Body Recomposition Workout Plan: 4-Day Split

If you want a simple body recomposition workout plan, one that doesn’t involve weird exercises you’ve never heard of, counting rep tempos, or endless hours of boring cardio, this page will show you how it’s done.

When I talk about body recomposition, I’m talking about losing fat, and replacing some of that lost fat with muscle. 

That is, you’re aiming to improve your body composition by reducing the amount of stored body fat while simultaneously increasing (or at the very least maintaining) your level of muscle mass.

In an ideal world, your body weight would stay the same, with every pound of fat lost replaced with a pound of new muscle.

Outside of a small number of scenarios, this is highly likely not going to happen. For most people, losing fat is going to mean losing weight.

It is possible (in theory at least, depending on how much fat you have to lose and how genetically gifted you are in the muscle building department), to end up at the same weight you are right now, having replaced all of the lost fat with muscle.

But changing your body composition in such a dramatic way is going to require multiple training cycles, some of which are focused on building muscle and some of which are focused on losing fat.

It’s a process that’s likely going to take years, rather than weeks or months.

The Body Recomposition Workout Plan

This workout routine involves training the major muscle groups in two different workouts, a push workout and a pull workout.

The push workout revolves around pushing movements for the upper body, which involve the chest, shoulders and triceps. 

The pull workout centers on pulling movements for the upper body, which mainly involve the back and biceps.

In addition, the push workouts also involve exercises that focus on your quads, while the pull day workouts include some work for your hamstrings.

It’s a workout routine that’s ideal if you don’t like leg days. Rather than devote an entire training session to your lower body, you do a little bit of leg work every time you train.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Monday: Push Workout A
• Tuesday: Pull Workout A
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Push Workout 2
• Friday: Pull Workout 2
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

The workout routine is flexible, and you can move the training days around if you miss a workout.

If, for example, you’re not able to make it to the gym on Friday, you can just push that workout back to Saturday.

And there’s no rule that says you have to stick to the same training frequency from week to week either. 

You might start out with the intention of training four days a week, but life gets in the way and you only do three.

Maybe you manage four workouts this week, two workouts next week, and five the week after. 

That’s fine.

Just keep on rotating through the workouts, from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4, with the goal of averaging 3-4 training sessions each week.

What are the benefits of this type of workout routine?

Dividing your body into pushing and pulling exercises means that your energy and focus is distributed across fewer muscle groups, which should translate into faster gains.

Full-body workout routines can be an effective way to train, especially if you’re a beginner who’s just getting started.

However, one of the downsides is that you’re working your entire body – chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms – in every workout.

Some people will run out of steam towards the end of a full-body workout routine. The muscles being trained towards the end of a workout receive less work than the ones trained at the start.

As a result, they’re not going to grow as fast.

The four weekly workouts will also burn off extra calories. This increase in calorie expenditure comes not just during the workout itself, but also in the hours after it’s finished [1, 2]. 

That’s because your body is busy repairing damaged muscle tissue, as well as laying down the new muscle protein that makes each fiber bigger than it was before, all of which requires energy.

In short, lifting weights makes a direct contribution to the calorie deficit required to lose fat. And if you’re doing exercises that work large muscle groups, lifting heavy weights and working hard, that contribution will end up being substantial.

Workout 1

• A1 Barbell Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• A2 Barbell Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• B1 Leg Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• B2 Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Overhead Press (Barbell or Dumbbell) 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout 2

• A1 Lying/Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• A2 Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• B1 Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• B2 Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Face Pull 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps

Workout 3

• A1 Leg Extension 3 sets x 15-20 reps
• A2 Push-ups 3 sets x As Many Good Reps As Possible
• B1 Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• B2 Cable Crossover 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• C1 Lateral Raise 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• C2 Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout 4

• A1 Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• A2 Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• B1 Lying/Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• B2 Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• C1 Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raise 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• C2 Dumbbell Preacher Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps

You’ll notice that some of the exercises are labeled with A1 and A2. 

