Finding your stride in the gym and feeling comfortable committing to a 4 day workout routine?
That is an awesome milestone achievement. Committing 4 days per week to exercise allows you to get creative with your goals and your routine itself.
This article will explore several different ways you can split up workouts between 4 training sessions in a week.
And, despite our efforts to make this guide complete, custom workout splits can become quite expansive when you’re working out 4 days per week.
With that said, below is a guide that provides examples of 4 day workout routines. We’ll wrap up the article with answers to frequently asked questions about 4 day workout routines.
Hopefully the information will serve you and your fitness goals well.
How to Create a 4 Day Workout Routine
The flexibility 4 day workout routines provide creates a lot of opportunities for different styles of training splits.
A lot of times, the training splits will also provide the proper training frequency to stimulate muscle growth.
Some examples of 4 day routines include:
- Upper/Lower Split
- Full Body Split
- Push/Pull Split
- Push/Pull/Legs/Full Body Split
- Push/Pull/Upper/Lower Split
- Full Body/Full Body/Upper/Lower Split
- 4 Day Bro Split
As you can see, there’s a lot of variety you can utilize when crafting a 4 day workout routine. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the first 4 split styles.
When it comes to exercise selection, you’ll want to make the primary focus of your workouts compound movements. These multi-joint movements are often fundamental movement patterns that are important to train for strength and improving your overall healthspan (when done with proper form).
Additionally, the frequency of training will allow you to add in isolation exercises if you choose to. Depending on your goals, this might help you better focus on a specific muscle throughout the course of a week.
At the end of the day, it is important to modify your workouts to best fit your own personal preferences, experience level, capabilities, and goals.
4 Day Upper/Lower Workout
The first workout style we will focus on is the upper/lower split. When most people think about 4 day workout routines, they often visualize this type of split.
Upper/lower workouts are a great option for people looking to build muscle and strength. The split also allows for plenty of volume to get a significant muscle pump in each training session.
Below is an example of what a week of upper/lower workouts might look like as well as an example split.
- Monday:Upper Body Workout
- Tuesday: Lower Body Workout
- Wednesday: Off/Cardio
- Thursday: Upper Body Workout
- Friday:Lower Body Workout
- Saturday: Off/Cardio
- Sunday: Off/Cardio
Workout 1: Upper Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Overhead Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Pull Up | 3 | 8-12 |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dips | 3 | 8-12 |
Workout 2: Lower Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Trap Bar Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lunges | 3 | 8-12 Each Leg |
| Glute Bridge | 3 | 8-12 |
| Calf Raise | 3 | 15-20 |
Workout 3: Upper Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
Workout 4: Lower Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Front Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-12 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hip Aductors | 3 | 8-12 |
| Calf Raise | 3 | 15-20 |
4 Day Full Body Workout
If you think full body splits are only viable for lifters using 2 day workout routines or 3 day workout routines, think again. Even those committing to 4 days of weight training per week can benefit from full body workouts.
4 day full body workout splits are an awesome choice for those looking to focus on the main compound lifts to build muscle and strength.
An example of what a week of full body workouts and an example routine can be found below.
- Monday: Full Body Workout A
- Tuesday: Off/Cardio
- Wednesday: Full Body Workout B
- Thursday: Off/Cardio
- Friday: Full Body Workout A
- Saturday: Full Body Workout B
- Sunday: Off/Cardio
Full Body Workout A
Full Body Workout B
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Deadlift | 3 | 6-12 |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 3 | 6-12 |
| Row | 3 | 6-12 |
| Lunge | 3 | 6-12 |
4 Day Push Pull Workout
Much like upper/lower workout routines, the push/pull split lends itself well to 4 training sessions per week. Additionally, since a lot of muscles are worked indirectly on their counterparts training day, you ultimately get the benefits of full body training by incorporating push/pull splits into your routine.
Of course, on push days you’ll work all of the push muscles of the upper body. You’ll also include the push muscles of the lower body as well. That means we’re training quads. Same for pull days. We’ll be training hamstrings.
Check out the example weekly routine and its workouts out below.
- Monday: Push Workout
- Tuesday: Pull Workout
- Wednesday: Off/Cardio
- Thursday: Push Workout
- Friday: Pull Workout
- Saturday: Off/Cardio
- Sunday: Off/Cardio
Workout 1: Push Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lunge | 3 | 8-12 |
| Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Shoulder Pres | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dips | 3 | 8-12 |
Workout 2: Pull Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hamstring Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Face Pulls | 3 | 8-12 |
| Pull Ups | 3 | 8-12 |
4 Day Custom Workout
Custom routines are pretty much any other way you could split up your workouts among 4 days per week. Earlier in this article, we gave examples of several ways this can be done. For the sake of this article, we will only focus on the push, pull, legs, full body workout split.
This type of training split allows you to get in the push, pull, legs style of bodybuilding in the early portion of the week. Then, on the weekend, you’ll come back to the gym to hit a full body session to optimize training frequency throughout the week.
Check out the example provided below.
- Monday: Push Workout
- Tuesday: Pull Workout
- Wednesday: Off/Cardio
- Thursday: Leg Workout
- Friday: Off/Cardio
- Saturday: Full Body Workout
- Sunday: Off/Cardio
Workout 1: Push Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dip | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Tricep Overhead Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
Workout 2: Pull Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Pull Up | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 8-12 |
Workout 3: Legs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-12 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Calf Raise | 3 | 15-20 |
Workout 4: Full Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Range |
| Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lunge | 3 | 8-12 |
| Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Push Up | 3 | 10-20 |
Additional 4 Day Workout Routine Templates:
- 4 Day Full Body Workout Routine
- 4 Day Full Body Dumbbell Workout Routine
- 4 Day Push/Pull Workout Split
- 4 Day Upper Lower Dumbbell Workout Plan
- 4 Day Push/Pull Dumbbell Workout Plan
- 4 Day Upper/Lower Workout Plan for Planet Fitness
- 4 Day Bro Split Workout Routine
4 Day Workout FAQs
In this section, we’ll answer some of the most common questions that people ask when looking at 4 day workout routines.
Is 4 days enough for working out?
Absolutely, 4 days of working out can be enough from a resistance training standpoint. For overall general health, you’ll want to include cardiovascular training into your week as well and also focus on proper nutrition, sleep, community building, and stress management.
Is 4 days per week too much?
4 days per week can be too much for some lifters, especially beginner lifters new to the gym or those who have other obligations that are made difficult to fulfill by committing to so many training sessions throughout the week.
Ultimately, it’s going to be very individualized to determine if training 4 days per week is too much for someone.
How long does it take to see results from working out 4 days per week?
It depends on your starting point and what your goals ultimately are. With any workout program, you’ll likely begin noticing differences in yourself anywhere between 2-4 weeks. Friends and family will follow after that from anywhere between 6-8 weeks. Acquaintances may begin noticing after 12-16 weeks.
Ultimately, the name of the game is consistency. Be consistent with your workouts and lifestyle over the course of your lifetime and you will see the difference between yourself and those who are not consistent.
Can you get jacked working out 4 days per week?
You can get jacked working out 4 days per week. The training volume and frequency of 4 day workout routines provide plenty of training stimulus to build muscle mass. However, every individual’s results will be different. And, you have to commit to an overall lifestyle conducive to building muscle to reap the benefits. This means eating a highly nutritious diet with plenty of lean protein, getting adequate quality sleep each night, managing your stress levels, among other things.