Upper/Lower for Recomp
Recomp lives in a narrow window — maintenance calories, high protein, honest training. This 4-day upper/lower gives your body the training stimulus to partition calories toward muscle, not fat.
Goal: Recomp — You are at maintenance. Body composition shifts slowly — grams of muscle up, grams of fat down. Patience is the whole game.
Split: Upper / Lower — Two upper-body sessions and two lower-body sessions per week. High per-muscle frequency, simple weekly template, forgiving of a missed day.
Frequency: 4 days/week · Session: ~60 min
Calories: maintenance calories
Why this combo works
Higher volume than the fat-loss version because you aren't in a deficit — recovery allows it. No cardio finishers; recomp progress dies if you burn recovery on cardio.
Weekly structure
Mon — Upper A
Horizontal push/pull priority
- Bench press 4×6–8 RIR 2
- Chest-supported row 4×8–10 RIR 2
- Incline DB press 3×10 RIR 1
- Lat pulldown 3×10 RIR 1
- Cable lateral raise 3×12 RIR 0
- Tricep pushdown 3×12 · Incline curl 3×10
Tue — Lower A
Squat priority
- Back squat 4×6–8 RIR 2
- Romanian deadlift 3×8 RIR 2
- Leg press 3×10–12 RIR 1
- Seated leg curl 3×12 RIR 0
- Standing calf raise 4×12 RIR 0
Thu — Upper B
Vertical push/pull priority
- Overhead press 4×6–8 RIR 2
- Chin-up 4×AMRAP RIR 1
- Flat DB press 3×10 RIR 1
- Single-arm row 3×10 RIR 1
- Rear-delt fly 3×15 RIR 0
- Overhead tricep 3×12 · Hammer curl 3×10
Fri — Lower B
Hinge priority
- Trap bar deadlift 4×5–6 RIR 2
- Hack squat 3×8 RIR 1
- Bulgarian split squat 3×10/leg RIR 1
- Nordic curl 3×6
- Seated calf raise 4×15 RIR 0
Cardio
Two 20-min Z2 walks per week for cardiovascular health. Any more competes with recovery you need for progression.
Progression
Add 2.5 kg to compounds or 1 rep per set on isolations each week you hit top of range at target RIR.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know recomp is working?
Scale within ±1 kg over a month, waist measurement drops 1–2 cm, top-set weights go up. That's the signal.
How long does recomp take?
Visible at 8–12 weeks, meaningful at 6 months. Faster than that usually means you're actually in a small deficit or surplus.
Should I track calories?
For the first 4 weeks, yes — to confirm you're actually at maintenance. After that, weekly weigh-ins and waist measurement are enough.
Related
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