You've conquered the basics with full-body training, mastered the fundamental movement patterns, and built a solid foundation of strength and muscle. Now you're ready for the next step in your muscle-building journey: the upper/lower split. This isn't just about doing more exercises or spending more time in the gym – it's about training smarter, targeting muscle groups with greater precision, and setting the stage for the impressive physique development that lies ahead.
The transition from full-body to upper/lower training represents a crucial milestone in your development as a lifter. You're no longer a complete beginner fumbling with basic movements, but you're not yet ready for the high-volume, high-frequency protocols that advanced lifters thrive on. This 4-week foundation program bridges that gap perfectly, introducing you to split training while maintaining the simplicity and effectiveness that made your full-body routine so successful.
What makes this program special isn't just the split structure – it's the careful progression of volume, intensity, and complexity that prepares you for more advanced training while continuing to deliver impressive muscle and strength gains. You'll learn to train with greater focus and intensity, develop a deeper understanding of how different muscle groups respond to training, and build the work capacity needed for higher-volume routines.
This isn't a program you'll outgrow in a few weeks. The principles and structure you'll learn here will serve as the foundation for years of successful training, whether you eventually progress to bodybuilding-style splits, powerlifting programs, or athletic performance training. Master this routine, and you'll have the knowledge and experience to design effective programs for any goal.
The upper/lower split represents the perfect balance between training frequency and recovery for lifters who have moved beyond the beginner stage. Unlike full-body routines that train every muscle group in each session, or body-part splits that train each muscle group only once per week, the upper/lower split allows you to train each muscle group twice per week with adequate recovery between sessions.
This frequency advantage is crucial for continued muscle growth. Research consistently shows that training each muscle group 2-3 times per week produces superior hypertrophy compared to once-per-week training, especially for intermediate lifters. The upper/lower split achieves this optimal frequency while allowing for increased volume and exercise variety compared to full-body routines.
The split structure also allows for better exercise selection and sequencing. When you're training your entire body in one session, you're limited in how many exercises you can perform for each muscle group before fatigue becomes overwhelming. With upper/lower training, you can include 2-3 exercises per major muscle group, allowing for more comprehensive development and the ability to target muscles from different angles.
Recovery between sessions is optimized with the upper/lower split. While your upper body is recovering from Monday's workout, you can train your lower body on Tuesday without any interference. This allows you to train more frequently while still providing adequate recovery for each muscle group – the best of both worlds.
The psychological benefits of split training shouldn't be overlooked either. There's something satisfying about completely exhausting your upper body or legs in a single session, knowing that you've given that muscle group everything you have. This focused intensity often leads to better workouts and faster progress compared to the more distributed fatigue of full-body training.
Upper/lower splits also provide excellent flexibility for real-world scheduling. Miss an upper body day? You can still train lower body without any issues. Need to adjust your schedule? It's easy to rearrange upper and lower days to fit your life. This adaptability helps maintain consistency, which is the most important factor for long-term success.
This 4-week program follows a simple but effective structure: two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts per week, with at least one rest day between sessions targeting the same muscle groups. The most common schedule is Monday (Upper), Tuesday (Lower), Thursday (Upper), Friday (Lower), but you can adjust this based on your availability and preferences.
Each workout is designed to be completed in 45-60 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down. This duration provides enough time for quality training without becoming so long that fatigue compromises your performance on later exercises. The key is maintaining intensity and focus throughout the session rather than simply going through the motions.
The program progresses over four weeks, with subtle increases in volume and intensity each week. Week 1 establishes the movement patterns and appropriate weights, Week 2 increases volume slightly, Week 3 pushes intensity higher, and Week 4 serves as a deload week to consolidate your gains and prepare for the next training phase.
Rest days are strategically placed to optimize recovery while maintaining training momentum. You'll never train the same muscle groups on consecutive days, but you'll also never go more than two days without training. This balance keeps you in a constant state of positive adaptation without overwhelming your recovery capacity.
The beauty of this structure is its scalability. As you become more advanced, you can add exercises, increase volume, or modify the split to better suit your goals and recovery capacity. But for now, this foundation provides everything you need to continue making impressive progress.
The first upper body workout emphasizes pushing movements while still including pulling exercises for balance. This session targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps as primary movers while working your back and biceps as secondary muscles.
Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
The bench press remains the cornerstone of upper body development, and in this program, it takes center stage in your first upper body session. With only upper body exercises to worry about, you can approach the bench press with fresh energy and maximum focus, allowing for heavier weights and better progression than in a full-body routine.
