The 4 options at a glance
Four days a week is a sweet spot for many lifters: enough sessions to train each muscle twice, enough rest days to recover, and sessions that rarely need to run over an hour. The four splits below share the same number of days but distribute the work very differently.
| Split | Days | Each muscle per week | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper lower x2 | Upper, lower, upper, lower | 2x | Most people, strength and size |
| PHUL style | Upper power, lower power, upper volume, lower volume | 2x | Powerbuilding |
| Push pull legs + upper | Push, pull, legs, upper | 1 to 2x | Fans of PPL with only 4 days |
| Body part (bro split) | Chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs, shoulders and arms | 1x (arms 2x) | Bodybuilding style, long single sessions |
A typical week puts the four days on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, which gives two rest days in the middle and the weekend off. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday works too. If you also run or play a sport, the weekly workout planner shows how to fit the gym around it.
Option 1: upper lower 4 day split
The upper lower 4 day split is the default recommendation, and for good reason. Every muscle gets two sessions a week, the big lifts get practised twice, and each session has a clear focus. Here is a compact template with one heavier and one lighter version of each day. The upper lower split guide has a longer version and more schedules.
| # | Upper 1 | Lower 1 | Upper 2 | Lower 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bench press, 4 x 5 to 8 | Back squat, 4 x 5 to 8 | Overhead press, 3 x 6 to 10 | Deadlift, 3 x 4 to 6 |
| 2 | Chest supported row, 4 x 6 to 10 | Romanian deadlift, 3 x 8 to 10 | Chin-up, 3 x 6 to 10 | Bulgarian split squat, 3 x 8 to 10 per leg |
| 3 | Incline dumbbell press, 3 x 8 to 12 | Leg extension, 3 x 10 to 15 | Dumbbell bench press, 3 x 8 to 12 | Seated leg curl, 3 x 10 to 15 |
| 4 | Lat pulldown, 3 x 10 to 12 | Lying leg curl, 3 x 10 to 12 | Seated cable row, 3 x 10 to 12 | Hip thrust, 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 5 | Lateral raise, 3 x 12 to 20 | Standing calf raise, 3 x 10 to 15 | Face pull, 3 x 12 to 15 | Seated calf raise, 3 x 12 to 15 |
| 6 | Hammer curl, 2 x 10 to 12 | Plank, 3 x 30 to 45 s | Triceps pushdown, 2 x 10 to 15 | Hanging knee raise, 3 x 10 to 15 |
Option 2: PHUL style power and hypertrophy
Same upper lower layout, different jobs. Days 1 and 2 are heavy, built around 3 to 5 rep sets on the big barbell lifts. Days 3 and 4 use 8 to 15 reps and more isolation work. It is the best 4 day workout split if you want to get stronger and bigger at the same time and like having a heavy day to look forward to.
| Day | Focus | Main lifts |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Upper power | Bench press 3 to 5 reps, barbell row 3 to 5 reps |
| Tue | Lower power | Squat 3 to 5 reps, deadlift 3 to 5 reps |
| Thu | Upper hypertrophy | Incline bench press, cable row, dumbbell row, 8 to 12 reps |
| Fri | Lower hypertrophy | Front squat, lunge, leg extension, leg curl, 8 to 15 reps |
The full program, with every exercise and set, is on the PHUL workout page.
Option 3: push pull legs 4 day split
Push pull legs fits six days best. On four days you can either rotate it (push, pull, legs, push, then pull next week and so on) or add a fixed upper day as the fourth session. The second option keeps the week the same every week, which is easier to plan.
| # | Push (Mon) | Pull (Tue) | Legs (Thu) | Upper (Sat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bench press, 4 x 5 to 8 | Barbell row, 4 x 6 to 8 | Back squat, 4 x 5 to 8 | Incline bench press, 3 x 6 to 10 |
| 2 | Overhead press, 3 x 6 to 10 | Pull-up, 3 x 6 to 10 | Romanian deadlift, 3 x 8 to 10 | Dumbbell row, 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 3 | Incline dumbbell press, 3 x 8 to 12 | Seated cable row, 3 x 10 to 12 | Leg press, 3 x 10 to 15 | Dumbbell shoulder press, 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 4 | Lateral raise, 3 x 12 to 20 | Face pull, 3 x 12 to 15 | Lying leg curl, 3 x 10 to 12 | Lat pulldown, 3 x 10 to 12 |
| 5 | Triceps pushdown, 3 x 10 to 15 | Barbell curl, 3 x 8 to 12 | Standing calf raise, 4 x 10 to 15 | Dumbbell curl and overhead triceps extension, 2 x 12 each |
Legs get only one session, so this suits people who want more upper body work. If your legs or glutes are the priority, flip it: push, pull, legs, legs, or use upper lower instead.
Option 4: body part 4 day split (bodybuilding)
The classic 4 day split bodybuilding routine gives each muscle group a long session once a week. Arms are trained directly on two days. It is the least efficient for strength, but many people enjoy it and the pump of one long chest or back session. For far less volume per muscle, the Mike Mentzer workout uses about one all-out set per exercise.
| Day | Focus | Example exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Chest and triceps | Bench press, incline dumbbell press, cable fly, dips, triceps pushdown |
| Tue | Back and biceps | Deadlift or rack pull, pull-up, barbell row, lat pulldown, hammer curl |
| Thu | Legs | Squat, leg press, Romanian deadlift, leg curl, calf raise |
| Fri | Shoulders and arms | Overhead press, lateral raise, rear delt fly, barbell curl, skull crusher |
To make it work, do 3 to 4 exercises of 3 to 4 sets per muscle in each session and keep pushing the weights up. With each muscle trained once a week, every session has to count.
How to choose the best 4 day split
- Want strength and size, not sure what to pick? Upper lower. It trains each muscle twice a week and is the easiest to progress on.
- Care about your bench, squat and deadlift numbers and muscle? PHUL style.
- Want more upper body volume? Push, pull, legs, upper.
- Enjoy long, focused sessions and train mainly for looks? Body part split, and accept that each muscle gets one hit a week.
- Play a sport or run? Upper lower, with the lower days placed away from hard runs or matches.
The 4 day split workout for women follows the same logic. Most women who want stronger legs and glutes do best on upper lower, with a hip thrust or extra glute exercise on both lower days. If three days fit your week better, a full body workout three times a week covers the same ground.
Progression on any 4 day split
The split decides when you train each muscle. Progress comes from what you do inside it. Use a rep range and add a rep each session until you reach the top of the range in every set, then add the smallest weight jump. That is progressive overload in practice, and it works the same on every option above.
Your 4 day split, with the next weight already worked out
Set your four days in Gripp, plus any runs or sport, and log each set's reps and weight. Next session it shows what to lift: last time 7 reps at 105 kg, today go for 8. The strength rating per muscle group shows whether a split is leaving one area behind.
Join the waitlistGive a split 8 to 12 weeks before you judge it. Switching every month means you never find out which one works for you.
