Intermediate · Gym
Upper/Lower · 4 days
The intermediate's sweet spot
- Days per week
- 4
- Sets per week
- 73
- Distinct exercises
- 23
- Goal
- Hypertrophy
- Sessions
- Upper body A · Lower body A · Upper body B · Lower body B
Four upper/lower days with differentiated sessions: one heavy and one volume day per half of the body. The heavy day works low ranges with long rests; the volume day works higher ranges with shorter ones.
The sessions
Upper body A52–65 min per session
- Barbell bench press4 sets × 6–10 reps3 min rest
The barbell bench press is the benchmark for measuring and progressing your pressing strength.
- Pull-up3 sets × 6–10 reps2.5 min rest
- Machine row3 sets × 8–12 reps2 min rest
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press3 sets × 8–12 reps2 min rest
- Dumbbell lateral raise3 sets × 12–20 reps1 min rest
- Dumbbell curl3 sets × 10–15 reps1 min rest
Lower body A45–56 min per session
- Barbell back squat4 sets × 6–10 reps3 min rest
The king lift: at this level you own the pattern, and the barbell lets you load and progress like nothing else.
- Romanian deadlift3 sets × 8–12 reps2.5 min rest
- Leg press3 sets × 10–15 reps1.5 min rest
- Lying leg curl3 sets × 10–15 reps1.5 min rest
- Standing machine calf raise4 sets × 12–20 reps1 min rest
Upper body B47–59 min per session
- Incline dumbbell bench press3 sets × 8–12 reps2.5 min rest
- Seated cable row3 sets × 8–12 reps2 min rest
- Wide-grip lat pulldown3 sets × 10–15 reps1.5 min rest
- Machine shoulder press3 sets × 10–15 reps1.5 min rest
- Cable lateral raise3 sets × 15–20 reps1 min rest
- Cable rope pushdown3 sets × 12–20 reps1 min rest
- Incline dumbbell curl3 sets × 10–15 reps1 min rest
Lower body B39–49 min per session
- Machine hack squat3 sets × 8–12 reps2.5 min rest
- Barbell hip thrust3 sets × 8–12 reps2 min rest
- Bulgarian split squat3 sets × 10–12 reps1.5 min rest
- Seated leg curl3 sets × 12–15 reps1.5 min rest
- Seated calf raise4 sets × 12–20 reps1 min rest
Who it's for
For the intermediate who wants strength and hypertrophy at once and can hold four days. It's the best result-to-time structure in the whole library.
How to progress
On heavy days you add weight; on volume days you add reps to the top of the range and only then weight. They're two different progressions on the same muscles, and blending them is what stops the routine working.
The mistake that ruins it
Turning the volume day into a second heavy day. If both sessions run the same weight and the same range, the routine becomes upper/lower repeated and the reason it's split this way disappears.
Load it in two taps
In the app this routine is created whole with one tap: exercises, sets and ranges already in place. Then you edit it however you like.
