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Basic 4-Day Upper Lower (Strength Training, Beginner-Novice)
Beginner–IntermediateFree

Basic 4-Day Upper Lower (Strength Training, Beginner-Novice)

Matthew R.
Matthew R.· Jun 2024
5athletes running this program
iOS & Android

Overview

Length
1 week
Days / week
4 days
Level
Intermediate, Beginner
Goal
Muscle, Strength
Equipment
Garage Gym
Session length
50 min
Made for my partner, Haley, with the goal to have fun liftin some weights at home. This weekly routine is also a fine option for beginners and novices with access to a barbell and your standard community fitness center equipment (lat pulldown, cable stack, leg extension/curl, dumbbells). I recommend, for complete beginners or anyone coming back after time away from lifting, starting with very light weights and slowly progressing from there week by week. This will give your body time to adapt (or readapt) safely and will reduce your injury risk by the time you've added enough weight to truly push your limits. Practice patience, responsibility, and consistency. The overall volume and exercise selection is quite tolerable and should be fine for most people starting out. Be sure to monitor your recovery as the weights get heavier. You might find some areas get sore and stay sore much more than other areas. In this case, subtract 1-2 sets from the delicate muscle group and see how it feels. Likewise, if an area hasn't progressed at all for multiple weeks of solid training and recovers well, consider adding 1-2 sets to more resilient/stubborn muscle groups, or using exercises that load that muscle group more in a deeper stretch.

Who it's for

Beginners new to structured strength training
Athletes focused on gaining both size and strength
Athletes who can train 4 days per week
Athletes who train in a garage gym (barbell, rack, and basic free weights)

Muscle engagement

Front
Back
Quadriceps
12.4%
Triceps
10.7%
Middle Delts
10.5%
Front Delts
9.9%
Hamstrings
9.2%
Chest
8.4%
Glutes
8.2%
Lats
6.3%
Biceps
5.7%
Abs
4.8%
Upper Back
3.8%
Rear Delts
3.1%
Lower Back
2.9%
Adductors
2.5%
Forearms
1.6%
Week 1 Workouts
#ExerciseSetsRepsIntensity
1Deadlift (Barbell)35 reps
2Squat (Paused)38 reps
3Leg Curl28–15 reps@10
#ExerciseSetsRepsIntensity
1Bench Press (Close Grip)28–10 reps@9
28–10 reps@10
2Overhead Press (Barbell)28–10 reps@10
3Lat Pulldown15–8 reps@9
25–8 reps@10
Superset
4ALateral Raise (Dumbbell)38–20 reps@10
4BBicep Curl (Dumbbell)36–15 reps@10
#ExerciseSetsRepsIntensity
1Squat (Paused)35 reps
2Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)28 reps
3Leg Extension38–15 reps@10
#ExerciseSetsRepsIntensity
1Bench Press (Wide Grip)25–8 reps@9
25–8 reps@10
2Overhead Press (Barbell)25–8 reps@10
3Lat Pulldown18–10 reps@9
28–10 reps@10
Superset
4ATricep Pushdown (Cable)38–20 reps@10
4BLateral Raise (Dumbbell)38–20 reps@10

Common questions

Yes, Basic 4-Day Upper Lower (Strength Training, Beginner-Novice) is completely free to follow on Boostcamp. Download the app on iOS or Android, find the program, and start your first workout immediately. All 1 weeks are fully unlocked.

This program is built around a garage gym. Make sure you have consistent access before starting, since the progression model assumes you can perform the same movements week over week.

Each session typically takes around 50 minutes to complete. That estimate covers your working sets but doesn't account for warm-up or rest between sets, so budget a little extra time when you're first learning the movements.

Basic 4-Day Upper Lower (Strength Training, Beginner-Novice) is structured around 4 training days per week, with rest days built in to allow for recovery. The Boostcamp app lets you reschedule sessions if your week doesn't go to plan.

The program runs for 1 week. The structure is designed so that each week builds on the last, with weights, volume, or intensity progressively increasing as you go.

Basic 4-Day Upper Lower (Strength Training, Beginner-Novice) is available inside the Boostcamp app, free on iOS and Android. Once you download the app, you can search for the program by name. The app tracks all your sets and weights automatically, so you always know exactly what to do next session.

Get started

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