4-Day Upper Lower Split for Beginners (Free Plan + Weekly Schedule)

Updated September 2026 · GymMaple

A 4-day upper lower split trains your upper body twice and your lower body twice each week, on four non-consecutive-feeling days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It is one of the best first programs for beginners because every muscle gets worked twice a week, sessions stay under an hour, and you always have a rest day between two hard days in a row.

Below is a complete, free 4-day upper lower plan with sets, reps and rest times, plus the one rule that makes it work: add weight or reps when you hit the top of the range.

What is an upper lower split?

An upper lower split is a weekly training plan that alternates upper-body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms) with lower-body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). On a 4-day schedule each half of the body is trained twice a week, which research links to more muscle growth than training each muscle only once a week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).

Is a 4-day upper lower split good for beginners?

Yes. It is simple enough to learn in a week and has room to grow for years. Beginners get the frequency they need to practise the main lifts, and enough recovery between sessions to come back stronger.

• Four sessions of about 45–60 minutes
• Each muscle trained twice per week
• Built around a few big lifts you can progress for months
• Easy to fit around work: two days on, one off, two on, two off

The weekly schedule

Day	Session
Monday	Upper A
Tuesday	Lower A
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	Upper B
Friday	Lower B
Saturday	Rest or light cardio
Sunday	Rest

If your week looks different, keep the order (upper, lower, rest, upper, lower) and avoid training the same half of the body on two days in a row.

Upper A (Monday)

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell bench press	3 × 6–8	2–3 min
Barbell row	3 × 6–8	2–3 min
Overhead press	3 × 8–10	2 min
Lat pulldown	3 × 10–12	90 s
Barbell curl	2 × 10–12	60–90 s
Triceps pushdown	2 × 10–12	60–90 s

Lower A (Tuesday)

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Back squat	3 × 6–8	2–3 min
Romanian deadlift	3 × 8–10	2 min
Leg press	3 × 10–12	2 min
Lying leg curl	3 × 10–12	90 s
Standing calf raise	3 × 12–15	60 s
Plank	3 × 30–45 s	60 s

Upper B (Thursday)

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Incline dumbbell press	3 × 8–10	2 min
Pull-up or assisted pull-up	3 × 6–10	2 min
Seated dumbbell shoulder press	3 × 8–10	2 min
Seated cable row	3 × 10–12	90 s
Lateral raise	3 × 12–15	60 s
Hammer curl	2 × 10–12	60–90 s

Lower B (Friday)

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Deadlift	3 × 5	3 min
Bulgarian split squat	3 × 8–10 per leg	2 min
Leg extension	3 × 10–12	90 s
Seated leg curl	3 × 10–12	90 s
Hip thrust	3 × 8–10	2 min
Seated calf raise	3 × 12–15	60 s

How do you progress on an upper lower split?

Use double progression: pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range. When you complete every set at the top of the range with good form, add the smallest weight step next session (usually 2.5–5 lb / 1–2.5 kg) and work back up.

1. Log every set: weight, reps and how hard it felt.
2. Aim to beat last session by one rep or a little weight.
3. When all sets hit the top of the range, add weight.
4. If you stall for three sessions in a row, drop the weight about 10% and build back up.

Rest matters too: 2–3 minutes on the heavy compound lifts and 60–90 seconds on smaller exercises. See our guide on how long to rest between sets.

How to track this plan

Progression only works if you know exactly what you lifted last time. GymMaple builds a plan like this from a few questions (your goal, experience and training days), schedules it across your week, shows last session’s numbers as today’s target, and starts a rest timer every time you finish a set.

Try it free for 7 days — no card needed.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2016). Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine.
• American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.