UG Bodybuilding

 

Bro Split

The Bro Split​

Most of you who've followed my posts across the boards will be very familiar for my passionate hate for the bro split.

The aim of this article is to show exactly why its such a poor way to train (ESPECIALLY on cycle) and then to suggest a few alternative splits that I have used successfully with clients & know for a fact produce very good results.

What is the bro split & why does it suck?

The bro split usually involves training 5xweek with each session dedicated to 1 muscle group in particular. It was commonly seen in many magazines and, as a result, adopted by most bros (including experienced guys who should know better).

Here is a basic example of what it may look like:

Mon - Chest

Tues - Back

Wed - Legs

Thurs - Shoulders

Fri - Arms

Weekend - Off

The main reason why this split sucks, and why no one looking to optimize hypertrophy should adopt it, is because of it's low frequency nature. Without getting too into the specifics of skeletal muscle biology, here is a nice summary of points to illustrate what I mean:

1) The "anabolic" effect of a workout (enhanced protein synthesis, glycogen storage, etc) tends to last around 72hrs and, regardless of the amount of training volume per session, 1 muscle group does NOT need 6 days to ****ing recover.

These 2 points combined basically mean that you end up WASTING away 3 days every single week since their is no continued stimulus for muscle growth and no need for the enhanced recovery time.

2) On cycle, your in a constant anabolic environment and recovery capacity is greatly enhanced.

This is the reason why most guys still grow even with a shitty bro split on cycle - its the AAS doing the majority of the work, not them.

If your recovery capacity is better, why do low frequency?

If your capable of training harder, which means the stimulus to create growth would be stronger, why train less?

Hopefully, you get the point.

 

 

Better split alternatives

 

DISCLAIMER:

The following splits were designed for bodybuilders where muscle growth for aesthetics is the main aim and not for PLers, OLers or other strength athletes where other considerations have to be taken into account. Yes, hypertrophy & strength do share many of the same general principles but the fact is, when we get down to the details, the training approach differs quite a bit.

When creating a split you can either focus on planes of movement or specific areas of the body and, IME, it doesn't makes much of a difference provided the training load is kept under control.

Speaking of training load, don't expect much more then a few sentences about the variables (volume, intensity, progression models, etc) within these splits since I outlined my thought process on these in a detailed article elsewhere that is well worth reading:

A-basic-guide-to-periodization

Now then, let's get down to business...

Full body

Mon - Full body, 12-15 reps

Tues

Wed - Full body, 3-5 reps

Thurs

Fri - Full body, 8-10 reps

Sat

Sun

- This is an ideal split for beginners who have experienced a few months of full body, linear training within a fixed rep range but still produces better results in advanced lifters as well (yes, full body > bro split).

- The incorporation of a high-low-mid undulating rep range is done specifically to max out 8RMs, which IME is the key training indicator for muscle growth (separated from strength, work capacity, etc).

- The mixture of reps also allows us to take advantage of the different pathways for hypertrophy (tension, fatigue, stress, etc).

Advanced, high frequency PPL

Mon - chest, triceps, front/side delts

Tues - Back, biceps, side/rear delts

Wed - Legs, core

Thurs - chest, triceps, front/side delts

Fri - Back, biceps, front/side delts

Sat - legs/core

Sun

- PPL is a well known split that hits everything 2x week (OPTIMAL)

- Not suitable for those with busy lives who may not find the time, or energy, to hit everything hard 6x week.

Intermediate upper/lower

Mon - upper

Tues - lower

Wed

Thurs - upper

Fri - lower

Sat

Sun

- Basic, convenient with good frequency & volume, can't go wrong here.

- Ideal setup for multiple periodization approaches, for example...

Intermediate-advanced, undulated upper/lower

Week 1

Mon - upper, 12-15 reps

Tues - lower, 12-15 reps

Wed

Thurs - upper, 3-5 reps

Fri - lower, 3-5 reps

Sat

Sun - optional accessory work (posing, addressing muscle imbalances, extra work for lagging muscle groups, etc)

Week 2

Mon - upper, 8-10 reps

Tues - lower, 8-10 reps

Wed

Thurs - upper, 8-10 reps

Fri - lower, 8-10 reps

Sat

Sun - optional accessory work (posing, addressing muscle imbalances, extra work for lagging muscle groups, etc)

Repeat week 1

- The idea here, again, is to rotate volume in a high-low-mid cycle with the primary focus being the 8-10 rep range.

