barbell bench press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min
4 × 8
sets × reps
2 VARIANTS Plans
Upper/Lower 4 days/week ~43 min–1h 15min
Upper / Lower
A four-day upper/lower plan for trainees with some lifting experience who want to distribute hypertrophy work across four weekly sessions. Upper 1 and Upper 2 combine horizontal and vertical pressing and pulling; Lower 1 and Lower 2 use different emphases across squat-dominant, hinge-dominant, and unilateral work. The Full Gym variant uses barbells, dumbbells, cables, machines, and bodyweight exercises; the Dumbbells variant requires dumbbells, a bench, and a pull-up bar.
Who is this plan for?
- Trainees with basic strength-training experience who can reliably schedule four sessions per week
- Hypertrophy as the primary goal and a preference for a classic upper/lower split
- Access to a full gym for the Full Gym variant, or dumbbells, a bench, and a pull-up bar for the Dumbbells variant
- The chin-up should already be manageable for multiple repetitions; it is programmed in both variants
How it works
- Four-day split: Upper 1, Lower 1, Upper 2, and Lower 2 are each trained once per week. The same weekly structure then repeats.
- Different emphases: Upper 1 starts with flat pressing, while Upper 2 starts with incline pressing. Lower 1 is more squat-dominant, while Lower 2 shifts more emphasis toward hip extension and unilateral work.
- Exercise order: Larger compound movements come early in the session; shoulder, arm, calf, and core accessory work generally comes later.
- Double progression for loaded exercises: Reps increase within each exercise's target range. Once the top of the range is reached on every set, load increases by the configured step and reps return to the bottom of the range. After two consecutive failed attempts, load is reduced by 10%.
- Bodyweight exercises: In both variants, chin-up and hanging leg raise progress by repetitions. In the Dumbbells variant, walking lunge and wide grip pull-up do as well. Completing every set at the target adds one rep to the target; after three consecutive failed attempts, the target is reduced by two reps.
Pros & Limitations
+ Two upper-body and two lower-body days distribute weekly work across four clearly separated sessions
+ Full Gym and Dumbbells variants keep the same basic structure with exercise selection adapted to the available equipment
+ Every programmed exercise has active progression through load or repetitions
− Four training days per week require a reliable weekly schedule
− Upper-body sessions are noticeably longer at about 64–75 minutes, compared with about 43–51 minutes for lower-body sessions
− The Dumbbells variant also requires a bench and pull-up bar; at very high lower-body strength levels, available dumbbell load can become a practical limitation
Muscles trained
Avg. hits per week · Primary 1.0 · Secondary 0.5
Front
Back
Biceps
13
Upper Back
12.5
Glutes
12.5
Front Delts
11.5
Quads
11.5
Chest
11
Side Delts
11
Triceps
10
Lats
10
Rear Delts
10
Hamstrings
9
Forearms
8
Adductors
6.5
Calves
6
Core
4
Upper Traps
3
Lower Back
1.5
Variant
Plan Structure
Upper 1
7 exercises · 24 sets · ~1h 5min
cable seated row
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
4 × 10
sets × reps
barbell overhead press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
chin-up
Rep ProgressionRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
cable lateral raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 90 sec
4 × 13
sets × reps
barbell lying triceps extension skull crusher
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
barbell preacher curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
Lower 1
6 exercises · 18 sets · ~51 min
barbell squat
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 3 min
4 × 8
sets × reps
barbell romanian deadlift
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
sled 45° leg press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
Machine unavailable: Choose sled hack squat.
lever lying leg curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
barbell standing calf raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
3 × 13
sets × reps
hanging leg raise
Rep ProgressionRest 60 sec
2 × 12
sets × reps
Upper 2
8 exercises · 27 sets · ~1h 11min
dumbbell incline bench press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell incline row
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell seated shoulder press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
3 × 10
sets × reps
cable pulldown
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
cable face pull
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 13
sets × reps
dumbbell lateral raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
4 × 13
sets × reps
dumbbell hammer curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
lever seated fly
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
Lower 2
6 exercises · 17 sets · ~48 min
barbell hip thrust
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
3 × 10
sets × reps
barbell front squat
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 6–10 repsRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
dumbbell step-up
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–10 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 9
sets × reps
lever seated leg curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
lever seated calf raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
3 × 13
sets × reps
weighted crunch
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–15 repsRest 60 sec
2 × 13
sets × reps
Upper 1
7 exercises · 24 sets · ~1h 4min
dumbbell bench press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell incline row
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell standing overhead press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
3 × 10
sets × reps
chin-up
Rep ProgressionRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
dumbbell lateral raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
4 × 13
sets × reps
dumbbell lying triceps extension
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
dumbbell biceps curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
Lower 1
5 exercises · 15 sets · ~43 min
dumbbell goblet squat
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell romanian deadlift
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
3 × 10
sets × reps
walking lunge
Rep ProgressionRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell standing calf raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–20 repsRest 60 sec
3 × 16
sets × reps
hanging leg raise
Rep ProgressionRest 60 sec
2 × 12
sets × reps
Upper 2
8 exercises · 27 sets · ~1h 15min
dumbbell incline bench press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell one arm bent-over row
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell seated shoulder press
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
3 × 10
sets × reps
wide grip pull-up
Rep ProgressionRest 2 min
3 × 8
sets × reps
Not yet possible: Choose chin-up.
dumbbell reverse fly
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
3 × 13
sets × reps
dumbbell lateral raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–15 repsRest 60 sec
4 × 13
sets × reps
dumbbell hammer curl
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
dumbbell fly
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 11
sets × reps
Lower 2
5 exercises · 15 sets · ~46 min
dumbbell stiff leg deadlift
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 2 min
4 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell single leg split squat
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell step-up
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 8–12 repsRest 90 sec
3 × 10
sets × reps
dumbbell seated calf raise
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 12–20 repsRest 60 sec
3 × 16
sets × reps
weighted crunch
Double Progression (Reps → Weight) · 10–15 repsRest 60 sec
2 × 13
sets × reps
Talk to your doctor before starting a new training program, especially if you have pre-existing conditions or haven't trained in a while. Start lighter than you think — good technique always comes before heavy weight.
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