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Fullbody Workouts 4 Days a Week? Is This Crazy?

Can you build muscle using 4 full-body workouts per week? Is this complete insanity and foolishness? Find out...
Tiger Fitness
Tiger Fitness Workouts

Fullbody Workouts 4 Days a Week? Is This Crazy?

Can you build muscle using 4 full-body workouts per week? Is this complete insanity and foolishness? Find out...

Fullbody Workout

About this workout

Workout Summary
Main Goal Muscle Mass
Workout Type Full Body
Targeted Gender Any
Training Experience Intermediate
Program Duration 8-12 Weeks
Days Per Week 4 Days
Time Per Workout 45-60 Minutes
Equipment Needed Barbell, Dumbbells, Machines, Cables, Bodyweight

I might be crazy, but I like a challenge. And creating this workout was a challenge.

I was asked if it was possible to perform a  full-body workout four days per week. Of course! Anything is possible. As long as you balance volume, intensity, and frequency - anything is possible.

So I did just that.

We already know the frequency: Four full-body workouts per week. The only variables we need to adjust are volume and intensity.

Related: Fast Gains: A Quick Start Muscle Building Workout Plan

Intensity. Intensity is weight relative to your one rep max. It is also the overall impact and stress an exercise places upon a muscle and joints.

So if you bench press 250 pounds, using a weight of 220 pounds is more intense than repping out with 175 pounds. Get it? Good.

An isolation or machine exercise is also less intense than a compound movement. It feels easier, and is generally more forgiving on your joints and tendons.

Training each muscle group four times per week is possible, but I believe it's in our best interest to cycle intensity. Here are the two workout options I am going to outline:

  • Workout #1 - Heavy/Light (HL)
  • Workout #2 - Heavy/Light/Moderate (HLM)

Full Body WorkoutVolume. When I consider volume, I look at total amount of work performed.

Let's say you perform 12 sets for chest one day a week on a body part split. Here is a volume break down for various frequency approaches:

  • Upper/Lower Split - Target chest twice a week using 6 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.
  • Full-body Split - Target chest three times a week using 4 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.
  • Full-body Split - Target chest three times a week using 4 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.
So if we are to attempt four full-body workouts per week, the best plan of attack is to use only 3 sets per major muscle group per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week. For minor muscle groups I am going to aim for eight total sets per week, or two sets per session.

Heavy/Light 4 Day Full-body Workout

Here is a sample schedule:
  • Day 1 - Workout A
  • Day 2 - Workout B
  • Day 3 - Off
  • Day 4 - Workout C
  • Day 5 - Workout D
  • Day 6 - Off
  • Day 7 - Off
For major muscle groups we will rotate between heavy and light work. So you will perform 6 heavier sets per week and 6 lighter sets per week.

Heavy sets will involve compound movements in the 5 to 10 rep range. Lighter sets will involve bodyweight or isolation-style movements in the 10 to 15 rep range.

Minor muscle groups will use more of a moderate/light approach. We will rotate between moderately taxing movements using about 10 reps per set, to lighter isolation-style movements using about 15 reps per set.
Workout a
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Squats - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Lat Pull Downs - Light  3  10 to 15
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - Heavy  3  10
Side Lateral Raise - Light  3  10 to 15
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts - Moderate  2  10
Cable Triceps Extensions - Light  2  12 to 15
EZ Bar Curls - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Seated Calf Raise - Light  2  15

Workout B
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Leg Extensions - Light  3  10 to 15
Dumbbell Rows - Heavy  3  10
Low Cable Crossovers - Light  3  10 to 15
Military Press - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Leg Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Lying Triceps Extensions - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Concentration Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Ab Wheel Roll Outs - Light  2  10 to 15

Workout C
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Bench Press - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Seated Cable Rows - Light  3  10 to 15
Leg Press - Heavy  3  10 to 12
Upright Rows - Light  3  10 to 15
Glute/Ham Raise - Moderate  2  10 to 15
Dumbbell Skullcrushers - Light  2  12 to 15
Seated Dumbbell Curls - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Standing Calf Raise - Light  2  15

Workout D
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Deadlifts - Heavy  3  5
Hack Squats - Moderate  3  15
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press - Heavy  3  10
Push Ups - Light  3  15
Single Leg Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Close Grip Bench Press - Moderate  2  10
Seated Cable Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Plank - Light  2  60-120 sec

Full Body Workout

Heavy/Light/Moderate 4 Day Full-body Workout

Here is a sample schedule:
  • Day 1 - Workout A
  • Day 2 - Workout B
  • Day 3 - Off
  • Day 4 - Workout C
  • Day 5 - Workout D
  • Day 6 - Off
  • Day 7 - Off
For major muscle groups we will rotate between heavy and light/moderate work. So you will perform 6 heavier sets per week, 3 moderate sets, and 3 lighter sets per week.

Heavy sets will involve compound movements in the 5 to 10 rep range. Lighter sets will involve bodyweight or isolation-style movements in the 10 to 15 rep range. Moderate sets will involve taxing machine-style exercises, more moderate compound lifts, or challenging body weight exercises in the 8 to 12 rep range.

Minor muscle groups will use more of a moderate/light approach. We will rotate between moderately taxing movements using about 10 reps per set, to lighter isolation-style movements using about 15 reps per set.
Workout a
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Squats - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Weight Pull-Ups or T-Bar Rows - Moderate  3  10 to 12
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - Heavy  3  10
Side Lateral Raise - Light  3  10 to 15
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts - Moderate  2  10
Cable Triceps Extensions - Light  2  12 to 15
EZ Bar Curls - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Seated Calf Raise - Light  2  15

Workout B
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Leg Extensions - Light  3  10 to 15
Dumbbell Rows - Heavy  3  10
Low Cable Crossovers - Light  3  10 to 15
Military Press - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Leg Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Lying Triceps Extensions - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Concentration Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Ab Wheel Roll Outs - Light  2  10 to 15

Workout C
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Bench Press - Heavy  3  5 to 8
Lat Pull Downs - Light  3  10 to 15
Leg Press - Heavy  3  10 to 12
Machine Shoulder Press - Moderate  3  12 to 15
Glute/Ham Raise - Moderate  2  10 to 15
Dumbbell Skullcrushers - Light  2  12 to 15
Seated Dumbbell Curls - Moderate  2  10 to 12
Standing Calf Raise - Light  2  15

Workout D
Full-Body Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Deadlifts - Heavy  3  5
High Box Step Ups - Light  3  15
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press - Heavy  3  10
Dips or Machine Chest Press - Moderate  3  12 to 15
Single Leg Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Close Grip Bench Press - Moderate  2  10
Seated Cable Curls - Light  2  12 to 15
Plank - Light  2  60-120 sec

Keep building

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Questions and results

3 comments

Running this program? Tell us what week you are on and how the progression is going. A coach answers every question here.

Comments are reviewed before they go live.

  1. Chris HernandezMarch 18, 2021

    With the 4day split do you run this workout like a circuit or do all the sets and move to the next exercise?

  2. MikeApril 08, 2020

    What do you suggest for rest time?

  3. antie ksusiasthsJanuary 11, 2019

    Greate program i was looking to try something like this.,im tired of 5 days split,so im starting this with 2 days extra abs and some hiit ,how long can i do this program?

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