Best 4 Day Workout Splits For Building Muscle And Losing Fat

Here are 12 different 4 day workout splits designed to fit your training style and needs. 

After almost a decade of working out I’ve tried a lot of different training splits. I’ve always found that a 4 day workout split gives me enough time to hit all muscle groups effectively while also giving me enough time to recover. 

These 4 day workout programs work great regardless of your gym experience. If you are a beginner at the gym and need some guidance, or if you’ve been doing the same workout split for a while and want to change things up.

Here are the 12 best 4 day workout splits for every circumstance: 

1. Best Overall – Upper/Lower body Workout Split
2. Best for Hypertrophy – Full Body Workout Split
3. Best For Beginners – Bro Split Workout Split
4. Best For Advanced Lifters – PPL + Full Body Workout Split
5. Best for Weight Loss – Body Sculpting Workout Split
6. Best For Females – 4 Day Superwoman Workout Split
7. Best For Strength – 4 Day 5×5 Compound Workout Split
8. Best For Athletes – Hybrid Workout Split
9. Best For Intermediates – 4 Day Push/Pull/Legs Workout Split
10. Best For Home Workouts – 4 Day Dumbell Workout Split
11. The 4 Day Posterior/Anterior Chain Workout Split
12. The 4 Day Arnold Workout Split

Keep reading to see the workout splits. Later in the article I’ll also provide some more useful info about the programs!  

#1 Best Overall – Upper/Lower Body Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Upper body A:

Lower body A:

Upper body B:

Lower body B:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Upper/Lower Workout Split

Notes:

Doing a 4 day upper/lower workout routine is pretty leg-heavy. If your legs are lagging behind the rest of your muscle groups, this is the best workout split for training your legs twice a week. 

You still get enough volume for all the other muscle groups. With this workout split you train all muscle groups twice a week.

While doing the heavy compound lifts like the barbell bench press, bent-over rows and pull-ups you train your shoulder, triceps and biceps pretty effectively. 

#2 Best for Hypertrophy – Full Body Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Full body A:

Full body B:

Full body C:

Full body D:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Full Body Workout Split

Notes:

Training your whole body 4 times a week is great for hypertrophy (muscle growth). You hit the sweet spot for volume, and you get a lot of variation in your workouts. 

The full body split would work for both beginners who are learning the basics and advanced lifters who want to change up their routines. 

I feel like the full-body workout split usually gets a bad rep for being for noobs, but It’s actually a well-balanced program.

If you are doing the 4 day full body split you’ll need to make sure that you can recover between workouts.

You only get about 24-48 hours of recovery time before it’s time to train the same muscles again. Your sleep and diet have to be dialed in if you want to try this workout routine!

#3 Best For Beginners – Bro Split Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Back and biceps:

Chest and triceps:

Leg day:

Shoulders, traps and forearms:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Bro-Split Workout Split

Notes:

The infamous bro-split is infamous for a reason, it works really well, and why change a winning concept? 

The bro-split is arm and shoulder heavy and a bit leg deficient in comparison, but it’s the bro-split after all, what else could you expect? 

Jokes aside, you still train all muscle groups sufficiently with the 4 day bro split. It’s a very easy split to follow and adjust to your preferences and needs. 

The 4 day bro split is the best option if you are a beginner. It’s also really motivating to go to the gym when you get to train a lot of the fun stuff (biceps and triceps).

#4 Best For Advanced Lifters – PPL + Full Body Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Push day:

Pull day:

Leg day:

Full Body:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day PPL + Full Body Workout Split

Notes:

The push pull legs (PPL) + full-body workout routine is a high-volume workout routine. Advanced lifters are probably best suited for this split. 

Your muscles will be accustomed to higher training volumes when you have been training for a long time. So a higher training volume will allow you to keep progressing in the gym.

Intermediates and beginners can of course also try this routine, but the regular push pull legs routine might be a better choice since the training volume is a bit lower.

#5 Best for Weight Loss – Body Toning Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Bodypump A (full body):

Bodypump B (full body):

Bodypump C (full body):

Bodypump D (full body):

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Body Toning Workout Split

Notes:

The body sculpting workout routine combines cardio and weightlifting. This workout program is the smartest way to lose weight in my opinion!

