4-Day Workout Split: The Best Routines for Training 4x a Week

Four training days give you a clean choice. Run upper/lower and the week practically arranges itself: upper body twice, lower body twice, with breathing room in the middle. A common schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Twice-weekly frequency is useful for organizing training, not a growth multiplier by itself. A 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no meaningful hypertrophy difference between higher and lower frequencies when weekly volume was matched. Four days lets you distribute each muscle's weekly work across two manageable sessions without making workouts long.

Option 1: the 4-day upper/lower split (recommended)

The full breakdown, including all four workouts with sets and reps, lives in our dedicated upper/lower split guide. The structure:

Why it fits 4 days so neatly: the 2-day cycle fills four weekly slots without drifting across the calendar. Using different rep ranges on A and B days also lets you practise heavier work and accumulate moderate-rep work in the same week. Push/pull/legs, by contrast, is a 3-day cycle that rotates when you train four times.

4-Day Upper/Lower plan in HyproPreview the plan and try one demo day for free. Test the complete plan during Hypro's 7-day Premium trial.hypro.app

Option 2: the 4-day bodybuilding split

If you prefer dedicating a session to fewer muscles, the classic 4-day bodybuilding layout:

Complete 4-day bodybuilding workout: exercises, sets and reps

A complete Hypro editorial bodybuilding example with public exercise guides and movement images. It is separate from protected Premium plans.

1

Chest and triceps

Pressing emphasis

1. 
   Barbell Bench Press4 sets × 6-10 reps
2. 
   Incline Bench Dumbbell Press3 sets × 8-12 reps
3. 
   Low Cable Chest Fly3 sets × 12-15 reps
4. 
   Triceps Pushdown Rope3 sets × 10-15 reps
5. 
   Overhead Cable Triceps Extension Bar2 sets × 10-15 reps

2

Back and biceps

Pulling emphasis

1. 
   Bent Over Rows4 sets × 6-10 reps
2. 
   Lat Pulldown3 sets × 8-12 reps
3. 
   Cable Row Narrow Grip3 sets × 10-12 reps
4. 
   Cable Face Pull2 sets × 15-20 reps
5. 
   Dumbbell Bicep Curl3 sets × 10-15 reps

3

Shoulders and arms

Delt and arm emphasis

1. 
   Seated Barbell Shoulder Press4 sets × 6-10 reps
2. 
   Dumbbell Lateral Raise4 sets × 12-15 reps
3. 
   Chest Supported Rear Delt Fly3 sets × 12-15 reps
4. 
   EZ Bar Curl3 sets × 10-12 reps
5. 
   EZ Bar Skullcrusher3 sets × 10-12 reps

4

Legs

Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves

1. 
   Barbell Squats4 sets × 6-10 reps
2. 
   Romanian Deadlift3 sets × 8-12 reps
3. 
   Leg Press3 sets × 10-12 reps
4. 
   Lying Leg Curl3 sets × 10-15 reps
5. 
   Standing Calf Raise4 sets × 10-15 reps

The trade-off is distribution: chest, back, and legs each get one weekly session. The pressing overlap gives front delts and triceps work on more than one day, but quads and lats do not get that benefit. Upper/lower often makes it easier to maintain set quality because each muscle's weekly work is split across two sessions.

4-Day Bodybuilding plan in HyproPreview the coach-built plan and try one demo day for free. Test the complete plan during Hypro's 7-day Premium trial.hypro.app

Volume check: are you hitting your weekly targets?

Whichever option you run, count what the routine actually contains. In the bodybuilding example, chest and back receive about 10 direct sets, shoulders 11, quads 7, and hamstrings 6. Arms also receive direct work plus overlap from pressing and pulling. These are program-specific starting values, not a claim that every muscle needs the same dose. The weekly-volume guide explains how to count indirect work and adjust from your response.

Two tools help here:

• The weekly sets calculator gives per-muscle targets scaled to your schedule and focus.
• The progressive overload calculator helps you decide when to add weight or reps on each lift.

Count challenging working sets, not warm-ups. Most sets should finish with a few good reps left, but the exact RIR can vary by exercise and training phase.

Not sure 4 days is right for you? The best workout split guide compares full body, upper/lower, and PPL across every weekly schedule.