- Level
- Intermediate
- Days a week
- 4 days
- Goal
- Strength and size
- Equipment
- Full gym
- How long
- 8–12 week blocks
- Created by
- Splyt
This is Splyt’s four-day upper/lower program. Each half of the body gets a heavier day built around the main barbell lifts and a lighter day with more reps and variety. It is the most balanced default for lifters who can train four days a week.
This program is Splyt’s own. Use it, share it and adapt it as you like.
Who it’s for
Lifters six months or more into training who want to keep progressing on strength while building size, with four days available.
It also works for people coming off a beginner full-body program: the main lifts stay, the sessions get a little more focused, and each one is short enough to fit before or after work.
If your goal is mostly strength, keep the heavy days as written and trim the volume days. If it is mostly size, add a set to the volume-day exercises once you have run it for a few weeks.
The weekly schedule
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Upper A (heavy) |
| Tuesday | Lower A (heavy) |
| Wednesday | Rest |
| Thursday | Upper B (volume) |
| Friday | Lower B (volume) |
Every workout
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 4 × 5 | |
| Barbell row | 4 × 6–8 | |
| Overhead press | 3 × 6–8 | |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 8–10 | |
| Dumbbell curl | 2 × 10–12 | |
| Skull crusher | 2 × 10–12 |
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 × 5 | |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6–8 | |
| Leg press | 3 × 10 | |
| Leg curl | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Calf raise | 4 × 10–12 |
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 4 × 8–12 | |
| Pull-up | 4 × 6–10 | |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 × 15 | |
| Triceps rope pushdown | 3 × 12 |
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 × 5 | |
| Front squat | 3 × 8 | |
| Walking lunge | 3 × 10 each leg | |
| Leg extension | 3 × 12–15 | |
| Seated calf raise | 4 × 12–15 |
Rest 2–3 minutes on the first two exercises of each day and 60–90 seconds on the rest.
Each session takes about an hour. The heavy days start with a barbell lift for sets of five; the volume days use more dumbbells and cables in the 8–15 rep range.
How to progress
Heavy days: add weight when you hit every rep, 5 lb on upper lifts and 5–10 lb on lower. Volume days: double progression.
Use the heavy days to track your strength. A lift that goes up 5 lb every week or two is on track; when that stops, move it to sets of three for a block or swap the variation.
Stalls and deloads
A lighter week every six to eight weeks, or when two or more lifts stall.
How long to run it
Eight to twelve weeks per block, then change accessories or rep ranges and run it again.
Most people run it for a long time with small changes: swapping incline dumbbells for incline barbell, front squats for hack squats, and so on, while keeping the four-day rhythm.
What to do next
PHUL is a close relative. Move to a 5- or 6-day split for more volume.
Common mistakes
Equal effort every day
Heavy days are heavy; volume days are about reps and pump. Keep the distinction.
Making every upper day a chest day
Match pressing with pulling on both upper days. Rows and pull-ups keep shoulders healthy and the back growing.
Running it in Splyt
Build each workout above as a template in Splyt. When you finish a session, the weights you actually lifted carry into the next run of that template, so every set shows last time’s numbers beside it and you can see at a glance whether to add weight. Log on iPhone or Apple Watch, and the Watch counts your reps for you.
Have the program in a spreadsheet or screenshot already? Import it and Splyt turns it into editable templates. Use the one-rep max calculator to set a training max, the warm-up calculator for warm-up sets in whole plates, and strength standards to see where your lifts sit for your bodyweight.
Questions
Is a 4-day upper lower split good?
It is one of the best options for most people who can train four days: everything twice a week, short sessions, plenty of rest.
Can beginners do a 4-day upper lower split?
Yes, once they know the main lifts. Complete beginners usually progress faster on three full-body days at first.
Similar programs
- PHUL (Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower) — intermediate, 4 days
- Push pull legs hypertrophy program — intermediate, 6 days
- 3-day full body beginner program — beginner, 3 days
- 5/3/1 Boring But Big — intermediate, 4 days
- Every program, by level and days
More for your training
- Workout splits: how push pull legs, upper/lower and full body compare
- Ready-made workouts for every muscle and piece of equipment
- The exercise library: how to do every lift above
- Strength standards by lift and bodyweight
Run this program in Splyt, the workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch that remembers what you lifted. Get Splyt free on the App Store