A 4-day gym split for beginners (upper/lower)

You've decided to go four times a week, and now you need to know what to do on each of those days. A 4-day upper/lower split is one of the simplest ways to do it: two upper-body days, two lower-body days, every muscle trained twice.

In short

An upper/lower split trains your upper body on two days and your lower body on two days, so each muscle gets worked twice a week.

Research suggests training a muscle at least twice a week is a good idea, mainly because it makes it easier to fit in enough sets.

Beginners don't need four days. Two or three full-body sessions work too. Choose four only if you'll actually keep it up.

1. What is a 4-day split?

A "split" is how you divide your training across the week. In a 4-day split, you train four days and rest three.

The most beginner-friendly version is upper/lower:

Day 1: Upper body
Day 2: Lower body
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Upper body
Day 5: Lower body
Days 6 and 7: Rest

So you might train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each muscle group gets two sessions a week, with a few days to recover in between.

2. Is a 4-day split good for beginners?

It can be, but be honest about your week first.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests 2 to 3 days a week for beginners and 3 to 4 for intermediate lifters (around six months of consistent training). The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend strength activities on at least two days a week.

So four days isn't required. It's a good choice if:

you enjoy the gym and have the time
you'd rather have shorter sessions more often
you want each session to focus on fewer muscles

If four days a week will collapse into one or two by March, a 2 or 3-day full-body plan is better. The best plan is the one you stick to.

3. Why train each muscle twice a week?

In 2016, Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger reviewed studies on training frequency. When total work was the same, training a muscle twice a week gave better growth than once a week. They couldn't say whether three times was better than two.

A 2019 follow-up by Schoenfeld, Grgic and Krieger looked at 25 studies. When weekly volume was matched, frequency on its own made no significant difference. Their conclusion was that people can choose frequency based on preference.

Put together, the useful message is this: what matters most is your weekly sets. Training a muscle twice a week just makes it easier to fit those sets in without marathon sessions. That's exactly what an upper/lower split does.

4. What does a beginner upper/lower plan look like?

Here's an example. Swap any exercise for a similar one your gym has.

Upper A (Monday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell bench press	3	8–12
Seated cable row	3	8–12
Seated dumbbell shoulder press	2	8–12
Lat pull-down	2	8–12
Dumbbell curls	2	10–15
Triceps cable push-downs	2	10–15

Lower A (Tuesday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Goblet squat or leg press	3	8–12
Romanian deadlift (dumbbells)	3	8–12
Walking lunges	2	10 each leg
Leg curl machine	2	10–15
Calf raises	2	12–15
Plank	2	20–40 seconds

Upper B (Thursday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline dumbbell press	3	8–12
Chest-supported dumbbell row	3	8–12
Lat pull-down (different grip)	2	8–12
Lateral raises	2	12–15
Press-ups	2	as many as you can, stop 1–2 short of failure
Hammer curls	2	10–15

Lower B (Friday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg press or barbell squat	3	8–12
Hip thrust or glute bridge	3	8–12
Step-ups	2	10 each leg
Leg extension machine	2	10–15
Calf raises	2	12–15
Dead bug	2	8 each side

That gives most major muscle groups somewhere around 6 to 10 hard sets a week, which is a sensible start.

5. How heavy, how many reps, how much rest?

Keep it simple:

Reps: 8 to 12 on the main lifts, which matches the ACSM's suggestion for beginners. A bit higher on small exercises.
Effort: stop most sets with 1 to 3 reps left in the tank.
Rest: 1 to 2 minutes between sets, as the ACSM suggests for muscle-building work. A little longer on squats and presses if you need it. More in how long to rest between sets.
Order: big lifts first, small ones last. The ACSM recommends large muscle groups before small, and multi-joint exercises before single-joint.
Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio, then one or two light sets of your first exercise.

Each session should take about 45 to 60 minutes.

6. How do I make progress on this plan?

Use double progression:

Start each exercise with a weight you can lift for 8 reps on every set.
Add a rep or two each week.
When you hit 12 reps on every set, go up in weight and drop back to 8.

Our guide to progressive overload explains this in more detail.

After 8 to 12 weeks, if things are going well, you can add a set to the exercises for muscles you want to build more. See how many sets and reps to build muscle.

7. What if I miss a day?

Don't panic, and don't try to cram two sessions into one.

Missed one session? Just do the next one on your list. The order matters more than the day of the week.
Missed a whole week? Pick up where you left off, maybe a little lighter.
Regularly only getting three days? Switch to a 3-day full-body plan. No shame in that.

8. Anything I should check first?

If you have a health condition, an injury, back or joint problems, or you're pregnant, speak to your GP or a qualified instructor before starting. Most gyms offer an induction. Use it to learn how the machines work.

Do I need an app for this?

With four sessions and 24 exercises, remembering what you lifted last Thursday is hopeless. Writing it down is what makes the plan work.

Options:

A notebook with a page for each day.
Strong has a free account and a paid PRO tier.
Hevy describes itself as a free workout tracker, with a routine planner.

How Reptyl helps

Reptyl Workout follows a plan like this one, one session at a time.

Start from a 4-day split. Workout has one ready to go, or build your own plan of training days. There's also a 3-day full body and a home plan with no kit.
Your week. Choose a plan day for each weekday, and Today shows the session that's due.
Step by step. One exercise at a time, with target sets and reps. Tick each set as you go.
Rest between sets. A rest countdown fills the screen, then it flashes and buzzes.
History and streaks. A calendar of the days you trained, and your streak of full weeks.

To log weights and see your weekly sets per muscle, pair it with Reptyl Sets & Reps. It's a one-off purchase with no subscription, no account and no adverts, and your data stays on your phone. The Workout page has the details.

Quick answers

Is a 4-day split better than full body?

Not necessarily. Research suggests weekly sets matter more than how you split them. A 4-day upper/lower and a 3-day full-body plan can both work well. Choose the one that fits your week.

Should beginners train 4 days a week?

They can, but they don't have to. The ACSM suggests 2 to 3 days for beginners. Four days suits people who enjoy training and have the time.

What should I do on rest days?

Rest, walk, cycle, stretch. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week as well as strength work, so a brisk walk on a rest day is a good idea.

Want your plan on your phone, not in your head? See Reptyl Workout