Upper lower split: a simple 4‑day workout plan
How to run a 4-day upper lower split: a sample week with sets, reps and rest, how to pick starting weights, and a clear way to keep progressing.
An upper lower split trains your upper body on two days and your lower body on two days each week, so every major muscle is worked twice. It suits lifters who can reliably make four sessions, and it is easy to progress because each session repeats on a fixed rhythm. Below is a sample week, how to choose your weights, and how to keep adding load without stalling.
Why an upper lower split works
The main reason is frequency. A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues found that training a muscle twice a week led to more growth than once a week. A 2019 follow-up review added a useful detail: when weekly volume is the same, how often you train a muscle makes little difference on its own.
So the real benefit of upper lower is practical. It spreads your weekly sets for each muscle across two sessions. Each session stays a sensible length, and the last sets of the day are still good-quality sets rather than tired filler.
It also has a few other advantages:
- Recovery is built in. Your legs get two or three days between lower sessions, which matters for heavy squats and deadlifts.
- It is easy to fix a missed day. Slide the week along by one day and carry on.
- It suits strength and size together. You can make one day of each pair heavier and the other lighter with more reps.
How to lay out the week
You need four sessions, ideally with no more than two days in a row. Two common layouts:
| Layout | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back to back | Upper 1 | Lower 1 | Rest | Upper 2 | Lower 2 | Rest | Rest |
| Spread out | Upper 1 | Lower 1 | Rest | Upper 2 | Rest | Lower 2 | Rest |
Both work. Choose the one you can repeat every week without moving sessions around. A plan you follow for 12 weeks beats a better plan you follow for three.
Each pair of days has a different job. Day 1 is heavier, with lower reps on the main lifts. Day 2 uses moderate weights and more reps. This gives you practice with heavy loads and enough volume for growth, without doing the same session twice.
Sample upper lower week
Use these as a template. Swap an exercise for a close alternative if your gym lacks the equipment or a movement does not suit you.
Upper 1 (heavier)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 | 5–6 | 2–3 min |
| Barbell row | 4 | 6–8 | 2–3 min |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6–8 | 2 min |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 8–10 | 90 s |
| Dumbbell curl | 2 | 10–12 | 60–90 s |
| Triceps pushdown | 2 | 10–12 | 60–90 s |
Lower 1 (heavier)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 | 5–6 | 3 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 6–8 | 2–3 min |
| Leg press | 3 | 8–10 | 2 min |
| Lying leg curl | 3 | 10–12 | 90 s |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 8–12 | 60–90 s |
Upper 2 (more reps)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Pull-up or assisted pull-up | 3 | 6–10 | 2 min |
| Seated cable row | 3 | 10–12 | 90 s |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12–15 | 60 s |
| Incline dumbbell curl | 2 | 10–15 | 60 s |
| Overhead triceps extension | 2 | 10–15 | 60 s |
Lower 2 (more reps)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trap-bar or conventional deadlift | 3 | 4–6 | 3 min |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 | 8–10 each leg | 2 min |
| Hip thrust | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Leg extension | 3 | 12–15 | 90 s |
| Seated leg curl | 3 | 10–12 | 90 s |
| Seated calf raise | 3 | 12–15 | 60 s |
This gives chest, back, quads and hamstrings roughly 7 to 13 direct sets a week. Arms get about 4 direct sets each, plus plenty of indirect work from pressing and pulling. That is a solid starting point for most lifters. Add sets later if you recover well and progress slows.
Rest between sets
Rest longer than you might think on the big lifts. In a study of trained men by Schoenfeld and colleagues, resting 3 minutes between sets led to greater strength gains, and greater growth in some muscles, than resting 1 minute. Take 2 to 3 minutes on compound lifts and 60 to 90 seconds on isolation work.
How hard each set should be
Stop most sets with 1 to 3 reps left in the tank. On the main lifts, stay at the safer end, around 2 reps in reserve. On isolation exercises like curls and leg extensions, you can go closer to failure.
You do not need to grind every set to failure. A 2023 meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues found that training to momentary failure was not clearly better for muscle growth than stopping a little short. Stopping short also makes heavy sets safer and leaves you fresher for the next session.
How to progress on an upper lower split
Use double progression. Each exercise has a rep range. You add reps first, then weight.
- Pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the range on every set, with about 2 reps to spare.
- Each session, try to add a rep to one or more sets.
- When every set reaches the top of the range, add weight next time and drop back to the bottom of the range.
This matches the general guidance in the ACSM position stand on progression, which suggests raising the load by 2 to 10% once you can do one or two reps more than your target. In practice, add 2.5 kg (5 lb) to upper body lifts and 2.5 to 5 kg (5 to 10 lb) to lower body lifts.
Here is what it looks like on bench press, 4 sets of 5–6:
| Week | Weight | Reps per set |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80 kg (176 lb) | 6, 6, 5, 5 |
| 2 | 80 kg (176 lb) | 6, 6, 6, 5 |
| 3 | 80 kg (176 lb) | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
| 4 | 82.5 kg (182 lb) | 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Progress will not be this tidy every week. Some weeks you add one rep, some weeks none. That is normal. Track every set so you know exactly what to beat next time.
When progress stalls
If a lift stays the same for two or three sessions in a row, check the basics first: sleep, food, and whether you are actually resting long enough. If those are fine, try one change at a time:
- Swap the exercise for a close variation for four to six weeks, such as a close-grip or incline bench instead of flat bench.
- Add one set to that muscle per week.
- Take a lighter week. Many lifters do this every 6 to 8 weeks, cutting sets roughly in half and keeping the weights moderate.
Common mistakes
- Making the upper day too long. Upper days hold more muscles, so they bloat quickly. Cap them at six or seven exercises.
- Treating Day 2 as a copy of Day 1. Use different rep ranges or exercise variations so each session does its own job.
- Skipping the warm-up sets. Do two or three lighter sets before your first heavy lift of the day.
- Adding weight before you own the rep range. Hit the top of the range on every set first.
- Changing exercises every week. You cannot see progress on a lift you only do once. Keep the main lifts for at least 8 to 12 weeks.
If a movement causes pain rather than normal muscle fatigue, stop it and see a qualified professional.
How RepChief helps
RepChief lets you build an upper lower split and schedule each session on the days and times you pick. You log every set and see your history and personal bests, so you always know what to beat. With RepChief Pro, Chief, the coach, can build and adjust the plan from the sets you log.
