Power Rack Workout Program (4 Day Upper/Lower)
This is a 4-day upper/lower program built around a power rack setup: a barbell, a squat rack, a bench, and a pull-up bar. It's aimed at an intermediate lifter who wants to build muscle rather than chase maximal strength, so sets sit in moderate rep ranges with enough rest to keep each one productive. Upper and lower days alternate, so every muscle group is trained twice a week.
Equipment needed
Safety bars set just below the lowest point of each lift let you push squats and bench press sets close to failure without a spotter. Most racks also include a pull-up bar, which covers the vertical pulling a barbell alone can't.
The program
Four or five days gives you enough room to separate upper and lower body without dropping below twice-a-week frequency for any muscle group, while keeping each session more focused than a full body workout.
Day 1: Upper body
Warm-up
5 minutes of light cardio to raise your heart rate, then arm circles and band pull-aparts to open up your shoulders. Finish with 2-3 ramp-up sets on your first exercise before your working weight.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 4 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Pull-Up | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Barbell Bicep Curl | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Prone Y-Raise | 4 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
Cool-down
A few minutes of static stretching for your chest, shoulders, and triceps, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds.
Day 2: Lower body
Warm-up
5 minutes of light cardio to raise your heart rate, then bodyweight squats and leg swings to open up your hips. Finish with 2-3 ramp-up sets on your first exercise before your working weight.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Romanian Deadlift | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Bodyweight Calf Raise | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
Cool-down
A few minutes of static stretching for your quads, hamstrings, and calves, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds.
Day 3: Upper body
Warm-up
5 minutes of light cardio to raise your heart rate, then arm circles and band pull-aparts to open up your shoulders. Finish with 2-3 ramp-up sets on your first exercise before your working weight.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 4 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| T-Bar Row | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| EZ-Bar Curl | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Prone Y-Raise | 4 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
Cool-down
A few minutes of static stretching for your chest, shoulders, and triceps, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds.
Day 4: Lower body
Warm-up
5 minutes of light cardio to raise your heart rate, then bodyweight squats and leg swings to open up your hips. Finish with 2-3 ramp-up sets on your first exercise before your working weight.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Romanian Deadlift | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 5 | 8-12 | 90-120 sec |
| Bodyweight Calf Raise | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| Hanging Knee Raise | 5 | 10-15 | 60-90 sec |
Cool-down
A few minutes of static stretching for your quads, hamstrings, and calves, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds.
How to progress week to week
Once you can hit the top of the rep range for every set on this upper/lower split plan, add weight on your barbell, squat rack, bench, and pull-up bar the next session and expect reps to dip back toward the bottom of the range. That cycle of adding reps, then adding weight, is what steadily builds size over time. At an intermediate level, progress typically settles into something closer to this pattern, a small jump every week or two rather than every session.
Want this tailored to your exact schedule?
This program uses fixed settings. The workout plan tool builds the same kind of plan around your own equipment, goal, experience, and days per week.
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Keep the tools free →Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the barbell strength program?
Same equipment, different goal. The barbell strength program runs three full body days built around heavy, low-rep sets on the main lifts. This program runs four upper/lower days in moderate rep ranges aimed at building muscle, with more total work per muscle each week.
Do I need dumbbells for this program?
No. Every exercise uses the barbell, the rack, the bench, the pull-up bar, or bodyweight. Dumbbells would widen the exercise choices, especially for shoulders and arms, and the workout plan tool can build a version that includes them if you have a set.
Where should the safety bars go?
Just below the lowest point of each lift. For squats, that's slightly below the bottom of your squat depth; for the bench press, slightly below your chest when you're lying on the bench. Set that way, a missed rep settles onto the bars instead of onto you.