Upper/Lower — 4 days a week

Who the program suits

• You are an adult who trains regularly — about six months of consistent sessions two or three times a week, for example on the three-day beginner program.
• The starter full-body scheme no longer feels like a load: the weights rise by the progression rules, recovery between sessions is complete, and the technique of the basic movements (squat, presses, rows) needs no reminders.
• You are genuinely ready to be in the gym four times a week — consistently, not “catching up” on missed days at the weekend.
• Your goal is strength and muscle tone: four days let every large group work twice a week at a managed volume.

The program combines with running, cycling and other activities: the four strength days are grouped into Mon–Tue and Thu–Fri, leaving the weekend free.

Who it does not suit

• If you have no strength-training experience or are returning after a break, start with the two-day or three-day program. Four days before readiness breaks consistency: missed sessions, broken technique and drawn-out recovery.
• If four consistent gym visits do not fit your schedule, the three-day format gives 36 working sets a week (a quarter fewer than the four-day 48) with the same progression and rest rules and lower scheduling demands.
• If you train at home rather than at a gym — the home dumbbell program: this program needs machines and a set of dumbbells.
• If a doctor or physiotherapist has restricted your load, agree on a permitted volume with them first; this program does not account for such limits.
• If your goal is preparation for a specific sport or competition, you need specialist work with a coach.

Readiness criteria for four days

Moving to four days adds weekly load: from a three-day scheme by a third (36 → 48 working sets), from a two-day one by double (24 → 48), see “Volume management”. The body adapts to that increase only if all five conditions hold. Check them honestly, from the log, not from your mood:

1. Training age. You have trained for at least six months, two or three sessions a week, without breaks longer than a week — the experience level from which public recommendations (ACSM) classify a trainee as intermediate and allow three or four sessions a week.
2. Consistency. The last four weeks of your current two- or three-day program were completed in full: there were no missed sessions and no weeks moved.
3. Reserve in the sets. Every working set is done with 1–2 reps in reserve, and technique does not suffer by the end of the session.
4. Recovery. There is no residual fatigue the day after a session: sleep is normal and your muscles are not so sore that plans change.
5. Schedule. Four gym visits fit your week consistently — and will keep fitting for the coming months, not just in an ideal week.

If even one condition fails, stay on the three-day program and come back to this question in a month. The four-day week is not going anywhere, and a week of breakdowns rolls progress back more than an extra month of the three-day format.

What the terms mean

• Upper/lower (split) — dividing sessions into the “upper” and “lower” halves of the body: upper days work the chest, back, shoulders and arms, lower days the legs and glutes.
• Set — a continuous series of reps of an exercise, after which you rest.
• Working set — the main set of an exercise at the working weight; in this program there are two per exercise.
• Warm-up set — a light set before the working sets, to prepare the movement and the joint for the main weight; it does not count towards the program's volume.
• Rep — one full performance of the exercise.
• Working weight — the weight you use for the main (working) sets.
• Rep range, for example 10–12 — pick a weight with which you can do from 10 to 12 reps with clean technique.
• 1–2 reps in reserve — you end the set 1–2 reps before the point where you can no longer perform the movement correctly.
• Volume — the sum of working sets: in this program 6 exercises × 2 working sets = 12 working sets per session. Volume management is the rules by which volume grows more slowly than the weights (see the “Volume management” section).
• Cycle day (Upper A → Lower A → Upper B → Lower B) — the order of sessions within a week: after Upper A comes Lower A, after Lower A comes Upper B, after Upper B comes Lower B, and the new week starts at Upper A again.
• Goblet squat — a squat with a single dumbbell held at your chest with both hands.
• Romanian deadlift — a hinge with a straight back and slightly bent knees, the dumbbells sliding along your legs; the movement starts at the hips.
• Dead bug — a core exercise lying on your back: slowly lowering the opposite arm and leg while the lower back stays pressed to the floor.
• Bench dips — push-ups with your hands on a bench and your feet on the floor: the lower the bench, the harder the variation.
• Hammer curls — a curl with a neutral grip (palms facing each other): the same elbow movement, a different forearm position.
• Deload week — a week with the same exercises and lighter weights, which lets recovery catch up with accumulated load; the structure and signals are in the section of that name below.

