Why Upper/Lower works
Each muscle group gets trained roughly twice a week — enough frequency to drive consistent progress, without the volume overload of trying to hit everything in one Full Body session. It also means a missed day only affects half your program instead of an entire body part for the week, unlike a 6-day PPL split.
The routine
Run 3 sets of each exercise at 8–12 reps (6–10 for heavy compound lifts), resting 60–90 seconds between sets.
Upper A
- Bench Press
- Barbell Row
- Overhead Press
- Lat Pulldown
- Bicep Curl
- Tricep Pushdown
Lower A
- Squat
- Romanian Deadlift
- Leg Press
- Leg Curl
- Calf Raise
Upper B
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Pull-Up (or Assisted Pull-Up)
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Cable Row
- Hammer Curl
- Overhead Tricep Extension
Lower B
- Deadlift
- Leg Extension
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Hip Thrust
- Calf Raise
How to schedule it
The simplest layout: Monday Upper A, Tuesday Lower A, Thursday Upper B, Friday Lower B — leaving Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday as rest or optional light activity. Prefer training back-to-back days? Monday–Thursday works too, as long as you get at least one full rest day before repeating the cycle.
Progressing on this split
Once you can complete all sets and reps with solid form on a lift, add a small amount of weight or an extra rep next time you run that session — the same progressive overload principle behind every effective program.
Build this routine in minutes
Save Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, and Lower B as templates in LockedIn — Gym Workout Tracker, and start logging today.
The bottom line
Upper/Lower is one of the most reliable splits for anyone training four days a week — enough frequency to build real strength, enough recovery to sustain it long term. Save the four days as templates, run the cycle, and progress a little each time.