Upper lower split: the four-day plan that fits most lives

An upper/lower split alternates two kinds of day: one for everything above the waist, one for everything below. Four sessions a week trains every muscle twice, which is the sweet spot for most people who want to get stronger and bigger without living in the gym.

Why it works

• Twice a week per muscle. A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger found training a muscle twice a week grew it more than once a week, at the same weekly sets.
• Sessions stay manageable. Half the body per day means 45 to 70 minutes, not two hours.
• Recovery is built in. Your legs rest on upper days and your upper body on lower days, so you can train on back-to-back days.

A sample week

A common schedule is Monday upper, Tuesday lower, Thursday upper, Friday lower. Make the first pair heavier (fewer reps, more weight) and the second pair lighter with more reps. You get strength and size work every week.

Upper day

• Barbell bench pressChest
• Barbell rowUpper back, Lats
• Standing overhead pressFront delts
• Lat pulldownLats
• Dumbbell lateral raiseSide delts
• Hammer curlBiceps, Forearms

Lower day

• Back squatQuads, Glutes
• Romanian deadliftHamstrings, Glutes
• Bulgarian split squatQuads, Glutes
• Leg curlHamstrings
• Standing calf raiseCalves
• PlankAbs

On the lighter days, swap the barbell lifts for variations: dumbbell incline press for bench, front squat or leg press for back squat, chest-supported row for barbell row. Different angles, same muscles, less wear on the same joints.

How to progress it

Use a rep range on every lift, for example 6 to 8 on heavy days and 10 to 12 on light days. When you hit the top of the range on every set, add a small step of weight next time and work back up. That's double progression, and it keeps working long after adding weight every session stops.

Every four to six weeks, take a lighter deload week and start the next block a little heavier than the last.

Tip: Only three days this week? Do upper, lower, then whichever you missed the least recently. Don't try to cram two days into one.

Upper/lower in Liftsmith

Pick Upper / lower in Settings › Training › Program and Liftsmith alternates the days for you, choosing exercises your gym can do for that half of the body and leaving out muscles that haven't recovered. It runs your blocks with effort targets and a deload, and adjusts each day from your readiness. Part of Pro.