A four-day plan for teens who have trained for a few months. Upper and lower body on alternate days with dumbbells and a door-frame pull-up bar, so every muscle trains twice a week.
Four days a week sounds like a lot, but split into upper and lower body it is easy to recover from. You train your upper body on one day and your legs the next, so each muscle gets two sessions a week and at least two days of rest in between.
A typical week is Upper A on Monday, Lower A on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, Upper B on Thursday and Lower B on Friday. The upper days mix dumbbell presses and rows with pull-up bar work (negatives or full pull-ups and chin-ups). The lower days cover squats, hinges, single-leg work and calves.
Sets are three per exercise with 8 to 12 reps for most lifts. Keep a couple of reps in reserve: no set should be a grind. When you hit the top of a range on every set, use the next weight up. On the bar, move from negatives to full reps as soon as you can do a couple of clean ones.
Sessions run about 40 minutes. Warm up first and keep the rest days.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Floor Press | 3 × 8-12 | 90s |
| Negative Pull-Up | 3 × 4-6 | 90s |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8-12 | 75s |
| Dumbbell Single-Arm Row | 3 × 10 per arm | 60s |
| Dumbbell Curl | 2 × 10-12 | 45s |
| Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension | 2 × 10-12 | 45s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet Squat | 3 × 10-12 | 90s |
| Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Dumbbell Step-Up | 3 × 8 per leg | 60s |
| Single-Leg Glute Bridge | 3 × 10 per leg | 45s |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 × 15 | 45s |
| Dead Bug | 3 × 8 per side | 45s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Push-Up | 3 × 8-15 | 75s |
| Negative Chin-Up | 3 × 4-6 | 90s |
| Dumbbell Arnold Press | 3 × 8-10 | 75s |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 × 10-12 | 60s |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 2 × 12-15 | 45s |
| Hanging Knee Raise | 3 × 8-10 | 45s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 × 8 per leg | 90s |
| Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Dumbbell Lateral Lunge | 3 × 8 per side | 60s |
| Hamstring Walkout | 3 × 6 | 60s |
| Weighted Standing Calf Raise | 3 × 12 | 45s |
| Side Plank | 3 × 20-30 seconds per side | 45s |
The Teen Upper/Lower 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.
Yes. The full plan is free to read here and to follow in the StayActive app, with no subscription and no ads.
Not when it is split like this. Each muscle is trained twice a week with at least two days to recover, and sessions are only about 40 minutes. If you also play a sport several times a week, use a three-day plan instead or count sport as one of your days.
Do slow negatives instead: jump or step to the top and lower yourself for three to five seconds. Do the same for chin-ups. Keep the reps the plan gives.
No. Stop each set with one or two good reps left. You will still get stronger, recover faster and keep your technique clean.
Ideally two pairs: a lighter one for presses, raises and curls and a heavier one for squats, deadlifts and rows. Adjustable dumbbells work well.
This plan is for teens with at least a few months of regular training and good technique on the basic lifts. Never train the same half of the body on two days in a row, and keep at least one full rest day a week. If you play a sport too, count those sessions and drop to three days if you feel run down. Check with your doctor first if you have a medical condition.
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