How to Start a No Equipment Upper Lower Split As a Software Engineer

The 4-Day Split That Works While You Code (And Why It Beats Random Workouts)

To start a no equipment upper lower split as a software engineer, you need a structured 4-day plan using compound bodyweight movements, which is far more effective for building muscle than the random 20-minute YouTube workouts you've probably tried. You're smart, you solve complex problems all day. But when you finish work, you feel stiff, your posture is getting worse, and you know you need to get stronger. The problem is that most fitness advice isn't built for your reality. It assumes you have 90 minutes, a full gym, and endless energy. You don't. An upper/lower split is the most efficient system for someone in your position. It works because it lets you train a muscle group with enough intensity to actually cause growth, then gives it 72 hours to recover while you train the other half of your body. This is how you build real strength, not just get tired. The schedule is simple: Upper Body, Lower Body, Rest, Upper Body, Lower Body, Rest, Rest. This fits perfectly around a demanding work week, allowing for both intensity and recovery. It’s a logical system for a logical mind.

Why You Need a System, Not Just Exercises

Most people think you need to add weight to build muscle. You don't. You need to add difficulty. This principle is called progressive overload, and it's the only thing that separates real training from just 'exercising'. Doing 3 sets of 10 push-ups every week for a year will not change your body. Your muscles adapt in about 4-6 weeks, and if the challenge doesn't increase, they have no reason to grow. This is the single biggest reason people doing at-home workouts stay stuck. They never give their body a new reason to get stronger. For bodyweight training, progression isn't about adding another 5-pound plate. It's about manipulating leverage, volume, and time. You can make an exercise harder by changing the angle (like moving from wall push-ups to incline push-ups), slowing down the movement (a 3-second negative on a squat), or reducing your rest time between sets from 90 to 60 seconds. Each of these forces your muscles to adapt and grow, no equipment needed. The key is tracking it. You have to know exactly what you did last week to know what you need to beat this week.

You see the logic. To get stronger, you must systematically make exercises harder. But how do you remember if you did 8 reps or 9 reps on your third set of push-ups last Tuesday? If you can't answer that instantly, you're not following a plan. You're just guessing and hoping for progress.

Stop guessing. Start building.

Track every bodyweight exercise. See your strength grow week by week.

Your 4-Week No-Equipment Upper/Lower Protocol

This is your starting plan. It’s designed to be done four days a week, with each session taking about 45 minutes. The goal isn't to destroy yourself; it's to be consistent and get 1% better each session. Perform each exercise with controlled form. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.

The Weekly Schedule:

• Day 1: Upper Body A (Push Focus)
• Day 2: Lower Body A (Squat Focus)
• Day 3: Rest or Active Recovery (e.g., 30-minute walk)
• Day 4: Upper Body B (Pull & Posture Focus)
• Day 5: Lower Body B (Hinge & Hamstring Focus)
• Day 6 & 7: Rest

Step 1: Upper Body Workouts

Your goal is to build pressing strength while actively correcting the rounded-shoulder posture that comes from sitting at a desk.

Upper Body A (Push Focus):

1. Push-up Progression: 3 sets of 5-15 reps. Start with whatever variation challenges you in this rep range (wall, incline, knees, or full push-ups).
2. Pike Push-ups: 3 sets of 5-10 reps. This targets your shoulders. Keep your hips high and lower the top of your head toward the floor.
3. Chair Dips: 3 sets of 8-20 reps. Use a stable chair or your couch. The straighter your legs, the harder it is.
4. Plank: 3 sets, hold for 30-60 seconds. Keep your core tight and your back flat.

Upper Body B (Pull & Posture Focus):

1. Bed Sheet Rows: 3 sets of 8-15 reps. Hook a knotted bed sheet over a sturdy door. Lean back and pull your chest towards your hands. This is your primary back-building exercise.
2. Reverse Snow Angels: 3 sets of 15-20 reps. Lie on your stomach and slowly sweep your arms from your sides to overhead, keeping your thumbs pointed up.
3. Wall Slides: 3 sets of 10-15 reps. Stand with your back against a wall. Press your forearms against the wall and slide them up and down. This is critical for shoulder health.
4. Superman Holds: 3 sets, hold for 30 seconds. This strengthens your entire posterior chain.

Step 2: Lower Body Workouts

These workouts strengthen your glutes and legs while improving hip mobility, counteracting the effects of sitting all day.