HERE’S WHY!

The workout program is packed with functional weightlifting exercises such as weighted sled pushes and farmers’ walks. 

These exercises will build muscle mass while also burning more calories than regular weightlifting exercises would.

This means that you maximize your time in the gym since you won’t have to worry about doing cardio separately.

Increasing your muscle mass will also force your body to burn more energy (calories) to maintain the muscle you have built. 

#6 Best For Females – 4 Day Superwoman Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Hamstrings + Glutes + Abs:

Quads + Calves + Abs:

Chest + Back:

Arms + Shoulders: 

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Superwoman Workout Split

Notes:

This workout split is perfect if you want to work out your legs twice a week. The training program is also glute focused to help build a stronger posterior chain.

A strong posterior chain helps maintain a good posture and is also important for stability in many other weightlifting exercises. 

Glute training is often overlooked by many. Weak glutes can cause back pain and knee problems since other muscles in your body need to overcompensate for the lack of strength in your glutes.

#7 Best For Strength – 4 Day 5×5 Compound Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Workout A:

Workout B:

Workout C:

Workout D:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day 5×5 Strength Workout Split

Notes:

This training program focuses on the main compound lifts; Squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and barbell rows.

The 5×5 workout program is great for building strength while also having a lot of training volume.

When doing the compound lifts in the 5×5 training split you should aim to do about 80% of your 1RM (1 rep max) for the 5 reps and sets.

All muscle groups are balanced and trained sufficiently in this training split, which makes it a good alternative if you want to combine powerlifting and bodybuilding.

#8 Best For Athletes – 4 Day Hybrid Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Strength:

Explosiveness:

Stability:

Prehab:

Breakdown Of The Athlete’s Hybrid 4 Day Workout Split

As a former soccer player I know how important strength, mobility and explosiveness are when playing competitive sports.

I made this training program for you who want to improve your performance and excel in your sport. It is the perfect 4 day training split for athletes.

The hybrid workout split combines strength training with explosiveness and balance training. And of course, a prehab workout to prevent injuries!

It is packed with exercises that will give you an edge on the field. Being both stronger and faster than your opponent will honestly make you unstoppable.

#9 Best For Intermediates – 4 Day Push/Pull/Legs Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Push day:

Pull day:

Leg day:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Push/Pull/Legs (PLL) Workout Routine

Notes:

The 4 day push/pull/legs (PPL) workout split is the best option for intermediate lifters. I would usually opt for this split if I was training 6 times per week, but it works just as well if you are going to the gym 4 times a week.

This variation of a 4 day workout program is well balanced between all the muscle groups. 

Essentially you train each muscle group every 6th day, so a little more frequently than once a week. Not that it makes a huge difference but you will get some good volume

#10 Best For Home Workouts – 4 Day Dumbell Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Upper body dumbbell A:

Lower body dumbbell A:

Upper body dumbbell B:

Lower body dumbbell B:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Dumbbell Workout Routine

Notes:

The dumbbell workout routine is perfect if you want to work out at home. Everything you need is a bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells.

You get a good balance between all the muscle groups. With only a set of dumbbells and a workout bench I can’t imagine a simpler and more optimized training program.

#11 The 4 Day Posterior/Anterior Chain Workout Split

Workout schedule

Workouts

Anterior Chain A:

Posterior Chain A:

Anterior Chain B:

Posterior Chain B:

Breakdown Of The 4 Day Anterior/Posterior Workout Routine

Notes:

The posterior/anterior workout program is a great option if you want to put extra emphasis on developing your arms and shoulders, while still having a very well balanced training routine.

I was really surprised by how well the 4 day posterior/anterior split worked. I tried the routine myself for about 2 months and it was actually what inspired me to write this article.

I feel like the posterior/anterior training split is a very underutilized routine, I really recommend trying it out if you haven’t!

