Mar 14

Mar 14 Classic 4 Day Split Workout Routine

The Best 4 Day Workout Routine for All-Rounders and Beginners

The ‘Bro Split’ has been much derided over the last decade or so, but if you are new to bodybuilding, these sorts of workout splits can be a great way to structure your workouts

Whether you are someone that is brand new to the gym and training, or simply getting back into things, this 4 day split will provide a solid structure for your workouts.

We have used this split for years, and with the exception of changing one or two exercises here and there it’s been very reliable and breaks things down into constituent parts.

So for us, this is the best four-day workout split out there, although feel free to share others in the comments.

Why Split your Workouts into Body Parts?

So its been long debated whether overtraining is really a thing, but it makes sense that if your muscle is exhausted and fatigued, it needs time to rest and repair, and therefore grow.

So it’s pretty obvious why one would split workouts into body parts; to allow one part of the body time to rest and recover whilst working on another one… but for more clarity -

Here are the 4 main reasons to split your workout into body parts;

Target specific muscle groups
By focusing on a specific muscle group (or two) during a workout, you can ensure that those muscles receive enough stimulation for growth - or at least a decent amount of stimulation that gives you the best chance of growth.
Prevent overtraining: (yup, there it is)
By working different muscle groups on different days, you can avoid overworking any particular muscle group, which can lead to injury or flogging a dead horse, or exhausted muscle. The idea is that they can’t grow whilst they are all bashed up from working them out.
Allow for rest and recovery
When you work out a specific muscle group, it needs time to recover, rebuild and GROW MF. By targeting different muscle groups on different days, you allow each muscle group enough time to rest and recover.
Efficient use of time:
By splitting your routine into separate body parts, you can target different muscle groups and get a full-body workout over the course of a week without spending too long in the gym each day. 45 mins preferably but this is down to what you want to do. I want to work out and get out.

The Best 4-Day Workout Split

Day 1: Chest and Triceps

Barbell bench press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Incline dumbbell press - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Cable flyes - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Skull crushers - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Tricep pushdowns - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Dips - 3 sets x failure
If you don’t have a dip bar available, try ‘diamond’ push-ups instead as a finisher, these are great once your triceps are full of blood and you want to really burn them out.

Day 2: Back and Biceps

Pull-ups - 3 sets x failure
If you can’t do a pull up use a band or swap these for face pulls. The aim is to really work the lats but develop the movement that also works some of the delts.
Barbell rows - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Lat pulldowns - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Don’t go too heavy here, start with slow movement on the way down and really isolate the lats and hold at the bottom before release.
Dumbbell curls - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Hammer curls - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Preacher curls - 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Day 3: Rest

Make sure you do actually rest.

You can obviously throw in a bit of cardio, but really you need to be eating, sleeping and not working out. This is where you recover and grow!

Day 4: Shoulders and Abs

Seated dumbbell press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Lateral raises - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Front raises - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Bent-over lateral raises - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Cable crunches - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Plank - 3 sets x failure

NOTE: Make sure you warm up your rotator cuff’s with a resistance band! So many shoulder injuries come from an improper warm-up. See below.

Day 5: Legs

Barbell squats - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
If you are new to the gym start with air squats, then just the bar OR use a kettlebell and do squats with it between your legs.
Leg press - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Romanian deadlifts - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Leg extensions - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Leg curls - 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Standing calf raises - 3 sets x 15-20 reps