Focus on progressive overload and muscle development with this upper/lower split. Designed for those who have mastered the basics and are ready for more volume and intensity. This program builds serious strength and muscle mass through strategic exercise selection and progressive overload principles.
The Power Builder program uses an upper/lower split to maximize training volume while allowing adequate recovery. This intermediate program is perfect for lifters who have completed beginner programs and are ready to take their strength and muscle gains to the next level.
Target Audience: Intermediate lifters (3-6 months+ experience)
Duration: 50-60 minutes per session
Frequency: 4 days per week (Upper A, Lower A, Rest, Upper B, Lower B, Rest, Rest)
Equipment Needed: Full gym access (barbells, dumbbells, cable machines, pull-up bar)
4 days per week following this split:
This schedule allows each muscle group 48-72 hours of recovery between sessions.
The cornerstone of upper body pressing strength.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Bench Press Form Guide
Muscles worked: Chest, anterior deltoids, triceps
Builds a powerful back and improves grip strength.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Pull-up Tutorial
Muscles worked: Lats, rhomboids, biceps, rear deltoids
Modification: Use resistance bands or assisted pull-up machine
Builds shoulder strength and stability.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Overhead Press Form
Muscles worked: Anterior and medial deltoids, triceps, core
Efficient arm training through supersetting.
Bicep Curl form:
Tricep Extension form:
Video tutorials:
Muscles worked: Biceps, triceps
The foundation of lower body strength.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Barbell Squat Form
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, core
Targets hamstrings and glutes while improving hip hinge pattern.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Romanian Deadlift Tutorial
Muscles worked: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back
High-volume quadriceps and glute work.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Leg Press Form
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings
Builds lower leg strength and definition.
Form cues:
Video tutorial: Calf Raise Tutorial
Muscles worked: Gastrocnemius, soleus
Alternate exercises to provide variety and target muscles from different angles:
Upper B alternatives:
Lower B alternatives:
To maximize gains from this program:
Use our Macro Calculator to determine your optimal nutrition plan.
The split itself does not expire — plenty of lifters run upper/lower for years. What expires is the loading scheme. Run this block for 8-12 weeks, deload, then repeat it with new numbers. The signal to move on to something like Strength Master is two consecutive blocks where session-to-session progression stalls despite good sleep and food, not a date on a calendar.
Four training days leaves three genuinely free, so there is more room here than on a 5-6 day programme. Two or three easy 20-30 minute sessions will not cost you anything. Keep them off lower-body days where possible, or separate them by at least six hours — back-to-back squats and a hard run is the combination that actually interferes.
Then the weight is wrong, not you. Completing every set is the entire point of an intermediate block: the volume is what drives the adaptation, and a weight that costs you the last two sets has cost you more than it added. Drop 10% and build back. You will pass your old number inside a month.
Keep 1-2 reps in reserve on compounds. On a four-day split you train each body part twice a week, so a set taken to failure on Monday is paid for on Thursday — that second session is where the split's advantage lives, and it is not worth trading. Isolation work at the end of a session is where failure costs least.
Use double progression: stay at the same weight until you can hit the top of the prescribed rep range on every set with 1-2 reps still in reserve, then add 2.5-5 lbs and work back up the range. Adding weight the first session you touch the top rep is how intermediate lifters stall — the rep range exists to be filled out, not clipped.
The Power Builder program is designed for intermediate lifters ready to take their strength and muscle gains to the next level. With its strategic upper/lower split and focus on progressive overload, this program will help you build serious muscle mass and strength.
Remember: consistency, proper form, adequate recovery, and nutrition are the keys to success. Stay patient, track your progress, and enjoy the journey of building a stronger, more muscular physique!