How long a session lasts

50–60 minutes: 5–10 minutes of light warm-up (cardio plus joint mobility and 1–2 warm-up sets in the first exercise at half the weight), the main part — 6 exercises of 2 working sets with rest from 60 seconds to 2 minutes, and 5 minutes of easy stretching at the end. If you are running out of time, drop the last exercise of the day rather than shortening the rest: the pauses between sets are needed for recovery.

Weekly schedule

Four days on an upper/lower scheme, for example:

Two weekly rules:

• No more than two sessions in a row. The pairs “Upper A + Lower A” and “Upper B + Lower B” run two days in a row without conflict, because different halves of the body are working; Wednesday and the weekend are days without strength training.
• The same half of the body — not two days in a row. At least two days pass between the upper days (Upper A on Monday, Upper B on Thursday), and likewise between the lower days (Lower A on Tuesday, Lower B on Friday).

The days can be shifted if both rules hold. If one or two sessions happened instead of four, that is a normal week: it counts as finished at the last day of the cycle you completed, and the next week starts at Upper A again (see the missed-session rule below).

The missed-session rule

A missed session is part of the process, not a disaster. There is one rule: do not make up what you missed.

• If you miss one session, that cycle day is the one that is skipped. The next visit is the next cycle day in order: you missed Tuesday (Lower A) — on Thursday you do Upper B, not two days in a row and not “double the volume”.
• You must not put a third day in a row to “catch up” with the schedule: no more than two sessions in a row.
• The new week starts at Upper A again — regardless of where the previous week stopped.
• If you miss a week or more (illness, holiday), the first session back is Upper A with weights 10–20% lighter than the last ones recorded in the log, then by how you feel.

The logic: with four sessions a week, doubling the volume in one day does not speed up progress, but it raises the risk of technique breaking down and of strong delayed muscle soreness in the next day or two, which then costs you the following sessions.

Exercises, sets and rest

The exercise lists for each day are in the tables above. The rules are general:

• Order matters: first the exercises for large groups and multi-joint movements (presses, rows, squat patterns, Romanian deadlift, lunge), and the small and “finishing” ones last (raises, curls, calves, core).
• Rest between sets: 2 minutes for basic multi-joint exercises (presses, rows, leg press, goblet squat, Romanian deadlift, bench dips, lunge); 90 seconds for light exercises (seated dumbbell press, lateral raises, leg curls and extensions, arm curls); 60 seconds for the plank, the dead bug and calf raises. Rest less only if your breathing has fully recovered and technique does not suffer.
• Pick a weight such that the last rep of the set is hard but performed cleanly.
• Upper B deliberately repeats the patterns of Upper A: a second meeting with the movement in the week cements technique faster. No new exercises or harder variations are introduced in the week beyond the progression rules.
• For exercises with reps “per side” (reverse lunge, dead bug), the given number of reps is done by each side: 10–12 means 10–12 on the left and 10–12 on the right.
• Keep the dumbbells and your working area so that you do not have to make long rearrangements between exercises: long pauses “stretch” the session but do not replace the rest between sets.

How to choose a starting weight

1. If you are moving from a two- or three-day program, use weights one step lighter than the ones recorded in the log for the first one or two weeks of the four-day format: the weekly volume rises by a third relative to a three-day week even at the same weights, and the goal of the first weeks is to fit into four days, not to set records.
2. For exercises that were not in your previous program (dumbbell curls, bench dips), start with a deliberately light weight. The goal of the first session is technique, not load.
3. Do 1–2 warm-up sets in the first exercise — 10 reps each at half the intended weight.
4. Do a working set and assess: if you did 12 reps and had 1–2 “in reserve”, the weight fits. If you can do noticeably more, take a step heavier in the next session. If technique breaks down before 10 reps, lower it.
5. To estimate a one-rep max and percentage working weights, use the one-rep max calculator and the working weights calculator.
6. Over 2–3 sessions you will find a working weight for each exercise. Record it in your log — progression starts from this weight.

