2 VARIANTS

Plans

Specialized 3–4 days/week ~37–59 min

Upper Body Focus

A hypertrophy-focused specialization plan that directs most weekly work toward the chest, back, shoulders and arms. The 4-day variant spreads upper-body training across three sessions, while the 3-day variant uses two; both keep one short lower-body day with deliberately reduced volume. It is designed for lifters with some training experience who want to prioritize the upper body while keeping gym-based leg work lower.

Who is this plan for?

Lifters with some training experience who want to prioritize the chest, back, shoulders and arms
People who want to keep gym-based leg volume lower, for example because running, cycling or another sport already uses lower-body recovery capacity
Able to train consistently 3 or 4 days per week
Access to a well-equipped gym

How it works

Split: The 4-day variant uses three upper sessions and one lower session; the 3-day variant uses two upper sessions and one lower session. Chest, back, shoulders and arms are trained on two days per week in both variants.
Double progression: Loaded exercises stay within their configured rep range. Once you reach the top end on every set, the load increases and the rep target returns to the lower end of the range. After two failed progression attempts, the configured 10% deload applies.
Pull-up: The Pull-up uses rep-only progression and adds one rep after a successful session. After three failed progression attempts, the target drops by two reps. The exercise note provides one easier and one harder manual catalog alternative.
Deliberately reduced lower-body work: The quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves remain in the plan, but receive substantially less weekly work than the upper body.

Pros & Limitations

+ Clear upper-body priority without removing lower-body training entirely

+ Upper-body work is distributed across two weekly exposures per region in both variants

+ Simple, consistent progression across almost every exercise

− Lower-body volume is deliberately low and not designed to maximize leg growth

− The 4-day variant includes a lot of arm and shoulder work and can become excessive if you add more upper-body training

− Requires a well-equipped gym with a barbell, dumbbells, cables and machines

Muscles trained

Avg. hits per week · Primary 1.0 · Secondary 0.5

Front

Back

Triceps

Biceps

14.5

Rear Delts

12.5

Upper Back

11.5

Front Delts

Side Delts

Lats

Forearms

10.5

Chest

Quads

Glutes

4.5

Upper Traps

Hamstrings

Calves

Adductors

1.5

Variant

Plan Structure

Upper A · Push

6 exercises · 19 sets · ~50 min

barbell bench press

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min

4 × 8

sets × reps

dumbbell incline bench press

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec

3 × 10

sets × reps

barbell overhead press

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min

3 × 8

sets × reps

cable lateral raise

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec

4 × 13

sets × reps

cable pushdown

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–15 repsRest 75 sec

3 × 12

sets × reps

cable overhead triceps extension (rope attachment)

Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–15 repsRest 75 sec

2 × 12

sets × reps