Lower Body A (Squat Focus):

1. Bodyweight Squats: 3 sets of 15-25 reps. Focus on getting your thighs parallel to the floor or lower.
2. Alternating Lunges: 3 sets of 10-15 reps per leg. Keep your torso upright.
3. Glute Bridges: 3 sets of 20-30 reps. Lie on your back, drive through your heels, and squeeze your glutes hard at the top for 2 seconds.
4. Calf Raises: 3 sets of 20-30 reps. Stand on the edge of a step for a better range of motion.

Lower Body B (Hinge & Hamstring Focus):

1. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs): 3 sets of 10-15 reps per leg. Hinge at your hips, keeping your back flat. Use a wall for balance if needed.
2. Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps per leg. Place your back foot on a couch or chair. This is one of the best leg builders, period.
3. Side Lunges: 3 sets of 10-12 reps per side. This works your inner thighs and improves hip mobility.
4. Copenhagen Plank: 3 sets, hold for 20-40 seconds per side. Place your top leg on a chair to strengthen your adductors.

Step 3: The Progression Rule

This is the most important part. For any given exercise, work in the prescribed rep range. Once you can hit the top number of reps for all 3 sets with good form, you have earned the right to make the exercise harder on your next workout.

• Example: For Push-ups, your range is 5-15. Let's say you get 12, 10, 8 reps. Next time, you try to beat that. Maybe you get 13, 11, 9. You keep doing this until you can do 3 sets of 15. Once you achieve that, you move to a harder variation (e.g., from incline push-ups to full push-ups) and start back at 3 sets of 5-8 reps. This is how you guarantee progress.

What to Expect: The First 60 Days (And Why Week 1 Feels Awkward)

Your brain, used to instant feedback from code compiling, will want immediate results. Fitness doesn't work that way. You have to trust the process and the data you're collecting. Your first few workouts will feel awkward. You'll be focused on learning the movements, not pushing to your limit. That's exactly where you should be. Don't mistake soreness for progress; soreness is just a sign of novelty. Consistency is the only metric that matters at the start.

By Day 30 (after ~16 workouts):

• You should see a clear increase in your reps for every exercise. The 8 push-ups that felt hard on Day 1 are now 12. The 30-second plank is now 45 seconds.
• The movements feel natural. You're no longer thinking about form; you're focused on pushing yourself.
• You might notice your posture is better. You catch yourself slouching and can correct it because the muscles are stronger.

By Day 60 (after ~32 workouts):

• You will have progressed to a harder variation on at least 1-2 exercises. Maybe you've moved from incline push-ups to floor push-ups, or from bodyweight squats to split squats.
• This is where you might start to see visible changes. Your shoulders might look broader, or your t-shirts might fit a little tighter across the chest and back.
• The biggest change is mental. You have built a system and have 60 days of data showing you are measurably stronger than when you started. That's real confidence.

That's the plan. Four workouts a week. Track your reps and sets for 4-5 exercises per session. When you hit your target, you progress the movement. It's a simple system on paper, but a lot to remember in practice. Trying to keep track of 32 workouts over 8 weeks in your head is how people fall off.

Your entire workout plan. In your pocket.

Every set and rep logged. Proof you are getting stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Best Time of Day to Train

The best time to train is the time you will actually do it. For many software engineers, this is either first thing in the morning to start the day, or immediately after work to decompress. Consistency is 100x more important than the theoretical 'optimal' time.

What to Do on Rest Days

Rest days are for muscle repair. Active recovery is best. A 20-40 minute walk improves blood flow and helps reduce stiffness from sitting. Avoid intense cardio, as it can interfere with your body's ability to recover and build muscle from your split.

Handling 'Desk Neck' and Poor Posture

This program includes Wall Slides and Reverse Snow Angels specifically to combat poor posture. When performing rows, actively think about pulling your shoulder blades together. Outside of workouts, set a timer to stand up and stretch for 2 minutes every hour.

When to Add Equipment

Once you can perform 20+ perfect push-ups, 15+ chair dips, and 20+ Bulgarian split squats per leg, you've earned the right to add more resistance. The first logical purchases would be a set of resistance bands and a doorway pull-up bar.

Nutrition for This Program

Training creates the signal for muscle growth, but food provides the building blocks. You cannot build muscle in a deficit. To support growth, aim to eat around 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your body weight daily. For a 175lb person, that is 140 grams.