A four-day upper/lower workout separates upper-body and lower-body training into two sessions each week. Use Monday upper A, Tuesday lower A, Thursday upper B and Friday lower B as a starting calendar. The example below gives every session a clear exercise list, working sets, reps and rest, with a progression rule you can repeat.
Choose it if four gym visits are dependable and you are comfortable with basic lifting movements. If three visits fit more naturally, the three-day full-body workout may be easier to sustain. These are general examples for healthy adults, not individualized injury rehabilitation or sport preparation.
Your weekly calendar
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Upper A: bench press and horizontal pulling first |
| Tuesday | Lower A: squat first |
| Wednesday | No lifting scheduled |
| Thursday | Upper B: overhead press and vertical pulling first |
| Friday | Lower B: Romanian deadlift first |
| Saturday and Sunday | No lifting scheduled |
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday is another workable arrangement. Different body regions on adjacent days do not eliminate fatigue: your back, grip and general energy can still affect the next session. Choose loads and scheduling accordingly.
For iPhone users who want to keep workouts, nutrition and habits together, Beacon is our top app recommendation. You can inspect the existing Upper / Lower Split program and its demonstrations; the example in this article uses its own set and rep prescriptions and is not an exact copy of that catalog program.
The four workouts
These tables list working sets. Warm-up sets are additional. Use loads that leave about two controlled repetitions possible at the end of most sets. You should not need a failed rep to complete the plan.
Upper A
| Exercise and demonstration | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 3 × 6–8 | 2–3 minutes |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 8–12 | 2 minutes |
| Lat pulldown | 2 × 8–12 | 2 minutes |
| Lateral raise | 2 × 12–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Barbell curl | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Tricep pushdown | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
Lower A
| Exercise and demonstration | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 6–8 | 2–3 minutes |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8–12 | 2 minutes |
| Leg curl | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Plank | 2 × 20–40 seconds | 60–90 seconds |
Upper B
| Exercise and demonstration | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead press | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 minutes |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 8–12 | 2 minutes |
| Dumbbell incline press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 minutes |
| Dumbbell row | 2 × 8–12 per side | 90–120 seconds after both sides |
| Barbell curl | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Tricep pushdown | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
Lower B
| Exercise and demonstration | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 minutes |
| Leg press | 3 × 10–15 | 2 minutes |
| Leg curl | 2 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 10–15 | 60–90 seconds |
| Plank | 2 × 20–40 seconds | 60–90 seconds |
The first exercise changes which movement gets your freshest attention. This is not a powerlifting peak or a specialist bodybuilding block. The rep ranges are practical choices for this example, not unique ranges that switch strength or muscle growth on and off.
Choose loads without testing a maximum
Warm up with lighter versions of the movement and gradually approach your working load. Add preparation sets when later exercises introduce unfamiliar movement or loading. Keep warm-ups easy enough that they prepare you for the work rather than consume it.
On the first week, use loads that let you reach the bottom of the range with consistent technique and about two reps left. Use fewer working sets if you need a gentler introduction. If you cannot judge effort yet, start lighter and review the demonstrations or ask a qualified trainer to assess your movement.
Leaving some reps available is a programming choice intended to make repeated sessions manageable. In an eight-week study of trained participants, training with one to two reps in reserve produced similar measured muscle growth to training to failure, while the failure condition caused more acute fatigue. That does not validate every exercise or exact effort target here, but it gives no reason to make failed reps a requirement.
Stop if an exercise causes sharp or worsening pain. Persistent or unexplained symptoms need individual assessment, not a different rep range copied from a general article.
Progress each exercise on its own
Keep your exercise choices stable while learning how you respond. For a 3 × 8–12 movement, add reps with the same weight until all sets reach 12 at the intended effort and technique. Then increase the load by the smallest practical increment and work upward again.
