Coach

4-Day Upper/Lower Hypertrophy Split

Day 1 — Upper A (Push Focus)

1. Barbell Bench Press: 4x8-10 (primary chest)
2. Overhead Press: 3x8-10 (shoulders)
3. Incline Dumbbell Press: 3x10-12 (upper chest)
4. Lateral Raises: 3x12-15 (side delts)
5. Tricep Pushdowns: 3x10-12
6. Face Pulls: 3x15 (rear delts/posture)

Day 2 — Lower A (Quad Focus)

1. Barbell Back Squat: 4x6-8 (primary quad)
2. Romanian Deadlift: 3x10-12 (hamstring stretch)
3. Leg Press: 3x10-12 (quad volume)
4. Walking Lunges: 3x12 each leg
5. Leg Curl: 3x10-12
6. Standing Calf Raises: 4x12-15

Day 3 — Rest

Day 4 — Upper B (Pull Focus)

1. Barbell Row: 4x8-10 (primary back)
2. Weighted Pull-ups: 3x6-8 (lats)
3. Cable Row: 3x10-12 (mid back)
4. Dumbbell Curl: 3x10-12 (biceps)
5. Hammer Curl: 3x10-12 (brachialis)
6. Reverse Flies: 3x15 (rear delts)

Day 5 — Lower B (Hinge Focus)

1. Conventional Deadlift: 4x5 (primary posterior chain)
2. Front Squat: 3x8-10 (quad/core)
3. Hip Thrust: 3x10-12 (glutes)
4. Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x10 each leg
5. Leg Extension: 3x12-15
6. Seated Calf Raises: 4x15

Progression: Increase weight when you hit the top of the rep range for all sets. Rest 2-3 min on compounds, 60-90s on isolation.

Bench Press Plateau at 185 lbs — Troubleshooting Plan

Most likely causes (in order of probability):

1. Volume is insufficient — if you're only benching once a week, that's likely not enough stimulus at this stage. Intermediate lifters typically need 10-15 working sets of chest per week.

2. Weak point in the lift — where does the bar stall?

   • Off the chest: weak pecs, need more paused reps
   • Midway: weak front delts, add overhead pressing
   • At lockout: weak triceps, add close-grip bench

3. Not eating enough — muscle growth requires a caloric surplus. If you're not gaining 0.5-1 lb per week, you may need 200-300 more calories daily.

Breakthrough program (next 4 weeks):

Day 1 — Heavy Bench

1. Bench Press: Work up to 185x3, then 170x5x3 (back-off sets)
2. Close-grip Bench: 3x8 at 145 lbs

Day 2 — Volume Bench (later in the week)

1. Bench Press: 165x8x4 (lighter, focus on speed and control)
2. Dumbbell Bench: 3x10 (builds stabilizer strength)

Additional tactics:

• Add 2.5 lb micro plates if your gym has them — go 185 to 187.5 instead of jumping to 190
• Bench with a controlled 2-second descent (most people lower too fast and waste energy)
• Sleep 7+ hours — growth hormone peaks during deep sleep

Timeline: Give this 3-4 weeks. If you're eating and sleeping right, 190-195 should be achievable by mid-April.