Programme · Intermediate · 4 days a week
Upper/Lower 4-Day Split
Upper/Lower 4-Day Split is a common intermediate muscle-building programme. 4 sessions per week — each half of the body hit twice. VALDA has it in its programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then adds weight when you complete every working set.
Free to start, 1 programme at a time. Already have the app? Open in VALDA takes you straight to it.
Is Upper/Lower 4-Day Split for you?
Intermediate lifters who want balanced coverage across 4 days per week. Adaptable for strength or hypertrophy focus based on rep scheme.
At a glance
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Muscle size
- Time
- 4 days a week, ~60–75 min a session
- Length
- 4 weeks
A versatile 4-day split that alternates upper-body and lower-body sessions across the week. Each major movement pattern is hit twice weekly, balancing frequency and volume well for intermediate lifters.
4 sessions
| Session | Exercises |
|---|---|
| Upper A |
|
| Lower A |
|
| Upper B |
|
| Lower B |
|
Four sessions per week, alternating upper and lower. Each session is four movements: one or two main compound lifts, then the remaining two or three slots as accessories.
How the weights move
No author publishes a rate for a generic upper/lower template, so the numbers are VALDA's own: 5 kg a session on the deadlift and Romanian deadlift, 2 kg on dumbbell work, and 2.5 kg on everything else, machines and cables included. Those are our numbers rather than a published rule, and you can set your own rate per lift in programme management. Accessories progress on reps first — reach the top of the range on every set, then add weight. VALDA suggests the step after a completed session; you decide whether to take it.
Upper/Lower 4-Day Split, with the maths done
- Sessions set up from the programme, ready to log
- Starting weights worked out from the programme's own rules and your estimated maxes, with a default where VALDA has no history yet. You can change any of them
- Weight added when you complete every working set
- A missed session holds the weight; 3 misses in a row bring it down 10%
- Log sets from your phone, Apple Watch or Wear OS watch
Upper/Lower 4-Day Split questions
Who is Upper/Lower 4-Day Split for?
Intermediate lifters who want balanced coverage across 4 days per week. Adaptable for strength or hypertrophy focus based on rep scheme.
How many days a week is Upper/Lower 4-Day Split?
As VALDA runs it: 4 days a week, ~60–75 min a session.
How does progression work on Upper/Lower 4-Day Split?
No author publishes a rate for a generic upper/lower template, so the numbers are VALDA's own: 5 kg a session on the deadlift and Romanian deadlift, 2 kg on dumbbell work, and 2.5 kg on everything else, machines and cables included. Those are our numbers rather than a published rule, and you can set your own rate per lift in programme management. Accessories progress on reps first — reach the top of the range on every set, then add weight. VALDA suggests the step after a completed session; you decide whether to take it.
Can I run Upper/Lower 4-Day Split in VALDA?
Yes. It's in VALDA's programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then adds weight when you complete every working set. You can start it on the free plan, 1 programme at a time. Automatic progression: Free: 6 sessions · Pro: unlimited.
Where Upper/Lower 4-Day Split comes from
Upper/lower 4-day is a long-standing strength-training community standard. The structure appears in coaching writing from Rippetoe, DeFranco, Jim Wendler, and dozens of others — no single author.
This page describes a common training programme for information. It isn't a personal prescription.