The same exercise on different days (for example, the lat pulldown on Upper A and Upper B, or the seated dumbbell press on both upper days) shares one working weight: it is found once and progresses from one log entry.

How to progress

The basic rule is double progression: the top of the range in every set with 1–2 reps in reserve → increase the weight if the next available step is no more than about 10% of the working weight → return to the bottom of the range.

• One variable at a time. Never add weight and sets in the same week; if you added reps, do not change the tempo or the weight.
• The third set — by the rules of the “Volume management” section below, not by whim.
• The plank and the dead bug — exercises without weight: the plank progresses in seconds (30–45 → 60), the dead bug by smoothness and control of the lower back at the same rep range.
• Bench dips — progress by support: the lower the bench, the harder the variation; body weight is not “added”.
• Calf raises — by the 12–15 range, with the same double progression.
• The decision to increase is made from the log records, not from memory: without records you cannot see when the top of the range has been completed in every set.

Volume management

The volume in this program is capped from above: 2 working sets per exercise, 6 exercises per day, 12 working sets per session. A four-day week is 48 working sets: a third more than the three-day format (36) and double the two-day one (24). Moving to four days is itself an increase in load — volume and weight must not rise at the same time as it.

Weekly working sets by movement pattern (the total comes to 48):

• knee extension — 10: leg press 2 + goblet squat 2 + lunge 2 + leg extensions 4;
• hip hinge and hamstrings — 6: Romanian deadlift 2 + leg curls 4;
• horizontal press — 4: bench press 2 + bench dips 2;
• vertical press — 4: seated dumbbell press 2 + 2;
• vertical pull — 4: pulldown 2 + 2;
• horizontal row — 4: bent-over row 2 + machine 2;
• lateral raises — 4: 2 + 2;
• core — 6: plank 4 + dead bug 2;
• calves — 4: calf raises 2 + 2;
• arm curls — 2.

Every large muscle group works twice a week, the core three times; arm curls are the only “once-a-week” group: the biceps works in all the pulling movements of both upper days.

Volume-management rules:

• The first month — only 2 working sets, no exceptions: frequency rose, volume did not.
• The maximum volume of the program is 3 working sets per exercise. The third set is added no earlier than after 4 full weeks, one exercise at a time (start with the basic squat patterns, presses and rows) and only if all three conditions hold: every current set is done with 1–2 reps in reserve, recovery between sessions is complete, and technique does not suffer by the end of the session.
• Never add weight and sets in the same week — one variable at a time.
• If after adding the third set two sessions in a row were hard, return the exercise to 2 sets and try again in 2 weeks.
• There is no need to “top up the volume” on days that feel easy: growth beyond the ceiling lengthens the session and eats into recovery rather than speeding up the result. The lightness of the upper or lower days is a property of the upper/lower scheme, not a shortfall in the plan.

Deload week

A deload week is a recovery tool, not a mandatory ritual of the four-day week. There is no need to schedule it “by the calendar”: if progress is going and you feel fine, a light week is not needed at all. The guide is the log records and the recovery signals:

• two sessions in a row were hard — the 1–2 reps in reserve were not maintained and technique suffered by the end of the sessions;
• sleep is worse than usual for two nights or more with no obvious external cause;
• an aching joint pain appears that gets worse during movement;
• a persistent reluctance to train that lasts longer than a day.

How a light week is structured:

• all four days and all exercises stay the same, the week's scheme does not change;
• weights are 10–20% lighter than the last ones recorded in the log; work in the middle of the rep range (10–11 out of 10–12), without testing “can I do 12”;
• the volume does not change: the sets stay where they are — 2, or 3 where you have already added a third, with no new exercises or harder variations;
• after the light week, return to the previous weights from the log.

A light week can be planned in advance if signals from the list above have accumulated over 6–8 weeks — the decision is made from the log records, not from dates. A full week of rest (illness, holiday) is not a “deload”: returning after a break follows the missed-session rule, with weights 10–20% lighter.