Your setup becomes even more critical when handling heavier weights. Take time to position yourself properly on the bench, create a stable base with your feet, and establish proper shoulder blade retraction before unracking the weight. The bar path should be straight down to your chest and straight back up, with no forward or backward drift.
Progress by adding 2.5-5 pounds each week, focusing on the lower rep ranges (6-8) with heavier weights. This rep range builds both strength and size while teaching you to handle challenging loads with perfect technique. If you can complete all 4 sets with 10 reps, increase the weight for the following week.
Overhead Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Following the bench press with overhead pressing creates a powerful one-two punch for upper body development. Your shoulders and triceps are already activated from benching, making this an ideal time to challenge them further while they're warm and ready to work.
The overhead press in this context serves multiple purposes: it builds impressive shoulder development, strengthens your core under load, and provides a different pressing angle that complements the horizontal pressing of the bench press. The combination of these two exercises provides comprehensive pushing muscle development.
Focus on strict form with no leg drive or excessive back arch. The weight should travel in a straight vertical line, with your head moving slightly back to allow clearance. Start conservatively with this exercise, as it's typically the most challenging press to progress on.
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
The incline dumbbell press targets your upper chest and front delts while providing a different training stimulus than the barbell movements. Using dumbbells allows for a greater range of motion and helps address any strength imbalances between your left and right sides.
Set the bench to a 30-45 degree incline – steep enough to target the upper chest but not so steep that it becomes primarily a shoulder exercise. The dumbbells should follow a natural arc from chest level to a position above your upper chest, with your palms facing forward throughout the movement.
This exercise works well in a higher rep range, providing metabolic stress and muscle-building stimulus after the heavier compound movements. Focus on feeling the stretch in your chest at the bottom and the squeeze at the top of each repetition.
Bent-Over Barbell Row: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
The bent-over row provides essential balance to all the pressing work, targeting your lats, rhomboids, middle traps, and rear delts. This exercise is crucial for maintaining proper posture and preventing the rounded shoulders that can develop from excessive pressing without adequate pulling.
Maintain a consistent hip hinge position throughout all sets – don't stand up as you fatigue or round your back as the weight gets heavy. The bar should travel to your lower chest or upper abdomen, with your elbows staying close to your body rather than flaring wide.
Pull with your back muscles, not your arms. Initiate each rep by squeezing your shoulder blades together, then pull the bar to your body. The eccentric (lowering) portion should be controlled, taking 2-3 seconds to return to the starting position.
Dips: 3 sets of 8-15 reps
Dips provide an excellent finishing exercise for your chest, shoulders, and triceps. This bodyweight movement teaches you to handle your own body weight while providing a different angle of stimulation than the pressing exercises.
If you can't perform bodyweight dips yet, use an assisted dip machine or resistance bands for assistance. If bodyweight dips become too easy, add weight with a dip belt or hold a dumbbell between your legs. The goal is to work in the 8-15 rep range with challenging but manageable resistance.
Lean slightly forward to emphasize chest involvement, or stay more upright to focus on triceps development. Lower yourself until you feel a stretch in your chest, then press back to the starting position with control.
Barbell Curls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
While the rowing movement provides some bicep stimulation, dedicated arm work ensures balanced development and helps prevent elbow issues that can arise from excessive pressing without adequate pulling. Barbell curls are the most straightforward way to build impressive arm size and strength.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding the barbell with an underhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your elbows at your sides and curl the weight up using only your biceps – no swinging or momentum. Squeeze at the top, then lower with control.
Focus on the eccentric (lowering) portion of each rep, taking 2-3 seconds to return to the starting position. This controlled negative provides additional muscle-building stimulus and helps develop strength throughout the full range of motion.
The first lower body workout is built around the squat, the king of all lower body exercises. This session targets your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings while also working your core and upper back for stability and support.
Back Squat: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
With a dedicated lower body session, you can approach the squat with maximum energy and focus. This allows for heavier weights, better progression, and more comprehensive lower body development than what's possible in a full-body routine.
Your squat technique should be dialed in by now, but the heavier weights possible in this program demand even greater attention to detail. Take time to set up properly, create tension throughout your body, and maintain perfect form even as the weights become challenging.
Progress aggressively but safely, adding 5-10 pounds each week as long as you can maintain proper depth and form. The squat responds well to consistent progression, and many lifters see rapid strength gains when they can focus exclusively on lower body training.
Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
The Romanian deadlift provides perfect balance to the squat, targeting your hamstrings and glutes while teaching the hip hinge pattern that's essential for proper deadlift technique. This exercise also helps develop the posterior chain strength that supports heavy squatting.
Focus on the stretch in your hamstrings as you lower the weight, and drive your hips forward to return to the starting position. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement, and maintain a slight bend in your knees without turning this into a squat.
The Romanian deadlift works well with moderate weights and higher repetitions, providing excellent muscle-building stimulus for your hamstrings and glutes. Don't ego lift with this exercise – focus on perfect form and feeling the target muscles work.
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 10-15 reps per leg
Unilateral (single-leg) training is crucial for balanced development and injury prevention. The Bulgarian split squat is one of the most effective single-leg exercises, challenging your balance, stability, and unilateral strength while providing excellent muscle-building stimulus.
Place your rear foot on a bench or step, with most of your weight on your front leg. Lower yourself until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, then drive through your front heel to return to the starting position. Complete all reps on one leg before switching sides.
This exercise often reveals strength imbalances between your left and right legs. Don't be surprised if one leg is significantly stronger than the other – this is normal and will improve with consistent training. Focus on using the same weight and rep range for both legs to promote balanced development.
Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 12-20 steps
Walking lunges provide additional unilateral training while challenging your balance, coordination, and muscular endurance. This exercise works your entire lower body while also engaging your core for stability.
Take a large step forward, lowering your back knee toward the ground while keeping your front knee over your ankle. Push off your front foot to bring your back leg forward into the next lunge. Continue alternating legs for the prescribed number of steps.
You can perform walking lunges with just your body weight, holding dumbbells, or with a barbell across your back. Start with body weight until you master the movement pattern, then add resistance as needed to stay within the target rep range.
Calf Raises: 4 sets of 15-20 reps
Calf training is often neglected, but well-developed calves are essential for balanced lower body development and athletic performance. Calf raises are simple but effective for building size and strength in your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.
You can perform calf raises on a calf raise machine, holding dumbbells, or even with just your body weight. Rise up on your toes as high as possible, squeeze at the top, then lower with control until you feel a stretch in your calves.
Calves respond well to higher repetitions and frequent training. Don't be afraid to train them hard – they're used to supporting your body weight all day and can handle significant training stress.
Plank: 3 sets of 45-90 seconds
Core training becomes even more important as the weights get heavier. The plank builds the stability and endurance needed to support heavy squats and deadlifts while improving your overall posture and reducing injury risk.
Progress by increasing the hold time rather than adding weight. Start with 45-second holds and add 5-10 seconds each week until you can hold for 90 seconds with perfect form. Focus on maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels throughout the hold.
The second upper body workout emphasizes pulling movements while still including pressing exercises for balance. This session targets your back and biceps as primary movers while working your chest, shoulders, and triceps as secondary muscles.
Pull-ups or Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets of 6-12 reps
Pull-ups are the ultimate upper body pulling exercise, but many beginners aren't yet strong enough to perform them with proper form. If you can do pull-ups, they should be your primary exercise. If not, lat pulldowns provide an excellent alternative while you build the strength needed for bodyweight pulling.
For pull-ups, use an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar, then lower with control. If you can only do a few reps, perform as many as possible, then finish the set with lat pulldowns or assisted pull-ups.
For lat pulldowns, use the same grip and pull the bar to your upper chest while leaning back slightly. Focus on pulling with your lats rather than your arms, and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of each rep.
Barbell Rows: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
With pull-ups or pulldowns targeting your lats with a vertical pulling motion, barbell rows provide horizontal pulling to target your middle traps, rhomboids, and rear delts. This combination ensures comprehensive back development.
Use the same technique as in your first upper body workout, but you may find you can handle slightly heavier weights since your pressing muscles aren't pre-fatigued. Focus on pulling the bar to your lower chest or upper abdomen with your elbows close to your body.
The barbell row is an excellent exercise for building thickness in your back, complementing the width-building effects of pull-ups and pulldowns. Together, these exercises create the V-taper that's the hallmark of an impressive physique.
Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Following the heavy pulling work with moderate pressing provides balance while allowing you to work your chest, shoulders, and triceps without the fatigue that would come from starting with pressing exercises.
Dumbbell bench pressing allows for a greater range of motion than barbell pressing and helps address any strength imbalances between your left and right sides. The dumbbells should follow a natural arc from chest level to a position above your chest, with your palms facing forward.
Focus on the stretch at the bottom of each rep and the squeeze at the top. The higher rep range provides excellent muscle-building stimulus while allowing for perfect form even when your pressing muscles are somewhat fatigued from the pulling exercises.
