# Glutes & Legs Focus – 4-Day

> Three lower-body days (heavy glutes, legs, glute volume) and one upper-body day. Hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts and split squats, with drop sets and failure sets on the machines.

Goal: Muscle Gain · Level: Intermediate · Equipment: Barbell، Dumbbells، Cables، Machine، Bench، Pull-Up Bar · 4 days/week · ~55 min/session · 8 weeks

Interactive version (free): https://stay-active.app/templates/glutes-legs-focus-4day

_Updated 10 October 2026_

## Who is this plan for?

If your priority is glutes and legs, the plan should spend most of its time there. This one gives you three lower-body sessions a week, each with a different job, plus one upper-body day to keep the rest of you strong and balanced.

The heavy glute day is built on barbell hip thrusts and Romanian deadlifts in the 6-8 range. Leg day is squat-led with quads and hamstrings. The volume glute day uses Smith machine hip thrusts, kickbacks, step-ups and abductor work at higher reps. Machines carry the intensity techniques: abductor and kickback drop sets, and failure sets on hip thrust and leg curls.

The glutes get about 16-20 hard sets a week, enough for real growth in someone who has trained consistently for six months or more. Push the heavy hip thrusts and RDLs by adding weight whenever you hit the top of the range on every set.

A good week is Monday glutes (heavy), Tuesday upper, Thursday legs, Saturday glutes (volume).

## The full 4-day plan: exercises, sets and reps

### Day 1 – Glutes (Heavy) — Glutes & Hamstrings

- **Barbell Hip Thrust** — 4 sets × 6-8 reps, rest 150s
- **Romanian Deadlift** — 3 sets × 8 reps, rest 150s
- **Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat** — 3 sets × 8-10 per leg, rest 90s
- **Cable Pull Through** — 3 sets × 12 reps, rest 60s
- **Machine Abductor** — 3 sets × 15-20 reps, rest 60s, drop set on the last set

### Day 2 – Upper Body

- **Dumbbell Shoulder Press** — 3 sets × 8-10 reps, rest 120s
- **Cable Lat Pulldown** — 3 sets × 10 reps, rest 90s
- **Machine Chest Press** — 3 sets × 10 reps, rest 90s
- **Cable Seated Row** — 3 sets × 10-12 reps, rest 75s
- **Dumbbell Lateral Raise** — 3 sets × 12-15 reps, rest 60s, last set to failure
- **Cable Face Pull** — 3 sets × 15 reps, rest 60s

### Day 3 – Legs — Quads & Hamstrings

- **Barbell Squat** — 4 sets × 6-8 reps, rest 180s
- **Machine Leg Press** — 3 sets × 10-12 reps, rest 120s
- **Machine Seated Leg Curl** — 3 sets × 10-12 reps, rest 75s, last set to failure
- **Machine Leg Extension** — 3 sets × 12-15 reps, rest 60s, drop set on the last set
- **Dumbbell Walking Lunge** — 2 sets × 10 per leg, rest 75s
- **Smith Machine Calf Raise** — 3 sets × 12-15 reps, rest 60s

### Day 4 – Glutes (Volume)

- **Smith Machine Hip Thrust** — 3 sets × 10-12 reps, rest 120s, last set to failure
- **Machine Glute Kickback** — 3 sets × 12-15 per leg, rest 60s, drop set on the last set
- **Dumbbell Step-Up** — 3 sets × 10 per leg, rest 75s
- **Machine Back Extension** — 3 sets × 12-15 reps, rest 60s
- **Machine Abductor** — 3 sets × 20 reps, rest 60s, last set to failure
- **Pallof Press** — 3 sets × 10 per side, rest 45s

## Frequently asked questions

### How many days a week is the Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan, and how long are the workouts?

The Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan is 4 days a week, with sessions of about 55 minutes, over 8 weeks.

### What equipment do I need for the Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan?

The Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan uses a barbell, dumbbells, a cable machine, gym machines, a bench and pull-up bar.

### Is the Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan good for beginners?

The Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan is an intermediate plan, best once you have trained consistently for a few months. If you are new to training, start with one of the beginner plans in the free library.

### Is the Glutes & Legs Focus 4-Day plan free?

Yes. The full plan is free to read here and to follow in the StayActive app, with no subscription and no ads.

### Why train glutes twice a week?

Glutes are a large, resilient muscle group that respond well to higher weekly volume. Two dedicated sessions, one heavy and one higher-rep, plus leg day, gives them more work than a standard split without making any single session too long.

### What does "last set to failure" mean?

On that exercise, do your normal sets, then on the final set keep going until you cannot complete another rep with good form. It only appears on machine, cable and isolation work, where failing a rep is safe. Never take heavy squats, deadlifts or bench presses to failure.

### How do drop sets work in the app?

When you finish the last set of an exercise marked "Drop set", the tracker adds a drop: reduce the weight by about 25% and keep going straight away with no rest. Log the drop like any other set.

### Do I need the upper-body day?

Yes. A strong back, shoulders and core support your heavy hip thrusts and deadlifts, and one session a week keeps the upper body progressing while the focus stays on legs.

## Safety notes

Hip thrusts and Romanian deadlifts are heavy: keep a neutral spine and stop one to two reps short of failure on them. Use a pad on the bar for hip thrusts. Failure sets and drop sets are only on machines. Rest at least one day between the two glute days.