4-day workout split for women: a full upper/lower plan (with running)

Four lifting days a week is where training starts to feel like a real program: enough time to hit every muscle twice, sessions short enough to finish on a weeknight, and room for progress that three days can start to run out of. This 4 day workout split for women is an upper/lower plan with full sessions, the set math behind it, a 12-week progression, and sample weeks with running already slotted in.

It's also a schedule you have to be able to keep. If you'd rather have a coach that rewrites your plan every week around the days you actually get, that's an option. If you want to run it yourself, everything's below.

Is a 4 day workout split right for you?

Four days suits you if you've been lifting consistently for a few months, three sessions a week feel easy to recover from, and your schedule can genuinely hold a fourth. It's the natural step up inside a women's strength and running plan, and it's the four-day option in the women's gym workout guide.

It's not the right place to start. If three days still feel like a stretch, stick with the 3 day workout split women usually begin with. If you're brand new to the gym, start one step earlier with a beginner fitness program for women, which builds from two days to three over eight weeks.

Why upper/lower?

Because at four days it trains each muscle twice a week, keeps sessions shorter than full body, and makes it obvious where the leg fatigue lives, which matters if you run.

That said, the split itself is less important than the sets. A 2024 meta-analysis found split routines and full-body routines produced similar strength gains and muscle growth when volume was matched (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024). A frequency meta-analysis found the same for muscle growth: with weekly volume equal, training a muscle once, twice or three-plus times a week made no meaningful difference (Schoenfeld et al., 2019). Four full-body days works too. Upper/lower is simply easier to schedule around runs.

The 4 day workout split for women: upper/lower sessions

Two upper days, two lower days. Day 1 and 2 are heavier, with lower reps. Day 3 and 4 use more reps and different variations. RPE 8 means about two reps left in the tank.

Day 1: Upper (strength)

Day 2: Lower (squat focus)

Day 3: Upper (volume)

Day 4: Lower (hinge and single-leg)

Each session runs about 45 to 60 minutes with warm-ups. If it's running to 90, cut exercises before you cut sets on the main lifts.

Sets per muscle: does it add up?

That sits around the 10-to-15-sets range intermediates usually do well on, which is where you should be if you've outgrown three days. If a muscle is a priority, add a set to an existing exercise before you add a new one.

Where the runs go

Running is training, and it uses your legs. The rules are the same as everywhere else on this site:

1. ›No heavy legs the day before a hard run or the long run.
2. ›When a hard run and a lift share a day, run first and lift later, with a few hours between them if you can.
3. ›Let easy runs fill the gaps.

Sample week: 4 lifts, 4 runs (balanced)

Tuesday stacks hard on hard, so Wednesday and Thursday can stay easy for your legs. Friday's lower day has a full day before Sunday's long run; keep its deadlifts at RPE 7 if the long run is a key session.

Sample week: lifting priority, 2 runs

Zoomed out to a month, this becomes a women's weight lifting schedule: these weeks, repeated, with a lighter one every four to six weeks.

How to progress over 12 weeks

Use double progression on every lift: pick a rep range, start at a weight you can lift for the bottom of it at about RPE 7–8, add reps each session until you hit the top on every set, then add a small amount of weight and drop back down.

Run the plan for the full block before judging it. Progress comes from adding weight or reps to the same lifts, not from changing exercises every two weeks. The principles behind all of this, with the research on women and lifting, are in the pillar guide to strength training for women.

Adjusting the split to your life

Short on time? Drop the last exercise from each session. Keep the first two.

Missed a day? Don't cram it in. Do the next session in the order and move on. If you miss a lower day, keep the heavier of the two that week.

Over 50? The split works at any age with more attention to recovery. If you want conditioning on top, HIIT workouts for women over 50 can replace one of the easy runs rather than being added on top.

Your cycle. If certain days of your cycle feel harder, lighten the load on those days the same way you would after a bad night's sleep. Research on cycle phase and performance is mixed: a 2020 meta-analysis found performance might be trivially reduced in the early follicular phase, but rated the evidence quality low and recommended a personalized approach rather than general rules (McNulty et al., 2020). Practical advice on working out on your period follows the same idea: adjust to how you feel.

Marathon block? Drop to three lifting days (or two) during peak mileage, and protect the quality runs. The hard running sessions in that phase, like track workouts for marathon training, need fresh legs more than a fourth lifting day does.

Common mistakes with a 4-day split

Making both lower days heavy. One heavy squat day and one heavy hinge day, each moderate on the other pattern. Two maximal leg days plus running is a recipe for flat legs.

Turning upper days into arm days. Rows and presses first, arms last.

Adding a fifth day because four feels easy. Feeling easy is the point. Add weight, not days.

How exrsz handles a 4-day split

exrsz builds your four lifting days and your running into one periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment. It keeps heavy leg days away from hard runs, adapts each week to how you actually trained, and reshuffles missed sessions instead of stacking them onto the next day.

FAQ

Is a 4 day workout split good for women?

Yes, for women who can recover from three days and have time for a fourth. An upper/lower split trains each muscle twice a week, and split and full-body routines produce similar results when volume is matched (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024).

What is the best 4 day split for women?

Upper/lower for most people: two upper days and two lower days, one heavier and one higher-rep of each. Four full-body days also works if you prefer it.

Can I run on a 4 day workout split?

Yes. Keep heavy leg days away from the day before a hard run or long run, put a hard run and a lift on the same day (run first) when they have to share, and let easy runs fill the gaps.

How many exercises should each session have?

Four or five: one or two main lifts, two secondary lifts and an accessory. Sessions should take 45 to 60 minutes.

How long should I follow a 4-day split?

At least one 12-week block, with a lighter week every four to six weeks. Keep going as long as your lifts are still improving.