V-taper workout plan: 4-day upper/lower split for shoulders and back

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 →

B3fx4×8–12 · RIR 1

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	ACable Lat Pulldown	4 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00	Hands a little wider than your shoulders; pull the bar to your upper chest and let your arms stretch fully at the top.
4	BSeated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-1-0	2:00
5	CChest Supported Machine Row	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
6	DIncline Dumbbell Bench Press	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	2-0-1-0	2:00
7	E1Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	→	Lead with your elbows and stop at shoulder height; a light weight with a full range works better than swinging a heavy one.
8	E2Cable Rear Delt Fly	4 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

21 working sets · ≈50 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 Squat	3 × 6–10	3 → 2	2-0-X-0	3:00
4	BRomanian Deadlift	3 × 8–12	3 → 2	3-0-1-0	2:30
5	CSeated Leg Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
6	DCalf Leg Press	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00
7	E1Cable Triceps Pushdown	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	→
8	E2Dumbbell Biceps Curl	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
9	FKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

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

B3fx3×8–12 · RIR 1

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	ACable Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
4	BSeated Cable Row	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	2:00
5	CMachine Chest Press	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	2:00
6	DCable Lateral Raise	4 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00	The cable keeps tension at the bottom, where dumbbells are light. Stand side-on and raise to shoulder height.
7	EStraight-Arm Lat Pulldown	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-1	1:00	Arms almost straight, hinge slightly forward; pull the bar to your thighs with the lats, three seconds back up.
8	F1Cable Overhead Triceps Extension	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-0	→
9	F2Seated Incline Biceps Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	3-0-1-0	1:00

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

B3fx3×8–12 · RIR 1

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Exercise	Sets × reps	RIR	Tempo	Rest	Notes
2	WUWarm-up sets	2 × 8	–	–	1:00
3	AMachine Hack Squat	3 × 8–12	2 → 1	3-0-1-0	2:30
4	BSeated Leg Curl	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
5	CSeated Leg Extension Machine	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:30
6	DSeated Calf Raise	3 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-2-1-0	1:00
7	ESeated Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4 × 12–20	2 → 1	2-0-1-0	1:00
8	FKneeling Cable Abs Crunches	2 × 10–15	2 → 1	2-0-1-1	1:00

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

Upper ALower AUpper BLower 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.

• Cable Lat Pulldown 4 × 8–12 at RIR 1: when all 4 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 1 or easier, add 2.5 kg next session.
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
• Chest Supported Machine 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.
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
• 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.
• Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 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 lat pulldown leads Monday with 4 sets of 8-12 at RIR 1. The weight stack goes up in plates, usually 2.5-5 kg: when a plate is too big a jump, stay and go 1-2 reps above the range first.
• The lateral raises use 12-20 reps because on a light dumbbell the next pair is a big jump. Expect them to gain reps more than weight in this block; take the next dumbbell when every set reaches 20 at RIR 1.
• In the superset of lateral raises and rear-delt flyes, do one set of each and then rest. Both are compared with their own last session.
• Free-weight compounds (squat, Romanian deadlift, both dumbbell presses) stop at RIR 2; the pulldowns, machines and isolation exercises at RIR 1.

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 crunches on the lower days, the calf raises or the arm superset on Lower A: each saves about 4-6 minutes. Keep every pulldown, row and raise.

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

The lats and side delts already get 15-16 sets a week. To bring up a second muscle, add 2-3 weekly sets for it on an upper day, for example a chest press on Upper A.

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

This plan needs a gym with cables. At home with dumbbells and a bench, take the 4-day dumbbell upper/lower plan and add 2-3 sets of lateral raises on each upper day.

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 side delt and lat priority for a wider V-taper: Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B (Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat). Side delts get 15 sets a week over 3 workouts (shoulder press and lateral raises on both upper days, raises again after Lower B), the back 16 (pulldowns, straight-arm pulldown, rows). Chest, arms and legs get fewer sets. 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 · V-taper