Training program
Upper / lower split
Four sessions a week — each half of the body trained twice, once heavy and once lighter. The best return per hour in the gym for most people past their first year. Free, no sign-up.
- Days / week
- 4
- Block length
- 8 weeks
- Cost
- Free
Your numbers
Enter what you can lift and every percentage below becomes a real weight, rounded to what you can actually load on the bar. Nothing is sent anywhere — it stays in this page.
The week
Upper (heavy)
- Barbell bench press4×5-680% 1RM
- Barbell row4×6-8RPE 8
- Overhead press3×8-10RPE 8
- Lat pulldown3×10-12RPE 8
- Barbell curl3×10-12RPE 8
Lower (heavy)
- Back squat4×5-680% 1RM
- Romanian deadlift3×8-10RPE 8
- Leg press3×10-12RPE 8
- Leg curl3×12-15RPE 8
- Plank3×45-60 s
Rest
Upper (volume)
- Incline bench press4×8-10RPE 8
- Seated cable row4×10-12RPE 8
- Dumbbell shoulder press3×10-12RPE 8
- Face pull3×15-20RPE 7
- Triceps pushdown3×12-15RPE 8
Lower (volume)
- Deadlift3×582% 1RM
- Front squat3×8-10RPE 8
- Walking lunge3×10-12RPE 8
- Calf raise4×12-15RPE 8
- Hanging leg raise3×10-15RPE 8
Rest
Rest
The week adds up to
- Sessions
- 4
- Working sets
- 66
- Rest days
- 3
Most sets
- Back squat4
- Barbell row4
- Barbell bench press4
- Calf raise4
Choose your start day
The coach fits the four days around the week you actually have, and moves them when life gets in the way.
Who is an upper/lower split for?
Anyone who has outgrown session-to-session progression but does not have six days to give. Four days hits every muscle group twice a week, which is the frequency most of the research points at, while leaving three rest days — enough that ordinary life, poor sleep or a hard week at work does not immediately derail the block. If you are choosing between this and push/pull/legs and you are not certain you can recover from six sessions, choose this.
How does an upper/lower split work?
Two upper days and two lower days. The first of each pair is heavy: 5-6 reps at around 80% of your one-rep max, main lifts first while you are fresh. The second is lighter and higher-rep: 8-15 reps at RPE 8, more accessory work, more total sets. Training each pattern twice a week at two different intensities is what makes the block keep producing after a beginner program stops.
How do you progress?
Heavy days progress by weight — add 2.5 kg to upper-body lifts and 5 kg to lower-body lifts when you complete all sets at the target reps. Volume days progress by reps within the range, then by weight once you top out. Expect the two to move at different speeds; that is the design, not a problem. Re-test your main lifts every eight weeks rather than chasing a max every time you feel good.
What should you do when you stall?
Stalling on heavy days while volume days keep climbing usually means your top sets are too close to a true max — back the heavy day to 75% for two weeks and build again. Stalling on both is a recovery signal: take a deload week at about 60% of normal volume. A single missed rep is not a stall; three sessions in the same place is.
Can you swap exercises?
Keep one horizontal press, one vertical press, one horizontal pull and one vertical pull across the two upper days, and one squat pattern plus one hinge across the two lower days. Everything past that is accessory and fully interchangeable — pick what your gym has, what your shoulders like, and what you will actually turn up to do.
This is a training template, not medical advice. Loads are starting points, not prescriptions — scale them to your own experience, and talk to a qualified clinician before starting a new program if you have an injury or a health condition.