That means you have the option of pairing those exercises, which in turn can save you time in the gym.

What does that mean exactly?

Normally when you’re lifting weights, you do a set… rest for a couple of minutes or so… do the next set… rest for a couple of minutes… do the next set…. rest… and so on.

But with paired sets, also known as supersets, instead of resting between sets, you do an exercise for another set of muscles.

For example, you’d do an exercise for your upper body, rest long enough to catch your breath, do an exercise for your lower body, rest for long enough to catch your breath, then go back to upper body again, and so on.

You don’t need to rush from one exercise to the other. Give yourself a bit of time to catch your breath and set yourself up properly.

If you end up resting longer between sets than the prescribed amount, that’s fine. In most cases, you’re better off with longer rest periods between sets, rather than not getting enough.

On some lower body exercises, such as the leg press or squat, you may want to stick to regular straight sets. 

When you’re training the large lower body muscle groups, and pushing yourself hard in each set, it can take several minutes just to recover from the previous set and get yourself ready for the next one.

In other words, use supersets at your discretion. You might use them on some exercise pairs but not others. Not doing them isn’t going to make much of a difference to the speed at which you build muscle, they just help you save time more than anything else.

Body Recomposition Workout Plan: How to Progress

You’ll notice that the workouts use rep ranges, such as 5-8 or 8-12, rather than a fixed number of reps in each set.

For example, in the first push workout, the prescription for the bench press is 3 sets of 5-8 reps.

The idea is that you select a weight that allows you to perform at least 5 reps in each set, but no more than 8.

Every time you go to the gym, you try to do more reps than you did the workout before. Once you’re able to do 8 reps in every set, increase the weight for the following workout.

It’s a form of progression known as the double progression method. Here’s an example of how it might look in practice:

Workout 1

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 5 reps

Workout 2

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 3

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 4

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 8 reps

Workout 5

• Set 1: 105 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 2: 105 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 3: 105 pounds x 5 reps

As you can see, in workout four, once you’re able to do 8 reps in all 3 sets, you add weight in the fifth workout and repeat the cycle. 

This simple double progression method can work well for most exercises, and will produce decent gains in muscle mass over several months, just as long as you stay consistent and work hard.

It’s also important to make sure that your technique remains solid from one workout to the next. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ve gotten stronger, when all you’re doing is cheating on those last few reps to get the weight up.

The exact number of workouts it takes to reach this point will vary from person to person, and from exercise to exercise.

It might take 10 workouts or it might take 5. But wait until you can do 3 sets of 8 reps before adding weight.

Because you’re in a calorie deficit, your rate of muscle gain is also going to happen more slowly than it would have done had you been in a calorie surplus.

So don’t get too worried if you’re not building muscle as quickly as you’d like to. If you’re making progress in some way, shape or form, that’s the most important thing.

What About Cardio?

While cardio can make a direct contribution to the energy deficit required to lose fat, I like to think of it as an optional extra. Contrary to popular belief, losing fat doesn’t have to involve any cardio at all.

Jumping on the treadmill or exercise bike is not the only way to burn calories, and isn’t necessarily the best way to lose fat. All forms of exercise burn calories, and that includes lifting weights.

It’s also important to consider the impact that cardio can have on the muscle building process.

Just like weight training, cardiovascular exercise (particularly high-intensity interval training) needs to be recovered from and adapted to. This can eat into your body’s limited resources without making any meaningful contribution to muscle growth. 

OPTION 1: No Cardio

The first option is to forget about cardio, and focus solely on lifting weights and eating right.

The combination of resistance training and diet has been shown in numerous studies to work just as well as cardio for fat loss. But you get the added bonus of retaining (or even gaining) muscle mass.

In one trial, two groups of obese subjects were put on identical low calorie diets [3].

One group jogged, walked, or cycled four times each week. The other group lifted weights three times a week and did no cardiovascular exercise.

