Clark Kent upper lower split, a 4 day bodybuilding program inspired by the training principles of Clark Kent (@clarkybateman): low volume, high frequency, and every set taken close to failure. Each muscle is trained twice a week with no more than two sets per exercise, most sets in the 4–7 rep range on stable machine and Smith-machine movements, and arms always at the end of the upper days. Hardy tracks every set for you: log your reps, and the app raises or lowers your working weights automatically according to the rules below, so you never touch a spreadsheet.
How Clark Kent trains, and what this routine keeps
The Clark Kent split as he runs it is upper/lower with no scheduled rest days, rotating which muscle leads each upper session, chest one day, back the next, shoulders the day after, without adding volume. He caps every exercise at two sets, sticks to 4–7 reps, and counts only direct work toward a muscle's weekly sets, aiming for at least four to six sets per joint action a week. That is a lot to recover from, and he says so himself. This Clark Kent workout keeps the principles and fits them into four days with rest days, which is the version most people can actually sustain and grow on.
Weekly structure
Train this upper lower split four days a week, for example Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
- Upper A (chest focus): Smith machine incline press, chest press machine, pec deck, chest supported row machine, lat pulldown, single arm lat pulldown, side lateral raise (machine), reverse pec deck, rope pushdown, machine preacher curl
- Lower A: hack squat machine, Smith machine stiff leg deadlift, lying leg curl, leg extension, hip adduction, seated calf raise
- Upper B (back focus): the same exercises with the rows and pulldowns first and the presses second
- Lower B: leg press, lying leg curl, leg extension, hip adduction, seated calf raise
Two sets per exercise; the pec deck, the single arm pulldown and the Lower A leg curl (the stiff-leg deadlift already covers hamstrings) get one. Rest about 2 minutes. Sessions take 45–60 minutes. Want a third upper variant? Run Upper A with the lateral raises and reverse pec deck first for a shoulder focus.
Progression
Every exercise uses double progression in the 4–7 rep range. Start with a weight you can move for 5 clean reps on both sets, add reps each session, and once both sets reach 7 Hardy adds weight (2.5 kg / 5 lb) and you drop back to 4–5 reps. Miss the rep target on a set and the target drops by one rep next time; miss it at 4 reps and Hardy takes 2.5 kg / 5 lb off. Take the second set of each exercise to failure or one rep short of it; leave a rep in reserve on the first.
Tips
- If a machine in your gym is missing, use the Hardy exercise search to swap in the closest one and keep the set and rep scheme.
- Two sets close to failure is plenty; if you feel you need more, you probably need to push the sets harder, not add sets.
- Deload every 6–8 weeks by cutting every exercise to one set for a week.
- Prefer six days and barbell compounds? Reddit PPL is the push pull legs alternative; How to track progressive overload explains the 4–7 rep double progression used here.
Starting TM is 90% of 1RM.
More official programs
- Reddit PPL — 6-day push pull legs with linear progression on the big lifts
- Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 — 5x5 on the big lifts plus arms, traps and abs
- Dumbbell Only Workout — full body three times a week with a pair of dumbbells
- 5/3/1 Boring But Big — the 4-day 5/3/1 template with 5×10 supplemental volume
Guides and tools for this program
- How to track progressive overload — know when to add weight and when to hold
- 1RM calculator — estimate your max from a recent hard set
- Deload week: what it is and how to do one — when a stall means it is time to back off
Targeted muscles
Workouts
Upper A (Chest focus)
smith machine incline press
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
smith machine incline press
2×5
chest press machine
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
chest press machine
2×5
pec deck
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
pec deck
1×5
chest supported row machine
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
chest supported row machine
2×5
lat pulldown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
lat pulldown
2×5
single arm lat pulldown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
single arm lat pulldown
1×5
side lateral raise
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
side lateral raise
2×5
reverse pec deck
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
reverse pec deck
2×5
rope pushdown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
rope pushdown
2×5
machine preacher curl
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
machine preacher curl
2×5
Lower A
hack squat machine
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
hack squat machine
2×5
smith machine stiff leg deadlift
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
smith machine stiff leg deadlift
2×5
lying leg curl
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
lying leg curl
1×5
leg extension
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
leg extension
2×5
hip adduction
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
hip adduction
2×5
seated calf raise
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
seated calf raise
2×5
Upper B (Back focus)
chest supported row machine
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
chest supported row machine
2×5
lat pulldown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
lat pulldown
2×5
single arm lat pulldown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
single arm lat pulldown
1×5
smith machine incline press
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
smith machine incline press
2×5
chest press machine
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
chest press machine
2×5
pec deck
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
pec deck
1×5
reverse pec deck
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
reverse pec deck
2×5
side lateral raise
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
side lateral raise
2×5
machine preacher curl
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
machine preacher curl
2×5
rope pushdown
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
rope pushdown
2×5
Lower B
leg press
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
leg press
2×5
lying leg curl
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
lying leg curl
2×5
leg extension
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
leg extension
2×5
hip adduction
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.
hip adduction
2×5
seated calf raise
Set
Intensity
Weight
Reps
Rest time
Double Progression: Work within 4-7 reps, adding one rep per successful session. At the top of the range, weight increases by 5 lbs; failing at the bottom decreases it by 5 lbs.