Upper/Lower Split 4 Days: Complete Plan [Strength Training 2026]

The Upper/Lower split is one of the most versatile training formats in strength training. At 4 days per week, it combines optimal stimulation frequency, sufficient volume for hypertrophy, and adequate recovery. Here's how to build it correctly. To compare with a 3-day format, read 3-day per week strength training program: Full Body.

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Why Upper/Lower Works at 4 Days per Week

The most decisive factor for muscular hypertrophy — beyond total weekly volume — is the stimulation frequency per muscle group. Schoenfeld et al. (2016) meta-analyses show that at equal volume, stimulating a muscle 2 times per week produces more gains than once.

With an Upper/Lower split at 4 days:

• ▸The upper body (chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps) is trained 2 times per week.
• ▸The lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves) is also trained 2 times per week.
• ▸Each muscle group gets 48 to 72 hours of recovery between two stimulations.

That's precisely the window where muscle protein synthesis (MPS) stays elevated after a session — about 24 to 48h in trained lifters. Stimulating the muscle again right after that window maximizes the cumulative effect.

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Recommended Weekly Split

| Day | Session | Focus | |-----------|--------------|--------------------------------------------------| | Monday | Upper A | Chest + Back dominant, shoulders secondary | | Tuesday | Lower A | Quads dominant, glutes secondary | | Wednesday | Rest | Active recovery (walk, mobility) | | Thursday | Upper B | Back + Shoulders dominant, chest secondary | | Friday | Lower B | Hamstrings + Glutes dominant, quads secondary | | Saturday | Rest | Moderate cardio outing or full rest | | Sunday | Rest | Full rest |

Valid alternatives:

• ▸Monday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday: if you want a full rest day in the middle of the week.
• ▸Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday / Sunday: if your work schedule frees up your weekend.

The absolute rule: never string two Upper sessions or two Lower sessions without at least 48h of recovery.

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Upper A Session: Chest + Back Dominant

| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Note | |---------------------------------|--------|---------|-----------------------------------| | Barbell bench press | 4 | 6–8 | Main chest movement | | Pull-ups or wide-grip pulldown | 4 | 8–10 | Main back width movement | | Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8–10 | Upper chest | | Barbell or dumbbell row | 3 | 8–10 | Back thickness | | Lateral raises | 4 | 12–15 | Shoulder width | | EZ bar biceps curl | 3 | 8–12 | Compound biceps | | Rope triceps pushdown | 3 | 10–12 | Triceps isolation |

Volume: 24 sets total. Rest 2–3 min on compounds, 60–90 sec on isolation.

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Lower A Session: Quads Dominant

| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Note | |-----------------------------------|--------|---------|--------------------------------| | Barbell back squat | 4 | 6–8 | Main quad/glute movement | | Leg press | 3 | 10–12 | Quad volume | | Romanian deadlift | 4 | 8–10 | Hamstrings + glutes | | Walking dumbbell lunges | 3 | 10/leg | Unilateral + balance | | Seated or lying hamstring curl | 3 | 10–12 | Hamstring isolation | | Standing calf raise | 4 | 12–15 | Gastrocnemius | | Plank or ab wheel | 3 | 30–60s | Core stabilization |

Volume: 24 sets total.

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Upper B Session: Back + Shoulders Dominant

| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Note | |-------------------------------------|--------|---------|-------------------------------| | Barbell or dumbbell overhead press | 4 | 6–8 | Main shoulder movement | | Stiff-leg deadlift | 4 | 6–8 | Back + posterior chain | | Decline press or dips | 3 | 8–10 | Lower chest + triceps | | Seated cable row | 3 | 10–12 | Mid-back and middle traps | | Rope face pulls | 4 | 12–15 | Rotator cuff + rear delt | | Hammer curl | 3 | 10–12 | Brachialis and long biceps | | Kickback or overhead triceps extension | 3 | 10–12 | Long triceps head |

