The 4-Day lifting split is among the most popular splits for people looking to get strong, and for good reason. It provides excellent flexibility to any person's week, gives enough stress to drive progress, while also paying mind to necessary recovery. Some people prefer the Upper/Lower 4-Day split over the traditional Full Body 3-Day for it's time-saving properties on a per workout basis but it also requires less trips to the gym than the 6-Day Push/Pull/Legs. It seems to strike the right balance between recovery time between alike movements and enough stress, so lets take a look at what this might look like.
4-Day Lifting Split Templates
Beginner 4-Day Lifting Split
Monday
Squat 3 x 5
Deadlift 1 x 5
Tuesday
Bench Press 3 x 5
Press 3 x 5
Thursday
Deadlift 2 x 5
Squat 3 x 5
Friday
Press 3 x 5
Bench Press 3 x 5
This version of the 4-Day split features lower body days and two upper body days, fairly equally balanced in their work across the week. As the weights progress and the lifter becomes more intermediate, some subtle changes can occur. The words "Heavy" and "Medium" below are relative to the weight on the bar. "Medium" constitutes somewhere between 80-87% of "Heavy". In the previous program, all days are as heavy as the lifter can go. This is what differentiates a beginner from an intermediate; the ability to recover from heavy work during every training session.
Late Beginner/Early Intermediate 4-Day Lifting Split
Monday
Heavy Squat 3 x 5
Medium Deadlift 1 x 5
Tuesday
Heavy Bench Press 3 x 5
Medium Press 3 x 5
Thursday
Heavy Deadlift 1 x 5
Medium Squat 3 x 5
Friday
Heavy Press 3 x 5
Medium Bench Press 3 x 5
As progress continues, eventually new movements will need to be introduced, or more volume in the form of accessories.
Intermediate 4-Day Lifting Split
Monday
Heavy Squat 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Power Cleans 5 x 2
Chin Ups 3 x AMRAP
Tuesday
Heavy Bench Press 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Medium Press/Press Variation 4 x 5
Tricep Dips 3 x 8-12
Thursday
Heavy Deadlift 1 x 5
Medium Squat/Squat Variation 4 x 5
Friday
Heavy Press 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Medium Bench Press/Bench Press Variation 4 x 5
As you can see in this example, the lifter has now graduated to using variations of the main movements, and adding some additional volume to main movement on their light/medium day and in the form of accessory movements. Many people like to start with variations for the sake of variety, but this often harmful to progress, as twice a week frequency with medium-heavy weights can still drive a lot of progress very rapidly. You also see the top set/back off set approach to many lifts introduced.
Late Intermediate/Early Advanced 4-Day Lifting Split
Monday
Heavy Squat 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Power Cleans 5 x 2
Barbell Rows 3 x 5
Tuesday
Heavy Bench Press 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Press Variation 3 x 5
Tricep Dips 3 x 8-12
Thursday
Heavy Deadlift 1 x 5
Squat Variation 3 x 5
Chin ups 3 x AMRAP
Friday
Heavy Press 1 x 5 , 2 x 5 @ 85%
Bench Press Variation 3 x 5
LTE's 3 x 8-12
At this point, the lifter needs more volume to drive progress across the entire week. That's why, finally, it becomes necessary to add a third lift to each day. Many people jump to this step far too soon, and spend extra, unnecessary time in the gym. It may start to become necessary for lifters to start incorporating "light" days into their routine to allow for sufficient recovery.
How to know if you're a "Beginner," "Intermediate," or "Advanced" lifter
Many people believe they are intermediate or advance lifter far too quickly. This is mostly because your strength level, time in the gym, or amount of what you deem as "in shape" are misleading metrics for advancement. In addition, it feels like a shot to the ego to admit to being a beginner, even after spending years in the gym.
Here is a guide to determining which split above is right for you:
If you are able to make progress from one workout to the next, you are a beginner. For example, if you Squat 250 on Monday for 3 sets of 5, and can Squat 255 on Thursday of that same week for 3 sets of 5, you are a beginner.
If you are able to make progress weekly, you are an intermediate. For example, if you Squat 250 on Monday for 3 sets of 5, and Squat 225 for 3 sets of 5 Thursday in order to Squat 255 the next Monday, you are an intermediate.
If you it takes more than one week to make progress, you are an advanced lifter. For example, if you Squat 250 on Monday for 3 sets of 5, and Squat 225 for 3 sets of 5 Thursday, and additionally do assistance work in another workout, in order to Squat 255 after 2-3 weeks, you are an advanced lifter
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