#12 The 4 Day Arnold Workout Split

Weekly schedule

Workouts

Chest and Back:

Legs:

Arms and Shoulders:

Breakdown Of The 4 Arnold Workout Routine

Notes:

Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably the most famous bodybuilder of all time. He usually worked out 6 times a week. But I have adapted his training routine to work for a 4-day-a-week gym schedule.

Arnold’s workouts are famous for their extreme volume. He has a theory of shocking the muscles into growth and usually does a lot of heavy sets with many reps. 

The 4 day Arnold workout routine has a great volume balance between the muscle groups. But I have lowered the volume to make the training split more beginner friendly. 

You won’t have to spend hours in the gym to finish the workouts as Arnold did. After all, Arnold pretty much lived in the gym which most of us unfortunately can’t do.

How Are These 4 Day Workout Splits Structured?

All workouts in the programs begin with compound movements. I like to do these lifts  

at the beginning of the workout when I have the most energy.

Compound lifts are the heaviest and most demanding so you want to have as much energy as possible when doing them in order to perform them optimally and get the best results. 

The compound exercises have the highest strength and muscle-building potential.

They are great for overloading your muscles and are the most bang for your buck. 

Overloading means that you expose your muscle to a weight that they aren’t used to. This means that your body will have to adapt to that weight by building more muscle.

Overloading your muscles is the most effective way to build muscle and progress in the gym.

After the compound exercises come the accessory exercises and isolation movements. These exercises target specific muscles and are generally less time-consuming and strenuous. 

Isolation exercises target specific muscles and the weights that you use are usually lighter.

This means that you won’t overload the muscle as much. You can still build muscle with isolation exercises but a key aspect of these movements is to improve your mind-muscle connection.

The mind-muscle connection is essentially how well you can contract and activate muscle fibers in the muscles you are working out.

With a good mind-muscle connection you can overload your muscles more effectively when doing compound exercises. Which will lead to more muscle growth.

How Many Sets And Reps Should You Do Per Muscle Group Every Week?

10-25 sets per muscle group per week is optimal for muscle growth according to the latest literature. 

That is a pretty wide range, and all muscle groups don’t need the same amount of volume for optimal growth. 

To make it easier you can think that the set range depends on the size of each muscle group. 

This means that your arm and shoulder muscles don’t need as many sets as your large leg, chest and back muscles. 

10-15 sets of arms and shoulders are enough, while your legs, chest and back need closer to 20-25 sets.

The upper limit of the optimal set range is still pretty blurry. But doing more than 25 sets per muscle group per week would be too time-consuming for what it accomplishes.

The amount of reps you do per set isn’t super important. Doing over 30 reps per set is excessive of course, and doing 2 reps is not enough either. 

A general rule of thumb is to do 8-15 reps on 70-80 % of your max for each exercise. 

How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

30-90 seconds of rest is usually enough. But you don’t need to count exactly how long you rest. Just go when you feel ready for the next set.

As a guideline, aim for about 60-90 seconds for compound exercises. Your muscles need more time to rest after doing heavy sets. 

30-60 seconds should be enough for isolation exercises as small muscles will recover faster.

How Many Times Should You Train Each Muscle Group Per Week?

You will usually hear that you need to train each muscle group two times a week to get the best results, but this isn’t necessarily true.

The literature on this subject has changed a lot lately, and it seems that the most important factor for muscle hypertrophy is the training volume (sets/week). 

You can basically train each body part as many times as you want in a week as long as you do at least 10 sets for each muscle group. 

This works great for a 4 day workout program. 

You can for instance do the push/pull/legs split and hit every muscle group only once a week, or the full body split and hit each muscle group 4 times a week. In the end you will still hit the 10-25 set range.  

How Long Will The Workouts Take?

I rarely spend more than 90 minutes in the gym, and you can finish these programs within this time frame.

The workouts can take even less time if you implement supersets.

Supersets are when you do two exercises at the same time. For example alternating between doing tricep pushdowns and dumbbell biceps curls.

Your biceps will rest while doing tricep pushdowns and vice versa. In this way you get two exercises done at once without resting as much between the sets.

How Long Do You Need To Recover?  