Face Pulls: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Face pulls target your rear delts, middle traps, and rhomboids – muscles that are often underdeveloped relative to the front delts and chest. This exercise is crucial for shoulder health and balanced development.
Set a cable machine to chest height and attach a rope handle. Pull the rope toward your face, separating the ends of the rope as you pull. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and pulling your elbows back rather than just moving your hands.
This exercise works best with lighter weights and higher repetitions. Focus on feeling the target muscles work rather than moving as much weight as possible. Perfect form is more important than heavy weight for this exercise.
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Hammer curls target your biceps and forearms while providing a different training stimulus than regular barbell curls. The neutral grip position allows for heavier weights while reducing stress on your wrists and elbows.
Hold dumbbells at your sides with a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Curl the weights up without rotating your wrists, keeping your elbows at your sides throughout the movement. Squeeze at the top, then lower with control.
Alternate between arms or curl both simultaneously – both approaches are effective. Focus on controlled movement and feeling the biceps and forearms work throughout the full range of motion.
Tricep Pushdowns: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Tricep pushdowns provide direct tricep training to balance the bicep work and ensure complete arm development. This exercise also helps strengthen the triceps for better pressing performance in future workouts.
Set a cable machine to chest height and attach a straight bar or rope handle. Keep your elbows at your sides and push the weight down using only your triceps. Squeeze at the bottom, then return to the starting position with control.
Focus on keeping your elbows stationary throughout the movement – they shouldn't move forward or backward. The only movement should come from your forearms as your triceps extend your elbows.
The second lower body workout is built around the deadlift, the most comprehensive muscle-building exercise in existence. This session targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back while also working your entire posterior chain.
Conventional Deadlift: 4 sets of 5-8 reps
With a dedicated lower body session, you can approach the deadlift with maximum energy and focus. This allows for heavier weights and better progression than what's possible when deadlifting in a full-body routine after squats and other exercises.
Your deadlift technique should be solid by now, but the heavier weights possible in this program demand even greater attention to setup and execution. Take time to position the bar properly, create tension throughout your body, and maintain perfect form even as the weights become challenging.
The deadlift is performed for lower repetitions than other exercises because it's more technically demanding and systemically fatiguing. Focus on perfect form over heavy weight, and progress conservatively but consistently.
Front Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Front squats provide a different squatting stimulus than back squats, emphasizing your quadriceps and core while requiring greater mobility and stability. This exercise complements the posterior chain emphasis of the deadlift.
Hold the barbell across your front delts with your elbows high and core tight. Squat down while keeping your torso as upright as possible, then drive through your heels to return to the starting position. The front-loaded position challenges your core and upper back while targeting your quads.
Front squats typically require lighter weights than back squats, so don't be discouraged if you need to reduce the load significantly. Focus on maintaining proper position and gradually building strength in this more challenging variation.
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Stiff-leg deadlifts provide additional hamstring and glute development while reinforcing the hip hinge pattern. This exercise complements the conventional deadlift by working the same muscles through a different range of motion and with lighter weights.
Start standing with feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells with an overhand grip. Keep your legs relatively straight (slight bend in knees) and hinge at the hips, lowering the weight while feeling a stretch in your hamstrings. Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.
Focus on the stretch and contraction in your hamstrings and glutes rather than moving maximum weight. This exercise works well with moderate weights and controlled tempo.
Leg Press: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
The leg press allows you to train your legs with heavy resistance while removing the stability and technique demands of free weight squatting. This exercise provides excellent muscle-building stimulus for your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.
Position yourself in the leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform. Lower the weight until your knees reach approximately 90 degrees, then press through your heels to return to the starting position. Don't lock your knees completely at the top.
The leg press works well with higher repetitions and provides excellent muscle-building stimulus after the heavy deadlifts and front squats. Focus on controlled movement and feeling your leg muscles work throughout the full range of motion.
Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Leg curls provide direct hamstring training to complement the hip hinge movements. This isolation exercise ensures complete hamstring development and helps balance the quadriceps-dominant leg press.
Whether using a lying, seated, or standing leg curl machine, focus on curling your heels toward your glutes using only your hamstrings. Squeeze at the top of each rep, then lower with control. Don't use momentum or swing the weight.
Hamstrings respond well to both heavy compound movements and lighter isolation work. The leg curls provide the isolation component while the deadlifts and stiff-leg deadlifts provide the compound stimulus.
