Goal program

Upper/Lower 4-Day

Two upper and two lower days: a heavy day for strength and a volume day for size.

4 days a week
12 weeks
Intermediate
For everyone
Gym

About this program

Four days a week, upper body and lower body in turn: Monday and Tuesday heavy (4–8 reps with long rests), Thursday and Friday higher reps for muscle. Each muscle is trained twice a week, the frequency research favors, with about 10–16 hard sets. The key rule: on the heavy days add weight whenever every set hits the top of the range; on the volume days add reps first.

Who it’s for

You already train regularly and want more volume and intensity.
For everyone.
A gym with machines, cables and free weights.
4 sessions a week, about 65 minutes each.
8–10k steps a day on top of the workouts.

The week

Warm up for 5–7 minutes first. Rest is the pause between sets. A1 and A2 (B1 and B2) are supersets: do one set of each back to back, then rest. Rest days: walk and recover.

Monday Upper A: Upper: Heavy

Chest · back · shoulders · about 65 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Bench PressMain lift: 2 lighter warm-up sets first, then keep 1–2 reps in reserve on every work set. Safety bars or a spotter on heavy sets.	4 × 4–⁠6	3 min
Seated Cable Row	4 × 6–⁠8	2.5 min
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 6–⁠8	2.5 min
Assisted Pull-UpThe least assistance that still gives you clean reps; bodyweight pull-ups once you can.	3 × 6–⁠8	2 min
A1 Dumbbell Biceps Curl	2 × 8–⁠10	—
A2 Rope Triceps Pushdown	2 × 8–⁠10	60 s

Tuesday Lower A: Lower: Heavy

Quads · hamstrings · glutes · about 65 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Back SquatMain lift: 2 lighter warm-up sets first, then keep 1–2 reps in reserve on every work set. Warm up in 3–4 steps and set the safety pins.	4 × 4–⁠6	3 min
Romanian Deadlift	3 × 5–⁠8	2.5 min
Walking Lunge	2 × 8 per leg	90 s
Lying Leg Curl	3 × 8–⁠10	90 s
Standing Calf Raise	3 × 8–⁠12	60 s
Forearm Plank	3 × 30–⁠60 s	45 s

Thursday Upper B: Upper: Volume

Upper chest · lats · shoulders · arms · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Incline Dumbbell Press	4 × 8–⁠12	2 min
Lat Pulldown	4 × 10–⁠12	90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 10–⁠12 per arm	90 s
Lateral Raise	3 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Face Pull	3 × 15	60 s
A1 Hammer Curl	2 × 10–⁠12	—
A2 Overhead Cable Triceps Extension	2 × 10–⁠12	60 s

Friday Lower B: Lower: Volume

Glutes · quads · hamstrings · abs · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Hip Thrust	4 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Leg Press	3 × 10–⁠12	2 min
Bulgarian Split Squat	3 × 8–⁠10 per leg	90 s
Leg Extension	2 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Lying Leg Curl	2 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Cable Crunch	3 × 12–⁠15	45 s

How to progress

Double progression: add reps within the range first. When every set reaches the top of the range with clean form, add a little weight (about 5–10 lb on lower-body lifts, 2.5–5 lb on upper-body lifts) and start again at the bottom.
Stop most sets 1–2 reps short of failure. Beginners stop 2–3 reps short for the first weeks.
Every 6–8 weeks, or when you feel run down, take an easier week: half the sets, same weights.

Food

Maintenance or a small surplus (about 200–300 kcal a day) with 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight (0.7–1 g per lb). Strength climbs fastest when you are not dieting hard.

Find your numbers with the free TDEE calculator, the macro calculator and the protein calculator.