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Lower B Session: Hamstrings + Glutes Dominant

| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Note | |-----------------------------------|--------|---------|------------------------------| | Barbell hip thrust | 4 | 8–10 | Main glute movement | | Conventional deadlift | 4 | 5–6 | Full posterior chain | | Bulgarian split squat or front squat | 3 | 8–10 | Unilateral / variation | | Standing hamstring curl (machine) | 3 | 10–12 | Hamstring isolation | | Reverse dumbbell lunges | 3 | 10/leg | Glutes + balance | | Seated calf raise | 4 | 12–15 | Soleus | | Hanging abs or weighted crunch | 3 | 10–15 | Core |

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Progression Over 8 Weeks

Weeks 1–2: Adaptation

Moderate loads (RPE 6–7). Learn the movements if some exercises are new. You should finish each set with 3–4 reps in reserve. No failure.

Weeks 3–4: Building

Add loads progressively (+2.5 kg on compounds, +1 kg on isolation) once you complete all prescribed reps with clean technique. RPE 7–8 on working sets.

Weeks 5–6: Intensification

Slightly reduce reps (–1 to –2) while raising loads. Work at RPE 8–9 on heavy sets. Add an extra set on compounds if you recover well.

Week 7: Peak

Cycle summit. Max loads, RPE 9 on compounds. This is the week to test your new PRs.

Week 8: Deload

Reduce volume and intensity by 30–40% (RPE 5–6). No performance push. Active neuromuscular recovery before the next cycle. To understand how to apply each overload method, see Progressive overload: 7 methods.

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Upper Lower vs PPL vs Full Body: Which Split at 4 Days?

At equivalent weekly volume, here's where Upper/Lower stands against other splits:

| Split | Weekly stimulation / muscle | Optimal for | Target level | |---------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|------------------| | Full Body 3d | 3x | Beginners, strength | Beginner | | Upper Lower 4d | 2x | Intermediate hypertrophy | Intermediate | | PPL 6d | 2x | Advanced hypertrophy | Advanced | | Bro split 5d | 1x | No scientific goal | Skippable |

At 4 days, Upper/Lower is strictly superior to PPL — it stimulates each muscle 2 times per week instead of 1.3. PPL only becomes superior at 6 weekly training days.

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Common Upper/Lower Mistakes

1. Too much isolated arm volume. Biceps and triceps already get heavy indirect work from pull-ups, rows, presses. Adding 6 sets of isolation per Upper session creates overtraining.

2. Neglecting the Lower B session. The hamstring/glute session often gets sacrificed. Without it, you develop a quad-dominant imbalance — an injury factor at the knee and lower back.

3. No variation between Upper A and Upper B. The two sessions should have different angles, movements or orders. Otherwise you stimulate the same fibers in the same window, which reduces the frequency effect.

4. No deload week. After 6–8 weeks at RPE 8–9, your central nervous system plateaus. A deload scheduled every 6–8 weeks avoids stagnation and overload injuries.

5. Ignoring recovery. 4 days of intense training demand 7–9h of sleep per night and 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kg/day. Without these two conditions, additional frequency doesn't produce more gains. To calculate your exact protein needs, use the protein needs calculator or see the muscle recovery and sleep guide.

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ForgeSport Adaptive Program: Biomechanical Alternatives in 1 Click

ForgeSport builds your Upper/Lower 4-day program based on your real level, your equipment and any injuries. Every exercise can be swapped in 1 click for a biomechanically equivalent alternative — if you have no barbell, the bench press becomes a dumbbell press; if you have shoulder pain, the overhead press switches to a Landmine Press. The program evaluates your RPE every session and automatically adjusts the following week's volume and intensity.

Generate my 4-day Upper/Lower program →

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Related articles

• ▸3-day per week strength training program
• ▸4-day per week strength training program
• ▸Training frequency for muscle growth
• ▸Progressive overload in strength training