Muscle & Strength Dumbbell Upper/Lower

This article is verified by 2 studies/publications.

Plan overview

Muscle focus

See how the planned working sets are spread across muscle groups.

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Josh England’s dumbbell upper/lower plan uses four weekly sessions to separate upper- and lower-body work. It is a limited-equipment alternative for readers who prefer a split or want more sessions than the publisher’s three-day full-body routine. The listed block lasts twelve weeks.

Who this plan suits

It suits beginners who can manage four days and returning or intermediate lifters whose dumbbells provide enough resistance. You need a bench for the pressing and supported work as written. Adjustable dumbbells help, but an upper/lower label does not solve a shortage of usable weight.

Schedule and workout structure

Day	Workout	Main work
Monday	Upper 1	Dumbbell row and bench press: 4 × 8–10; shoulder, pullover and arm accessories
Tuesday	Lower 1	Goblet squat and stiff-legged deadlift: 4 × 8–10; squat, leg curl, calf and plank work
Thursday	Upper 2	Single-arm row and shoulder press: 4 × 8–10; incline and supported work, arms
Friday	Lower 2	Stiff-legged deadlift, lunge and hip thrust: 4 × 8–10; split squat, calf and plank work

Wednesday and the weekend are rest days in the source’s example. Follow the original tables for the remaining exercises and rep ranges.

Exercise guides

Technique guides for exercises covered by this plan: Dumbbell Bench Press, Lateral Raise, Pull-Over, Biceps Curls, Shrugs, Single Arm Dumbbell Row, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Incline Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Lunges, Dumbbell Goblet Squat, Front Plank.

How progression works

Build repetitions within each prescribed range, then increase resistance when you complete the sets with control. Keep recording progress as the twelve-week block develops. The original gives 30–60-second rests; that is its prescription, not a universal optimum. If those intervals prevent you from completing useful sets, allowing longer rests is a practical modification, and should be recognized as such.

Popularity and user feedback

The publisher displayed 4.4 million article reads on 1 October 2026 and a substantial comment section. Readers ask about equipment and progression, but article traffic cannot establish how many complete the programme or their average results.

The original article and printable version are hosted by Muscle & Strength.

What the science says

Split and full-body routines showed similar strength and growth outcomes in volume-equated studies. Choose four days for practical fit, rather than assuming they must outperform the three-day alternative. ^[1]

A rest-interval review suggested a possible growth advantage for longer versus very short rests, with uncertainty about the best duration. It does not support treating the publisher’s short rest ceiling as necessary for muscle growth. ^[2]

These papers examine training principles and prescriptions. They do not establish that Muscle & Strength Dumbbell Upper/Lower is superior to other well-designed programmes.

Programme source and version

This follows the twelve-week online programme by Josh England. Any longer-rest adjustment should be kept distinct from the original short-rest prescription. Josh England: programme source.