A 4-day workout split for men over 40 works best as upper/lower: two upper-body days and two lower-body days, one heavy and one volume version of each. Train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and each muscle gets two sessions a week with at least two days between hard work on the same joints. The main lifts use one heavy top set followed by lighter back-off sets, which lets you push hard once per session and keep the rest of the work crisp.
Who this split is for
This is an intermediate program. It suits you if you’ve trained at least three months consistently, know how to squat, hinge, bench and row, and can reliably get to the gym four times a week. The ACSM’s position stand suggests 3 to 4 days a week for intermediate lifters, and training each muscle at least twice a week has been shown to produce more muscle growth than once a week. If you’re newer than that, start with the 3-day workout.
The weekly structure
| Day | Session | Main lift | Approx. time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Upper 1: heavy | Bench press | 60 min |
| Tuesday | Lower 1: heavy | Squat | 60 min |
| Wednesday | Off or 30–40 min easy cardio | — | — |
| Thursday | Upper 2: volume | Overhead press | 55 min |
| Friday | Lower 2: volume | Trap bar deadlift | 55 min |
| Saturday | Easy cardio or sport | — | — |
| Sunday | Off | — | — |
How the top set works
Effort is written as RPE on a 10-point scale, where RPE 8 means you could have done two more reps, RPE 9 one more.
- Warm up with three or four sets of rising weight and falling reps.
- Do one top set at the target reps and RPE.
- Take about 10% off the bar and do the listed back-off sets for the same reps.
If the top set feels harder than the target RPE, use that weight anyway for the back-offs and take 10% off from there. The program self-adjusts to bad sleep days.
Upper 1: heavy
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 1 top set × 5, then 3 × 5 back-off | 3 min | Top set RPE 7–9 |
| Chest-supported row | 4 × 6–8 | 2 min | RPE 8 |
| Chin-up or weighted chin-up | 3 × 5–6 | 2 min | RPE 8 |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 8 | 90 s | RPE 8 |
| Face pull | 3 × 15 | 60 s | RPE 7 |
Lower 1: heavy
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat or safety-bar squat | 1 top set × 5, then 3 × 5 back-off | 3 min | Top set RPE 7–9 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6 | 2–3 min | RPE 7–8 |
| Split squat | 3 × 8 per leg | 90 s | RPE 8 |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 10 | 60 s | RPE 8 |
| Suitcase carry | 3 × 30 m per side | 60 s | Heavy |
Upper 2: volume
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead press or landmine press | 1 top set × 8, then 2 × 8 back-off | 2 min | Top set RPE 7–9 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s | RPE 8 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s | RPE 8 |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 12 | 60 s | RPE 8 |
| Incline dumbbell curl | 3 × 12 | 60 s | RPE 9 |
| Overhead cable triceps extension | 3 × 12 | 60 s | RPE 9 |
Lower 2: volume
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trap bar deadlift | 1 top set × 6, then 2 × 6 back-off | 3 min | Top set RPE 7–9 |
| Leg press | 3 × 12 | 2 min | RPE 8 |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 10 | 90 s | RPE 8 |
| Lying or seated leg curl | 3 × 12 | 60 s | RPE 9 |
| Copenhagen plank (short lever) | 3 × 15–20 s per side | 45 s | Steady |
Eight-week progression
The top set’s RPE rises across each four-week block. In week 4 you test what you’ve built; week 5 is a deload; weeks 6 to 8 build again from a higher base.
| Week | Top-set RPE | Back-off sets | Accessories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | As written | RPE 7; learn your weights |
| 2 | 8 | As written | RPE 8 |
| 3 | 8 | As written; add 2.5 kg if week 2 felt like RPE 7 | RPE 8, add reps |
| 4 | 9 | As written | RPE 8–9 |
| 5 | Deload: no top set, 3 sets at week 1 back-off weight | — | 2 sets each at RPE 6 |
| 6 | 7, starting from week 3’s top-set weight | As written | RPE 8 |
| 7 | 8 | As written | RPE 8–9 |
| 8 | 9 | As written | RPE 9 on last set only |
A realistic target is a top set 5 to 10 kg (10 to 20 lb) heavier on squat and deadlift by week 8, and 2.5 to 5 kg (5 to 10 lb) on bench and overhead press, at the same RPE. Smaller gains are still gains.
Warm-up
Before both lower days, spend five minutes on a bike, then do 10 goblet squats with a light kettlebell, 10 glute bridges and 6 slow Turkish get-ups with a light weight or just a shoe balanced on your fist. Before the upper days: five minutes on a rower, 15 band pull-aparts, 10 push-ups and 10 band dislocates. Then ramp the first lift: empty bar × 10, 50% × 5, 70% × 3, 85% × 1–2.
When to deload early
Take the week 5 deload early if your top-set RPE is a full point higher than the target for two sessions running, if you’ve had more than a week of poor sleep, or if a joint aches the morning after a session. Over 40, an extra deload costs you very little and a tendon flare can cost a month. Muscle recovery after 40 explains what slows down and how to plan around it.
Swaps for knees, back and shoulders
| Joint | Swap out | Swap in |
|---|---|---|
| Knees | Back squat | Box squat to parallel, or belt squat |
| Knees | Split squat | Step-up, 3 × 8 per leg |
| Lower back | Back squat, Romanian deadlift | Leg press, back extension, cable pull-through |
| Lower back | Trap bar from the floor | Trap bar from 10 cm blocks, or a rack pull from just below the knee |
| Shoulders | Bench press | Neutral-grip dumbbell press or floor press |
| Shoulders | Overhead press | Landmine press, half-kneeling |
How to tell it’s working
Your top sets rise every block at the same RPE, your back-off sets feel smoother over time, and you start Monday’s session feeling recovered. Measure your waist and log bodyweight weekly if you’re also trying to build muscle; a slow rise in bodyweight with a steady waist is the pattern you want.
Where to go next
After two eight-week blocks, you can keep running this split with new top-set weights, move to the muscle-building program for more volume, or try push/pull/legs if you can train five or six days. For a printed alternative with logs, see the FITWITHIM programs.
Questions people also ask
Is a 4-day split good for men over 40?
Yes, for men who have trained consistently for a few months. Splitting upper and lower body means each session is shorter and each muscle still gets trained twice a week, with two to three days of recovery between hard sessions for the same area.
Which days should I train on a 4-day split?
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday is the standard layout. Wednesday and the weekend are off, so no body part is trained hard on back-to-back days.
What is a top set and back-off sets?
The top set is your one heaviest set of the day, done after warming up. The back-off sets use about 10% less weight for a few more reps. It lets you push one set hard and collect quality volume without grinding every set.
Should I do cardio on a 4-day split?
Two easy 30 to 40 minute sessions on Wednesday and Saturday work well. Keep them conversational so they help recovery rather than compete with the lifting.