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This 4 day workout plan is designed to encourage hypertrophy. This is a common goal for many gym-goers, whether they are bodybuilders or general fitness enthusiasts. Building muscle mass can result in positive changes in physique and body composition.
A hypertrophy workout manipulates certain training determinants to stimulate muscle growth. This involves changes in reps, sets, and load to emphasize volume, one of the most important variables for hypertrophy. Increasing volume has been shown to directly influence the magnitude of muscle growth. Greater volume equals greater gains!
This comprehensive 4 day workout plan is an intermediate workout routine that promotes muscle hypertrophy when implemented correctly. You should have some experience in the weight room before attempting these workouts. Read on for more details on how to achieve a more sculpted look.
4-Day Muscle-Building Plan
This 4 day workout plan helps you build muscle mass and strength. It is an intermediate-level workout performed four days per week for eight weeks to maximize results.
- Day 1: Chest, triceps, and abs.
- Day 2: Legs.
- Day 3: Rest.
- Day 4: Shoulders and abs.
- Day 5: Back and biceps.
- Day 6: Rest.
- Day 7: Rest.
Complete a 5–10 minute warm-up before each workout, consisting of cardio and stretching. Suggestions for supersets and drop sets are included but remember to use them sparingly.
4-Day Workout Plan To Build Muscle
This 8-week workout plan involves workouts four days per week. On rest days, you have the option to perform active recovery techniques, such as light jogging or walking. However, if you feel you need a day of complete rest, take it!
Remember to include a 5–10 minute warm-up of cardio and stretching before your workouts. Additionally, include warmup sets before your first working set. Perform one set with minimal weight for 15–20 reps, then a second set at 50% working load for 15–20 reps.
Below, you’ll find a sample schedule for this 4 day workout plan. Feel free to adjust the days as needed to fit your schedule.
- Day 1: Chest, triceps, and abs.
- Day 2: Legs.
- Day 3: Rest.
- Day 4: Shoulders and abs.
- Day 5: Back and biceps.
- Day 6: Rest.
- Day 7: Rest.
Suggestions for supersets and drop sets are included below. These techniques can maximize your time and effort at the gym, but use them wisely. Overusing them can lead to overtraining and a setback in your gains.
Day 1: Chest, Triceps, And Abs
Day one targets the chest, triceps, and abdominals. The chest and triceps are pushing muscles essential to everyday activities like opening a door or using a shopping cart. The abdominals are part of your core, crucial for stability and posture.
Alternate weekly between a barbell and dumbbells for the incline press and between the flat and incline bench for dumbbell flyes. Including some exercise variation into your routine can enhance strength and hypertrophy results. However, this principle must be applied with care. Too much variation without a structured plan can hinder results.
A superset is when two exercises are performed back-to-back without any rest between. This can help with time efficiency at the gym. For this workout, try supersetting the dumbbell press with dumbbell flyes.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Duration | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Flat Bench Press | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Incline Dumbbell Fly | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Cable Crossover | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Overhead Rope Extension | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Reverse Pushdown | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Plank | 3 | 30–60 seconds | 60–90 seconds | |
| Lying Floor Leg Raise | 3 | 12–15 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 2: Legs
Day two focuses on the major muscle groups of the legs. The quadriceps and the hamstrings are on the front and back of your thigh, respectively. The glutes are your buttock muscles, and the calves are on the back of your lower leg.
Superset the leg press with leg extensions and incorporate the drop set technique on the leg curl machine. To do a drop set, perform your first set to failure, then reduce the weight by 10%–30%. Perform another 10–15 reps, then repeat once more.
Drop sets are another way to optimize your time at the gym. It minimizes rest periods to reduce your overall workout time. This technique is well suited to pin-loaded gym equipment. Hence, it is performed on the leg curl machine.
Remember, you don’t need a fancy gym to achieve leg gains. Check out seven impressive at-home leg workouts here!
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Leg Press | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Leg Extension | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds |
| Smith Machine Calf Raise | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Calf Raise | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 3: Shoulders And Abs
Day three works your deltoids and abdominals. Your deltoids are made up of three parts: the anterior, lateral, and posterior portions. Your deltoids help move your shoulders in all directions, making them crucial for everyday activities.
Planks and side planks are effective exercises for strengthening your core. For example, the rectus abdominis, your six-pack muscle, is activated at 33% of its maximum contraction during the standard plank. During a side plank, the working side muscles are activated at approximately 40% of their maximum.
When performing the military press, ensure you use the proper form through your full range of motion. This optimizes the exercise for strength and hypertrophy gains. Additionally, alternate weekly between barbell and plate shrugs for exercise variety.
Check out these shoulder workouts optimized for building mass for more ideas on achieving bigger, rounder delts!
