Intermediate · At home
Upper/Lower at Home · 4 days
Minimal equipment, serious results
- Days per week
- 4
- Sets per week
- 36
- Distinct exercises
- 12
- Goal
- Hypertrophy
- Sessions
- Upper body · Lower body
Four days split between upper and lower body, with dumbbells and bodyweight. Splitting gives each half the volume that doesn't fit into a single at-home full-body session.
The sessions
Upper body38–48 min per session
- Dumbbell bench press3 sets × 8–12 reps2 min rest
At home, dumbbells replace the barbell for a complete push of chest, shoulders and triceps.
- Single-arm dumbbell row3 sets × 8–12 reps1.5 min rest
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press3 sets × 8–12 reps1.5 min rest
- Push-up3 sets × 10–15 reps1 min rest
- Dumbbell lateral raise3 sets × 12–15 reps1 min rest
- Dumbbell curl3 sets × 10–15 reps1 min rest
Lower body39–49 min per session
- Goblet squat3 sets × 10–15 reps2 min rest
The safest way to learn to squat: holding the dumbbell at your chest keeps you upright and trains legs and core without the barbell's risk.
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift3 sets × 10–12 reps2 min rest
- Bulgarian split squat3 sets × 10–12 reps1.5 min rest
- Single-leg glute bridge3 sets × 12–15 reps1 min rest
- Standing dumbbell calf raise3 sets × 15–20 reps1 min rest
- Plank3 sets × 45 s1 min rest
Who it's for
For someone training at home who has outgrown full body and owns dumbbells with enough load range. With a single light pair, the three-day full-body version returns more.
How to progress
Same as the three-day home routine — reps first, then a harder variation — but with room to add weight on the dumbbell exercises, which here make up most of the work.
The mistake that ruins it
Running the four days back to back and resting all weekend. Split upper/lower, order matters: two sessions of the same half stacked together leave the second with nothing to give.
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.