- We can make this even more specific by rotating volume per MOVEMENT rather than per session.

For example for muscle groups that respond best to high reps like shoulders we could go with 8-10 & 3-5 rep work in week 1 with week 2 dedicated to 12-15 while, at the same time, going with 8-10 & 12-15 rep work in week 1 with week 2 dedicated to 3-5 rep work for faster twitch muscle groups like triceps. This is known as muscle fibre training, something I've written about elsewhere and will happily link to anyone interested.

 

 

Advanced, high frequency & low volume

Mon - upper, standard sets

Tues - lower, standard sets

Wed - upper, last sets to failure/rest pause/drop set/other advanced technique

Thurs - lower, last sets to failure/rest pause/drop set/other advanced technique

Fri - upper, all sets to failure/rest pause/drop set/other advanced technique

Sat - lower, all sets to failure/rest pause/drop set/other advanced technique

Sun

- Low volume is key to making this split work; we're talking 1-2 movements per muscle group for 2-3 sets each.

- The idea with the last sets in the mid-week session is to completely exhaust yourself with the advanced method of your choice. Personally, I prefer going to failure on the isolation stuff and rest pausing for the compounds.

- The final sessions of the week are, basically, and advanced form of high intensity training (except with more volume, 1 all out set isn't going to cut it).

Advanced, undulated, low frequency, upper/lower

Week 1

Mon - upper, 12-15 reps last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Tues - lower, 12-15 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Wed

Thurs - upper, 3-5 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Fri - lower, 3-5 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Sat

Sun

Week 2

Mon - upper, 8-10 reps last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Tues - lower, 8-10 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Wed

Thurs - upper, 8-10 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Fri - lower, 8-10 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Sat

Sun

Week 3

Mon - upper, 12-15 reps all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Tues - lower, 12-15 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Wed

Thurs - upper, 3-5 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Fri - lower, 3-5 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Sat

Sun

Week 4

Mon - upper, 8-10 reps all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Tues - lower, 8-10 reps, all sets to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Wed

Thurs - upper, 8-10 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Fri - lower, 8-10 reps, last set to failure/rest pause/dropset/etc

Sat

Sun

Repeat week 1

- Notice how both the high & low rep sessions get a chance with the advanced techniques on the last & all sets depending on the week (1&3).

- For the 3-5rep sessions, I don't recommend failure as the advanced technique of choice (especially when doing it for all sets). Rest pause or dropsets are better suited here.

- Similar to the "Intermediate-advanced, undulated upper/lower" split, we can make all of this more specific by rotating the volume by movement rather than session. Again, PM me for more info since it can get pretty complicated from a tracking perspective.

Upper/lower/full

Mon - upper

Tues

Wed - lower

Thurs

Fri - full body

Sat

Sun

- I like this routine when going on a severe cut (40%+ deficit), or to keep things minimal during the last 1/3 or so of contest prep.

- It's still superior to the bro split due to the higher frequency (everything hit 2x week) and convenience of it all.

PPL/upper/lower hybrid

Mon - push

Tues - pull

Wed - legs

Thurs - upper

Fri - lower

Sat

Sun

- This is something an old training partner of mine used back in my competitive days and it stuck with me ever since.

- When you compare a 5x week routine like this to the 5x week bro split...the difference in training quality & results is massive.

Summary

You'll see a lot of upper/lower and PPL variations in these examples simply because most people are familiar with those set ups and, as a result, they are the easiest examples to use when demonstrating different setups. Provided your using at least 2-3 muscle groups per session, and hitting everything a minimum of 2x week, you can split it up as you wish.

As you can see, with a little bit of creativity you can come up with a tonne of good split routines that completely trump the classic bro split. Hopefully this article gave you some bright ideas