This mainly depends on factors outside of the gym such as nutrition and sleep. 

Smaller muscle groups such as arms and shoulders will recover in about 24 hours. Larger muscle groups such as legs and back can take up to 72 hours to recover fully. 

You can decrease these times with the right nutrition and sleep protocols. 

Eat enough protein (1 gram/pound of body weight) to help rebuild muscle. Eat enough carbohydrates to refill glycogen stores in the muscle. And eat enough fats to have normal hormone levels.

Getting your vitamins and minerals is also important, and aim for 8 hours of sleep. 

This is especially important if you plan on doing a 4 day full body workout split. Since you only get about 48 hours of rest until the next full-body workout. 

Benefits Of 4 Day Workout Splits

4 day workout splits work great for building muscle and strength. You also have time to do other hobbies besides the gym.

They are very versatile. You can program a 4 day workout routine in many different ways. I’ve covered 12 different splits, but you can come up with your own variations as you go.

4 day splits work great both for beginners and experienced lifters.

Beginners can ease their way into working out instead of going all in and working out every day. Going all out in the beginning can drain you and make you unmotivated to keep training.

Intermediate and experienced lifters can experiment with a lot of different 4 day split variations.

Having a lot of different workout plans at your disposal will make the muscle-building progress easier. You can have a rotation of programs that you can switch between to avoid plateauing.   

A 4 day workout split has a good balance of training and recovery time. You get at least 3 days (72 hours) of rest before working out the same muscle groups again (with the exception of the full body split)

4 workouts a week also make it easy to reach the 10-25 set goal for each muscle group.

How Do 4 Day Workout Splits Compare To Other Workout Splits?

I often get asked if a 3 or 4 day split is better for building muscle. Or is a 5 day split better?

And the simple answer is that all of them work. As long as you do at least 10 sets/week per muscle group, preferably closer to 20-25 sets/week for maximal muscle growth. 

A 4 day workout split makes it a bit easier to reach the 10-25 set goal than a 3 day workout split. And you get more recovery time with a 4 day workout split than with a 5 day workout split.

In my opinion, 4 day workout splits hit the sweet spot for balance between volume and recovery time. 

How Long Should I Follow A 4 Day Workout Program?

At least 8-12 weeks. And I suggest that you switch up your routine at least every 4-6 months for optimal progress. 

When you follow the same routine for too long you might stop getting muscle soreness and your strength gains decrease. 

This is what you call “hitting a plateau”. It happens to everybody and basically means that your muscles have adapted to the exercises and workload you expose them to.

Switching to a new workout program is a good way to break out of a plateau since new workouts and exercises will expose your muscles to new stimuli. 

You can also switch between exercises in your workout program to avoid plateauing too early. As an example you can do barbell bench press one week and dumbbell bench press the following week.

How Long Until I See Results From A 4 Day Workout Split?

After 8-12 weeks you will see some strength gains and a bit of muscle development.

If you are just starting out in the gym the progress will be faster. The famous “noob gains” usually last for about 6-12 months. 

This is the time when you make a lot of progress fairly quickly. But it eventually slows down and you might start thinking that you are doing something wrong.

But you are not!

Building muscles takes a LOT of time! Don’t be discouraged if you don’t think that you are making enough progress.

It takes many years until you’ve built a good physique. It took me almost 5 years to realize that I had actually put on a lot of muscle.

It’s easy to be overly critical of your own physique. Seeing yourself in the mirror every day makes it easy to think that you aren’t making any progress.

But take a picture of yourself now and compare yourself to that picture again a year or two later. That’s when you realize how much progress you’ve actually made.

Being the one who sticks to it and doesn’t give up is what’s going to differentiate you from most other people. Just enjoy the process.

Are 4 Day Workout Splits Good For YOU?

4 day workout splits work great for mostly everyone! As you’ve seen there are a bunch of ways to structure a 4 day workout program. They can be easily modified depending on what you need. 

No matter if you are a beginner, intermediate or even an advanced lifter you can without a doubt make great progress with a 4 day workout routine.

In my experience going to the gym 4 times a week works great. 

