Upper/lower – intermediate, 4 days/week, 8 weeks

Build muscleIntermediate8 weeks4 sessions/week

Four gym days a week: upper and lower body twice each. Session A and session B differ – A has heavier main lifts and fewer reps, B has other angles and more reps – so every muscle group is trained twice a week in two ways. Eight weeks, the last one a deload.

Suits you if you have trained for a year or more and can squat, deadlift and bench press with good technique.

The week

Monday upper A, Tuesday lower A, Thursday upper B, Friday lower B. Wednesday and the weekend are free. Feel free to move days, but do not put two lower body sessions in a row.

How the sessions complement each other

Upper A is built on horizontal and vertical presses and pulls. Upper B hits the same muscles with incline presses, supported rows and more shoulder work. Lower A has the squat as its main lift and is knee-dominant; lower B has deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts and puts more on hamstrings and glutes.

Progression

Weeks 1–4: stay at RIR 2 – a couple of reps left in every set. Weeks 5–7: same sessions, add one set to the first exercise and go to RIR 1. Week 8 is a deload: halve the sets, keep the weights. The app shows last time's weight on every set; add weight when you hit the top of the rep range on all sets.

If four days becomes three

Do the A sessions as usual and combine the B sessions into one: the first three exercises from each.

What the weeks look like

Week 1–4

MondayUpper body – intermediateBlock 1 · RIR 2 · session A: heavier, fewer reps

TuesdayLower body – intermediateBlock 1 · RIR 2 · session A: heavier, fewer reps

ThursdayUpper body B – intermediateBlock 1 · RIR 2 · session B: other angles, more reps

FridayLower body B – intermediateBlock 1 · RIR 2 · session B: other angles, more reps

Week 5–7

MondayUpper body – intermediateBlock 2 · +1 set on the first exercise · RIR 1

TuesdayLower body – intermediateBlock 2 · +1 set on the first exercise · RIR 1

ThursdayUpper body B – intermediateBlock 2 · +1 set on the first exercise · RIR 1

FridayLower body B – intermediateBlock 2 · +1 set on the first exercise · RIR 1

Week 8

MondayUpper body – intermediateDeload: half the sets, same weights

TuesdayLower body – intermediateDeload: half the sets, same weights

ThursdayUpper body B – intermediateDeload: half the sets, same weights

FridayLower body B – intermediateDeload: half the sets, same weights

Run the program in Passboken

Get the app, pick the program and tap Start – the workouts are placed in your calendar and can be moved. Free, no ads.

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Sources and further reading are in the app under Learn. Passboken gives general advice and does not replace a doctor or dietitian. · Updated 2026-10-26