 12-16 |
| Muscle frequency | 2x/week | 2x/week |
| Best for | 4 available days | 5-6 available days |
If 5 or 6 days is realistic for you, read push pull legs vs upper lower split for a full breakdown of how PPL redistributes the same volume across more, shorter sessions. For a comparison of this split against push/pull/legs+ and antagonist pairs, see best 4 day workout split.
Common Mistakes That Stall This Split
- Skipping the second lower day. Lower body sessions get skipped more than upper body ones. That halves your leg frequency and stalls leg growth specifically.
- Copying exercises between Upper A and Upper B. Vary the angle (flat vs incline press, row vs pulldown) so you build the muscle from more than one direction across the week.
- Adding a 5th day too soon. If you can consistently train 5 days, move to push pull legs rather than bolting an extra day onto upper lower.
- Ignoring recovery between sessions. Keep at least one rest day between repeating the same session type, so joints and connective tissue recover, not just muscles.
No Barbell? No Problem
Every barbell exercise above has a dumbbell alternative that trains the same movement pattern. Our dumbbell only workout plan runs a full 4 day upper lower split using nothing but dumbbells, which works just as well for home gyms with limited equipment.
Make the Plan Fit You
This plan suits most intermediate lifters with 4 training days, but your schedule, recovery, and goals are specific to you. Our free workout plan generator builds a plan around your actual inputs, whether that means adjusting exercises for your equipment or the sets and reps for your goal, and it adjusts automatically as you progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is a 4 day upper lower split good for building muscle?
- Yes. It hits every muscle group twice a week, which sits in the frequency range most hypertrophy research supports, while giving you more volume per session than a 3 day full body plan. For intermediate lifters with 4 training days, it is one of the most efficient splits available.
- What is the difference between upper lower and push pull legs?
- Upper lower trains the whole upper body together and the whole lower body together across 4 days. Push pull legs (PPL) splits the upper body further into pushing and pulling muscles across 5 to 6 days. Choose upper lower if you have 4 days; choose PPL if you have 5 to 6.
- How long should each upper lower workout take?
- 50 to 65 minutes with 5 to 6 exercises per session. Lower body days often run slightly longer because compound lower body lifts need more rest between sets to keep the weight and form consistent.
- Can beginners use a 4 day upper lower split?
- Beginners can, but most get better results from a 3 day full body plan first. Full body trains each muscle 3 times a week during the phase when practicing the movements matters most. Move to upper lower after 3 to 6 months once your technique is solid.
- How do I fit a 4 day upper lower split into my week?
- Upper, Lower, rest, Upper, Lower, rest, rest is the standard layout, but Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday with weekends off works just as well. Keep at least one rest day between the same session type so you recover fully before repeating it.