Two years in. This is the program I’m running right now, and it’s the most refined version of anything I’ve done. Phase 8 is a clean 4-day Upper/Lower split — Upper A, Lower A, Upper B, Lower B — each with its own distinct character and exercise selection, running alongside my current peptide protocol for recovery and body composition.
What makes this phase different from Phase 3 (which was also Upper/Lower) is the degree of refinement. Every exercise has a reason it’s there. The pairings are intentional. The movement variety between A and B days means I’m hitting each muscle from multiple angles each week, not just repeating the same movements at higher weights.
The 4-Day Structure
- Upper A: Incline chest press + shoulder press + lateral raises + overhead triceps + face pulls + curls. Push/shoulder-dominant with accessory pulling.
- Lower A: Leg press + lying leg curl + calf press + crunch machine + hack squat + cable pull-through + leg extension. Quad and hamstring balanced, heavy on machines.
- Upper B: Smith machine bench + lat pulldown + seated cable row + cable chest flys + lateral raises + preacher curl + tricep pushdown. Push/pull balanced, more back emphasis than Upper A.
- Lower B: Romanian deadlift + leg extension + seated calf raise + dumbbell shrug + Bulgarian split squat + seated leg curl. Hip hinge dominant, unilateral emphasis.
Muscle Focus by Day
Upper A — Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (Push Dominant)
Upper A opens with Incline Chest Press Machine — a reliable compound for upper chest and anterior delt. Shoulder Press Machine (the blue Nautilus — yes, the specific machine matters) follows as the primary overhead press movement. Lateral Raises Machine runs four sets for medial delt width. Then the finishing circuit: Overhead Triceps Extension Cable for the long head, Face Pulls for posterior delt and rotator cuff health — one of the most important movements for anyone pressing frequently — and Seated Incline Curls or Hammer Curls for bicep volume. A face pull at the end of every pressing session is a genuinely underrated injury prevention tool.
Lower A — Quads, Hamstrings & Calves (Machine-Heavy)
Lower A is the machine-dominant leg day. Leg Press opens heavy, followed by Lying Leg Curl for hamstrings, and Calf Press Machine for calves — both of these are loaded seriously at this point. Hack Squat Machine provides the quad compound movement at heavy working weights. Cable Pull-Through is a glute and hamstring hip extension pattern that’s surprisingly effective, and Leg Extension closes with quad isolation. Crunch Machine keeps core in the session without needing a separate ab day.
Upper B — Back & Chest (Pull Dominant)
Upper B flips the emphasis. Where Upper A is push-dominant, Upper B gives back work equal or greater priority. Smith Machine Bench Press handles the primary push pattern — the Smith allows for more controlled overload than free bar bench at high fatigue levels. Lat Pulldown and Seated Cable Row V-Grip are the primary pulling movements. Seated Cable Chest Flys and Butterfly / Pec Deck add chest isolation. Lateral Raises, Preacher Curls, and Triceps Pushdown round out the session. When an Iso-Lateral Chest Press is available, it rotates in here too for unilateral chest loading.
Lower B — Hamstrings, Glutes & Unilateral Work (Hinge Dominant)
Lower B is where the posterior chain gets serious attention. Romanian Deadlifts open as the primary hip hinge, loaded into the 200s. Bulgarian Split Squats provide unilateral leg work — still one of the hardest movements in any program. Leg Extension and Seated Leg Curl handle quad and hamstring isolation respectively. Seated Calf Raise targets the soleus (the deeper calf muscle, best hit when the knee is bent). Dumbbell Shrugs are programmed here for upper trap development — an interesting placement that keeps the upper back stimulus distributed across the week. Bulgarian split squats at meaningful weight are one of the truest tests of unilateral lower body strength.
Phase 8 Weight Update
| Workouts | Total Sets | Total Reps | Total Volume Lifted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 384 | 4,819 | 610,487 lbs |
Current working weights as of May 2026:
Upper A
- Incline Chest Press (Machine): 130–140 lbs × 11–12 reps
- Shoulder Press (Machine Plates): 140 lbs × 12 reps
- Lateral Raise (Machine): 85–90 lbs × 15 reps (4 sets)
- Overhead Triceps Extension (Cable): 71.5 lbs × 14–15 reps
- Face Pull: 44–49.5 lbs × 20 reps
- Seated Incline Curl (Dumbbell): 65 lbs × 9–10 reps
- Hammer Curl (Dumbbell): 60 lbs × 12 reps
- Triceps Pushdown: 60.5–66 lbs × 12 reps
- Seated Dip Machine: 165–185 lbs × 12 reps
Lower A
- Leg Press (Machine): 410–430 lbs × 12 reps
- Lying Leg Curl (Machine): 110–115 lbs × 11–15 reps
- Calf Press (Machine): 400 lbs × 15 reps
- Hack Squat (Machine): 320 lbs × 10 reps
- Leg Extension (Machine): 125–145 lbs × 15 reps
- Cable Pull-Through: 60.5–66 lbs × 12 reps
- Crunch (Machine): 90–100 lbs × 15 reps
Upper B
- Bench Press (Smith Machine): 110–120 lbs × 8–10 reps
- Lat Pulldown (Cable): 126–143 lbs × 8–12 reps
- Seated Cable Row (V-Grip): 126–148 lbs × 8–12 reps
- Seated Chest Flys (Cable): 61.6 lbs × 14–15 reps
- Butterfly / Pec Deck: 140 lbs × 12–15 reps
- Lateral Raise (Machine): 85–90 lbs × 15 reps
- Preacher Curl (Machine): 80–85 lbs × 11–12 reps
- Triceps Pushdown: 66–71.5 lbs × 9–15 reps
- Shoulder Press (Machine Plates): 140 lbs × 9–10 reps
Lower B
- Romanian Deadlift (Barbell): 225–245 lbs × 9–12 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squat: 120 lbs × 10 reps
- Leg Extension (Machine): 140–160 lbs × 15 reps
- Seated Leg Curl (Machine): 180–200 lbs × 15 reps
- Seated Calf Raise: 100–145 lbs × 15–20 reps
- Shrug (Dumbbell): 170–180 lbs × 15 reps
- Behind the Back Curl (Cable): 33 lbs × 15 reps
- Triceps Extension (Cable): 60.5 lbs × 15 reps
This is the strongest I’ve been across every lift in the log. Leg press at 430 lbs, hack squat at 320 lbs, RDLs past 245 lbs, preacher curl at 85 lbs, dumbbell shrugs at 180 lbs. Two years of consistent training compounds — quite literally.