Monday
Upper body
- Barbell Bench PressChest
- Barbell Underhand RowLats
- Barbell Front PressShoulders
- Alternating Lat PulldownLats
- Dumbbell Alternating Preacher CurlsBiceps
- Ab CrunchAbs
This strength training program is for someone who already knows the barbell lifts and wants them to go up. Four days a week, two upper body and two lower body, for 12 weeks: the big lifts come first in sets of 3 to 6 reps with long rests, jumps open the leg days, and the reps drop week by week so the weight can climb.
In the app: this program as your plan. The week, its workouts and the next one to start.
- Days a week
- 4
- Level
- Skilled
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Session in week 1
- 30-58 min
- Equipment
- Full gym
- Goal
- Get stronger
Week 1, day by day
Every exercise of the first week, in the order you do them. Sets × reps, and the rest is the pause after each set.
Tuesday
Lower body
- Box JumpsQuads
- Barbell SquatQuads
- Hex Bar DeadliftsLower Back
- Standing Calve Raises With DumbbellsCalves
- Seated Single Leg Calf Raise MachineCalves
- Plank Walk OutsAbs
Thursday
Upper body
- Incline Barbell Bench PressChest
- Barbell Overhand RowLats
- Smith Machine Front PressShoulders
- Ezy Bar Skull CrushersTriceps
- Incline Dumbbell Chest FlysChest
- Weighted Russian Twists HardAbs
Friday
Lower body
- Body Weight Squat JumpsQuads
- Barbell Box SquatQuads
- Barbell Glute Hip ThrustsGlutes
- Seated Calf Raise MachineCalves
- V UpAbs
Built by the Coach.AI engine, version 55da4102.
Coach.AI
This is how the program looks in the app
Real screens from Coach.AI with this program in week 1: the overview of every workout, with each exercise, its sets, reps and rest.
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01 Day 1 · Upper body
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02 Day 2 · Lower body
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03 Day 3 · Upper body
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04 Day 4 · Lower body
Scroll inside the screen to see the whole workout
The first week of your .AI plan is free.
How the program moves on
Here is week 1 next to the weeks after it, from the same run of the engine. Each cell is sets × reps.
- Barbell Bench Press, a main lift: 4 × 5 in week 1, 4 × 4 in week 2 and 2 × 5 in week 4. Fewer reps per set leave room for a heavier weight. How and when to add weight: progressive overload, explained.
- Working sets in the whole week: 63 in week 1, 68 in week 2 and 46 in week 4.
- Rest after each set on the main lifts: 2 min 30 s in week 1, 2 min 45 s in week 2, 3 min in week 3 and 2 min 30 s in week 4.
- Of the 23 exercises in week 1, week 4 keeps 10; the others are swapped for different ones. New exercises that join: 12.
- Lighter weeks: 4, 8 and 12. In week 4 the week comes down to 46 working sets, against 71 in week 3. Barbell Bench Press goes to 2 × 5. Why a lighter week makes you stronger: the deload week, explained.
- Week 12 ends with a test day on Friday. It measures:
- Barbell Box Squat: work up to one heavy set of 3 reps; the weight is your result
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: work up to one heavy set of 3 reps; the weight is your result
- Hex Bar Deadlifts: work up to one heavy set of 3 reps; the weight is your result
- Weeks 5-7 and 9-11 aren't shown here. In the app each of them is built from the sets you logged the week before.
| Main lift | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4lighter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 × 5 | 4 × 4 | 4 × 3 | 2 × 5 |
| Barbell Squat | 4 × 5 | 4 × 4 | 4 × 3 | 2 × 5 |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 4 × 5 | 4 × 4 | 4 × 3 | 2 × 5 |
| Working sets in the week | 63 | 68 | 71 | 46 |
Working sets in every week shown
- Week 163
- Week 268
- Week 371
- Week 446lighter
- Week 845lighter
- Week 1241lighter, test day
What comes after 12 weeks?
The test day at the end shows how much your main lifts grew. The next program takes those numbers and your log, starts a little below your finish and leads you up again, with a new wave and weights you don’t have to guess.
Skilled has four stages: Into the waves, Building volume, Reaching the top of the level and Getting ready for Advanced. After that comes Advanced, with 16 week blocks, if you get there and want it.
Who it's for
It suits you if you've trained regularly for at least half a year, your technique on the squat, bench press and deadlift is solid, and you can give it four days a week. Sessions in week 1 take 30-58 min. Every fourth week is lighter, and the program ends with a test day where you work up to a heavy set and see what you've built.
When another program fits better
If size matters more to you than the number on the bar, upper lower for muscle uses more reps and shorter rests. New to the gym? Start with the beginner full body plan; strength comes fast there anyway.
Still choosing between full body and a split? Here’s how to pick for your week.
Worth reading before you start
Questions people ask
Is 4 days a week enough to get stronger?
Yes. Four days let every big lift come round twice a week, which is plenty to practise heavy work and recover from it. Most people who stall on four days need more sleep or patience, not a fifth session.
Why so few reps?
Strength is a skill as much as muscle: lifting heavy is practised by lifting heavy. Sets of 3 to 6 reps let the weight go up while your technique stays clean. The smaller exercises after the main lifts keep more reps to build the muscle behind them.
Do I need to test my one rep max?
Not to train. The test day at the end asks you to work up to one heavy set, not a true max, and the app keeps the result next to your last one. For a number you can use today, the 1RM calculator turns a recent hard set into an estimated max.
How do I pick a weight for week 1?
Pick a weight you could lift for two or three more reps than the card asks for. The first week is for learning the movements and finding your numbers, not for testing yourself. If you know a recent set on a lift, the 1RM calculator turns it into a working weight for any number of reps.
What if I miss a day?
Do the next session when you can and keep the order. Don't squeeze two sessions into one day to catch up. In the app the rest of your week moves to the days ahead.
Can I do this program at home?
This week is built for a full gym: machines, cables and free weights. With dumbbells at home, or with no equipment at all, the exercises would be different. In the app you tell it what you have, and the plan only uses that.
Other programs
All programs
Beginner full bodyThree full body sessions on machines that are easy to learn.
Push pull legsPush, pull and legs, one job per session.
Upper lowerTwo upper and two lower days, every muscle twice a week.
5 day splitPush, pull, legs, then upper and lower.
Weight lossStrength work plus more cardio and shorter rests.
Home with dumbbellsDumbbells, a bench and three full body sessions.
Gym plan for womenThree full body sessions, women's starting weights.
2 days a weekFull body first, then an upper and a lower day.
Gym after 40Full body three times a week, with more rest.
Coach.AI
Get this week fitted to you
This is the week Coach.AI builds for a typical person with this profile (Skilled, Get stronger, 4 days, Full gym, age 30). In the app it's fitted to your own goal, days, equipment and age, and to the sets you log: each next week is built from what you logged in the one before.
The first week of your .AI plan is free.