For example, an incline press using 12 kg in each hand could progress from 10/9/8 to 12/12/12 over several sessions. If the next available dumbbell is 14 kg, try it only when ready; if you cannot reach eight controlled reps, return to 12 kg rather than forcing the jump. The numbers illustrate the process, not a required pace or starting load.
The ACSM progression guidance supports raising loads as you exceed the target workload. It does not mean every exercise must increase every week. If one session goes poorly, repeat the prescription. If performance declines across several exposures, review the load, rest, technique and other training before adding sets.
For planks, add controlled seconds within the range. Once both holds reach 40 seconds comfortably with position maintained, use a harder variation rather than holding indefinitely.
Check weekly work before adding exercises
This example includes six chest-focused pressing sets, five row sets, five pulldown sets and six knee-dominant lower-body sets each week. It also includes five Romanian-deadlift sets, four leg-curl sets, six calf sets and four direct sets each for biceps and triceps.
Those are exercise-category counts. Rows and pulldowns also involve biceps; pressing involves triceps and shoulders; squats and hinges involve several lower-body muscles. You cannot turn those counts into exact muscle doses by assigning every compound set to one muscle or counting it fully for every muscle involved.
For help choosing movements, compare chest exercises, back exercises and leg exercises. Keep a replacement consistent so you can compare its performance across sessions.
Start by seeing whether this workload is repeatable. Add work for a priority only after you can judge your performance, recovery and available time. Someone who wants more side-delt work has a different reason to adjust than someone whose lower sessions already exceed their energy or schedule.
Substitute without losing the session's purpose
| Problem | Option | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| No squat rack | Goblet squat or leg press | Select a fresh load; do not use the barbell number |
| Bench unavailable | Dumbbell floor press | Accept the shorter range of motion; use a load you control |
| Cable row unavailable | Dumbbell row | Work both sides; allow for the extra setup time |
| Barbell hinge setup unavailable | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | Keep the hinge pattern and effort target |
| No curl machine for hamstrings | Use a suitable hamstring-curl alternative you know | If none is available, omit that slot and plan equipment choices for next time |
Avoid changing every exercise whenever the gym is busy. A substitution is useful when it preserves the job; changing equipment also creates a different performance baseline. Record the replacement separately.
If you only have 45 minutes
These sessions contain 12–15 working sets. Their duration depends on warm-ups, rest, setup, unilateral work and waiting for equipment. They have not been timed in your gym, so forty-five minutes is not a promise for the complete tables.
For a shortened upper day, perform the first three exercises for two sets each, then choose either lateral raises or one arm exercise for two sets if time remains. For a shortened lower day, do the first two exercises for two sets each, then choose leg curls or calves for two sets. Keep adequate rest for controlled repetitions instead of racing to preserve every accessory.
This reduces workload. It is a practical occasional adjustment, not a claim that eight sets provide the same result as the original session. If forty-five minutes is your regular limit, plan and track the shorter version consistently, then adjust it based on your priorities.
If Thursday's upper session is missed
Suppose Monday upper A and Tuesday lower A happened. If Thursday is lost, do upper B on Friday. Lower B can move to Sunday if that fits your schedule and recovery; otherwise do it on the next available training day and continue the sequence.
You do not have to combine upper B and lower B into Friday or pretend a missed workout is a planned rest day. If four visits repeatedly fail to happen, return to a realistic three-day plan rather than making every week a catch-up exercise.
Choose the version you will actually follow
Upper/lower gives the week structure, but four days is not inherently better than full body. A randomized study in untrained women did not find an advantage for four-day split training over twice-weekly full-body training on its measured outcomes. Different people and programs may respond differently; use the study as a reason to care about fit rather than a guarantee of equivalence.
Open Beacon's Upper / Lower Split program to inspect an existing four-day option, or compare the full program library. Check the exercise demonstrations, record what you perform and review those records before changing your plan. The catalog option and this article have different prescriptions; choose one deliberately rather than accidentally mixing both into a larger week.