Four-day upper/lower workout plan

Who this plan suits

Four training days split the work between two upper-body and two lower-body workouts. You have more room for individual muscle groups while keeping each workout around 45–65 minutes. This is a useful next step after some full-body training if you want to train four times a week.

How to use the sessions

2 × 8–12 means eight to twelve repetitions, a rest, then a second set. For a single-sided movement, the number applies to each side. Follow the exercise order shown. For dumbbells, record the combined load here: two 10 kg dumbbells mean 20 kg. If you use just one dumbbell, record that one weight.

Set up your training week

Train upper A on Monday, lower A on Tuesday, upper B on Thursday and lower B on Saturday. This gives each area several days before you train it again. After a missed workout, continue the sequence next time. If four days become hard to maintain, use the three-day full-body plan for a simpler week.

Why the sessions are arranged this way

Both upper days contain presses and pulls. The lower days distribute squatting, hip extension and knee flexion. Three sets apply to the first main exercises, two to the additions. Warm-up sets are separate. Accessories do not need to be all-out for the main lifts to progress.

The first two weeks

If you are moving from fewer training days, start with two rather than three working sets on the main exercises for the first two weeks. Add the third set individually afterwards. Spend the extra training time on controlled reps and adequate rests; add volume when you recover from it.

Warm up for your workout

Move gently for a few minutes until you feel ready for the first exercises. Rehearse the first leg and pressing movements with a light load. Add another preparation set closer to your working load if needed. Finish these sets before they become tiring. A later exercise that is unfamiliar also deserves a light practice set.

Find your starting weight

Start deliberately light on an unfamiliar exercise. For repetition-based movements, try the bottom of that exercise’s range and judge whether at least four clean reps would remain. If so, rest and try a small increase. For working sets, choose a load with two or three reps in reserve. For holds, begin with the shortest listed time and a variation that lets you breathe steadily while keeping your position.

The last repetitions can feel hard while still looking like the first. If you have to swing or cut the movement short, lower the weight. Finding the right load takes practice, especially at first. Note the seat setting and grip too, so you can set up quickly next time.

Add repetitions, then weight

Build repetitions with the same weight first. Once every set reaches the top of its range with consistent technique and about two reps in reserve, add the smallest available weight increase. Start again near the bottom of the rep range. Here is how that can look on the cable row:

If the new weight takes you below the minimum reps, use a smaller increase or stay with the previous weight for now. For holds, build up the time within the listed range before choosing a harder variation.

When an exercise stops progressing

1. One weaker day is not a plateau. Compare the same exercise, similar rests and consistent technique across several sessions.
2. Check whether sleep was short, rests were shorter or the previous exercise was harder. Repeat under comparable conditions first.
3. After three or four comparable sessions without progress, drop the load by a small step and build reps again. Adding sets is not the first adjustment.
4. If several exercises decline together and fatigue persists, reduce working sets for a week, for example from two to one. Resume with loads you can control.

When you need a different exercise

When equipment is busy, choose a similar movement from the options below. Find a suitable weight and keep that variation for the next few workouts. Log it under its own name so you can follow its progress separately.

When to end a set

End the set when you clearly shorten the movement, need momentum or lose control of your position. Muscular effort and faster breathing are expected. Sudden sharp pain, dizziness or unusual symptoms are reasons to stop the exercise or session. Have persistent or recurring pain assessed before continuing to load the affected movement.

What has changed after four weeks

Perhaps your starting weight now feels easier, you manage more repetitions or your technique feels steadier. After four weeks, look at your first and latest entries for the same exercise to see what has improved. If training is going well and the days fit your life, keep the plan. If you repeatedly miss the same day, move it or choose fewer sessions each week.

Know where to start next workout

Was that eight repetitions last time, or ten? Save the sessions as routines in LiftPal and log your sets after the exercise. Your previous weights and repetitions are ready when you return. RPE also lets you record how hard the set felt, so you can tell an easier set from one that took nearly everything you had.