Allowed substitutions

The substitution table is above. The rules are simple: choose an exercise for the same movement pattern (a press for a press, a row for a row, a squat for a squat), start it with a deliberately light weight and go through the starting-weight search again. One exception to the pattern rule: dumbbell lateral raises are substituted with the seated dumbbell press — it loads the same delts with a multi-joint movement, so take a noticeably lighter weight for it than for your usual press.

When to substitute an exercise:

• the exercise causes joint pain — not muscle fatigue, but actual pain in the knee, shoulder or lower back that gets worse during movement;
• the machine you need is busy and you do not want to wait: take a substitution instead of shifting the whole session;
• the exercise's technique does not come together after two sessions at a reduced weight.

Each substitution from the table:

• Bench dips — a horizontal press with body weight instead of a dumbbell press.
• Seated horizontal row (machine) — a seated horizontal row instead of a pulldown or a dumbbell row.
• One-arm bent-over dumbbell row — a unilateral row with support instead of a pulldown or machine row.
• Two-arm bent-over dumbbell row — a two-arm row instead of a one-arm row.
• Standing dumbbell press — a vertical press without a seat back; it needs more torso stability.
• Seated dumbbell press — a vertical press with back support instead of lateral raises: the same delts with a multi-joint movement (the exception to the pattern rule, see above).
• Dead bug — a core exercise instead of the plank: the same requirement of a pressed lower back, a movement instead of a hold.
• Forearm plank — a hold instead of a movement: a substitution for the dead bug when coordination is still letting you down.
• Goblet squat with a dumbbell — a squat movement with a dumbbell instead of the leg press or lunge.
• Reverse lunge with dumbbells — a unilateral squat movement instead of the goblet squat, leg extensions or leg press.
• Leg extension machine — an isolated knee extension instead of the leg press when it is busy.
• Leg press machine — a machine squat movement instead of the goblet squat or leg extensions.
• Romanian deadlift with dumbbells — a hip hinge with dumbbells instead of leg curls.
• Lying leg curl machine — isolated hamstring work instead of the Romanian deadlift.
• Glute bridge with a dumbbell — hip extension while lying down instead of the Romanian deadlift.
• Calf raises with dumbbells in your hands — the same calf work with dumbbells instead of the standing exercise with no weight in your hands.
• Hammer curls — a curl with a neutral grip instead of the usual one.

The substitutions are the same movement patterns as the main exercises; after a substitution, progression starts over from the starting-weight search.

When to reduce the load or end the session

End the session and get help if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, nausea or chest tightness.

Reduce the load (a weight 10–20% lighter, or one set fewer) if:

• technique “breaks” before the bottom of the rep range;
• a feeling of fatigue does not pass between sessions;
• an aching joint pain appears — that is a reason not to train through pain, but to change the exercise or take a rest.

If signals from the “Deload week” section have accumulated by the end of the week, run the next week by the light-week rules rather than missing sessions: from training experience, four light sessions restore capacity more reliably than three heavy ones and one breakdown; that is a guide, not a guarantee.

How to keep a log

Record every session — paper or phone notes are enough:

The note is about execution only (“2 reps in reserve”, “technique fell apart”). One exercise is one log line regardless of how many days it appears on: it has one shared weight. The log is the basis of every decision in the program: double progression, adding the third set and the deload-week signals. The decision to increase is made from the records, not from memory.

Boundaries of the program

• This is a general program for healthy adults, not an individual plan: it does not know your injuries, history or living conditions.
• The program does not promise guaranteed weight loss or muscle gain: the result depends on consistency, nutrition, sleep and your starting level.
• The program is not medical advice and does not replace a consultation with a doctor, physiotherapist or coach.
• Periodisation for experienced athletes (peaking for strength, cycling volume and intensity) is outside this program: it is the next step after confidently completing the upper/lower scheme, and it is done with a coach.
• The program does not advertise equipment: an ordinary gym set from the “Equipment” section will do.
• The recommendations rest on public ACSM position stands and WHO guidance; the full list is in the “Sources” section below.