Ready to amp up your fitness level and commit to your goals? This 4 Day workout plan for females helps females strengthen and tone their muscles… at home or in the gym!
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I created this workout plan to use an upper body and lower body split to help females get strong and focus on weight loss.. all in 30-minute sessions. Plus, by using dumbbells and a mini resistance band, you can do this workout at home or in the gym.
Getting into a routine of hitting the gym three times per week is a wonderful habit. However, stepping up your routine to four days per week can be a game changer.
Instead of guessing which workout you should do today, get stronger, leaner, and more confident by working out four days per week and making the time you DO have, count.
The trick is making sure you’re maximizing the time you do have and not wasting it.A proper 4-day workout routine can help females build muscle, lose stubborn weight, and get strong.
Quick Workout Notes
Below is a quick rundown of the 4-day female workout split.
Equipment: You need a set of dumbbells and a mini band for the workout plan as this is a great way to get beginners started with strength training.
Split: Instead of full body workouts like this 3-day dumbbell workout plan, split uses a strategic combo of upper and lower body workouts.
Duration: All of the workouts are done in under 30 minutes.
Geared towards: This workout plan is made for females in their late 30s, 40s, and 50s as the purpose is slow, controlled strength movements to get stronger and improve metabolism.
Equipment You Need
The best part about this weight loss routine is that you can do them at home with some dumbbells and a mini loop or at the gym. This makes it easy to fit in for everyone, especially women and busy moms.
Opt for dumbbells that challenge you by the last repetitions.
My suggestion is to start with a set of 15 lbs and move from there. This is because for the exercises you need a lighter weight, you can just use one of the dumbbells.
If you're an Amazon lover, you can get everything you need from my Amazon store.
Your Workout Schedule
You can schedule your workouts any way you like. However, I recommend not placing your upper body days back to back or your lower body days back to back.
A sample workout schedule could look like this:
Adding in some active recovery work like 5 minute upper body mobility sessions can help too. This way all your muscle groups get some rest between days.
Monday: Upper body #1
Tuesday: Lower Body #1
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Upper body #2
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Lower Body #2
Sunday: Rest
The 4 Day Workout Split
As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I can tell you that in fitness, there are always multiple paths you can take to achieve a goal (this 2 day workout split is great for beginners to get started with).
There are even multiple ways to rock a 4-day workout split!
This workout routine uses a standard upper and lower body split though so that you’re hitting all of your muscle groups a couple of times per week (here's a 2-day upper lower split workout if you need to scale back).
The focus of this workout split is on basic level strength of the major muscle groups with some isolation exercises thrown in.
For women to get stronger, leaner, and more fit, they need to place extra focus on:
- Time under tension
- Proper muscle engagement
- Pushing yourself in weights
Basically, if you don't focus on the muscle group you're working on, your results won't be as potent.
If you don’t have access to multiple-size dumbbells at home, learn how to make workouts harder without adding weight.
Upper Body Workout #1
| Dumbbell pullover | 3x 10 reps |
| Push ups | 3x max reps |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| 1 Arm Dumbbell row | 3x 10/arm |
| Floor bow | 3x 30 seconds |
| Rocking plank | 3x 30 seconds |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Tricep extensions | 2x 15 |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
How to perform it: perform the first two exercises back to back without rest. Take 45 seconds to recover and perform them again for a total of three rounds.
Then, move on to the next three exercises performing them back to back without rest. Recover for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of three rounds.
Finally, move on to the tricep extensions for two rounds with 30 seconds of rest between sets.
Bote: "max reps" means performing as many push ups as possible until form breaks down. Learn how to perform push ups if you're a beginner.
Lower Body Workout #1
| Dumbbell front squats with pause | 3x 8 reps |
| Hamstring runner | 3x 30 seconds |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Deficit lunge | 3x 10 reps per leg |
| Wall glute bridge | 3x 30 seconds |
| Deadbug with mini loop | 3x 30 seconds |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Sumo walks | 2x 45 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
How to perform the workout: perform the first two exercises back to back without rest. Take 45 seconds to recover and perform them again for a total of three rounds.
Then, move on to the next three exercises performing them back to back without rest. Recover for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of three rounds.
Finally, move on to the sumo walks for two rounds with 20 seconds of rest between sets.
Note: for the front squats, you want to pause for three full seconds in the bottom position. Learn more about pause reps and why they'll get you mega strong.
Upper Body Workout #2
| Bentover underhand row | 3x 10 reps |
| Inverted pike press | 3x 5 reps |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Alternating floor press | 3x 10 reps/arm |
| Overhead mini loop pulldown | 3x 10 reps/arm |
| Mini loop lateral raise | 3x 12 reps/arm |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Plank row | 2x 8 reps/arm |
| Rest | 30 seconds |
How to perform it: perform the first two exercises back to back without rest. Take 45 seconds to recover and perform them again for a total of three rounds.
