4-day upper/lower split for women: glute and leg priority

The plan, week 1

Week 1 is calibration: pick a weight for the bottom of each range with one more rep in reserve than later. The RIR column shows week 1 → week 2 onwards; the grid below shows what changes in weeks 2-8.

Tempo 3-0-1-0: 3 s lowering, 0 s pause in the stretch, 1 s lifting, 0 s pause in the squeeze. X: lift as fast as you can while staying in control.

What RIR means →How to read tempo →How supersets work →

B3fx3×6–10 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 5	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Squat	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	3:00	Go as deep as you can with a neutral back; a deep squat works the glutes harder.
4	BMachine Hip Thrust	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00	Upper back against the pad, chin tucked; push through your heels and hold the top of every rep for a second.
5	CDumbbell Walking Lunges	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	3-0-1-0	1:30	8-12 reps per leg; a slightly longer stride shifts the work toward the glutes.
6	DSeated Leg Curl	4 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-1	1:30
7	ECalf Leg Press	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00

16 working sets · ≈45 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair

B3fx3×6–10 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 5	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Bench Press	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	3:00
4	BCable Lat Pulldown	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00	Pull-ups instead if you can do 10 or more strict reps.
5	CSeated Cable Row	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
6	D1Cable Triceps Pushdown	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	→
7	D2Dumbbell Biceps Curl	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
8	EKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

15 working sets · ≈35 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair

B3fx4×8–12 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	ABarbell Hip Thrust	4 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-X-1	2:00	Upper back on the bench edge, chin tucked, ribs down; pause for a second at the top.
4	BRomanian Deadlift	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	3-1-1-0	2:30	It comes after the hip thrust, so start a little lighter than usual. Bar close to the legs; stop before your back rounds.
5	CSeated Leg Curl	4 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-1	1:30
6	DSeated Leg Extension Machine	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-1	1:30
7	ESeated Calf Raise	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00

17 working sets · ≈50 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair

B3fx3×8–12 · RIR 2

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	ASeated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	2:00
4	BChest Supported Machine Row	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
5	C1Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	→
6	C2Cable Rear Delt Fly	3 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00
7	DSeated Hip Abduction	3 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00	Lean slightly forward. The chart counts it as half a glute set: it trains mostly the side of the glutes.
8	EKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

17 working sets · ≈35 min · → Superset: go straight to the next exercise, rest after the pair

Lower AUpper ALower BUpper B

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Week by week

Week 8 is a deload: about 60% of the sets (4→2, 3→2, 2→1), the same weights and rest, stop at RIR 4. Why a deload helps →

Saved only in this browser. The app keeps your weights and reps.

How to progress on this plan

The simplest method that works on any plan: double progression. Keep the weight and add reps while you finish your sets with the reserve in the RIR column. When every set reaches the top of the range, add one step and build the reps up again.

• Barbell Squat 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Machine Hip Thrust 3 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Dumbbell Walking Lunges 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
• Barbell Bench Press 3 × 6–10 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 10 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Cable Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Seated Cable Row 3 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Isolation exercises (10–20 reps) follow the same rule. With light dumbbells, the next pair can be too big a jump: use the in-between weight, or stay and go 1-2 reps above the range for a week or two.
• The barbell hip thrust leads Lower B with 4 sets of 8-12 at RIR 2. Getting all four sets to 12 takes time, so expect several weeks of added reps before the first 2.5 kg step, which can come late in the 8 weeks.
• Monday's hip thrust is a different exercise, on the machine, with its own 3 × 8-12 at RIR 1: each of the two is compared only with its own last session.
• Free-weight compounds (squat, Romanian deadlift, barbell hip thrust, lunges, bench press and the dumbbell shoulder press) stop at RIR 2; machines and isolation exercises at RIR 1, because they are safer to push closer to failure.
• The seated leg curl is written the same on both lower days, 4 × 10-15 at RIR 1, so it carries on from its last session whichever day that was.
• On the walking lunges, the next pair of dumbbells can be too big a jump: stay with your pair for a week or two and go 1-2 reps per leg above the range.

The full guide: how to progress →

Your starting weights

Enter a recent set of the exercise: weight, reps and how many reps you had left. You get the week-1 weight for the bottom of the range with one rep more in reserve, from the widely used RPE chart (RTS).

1RM calculator →

Weekly volume per muscle

Working sets per muscle in a regular week, counted the way the app counts them: a set is 1 for a muscle the exercise trains directly and 0.5 for one it trains indirectly. Warm-ups don't count.

Abs and calves are optional. From 10 sets a week the app labels a muscle "High volume": above its default target and still productive.

Count your own sets →

Substitutions

Choose your substitute in week 1 and keep it for all 8 weeks: the app tracks progress per exercise. Each substitute trains the same muscles directly, so the volume above stays the same.

Adapt the plan

Short on time

Drop the optional work first: the calf raises on the lower days, the cable crunch on both upper days and the triceps and curl superset on Upper A. That saves about 4-9 minutes a session and keeps every glute and leg exercise.

Bulking or cutting

Keep the plan as it is in both. On a cut, aim to hold your weights: reps that drop by one or two are normal, and you can skip the last set of the isolation exercises if recovery suffers.

Bringing up one muscle

Glutes and hamstrings already get 13-16 sets a week here, so don't add more leg work. To bring up another muscle, add 2-3 weekly sets for it on the upper days, for example a chest press on Upper B for the chest.

Over 40

Warm up a little longer, keep one more rep in reserve on the heavy barbell lifts and take the full rest. Joints decide the pace, not the calendar.

Training at home

At home with dumbbells and a bench, take the 4-day dumbbell upper/lower plan: the same split, built for that equipment, without the extra glute and leg sets.

The same plan in the app

The app opens exactly this plan: all 8 weeks, the same targets, week 1 calibration included. Its description in the app:

An upper/lower split for intermediates with glute and leg priority: Lower A with a knee focus (squat, machine hip thrust, lunges), Upper A, Lower B with a hip focus (barbell hip thrust, Romanian deadlift) and Upper B with hip abduction at the end, on Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri. Glutes get about 16 sets a week, more than half of them from hip thrusts and abduction, hamstrings 13 and quads 9, the upper body fewer, mostly back and shoulders. 8 weeks: week 1 is calibration (one more rep in reserve than the target), weeks 2-7 at RIR 2 on free-weight compounds and RIR 1 on the rest, week 8: deload, about half the sets, RIR 4. Progression: add reps first, then weight once every set reaches the top of its range at the target RIR.

Free: the plan, logging weight, reps and RIR, the rest timer, history, previous results and the calculators.

This page teaches the manual method. With Premium, the app suggests the weight and reps for every set after each workout, from the weights, reps and RIR you logged, including week-1 calibration and the deload. Its suggestions can differ from this simple rule because it uses more of your data.

Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout

The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.

In the app: Plans → Upper/Lower · 4 days · Glutes