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Duration | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military Press | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Bent-Over Reverse Crossover | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Plate Shrug | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds | |
| Side Plank | 3 | 30–60 seconds | 60–90 seconds | |
| Russian Twists | 4 | 12–15 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 4: Back And Biceps
Day 4 targets the muscles of the back and the biceps. The back comprises several muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, the trapezius, and the erector spinae. The back muscles are important for pulling tasks, like lifting a bag or putting on your pants.
The biceps are on the front of your upper arm. They are responsible for bending your elbow, lifting your arm, and turning your palm upward. The biceps are also very important in various pulling tasks performed every day.
Not everyone can perform a strict pull-up, and that’s ok! Use a resistance band looped over the bar for assistance or an assisted pull-up machine. If neither of these are available, you can try negatives.
Negatives focus on slowly performing the exercise’s eccentric, or lowering, portion. This has been shown to be beneficial for muscle hypertrophy. Use a box to start at the top of the pull-up and slowly lower yourself until your arms are straight.
Incorporate drop sets for the lat pulldown to maximize effort for those muscles in a short amount of time.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide-Grip Pull-Up | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10 | 60–90 seconds |
| Bent-Over Barbell Row | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing Barbell Curl | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curl | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
| Hammer Curl | 4 | 12 | 60–90 seconds |
Benefits Of A 4 Day Workout Plan For Muscle-Building
This 4 day workout plan offers more benefits than just bigger muscles. Below, we discuss three of the most important advantages!
Better Body Composition
Hypertrophy workouts are utilized by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts to achieve an impressive physique. Typically, this means increasing lean muscle mass and decreasing fat mass.
When done correctly and consistently, hypertrophy workouts can improve body composition. As your body adapts to the exercises, lean muscle mass increases while body fat decreases. This can result in better muscle definition and a more pleasing physique.
Better Balance And Function
There is a natural loss of muscle mass that occurs with age. As we enter our sixth decade, the risk of developing a condition called sarcopenia increases. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass combined with decreased strength or physical performance.
Resistance training can help improve or maintain muscle mass and strength, minimizing functional decline. Increased lean muscle mass has also been linked to better strength and balance in older adults. This can reduce the risk of falls and maintain independence later in life.
Increased Bone Density
Osteoporosis is the marked loss of bone density with age. Over 10 million Americans are affected by osteoporosis, with almost $18 billion spent annually on treating osteoporosis-related fractures.
Resistance training has been shown to help maintain musculoskeletal health with age. The mechanical load of the resistance helps to stimulate bone-building activity. This can increase bone mass and density, reducing the risk of age-related osteoporosis.
Training Tips For Optimal Results
Here are a few additional tips to get the most out of our 4 day workout plan!
- Cardio: You can incorporate cardio activity without worrying about your gains. In fact, a 2023 study showed that combining aerobic exercise and hypertrophy training positively impacted chest and thigh girth measurements.
Keep the sessions moderate in length and consider your calorie balance. Your body needs calories to build muscle, so don’t burn up all that fuel during your cardio.
- Nutrition: Growing muscles requires optimal protein intake. Current guidelines recommend consuming 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Spread this throughout your day. Consume approximately 20–40 grams of protein per meal.
Advanced individuals may benefit from increased protein intake, consuming more than 3.0 g/kg/day. This may require supplementation to achieve protein intake goals.
- Weight Selection: Your load will depend on your fitness goals. For hypertrophy, we’re aiming for a moderate load. You can use trial and error or calculate your one repetition maximum to choose your starting weight.
For trial and error, choose a weight that allows you to complete the listed reps at or approaching failure. Your one repetition maximum, or 1RM, is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition with proper form. For hypertrophy workouts, you will lift 60%–80% of your 1RM for each exercise.
Conclusion
This 4 day workout plan is the perfect routine to build muscle strength and size. It combines the right number of exercises per muscle group with the correct load to stimulate the growth you’re looking for. You’ll incorporate advanced training techniques like supersets and drop sets to maximize your efficiency at the gym. All in all, this hypertrophy routine gives you all the components to achieve your fitness goals! Detail content
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can lose weight in eight weeks. A safe, sustainable pace is considered to lose 1–2 pounds weekly. You can do this by consuming fewer calories and exercising regularly.
Yes, you will notice a difference in eight weeks, especially if you are a beginner. You may see improvement in energy, mood, strength, and stamina. More significant physical changes may take longer than eight weeks.
Yes, there may be some small improvements in muscle size in eight weeks. Larger changes will be noticed in longer time frames.
Yes, you can start to build endurance in eight weeks. Greater improvements will occur with longer periods of time, but you can begin to build stamina in eight weeks.
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Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Tara Mitchell, DPT Doctor Of Physical Therapy
