If you’re looking for an easy-to-follow and effective 4 day upper lower split routine for strength and muscle building, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ve shared an ultimate weekly 4x week split routine that can help increase strength and promote muscle growth.
The upper/lower split involves the training of the upper body and lower body on alternate or separate days, which makes it easy to follow as well as provides decent recovery time between sessions.
Those who want to focus equally on the upper body and lower body and build a defined physique can follow this routine.
The Summary of Upper/Lower 4 Day Split Workout
| Routine Type | Upper/Lower Body Split |
| Program Duration | 12-16 Weeks |
| Routine Goal | Strength and Mass Building |
| Training Level | Intermediate |
| Duration Per Session | 90 Minutes |
| Sessions/week | 4 Days |
| Targe Gender | Male |
| Suitable Age Group | 18-35 Years |
| Plan to Follow Next | 5-Day Split for Strength and Size |
| Alternate Program for Beginners | 4 Day Gym Workout Schedule |
From free weights to machines, I’ve included a variety of exercises in this program. The primary focus will be on lifting compound movements as they are more functional, target multiple muscles simultaneously, and helps promote strength and hypertrophy, followed by isolation exercises, exercises that help train the specific muscles, and improve strength imbalance and symmetry.
The routine is split into two parts, in this first part (first two days), you’ll lift moderate weight and perform hypertrophy sets, and in the other part (last two days), you’ll perform heavy-load low rep sets to focus on strength gain.
If you only want to focus on hypertrophy sets (10-20 reps), you can try this 30-day workout plan.
The Ultimate 4 Day Upper Lower Split Schedule
- Monday: Upper Body (Back, Chest, Side Delt, and Arms)
- Tuesday: Leg and Core
- Thursday: Upper Body (Back, Chest, and Shoulder)
- Friday: Leg and Glutes
Start your training session with 10 minutes of warm-up workout, then perform the main lifting exercises. Here are some examples of warm-up exercises you can do before strength training:
| Warm-up 1 | Warm-up 2 |
|---|---|
| Front Leg Swings (10 reps/leg) | 5-min Full Body Foam Rolling |
| Ankle Hops (15-sec) | Straight leg marches (15-sec) |
| Jumping Jacks (15-sec) | Inchworm (15-sec) |
| Mountain Climber (15-sec) | Lateral Leg Swings (10 reps/leg) |
| High Knees (15-sec) | Burpees (5 reps) |
| Bear Crawls (30-sec) | Squat Jumps (10 reps) |
| Treadmill (5-min) | Stationary Bike (5 min) |
Okay! Let’s uncover the upper/lower 4 day workout split:
Day 1 – Back, Chest, Side Delt, and Arms
| Upper Body Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| V-Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 | 12-15 | 1-3 min |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 3 | 12-15 | 1-3 min |
| Incline DB Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 | 1-3 min |
| Machine/Cable fly | 3 | 12-15 | 1-2 min |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 12-15 | 1-2 min |
| Chinups + Bar Dips (Superset) | 3 | Failure | 1-min |
Day 2 – Leg and Core
| Lower Body Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Leg Press | 3 | 12-15 | 2-3 min |
| Leg Extension + Hanging Knee Raise | 3 + 2 | 10-15 | 1-min |
| Dumbbell Lunges | 3 | 10/leg | 1-2 min |
| Leg Curl + High to Low Chop | 3 + 2 | 10-15 | 1-min |
| Calf Raises + Cable/Machine Crunch | 3 + 2 | 10-15 | 1-min |
- All pairing exercises will be supersets. Perform three sets of leg and two sets of ab exercises.
Day 3 – Back, Chest, and Shoulder
| Upper Body Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 | 5-10 | 3-min |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 3 | 5-10 | 3-min |
| Flat Bench Press | 3 | 5-10 | 3-4 min |
| Incline Hammer Bench Press | 3 | 5-10 | 2-3 min |
| Military Press | 3 | 5-10 | 2-3 min |
| Barbell Shrug | 3 | 5-10 | 2-3 min |
Day 4 – Leg and Glutes
| Lower Body Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 4-6 | 4-8 | 3-4 min |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 min |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 3-4 | 8-10 | 2-3 min |
| Trap Bar/ DB Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 | 2-3 min |
Note: You can make some adjustments in the program based on fitness level.
If you want to replace existing exercises with different ones, here are all the options for you:
- One-arm Dumbbell Row (Back)
- Deficit Pusuhps (Chest)
- Arnold Press (Shoulder)
- The Ultimate Biceps and Triceps Exercises
- Conventional Deadlift (Back)
- Step-up (Lower Body)
- Machine Leg Curl (Hamstrings)
- Reverse Pec Deck Fly (Posterior Delt)
- Cable Facepull (Upper Back)
- Wrist Extension (Forearm)
- DB Cossack Squat (Legs)
- Plank Dumbbell Drag (Core)
- 25 Gym Exercises for Abs and Obliques
Download The Free 4 Day Upper Lower Split PDF
Top 5 Tips for Achieving Optimal Results
1. Pre-Workout Meal: For an effective training session, it is best to have your meal 1 to 3 hours before the training, depending on what kind of food you consume.
2. Post-Workout Meal: Consuming high-protein food is essential when it comes to muscle growth. You can have some high-protein foods and supplements after the workout to rebuild muscle the damaged muscles. For example, you can consume 40-50 grams of protein and one gram of carbs per kg of your body weight for optimal results (it is only an example, a nutritionist can help you better in this case).
3. Progressive Overload: It’s best to increase the loads, the number of reps, and sets gradually to scale your fitness level and progressively increase strength and build muscles.
4. Calculate Your Macros and Eat Nutritious Foods: Getting results with only exercises is pretty tough. If you want to build muscles, make sure to incorporate rich protein and nutritious foods as well as whey-isolate protein into your diet.
5. Repetitions: Repeating the same thing can be boring but will help you achieve better results in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is The Upper/Lower Split Best for Bodybuilding?
There are no perfect workout schedules. A workout plan that works for me doesn’t mean it will work for you too. So, you can give this try for a few months and see if it works for you or not. If the upper/lower split doesn’t work, try a full-body workout routine or push/pull/legs (PPL).
Is Working Out 4 Days a Week Enough to Build Muscle?
Yes, working out four times a week can help you build strength and size as long as you train the big muscles (chest, back, and legs) twice a week and focus more on compound liftings (squats, deadlift, bench press, military press, chinups, pull-ups, dips, etc). Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. J Sports Sci. 2019;37(11):1286-1295. doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906
How much weight should you lift?
You can lift as heavy as possible as long as you maintain the proper form during each rep. It is also best to increase the 10-15% of load after every set.
I’ve also designed a customized 12-Week Workout plan for serious fitness enthusiasts who want to put on muscles, increase strength, and build a defined physique.
