Spread your lifting over four sessions without losing sight of recovery.
Choose a four-day plan only if four reliable training slots fit your week. Upper Lower is the straightforward option; PHUL alternates heavier and higher-rep days, GZCLP gives a tiered progression, and 5/3/1 BBB adds substantial 5×10 work. Compare recovery demands and note that the templates do not all adjust loads automatically.
A beginner-friendly four-day Upper A/Lower A/Upper B/Lower B split, with primary lifts and variations and mostly 3–4 sets of 8–12. Good for a predictable schedule; top-range increases and failure holds are described but not automated.
An intermediate choice when you want two lower-rep power days and two higher-rep hypertrophy days. The 12-week template includes scheduled deloads, but load and failure adjustments are manual; it also expects access to machines and cables.
A four-day, beginner-rated tiered strength plan whose app progression advances completed sets and changes T1/T2 rep schemes after failures. The final reset is manual and the template has no scheduled deload; it is strength-oriented rather than a dedicated muscle-building split.
An intermediate four-day 5/3/1 wave for lifters who tolerate high supplemental volume: each main lift is paired with 5×10 work, initially around 50% of training max. The four-week cycle includes a deload, but training-max changes are manual and the workload can be hard to recover from.
| Plans | Days / week | Level | Equipment | Why consider it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Lower - 4 Day | 4 | Beginner | Barbell, Dumbbells, Cables | A beginner-friendly four-day Upper A/Lower A/Upper B/Lower B split, with primary lifts and variations and mostly 3–4 sets of 8–12. Good for a predictable schedule; top-range increases and failure holds are described but not automated. |
| PHUL | 4 | Intermediate | Barbell, Dumbbells, Cables, Machines | An intermediate choice when you want two lower-rep power days and two higher-rep hypertrophy days. The 12-week template includes scheduled deloads, but load and failure adjustments are manual; it also expects access to machines and cables. |
| GZCLP | 4 | Beginner | Barbell, Dumbbells, Cables | A four-day, beginner-rated tiered strength plan whose app progression advances completed sets and changes T1/T2 rep schemes after failures. The final reset is manual and the template has no scheduled deload; it is strength-oriented rather than a dedicated muscle-building split. |
| 5/3/1 Boring But Big | 4 | Intermediate | Barbell, Dumbbells | An intermediate four-day 5/3/1 wave for lifters who tolerate high supplemental volume: each main lift is paired with 5×10 work, initially around 50% of training max. The four-week cycle includes a deload, but training-max changes are manual and the workload can be hard to recover from. |
| Plans | Total sets | Upper body | Lower body | Core / other | Training days / week | Avg. sets / session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Lower - 4 Day | 74 | 40 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 18.5 |
| PHUL | 97 | 53 | 44 | 0 | 4 | 24.3 |
| GZCLP | 44 | 28 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| 5/3/1 Boring But Big | 52 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
Upper Lower alternates A and B sessions, with most exercises prescribed for 3–4 sets of 8–12. PHUL separates heavier power days from higher-rep hypertrophy days. Both describe progression and failure adjustments that these templates do not apply automatically: review your log and make changes yourself. Four visits may spread work out, but require an extra trip.
An upper/lower schedule can alternate upper and lower sessions, for example Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Move days as needed while keeping demanding sessions manageable.
Distributing exercises across four days can make individual sessions shorter, but a fourth day is not automatically better. Compare the total work and schedule you can actually maintain.
Log the prescribed sets and reps, then apply the program’s load or rep progression. Avoid adding extra sets to every session before you know how the base plan feels.
If a session is missed, continue the sequence when practical instead of doubling up all the work. Persistent soreness or falling performance is a reason to review workload and recovery.
Upper Lower alternates primary movements and variations across four sessions, with most exercises in the 8–12 rep range. PHUL puts heavier, lower-rep power sessions before higher-rep hypertrophy sessions. Choose the former for a more uniform week or the latter if you want both styles; check the equipment and session details before committing to either.
Upper Lower describes holding a weight after two failures until you succeed. PHUL describes repeating a failed weight, a 10% reduction after two failed weeks, and scheduled deload guidance. These adjustments are not automatic in the templates. Record your sets and recovery, then apply the relevant rule yourself rather than adding weight simply because another week has started.
[FAQ]
PHUL separates heavier power days from higher-rep hypertrophy days. Upper Lower alternates upper and lower sessions with most exercises in the 8–12 rep range.
Partly. The app applies GZCLP's session-based load progression and T1/T2 rep-scheme changes after logged results. Its terminal reset is manual. For Upper Lower, PHUL, and 5/3/1 BBB, apply the plan's written progression and failure adjustments yourself.