Calf Raises: 4 sets of 15-20 reps
Consistent calf training in both lower body workouts ensures adequate development of these often-neglected muscles. Well-developed calves are essential for balanced lower body development and athletic performance.
Use the same technique as in your first lower body workout, focusing on full range of motion and controlled tempo. You can vary the exercise by using different foot positions (toes in, toes out, parallel) to target different portions of the calf muscles.
This 4-week program incorporates both linear progression and basic periodization to maximize your results while preparing you for more advanced training concepts. Understanding how to progress through the program ensures you get the most out of every workout.
For the main compound movements (bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press), aim to add 2.5-5 pounds each week during weeks 1-3. Week 4 serves as a deload week where you reduce the weight by 10-15% while maintaining the same sets and reps. This deload allows your body to recover and adapt to the training stress while preparing for the next training cycle.
For accessory exercises like dumbbell presses, rows, and isolation movements, progression may be slower and less linear. Focus on adding repetitions before adding weight, and don't be afraid to stay at the same weight for multiple weeks if needed to master the movement pattern and achieve the target rep ranges.
Track everything meticulously. Record not just weights, sets, and reps, but also how each workout feels, your energy levels, and any technique notes. This data becomes invaluable for understanding your individual response to training and making informed adjustments.
The rep ranges in this program are slightly broader than in beginner routines, allowing for more flexibility in progression. If you can complete all sets at the top of the rep range with perfect form, increase the weight. If you can only hit the bottom of the rep range, stay at that weight until you can achieve higher rep counts.
Don't panic if progression isn't perfectly linear. Some exercises will progress faster than others, and some weeks will be better than others. Focus on the overall trend over the 4-week period rather than individual workout performance.
The increased training volume and frequency of split training places greater demands on your recovery systems. Optimizing your nutrition and recovery becomes even more critical for continued progress and injury prevention.
Protein needs may increase slightly with the higher training volume. Aim for 1.0-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily, spread across 4-5 meals. This ensures a steady supply of amino acids for muscle protein synthesis throughout the day.
Carbohydrate intake becomes more important for fueling your workouts and supporting recovery between sessions. Consume 2.5-3.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight daily, with emphasis on timing around your workouts. Eat 30-50 grams of carbs 1-2 hours before training and another 30-50 grams within 2 hours after training.
Sleep quality and quantity become even more critical with increased training stress. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, maintaining consistent sleep and wake times. Poor sleep will quickly derail your progress and increase injury risk with the higher training demands.
Hydration needs increase with longer, more intense workouts. Aim to consume at least 3/4 of your body weight in ounces of water daily, with additional intake around your training sessions. Proper hydration supports performance, recovery, and overall health.
Consider basic supplementation to support your increased training demands. Creatine monohydrate (3-5g daily) can improve performance and recovery, while a high-quality protein powder can help you meet your increased protein needs conveniently.
This 4-week program serves as a bridge between beginner and intermediate training. After completing the program, you have several options for continued progress based on your goals, recovery capacity, and available time.
If you responded well to the upper/lower split and recovered adequately between sessions, you can repeat the program with heavier starting weights or progress to a more advanced upper/lower routine with additional exercises and volume.
If you're ready for higher frequency training and have excellent recovery, consider progressing to a push/pull/legs split performed 5-6 days per week. This allows for even greater specialization and volume while maintaining the split training principles you've learned.
If time is limited but you want to continue progressing, consider a 3-day upper/lower routine where you alternate between upper and lower workouts three times per week. This maintains the split structure while accommodating busier schedules.
Regardless of which direction you choose, the principles you've learned in this program – progressive overload, balanced programming, proper exercise selection, and adequate recovery – will serve you well in any future training endeavor.
This 4-week foundation program represents a crucial step in your muscle-building journey. You're no longer a complete beginner, but you're also not yet ready for the most advanced protocols. This program bridges that gap perfectly, introducing you to split training while maintaining the effectiveness and simplicity that have brought you this far.
The upper/lower split structure you'll master here forms the foundation for countless advanced programs. Whether you eventually progress to bodybuilding-style splits, powerlifting programs, or athletic performance training, the principles and structure you learn here will serve you well.
Focus on mastering the program as written before making modifications. Every exercise, set, rep, and rest period is included for a specific reason. Trust the process, stay consistent, and prepare to be impressed with the progress you can make in just four weeks.
Your physique is about to take a significant step forward. The increased volume, improved exercise selection, and focused training approach will accelerate your progress beyond what you experienced with full-body training. Embrace the challenge, stay consistent, and enjoy watching your body transform as you master the art and science of split training.