Programming9 min read
Best Workout Split for 4 Days a Week: Upper/Lower Plan
The best workout split for 4 days a week is upper/lower run twice. Here's the full program with sets, reps, rest and progression rules, plus two alternatives.
Ultra+ training and nutrition blog
Guides on training, programming, recovery and nutrition for people who lift. Sebastian, the founder, writes every one and reads every study before it is cited.
Recovery9 min read
Deload Week: How Often to Take One and How to Do It
Deload week how often: every 4 to 8 weeks for most lifters, the signs you need one sooner, three ways to deload, and a sample deload week from a 4-day split.
Programming9 min read
Full Body vs Split for Hypertrophy: Which Builds More
Full body vs split for hypertrophy: with the same weekly sets, both grow muscle equally. Pick by training days and session length. Sample programs inside.
Training8 min read
How Many Sets Per Week Per Muscle? Ranges by Experience
How many sets per week per muscle you need to grow: the 10 to 20 hard set range, a per-muscle table by experience, and how to find your own number in 4 weeks.
Training9 min read
How to Progressive Overload: A Guide for Lifters
How to progressive overload without guessing: six ways to add stress, a 6-week bench press example with real numbers, and what to change when it stalls.
Training9 min read
How to Track Workouts: What to Log and How to Read It
How to track workouts so they add up: log exercise, weight, reps and RIR after every set, then review weekly. What to track, what to skip, and how to read it.
Training8 min read
Hypertrophy Rep Range: How Many Reps Per Set to Grow
The hypertrophy rep range is wider than you think: 6 to 30 reps close to failure builds similar muscle. Here's why 6 to 12 is still the practical pick.
Programming8 min read
Push Pull Legs vs Upper Lower: Which Split to Run
Push pull legs vs upper lower: which split fits 3, 4 or 6 training days, a side-by-side table, a sample week for each, and how to progress on both.
Training7 min read
Rest Between Sets for Hypertrophy: How Long to Wait
Rest between sets for hypertrophy: 2 to 3 minutes on compounds, 60 to 90 seconds on isolation, what four studies found, and a rest table by exercise.
Training8 min read
Training to Failure vs Close to Failure: What Works
Training to failure vs close to failure: stopping 0 to 3 reps short builds the same muscle with less fatigue. When failure is worth it, and how to gauge RIR.
Nutrition9 min read
How Big Should Your Calorie Deficit Be If You Lift?
For a lifter the right calorie deficit is 300 to 500 calories a day, losing 0.5 to 1 percent of bodyweight a week. How to pick your number and keep your muscle.
Nutrition9 min read
How to Find Your Real Maintenance Calories in 3 Weeks
A calculator gives you a maintenance estimate. How to turn it into a real number in three weeks, using weekly bodyweight averages and an honest food log.
Nutrition10 min read
How to Lean Bulk, Cut, and Switch Between the Two Phases
Bulk at a 10 to 20 percent surplus, cut at 0.5 to 1 percent of bodyweight a week, and switch phases on numbers: waist, weekly average weight, and your lifts.
Nutrition9 min read
Lean Bulk Calories: How Big a Surplus You Actually Need
A lean bulk needs about 10 to 20 percent over maintenance, gaining 0.25 to 0.5 percent of bodyweight a week. How to set the number and check it is working.
Nutrition8 min read
TDEE vs BMR: What the Difference Is and Which to Use
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds steps, training and digestion, and is the number you set calories from. Formulas, multipliers and an example.
Nutrition8 min read
When to Recalculate Your Calories (and When to Wait)
Recalculate calories after a 3 to 5 percent change in bodyweight, a real change in steps or training, or three flat weeks with a clean log. Otherwise, wait.
Nutrition10 min read
Why Your Calorie Deficit Stopped Working (and the Fix)
A deficit that worked for six weeks then stalled is usually water, a lighter body, fewer steps or food creep. Check them in this order before you eat less.
Nutrition9 min read
Why Your Maintenance Calories Change Month to Month
Maintenance calories move with your steps, your training volume, your sleep and your bodyweight. How much each one shifts the number, and when to update it.