If you’ve got a lot going on outside the gym I know exactly how difficult it can be to find time to squeeze in workouts every day. Working out 4 days a week is manageable especially if you have the weekends off. 

Depending on your training intensity a hard workout can drain your energy for the rest of the day. At least in my experience my brain power is at about 40 % after an intense workout. 

Using a 4 day workout split still gives me time to get other things done during the week when I’m not training every day.

Adjusting The 4 Day Workout Programs

The exercises that I have chosen in the program are my personal preference, I’ve also adapted it a bit to suit everyone. But I figured I could give you some examples of how you can modify the program to fit your experience level.

Adjusting The Programs For Beginners

If you are just starting out in the gym some of the exercises in the training programs I’ve shown might seem a bit daunting. Some exercises like pull-ups and dips also require a lot of strength and technique.

BUT DON’T WORRY! 

Pretty much all of the exercises in the programs have machine alternatives. Machines have a fixed range of motion and you won’t have to worry about stability and handling weights that your muscles and ligaments aren’t used to yet.

When you have built up some strength you can move on to the free weights. You’ll notice that your stability improves very fast. As you progress you will be able to perform the exercises better but choose a weight that you can manage, ego lifting won’t take you far.

Adjusting The Programs For Intermediate And Advanced Lifters

Personally I like to implement drop sets and supersets into my workouts, you’re probably using them in your workouts already, but here are some interesting ones you might want to try out.

1. Superset incline dumbbell curls with seated dumbbell curls: Set the bench to a 30 or 45-degree angle. Do your first set leaning backward and when you are done sit upright and continue with the superset. 

You can usually go a bit heavier when you are upright, I’ve also found that alternating bicep curls work better for me than doing them simultaneously as I can really focus on one bicep at a time. 

2. Drop-set Bulgarian split squats: I prefer doing Bulgarian split squats with kettlebells over a barbell since you’ll have a lower center of gravity while holding kettlebells. This also makes it easier to do drop sets.

Drop-setting Bulgarian split squats might be the most painful exercise in the gym but the results are insane! If you are really crazy you can even do a triple or quadruple drop-set, but then you might have to call in sick to work the next day.

3. Superset skullcrushers with bench press: After finishing your set of skullcrushers, bring the bar or dumbbells over your chest and start repping out the bench press until failure. You can do this for all 3 sets if you want.

4. Extra tip: You can finish the last set of all your exercises with a drop-set just for fun!

What Supplements Should You Consider For A 4 Day Workout Split?

Pre-Workout 

Pre-workout is without a doubt my favorite supplement. It allows you to train harder, get a better pump and improve your focus.

These effects will allow you to plow through the workouts. You get the energy to do a few more sets and lift a bit heavier. This will result in more muscle growth in the long run.

I could go on forever about pre-workouts, so make sure to read my article about the best pre-workouts here to find out everything you need to know!

Protein Powder

Having enough protein in your diet is very important for muscle growth and recovery.

After a heavy workout your body will need to repair the micro-damage in your muscle fibers. Your body does this with the help of amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins.

This is the process that results in muscle growth. Your body rebuilds your muscles a bit larger and stronger in order to endure the load you place on them.

Read my protein powder guide to learn more and find the best protein supplements for you.

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most popular and by far the most researched workout supplement. 

And for good reason!

Your body uses creatine to create ATP which is a vital energy source. And ATP is your body’s first choice for creating energy during sudden explosive exercise.

When exercising your body will deplete its ATP stores within 3-8 seconds. But supplementing with creatine increases the ATP levels enough to last a few more seconds.

This will allow you to do a few more reps with heavier weight. Exposing your muscles to this extra load will result in more hypertrophy (muscle growth) over time.

But creatine has SO many other benefits for your training and health, make sure to read my article about creatine to find out more about its amazing benefits!  

What To Do Next?

Try these 4 day splits out for yourself and unlock some new gains, but until it’s time to hit the gym again here are some more articles you should read: 

• 2 day workout split
• 3 day workout split
• 5 day workout split 
• 6 day workout split