After 12 weeks, both groups lost weight. The cardio group lost 27 pounds (12 kilograms) of fat and 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms) of lean body mass. The strength-training group lost 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms) of fat and almost no lean body mass.

In an almost identical study, subjects who combined diet and resistance training lost the same amount of fat as those who dieted and did cardio [4]. But the cardio group lost twice as much lean body mass.

OPTION 2: Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS) Cardio

The second option is to carry on lifting weights 4 days a week, but do some form of low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio, such as brisk walking or riding a bike, at a different time of day.

For example, first thing in the morning you might go for a brisk walk. Then, in the late afternoon or early evening, you lift weights.

Here’s how it might look:

• Monday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes) PM – Push
• Tuesday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes) PM – Pull
• Wednesday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes) 
• Thursday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes) PM – Push
• Friday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes) PM – Pull
• Saturday: AM – Brisk Walk (30-40 minutes)
• Sunday: Off

You could also switch it around and lift weights in the morning, then go for a walk in the afternoon or evening.

One of the benefits of LISS is that it’s less likely to interfere with post-training repair and recovery than high-intensity cardio.

OPTION 3: Bike Sprints

The third option is to use cardio, specifically sprint interval training (SIT)  on a bike, to supplement your push workouts.

Doing SIT after training your quads can help to improve your cardiovascular fitness without putting the brakes on (and potentially even contributing to) muscle growth. Think of it like a finisher for your quads.

Cycling is also the ideal companion to resistance training, mainly because it’s a lot easier on your joints than running or sprinting.

• Monday: Push + SIT (10-15 minutes)
• Tuesday: Pull
• Wednesday: Off 
• Thursday: Push + SIT (10-15 minutes)
• Friday: Pull
• Saturday: Legs
• Sunday: Off

You can read more about the potential benefits of combining bike sprints and resistance training here.

OPTION 4: Moderate-Intensity Steady-State (MISS) Cardio

Option four is to do some moderate-intensity, steady-state (MISS) cardio, which is typically done at somewhere between 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, on the days you’re not doing any weight training. 

Here’s what it looks like:

• Monday: Upper Body
• Tuesday: Lower Body
• Wednesday: Bike (30-45 minutes)
• Thursday: Upper Body
• Friday: Lower Body
• Saturday: Bike (30-45 minutes)
• Sunday: Off

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does body recomposition take?

There’s no fixed length of time that body recomposition will take. Everyone is starting from a different place, and will lose fat and build muscle at different rates.

As a rule of thumb, recomping is a slow process. Your progress in either direction is going to be slower than it would on a dedicated bulking or cutting cycle.

The speed at which it’s possible to change your physique also depends on whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee. Beginners tend to see faster gains than intermediate lifters, who in turn will build muscle faster than advanced trainees.

How many times a week should I workout for body recomp?

As a bare minimum, I’d suggest lifting weights at least three times a week, with each workout lasting somewhere between 45 and 90 minutes. You can do some cardio on top of that, but it’s not essential.

Can you recomp at 20% body fat?

Yes, you can recomp at 20% body fat. Put yourself in a calorie deficit, set your protein intake at around 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, and lift weights 3-4 days a week. You can expect to see big changes to your physique with that type of approach, just as long as you work hard and stay consistent,

How much cardio should I do for recomp?

While cardio can make a direct contribution to the caloric deficit required to lose fat, it’s not essential. In many cases, improving your body composition doesn’t have to involve any cardio at all.

The combination of resistance training and diet has been shown in numerous studies to work just as well as cardio for fat loss, but you get the added bonus of retaining (or even gaining) muscle mass.

It’s also important to consider the impact that cardio can have on hypertrophy if you do too much of it.

Just like weight training, cardiovascular exercise (particularly high-intensity interval training) needs to be recovered from and adapted to. This can eat into your body’s limited resources without making any meaningful contribution to muscle gain.