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

Embark on your strength training journey with this 4-day Upper-Lower program designed specifically for beginners to novices. Over the course of one week, you’ll engage in a balanced mix of compound and isolation exercises, targeting all major muscle groups to build a solid foundation. Each session includes key lifts like the Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift, with clear guidance on rest periods to maximize your gains. Perfect for those looking to enhance their strength in a garage gym setting, this program sets you up for success with straightforward, effective workouts.

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.

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Week 1

Rest 2min/set on bench, ohp, and pulldowns. Rest <1min/set for the supersets

Bench Press (Wide Grip)

Overhead Press (Barbell)

Lat Pulldown

Upper Body

Rest 3min/set on squat and RDL. Rest 2min/set on leg extension

Squat (Paused)

Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)

Leg Extension

Lower Body

Rest 3min/set on deadlift and squat. Rest 2min/set on leg curl

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