#028 Boats & Logs Upper/Lower Program

Welcome back to the 28th edition of the Boats & Logs Lifting Club. I really appreciate you being here. We are the based fitness community that focuses on mastering the basics instead of getting lost in the details.

And today, we are back with a much-requested topic, since we published the 3-day Full Body Program nearly 5 months ago: A 4 day Upper/Lower program.

But before we start, here is a quick overview on what’s coming next. And as you can see, we have very helpful posts lined up:

• May 5th: April Q&A Roundup

• May 12th: Mastering your Fat Loss Journey

• May 19th: A Based View on Hyped Supplements

• May 26th: Form vs. Overload

• June 2nd: May Q&A Roundup

• June 9th: Building your Home Gym

If you have any questions left, you can use the next weeks newsletter to ask me your question. Just submit them by either replying to this email or sending me a DM on Instagram.

But now, let’s get into the program!
I hope you like it.

Advantages of the Upper/Lower Program

Let me get started by saying this: Upper/Lower is a great (&fun) plan - actually, close to being my favorite.

A common myth is that there is a sort of hierarchy between plans: Full Body is for beginners, who “grow out” of it after 3-6 months, then do Upper/Lower for 3-6 months before “maturing” and running the classic Push/Pull/Legs.

But as the name “myth” says - that’s bs. Unless you are a VERY advanced lifter, I can assure you that your are NOT too advanced for Full Body or Upper/Lower.

The beauty of Upper/lower is that you can reduce your time in the gym to 4 sessions you should be able to do in <60 minutes. Most people also consider it more fun in contrast to a Full Body plan, where you train legs every session and usually are quite busy getting through all the sets.

And as we know: We should always maximize our workouts for fun if we want to make sustainable gains.

Applying this Program

Disclaimer: If you already know the basics from our Full Body plan, you can skip this part.

As the Boats & Logs philosophy generally follows a low-volume, high-intensity approach, it is critical for your success with this plan that you really apply a high intensity during every workout and set.

To ensure a high intensity, we are using a technique called progressive overload. The goal is simple: Become stronger every week.

Let me give you an example:

On day 1, you should do 4-6 reps of incline dumbbell bench press for your first set. For the first week, pick a weight you can move for 4-6 reps. Let’s say you are moving 60 lbs for 5 reps. In the next week, you should beat that number by doing at least 6 reps with 60 lbs. If you reach the upper end of the range (6 reps), you should increase the weights in your next workout and try to reach 6 reps again before increasing the weight another time.

We are also taking every set to failure. Failure is the point where you can’t complete another rep without breaking form.

The structure of the program is quite simple. During a 7-day period, you are doing every workout once, which concludes a total of 4 workouts: 2 Upper Body workouts and 2 Lower Body workouts.

How you distribute these workouts throughout the week doesn’t matter much. My only guideline is that you should have at least 2 days between 2 upper body (or lower body) days.

So, if you are doing Upper Body 1 on Monday, you should wait at least until Thursday before doing Upper Body 2. The plan nicely allows for some flexibility as you can move workouts by 1-2 days, depending on your schedule.

A split could look something like this:
Monday: Upper 1
Tuesday: Lower 1
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Upper 2
Friday: Lower 2
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Rest Day

You will see that I categorized some exercises as “Optional Accessories”. These are isolation exercises for the arms, calves, and abs. I would highly suggest you do the optional exercises, but I know that a lot of you skip calves and abs anyways. Therefore, do with this information as you wish.

To see proper results, you also need to take care of your diet.

As a rule of thumb, you should consume 0.7-1.0 grams of protein per lb of body weight. If you want to more about protein, read our post explaining everything you need to know about protein.

Your calorie intake depends on your goals, but if you are <12 body fat, it makes sense to be in a 300-500 calorie surplus. If you are between 12-18% body fat, it makes sense to be around calorie maintenance or in a slight surplus, and if you are above 18% body fat, you should be in a 300-500 calorie deficit.

Also, sleeping at least 7 hours per night is important to allow your body to recover and build muscle.

I’m convinced that you will see great success by applying this program.

The Program

Upper Body 1

Incline Dumbbell Benchpress (3 sets: 1x 5-8 reps & 2x 10-12 reps)
Pull-ups (3 sets: until Failure; add weights if you can do 20+)
Pec Dec (3 sets: 8-10 reps; 12-15 reps; 15-20 reps)
T-Bar Rows (2 sets: 5-8 reps & 10-12 reps)
Shoulder Press (3 sets: 3x 10-12 reps)
Optional Accessories:
Triceps Overhead (3 sets: 10-12 reps each)
Concentration Curls (3 sets: 10-12 reps each)

Lower Body 1

Bulgarin Split Squats (3 sets: 6-8 reps each)
Romanian Deadlifts (3 sets: 8-12 reps each)
Leg Curls (2 sets: 10-15 reps & 15-20 reps)
Leg Extensions (2 sets: 10-15 reps & 15-20 reps)
Optional Accessories:
Calf Raises (4 sets: 12-15 reps each)
Leg Raises (3 sets: until failure)