Then, move on to the next three exercises performing them back to back without rest. Recover for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of three rounds.
Finally, move on to the plank rows for two rounds with 30 seconds of rest between sets.
Lower Body Workout #2
| Step out lunge | 3x 30 seconds per leg |
| Band glute march | 3x 40 seconds |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| 1.5 rep sumo squats | 3x 8 reps |
| Dumbbell leg extension | 3x 10 reps |
| Plank with mini loop abductions | 3x 30 seconds |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Froggy Pumps | 1x 50 reps |
How to perform it: perform the first two exercises back to back without rest. Take 45 seconds to recover and perform them again for a total of three rounds.
Then, move on to the next three exercises performing them back to back without rest. Recover for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of three rounds.
Finally, move on to the froggy pumps for one all-out round.
Warming Up
As with any strength training routine, warming up is a crucial component in any workout split (learn how to warm up).
Make sure you focus on dynamic mobility drills to really get the joints happy before diving into anything strength-based.
Just hopping on the treadmill won’t do it. Use the 5-minute warm-up videos for females below before your workouts.
Strength Training & Cardio: Which Is Better For Fat Loss & Toning
Most women are striving for that lean, sculpted look… but stick to endless hours on a cardio machine!
The truth is, strength training is what will help you with muscle growth and moderate cardio is what will help your muscles look toned (once you have them). It’s a combo effect.
And yet, so many women shy away from a heavy lifting workout routine not realizing that building muscle is what tones!
Learn more about strength training for beginners.
Why not full-body workouts?
A full-body workout split is great, but works better when you're training three or fewer times per week. Once you're training more than that, it becomes harder and harder to let your muscles recover enough between sessions to really push yourself.
If you really want a full-body workout plan in a 4-day split, you'll want to do 2 full-body workouts (here is a full-body workout for women over 40 and a full-body dumbbell workout) paired with an upper and lower workout.
More Fitness Tips To Help You Smash Goals
- 5 minute workouts
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- 25+ home workouts for weight loss
- 6 week fat loss workout plan
- How to make at home workouts harder
- The best mom workout for busy days
- Everything you need to know about home workouts
- How to master push ups as a beginner
- The best tricep exercises for women
- Wicked exercises for back strength
- 3 muscles to always stretch post-workout
- Why you should use pause reps
- Best bodyweight exercises for moms
- Follow-along at-home workouts
- Fitness tips
Ditch the All-or-Nothing Trap
The Kickstart & Thrive Bundle is where busy moms keep things simple with quick, strength-building workouts you can actually fit into your day, plus protein-packed snacks that give you energy and taste like dessert but don't add extra time in the kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions About A 4 Day Workout Split
Each workout is roughly 25 minutes long if you properly time your rests. This still gives you lots of training volume while making it practical to squeeze in.
There are multiple ways to schedule your workouts with four days of training time. You can do an upper/lower split, a muscle group split (glutes/hams, chest/quads/back), or a strength/HIIT split (upper/lower/total body strength/totally body HIIT). All of them can be effective. It depends on your personal goals, which muscle groups you want to focus on, and your preferences.
Follow the 4-day workout routine for at least five weeks before progressing your workouts.
Though there are subtle differences in regards to training for men and women. However, unless you are at an elite level both men and women can have pretty similar training sessions when the goals are building muscle mass or weight loss.
Paula
Wow, so detailed! Thanks a lot for putting this workout routine together! I really need it. A four days feels doable. 🙂
fitasamamabear
It makes it practical!
Sarita
So I've been doing this 4-day split for the past two weeks, and as a work-at-home homeschooling mom living very far from any gym, it works so well for me! I use the weights I have on hand and even managed to get my teenage daughter to join me. Totally doable, and enjoyable too!
fitasamamabear
Ah, happy to hear it fits into your schedule. So awesome your teenager joined you, that makes my heart happy1
Ella
I have been doing this for about a week now and definitely feel a difference from when I started. I watched your videos to make sure I was doing everything correctly and also looked at the photos. I even put a mirror where I work out to watch myself. This was very helpful. Please make more!
fitasamamabear
Mirrors help so much- way to go on that!
Lisa
Love this routine! I've been doing it for about four weeks now and my arms are looking tighter just in time for tank top season. 💪
fitasamamabear
Yay!!!
Ashley
Have loved these workouts. I’ve been doing for a few months and slowly increase weight each time. Do you have any other 4 day split workouts to try?!
fitasamamabear
So happy you like it! This is another one that can be made into a four day split and a great one! https://fitasamamabear.com/upper-lower-split-workout-routine/