Four-Day Workout Split: Sample Week and Exercises
Four training days a week suits many lifters, and it matches the ACSM's guidance for intermediate lifters [1]. The most common way to use it is an upper/lower split (upper, lower, rest, upper, lower), which trains every major muscle twice a week. A second option is a push, pull, legs, and upper hybrid, which gives you more focus on specific muscles.
Why four days
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests 3 to 4 training days per week for intermediate lifters and 4 to 5 for advanced lifters [1]. Four days gives enough room to train each muscle twice and still have three rest days. It is also easy to keep: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday is a pattern many people can hold.
Option 1: Upper/lower (recommended default)
Two upper sessions and two lower sessions. Each muscle gets two sessions, and rest days fall in the middle and at the end of the week. A 2016 meta-analysis found that training a muscle twice a week gave more growth than once a week, though it did not control for total volume [2]. A 2019 meta-analysis found no meaningful difference between frequencies once volume was equated [3]. Either way, upper/lower is an efficient way to get weekly volume in. The upper/lower guide covers it in depth.
Option 2: Push, pull, legs, plus upper
Push, Pull, Legs, then a fourth day that is a mixed upper session. It shows up as a way to fit push/pull/legs into four days. Upper-body muscles get trained about twice, while legs get one dedicated day, so leg frequency is lower. It suits people who want to prioritize the upper body. See the push/pull/legs guide for the base split.
Sample week: Upper/Lower
| Day | Session | |---|---| | Mon | Upper A | | Tue | Lower A | | Wed | Rest | | Thu | Upper B | | Fri | Lower B | | Sat and Sun | Rest or easy activity |
Upper A
- Barbell bench press
- Bent-over barbell row
- Standing military press
- Wide-grip lat pulldown
- Triceps pushdown
- Barbell curl
Lower A
Upper B
- Incline dumbbell press
- Seated cable rows
- Seated dumbbell press
- Pullups
- Side lateral raise
- Hammer curls
Lower B
- Front barbell squat
- Barbell hip thrust
- Dumbbell lunges
- Seated leg curl
- Leg extensions
- Seated calf raise
Sample week: Push / Pull / Legs / Upper
| Day | Session | |---|---| | Mon | Push | | Tue | Pull | | Wed | Rest | | Thu | Legs | | Fri | Upper (mixed) | | Sat and Sun | Rest or easy activity |
Use the push, pull, and legs exercise lists in the push/pull/legs guide. For the Friday upper day, mix a press, a row, a vertical pull, and a few arm or shoulder lifts, such as dumbbell bench press, one-arm dumbbell row, chin-up, and face pull.
Sets, reps, and rest
The ACSM recommends loads from 1 to 12 RM, with emphasis on 6 to 12 RM for hypertrophy training [1]. Heavy lifts may deserve longer rests. A starting layout is 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, the protocol used in a study of resistance-trained men. That study found 3-minute rests beat 1-minute rests for strength and quadriceps growth [4]. That is an example, not a prescription.
Weekly volume matters. A meta-analysis found that more weekly sets per muscle were associated with more growth [5]. With four days you can add sets across the week rather than packing them into one session. Add them slowly, and cut back if your logged lifts start to fall.
Making it last
- Use progressive overload: add reps first, then weight.
- Plan an easier week from time to time. A 2025 review describes planned deloads every 4 to 8 weeks [6].
- Match food to training. The International Society of Sports Nutrition says 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day is sufficient for most exercising people [7]. See how to count macros.
- Still choosing? Read how to choose a workout split.
Doing this in Liftrung
Liftrung's workout logger shows what you did last time beside every set, so you can see the numbers to beat. The gem ladder rates each muscle group on 10 rungs, Iron to Diamond, against your own baseline.
Key points
- Four days fits ACSM guidance for intermediate lifters [1].
- Upper/lower is the default: each muscle twice a week.
- Push/pull/legs plus an upper day suits upper-body priority.
- When weekly volume is equal, frequency made little difference in a 2019 meta-analysis [3].
Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30558493/
- Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26605807/
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27433992/
- Bell L, Darragh IAJ, Travis SK, Rogerson D, Nolan D. A practical approach to deloading: recommendations and considerations for strength and physique sports. Strength Cond J, 2025;48(4):413-423. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000910
- Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28642676/