Upper Lower Muscle Builder

This 8-week Upper Lower Muscle Builder is designed for intermediate lifters seeking balanced hypertrophy across all major muscle groups with sustainable fatigue. The program uses a 4-day upper/lower split each week: Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, and Lower B. Every major muscle group—chest, back, delts, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings/glutes, calves, and core—receives direct weekly volume.

Training is built around proven compound movements (bench press variations, squats, rows, overhead press, hip hinge patterns) supported by targeted accessory work. Most sets fall in the 6–15 rep range, with slightly lower reps reserved for the first big compound of each session to allow for heavier loading without turning the program into a strength peaking cycle.

Progression is simple and sustainable: each exercise has a prescribed rep range. Week to week, you first aim to add reps while staying within that range and maintaining 1–3 reps in reserve (roughly RPE 7–9). Once you can hit the top of the rep range for all sets with solid form, you increase the load by the smallest practical increment and repeat the process. This ensures progressive overload without excessive fatigue or frequent failure.

Across the full 8 weeks, exercise selection remains consistent to maximize skill acquisition and measurable progress. Weeks 1–2 are used to dial in technique and appropriate starting loads in the middle of each rep range. Weeks 3–6 are the main progression block where you push reps and gradually increase loads. Weeks 7–8 follow the same structure but allow for more autoregulation: if fatigue is high, you can temporarily reduce one set on the main compound lifts for a week before resuming normal volume. There are no peaking or intensity phases—just steady, repeatable hypertrophy-focused training.

Weekly structure example: Day 1: Upper A Day 2: Lower A Day 3: Rest or light activity Day 4: Upper B Day 5: Lower B Day 6–7: Rest or light activity.

Philosophy: General hypertrophy with an upper/lower system, moderate reps, consistent exercise selection, and progression driven by adding reps within target ranges before increasing load, keeping 1–3 reps in reserve on most sets.