A topic often discussed when talking about bodybuilding is the famous debate of bro splits vs the total body split for training. When i first started lifting i was all about the bro split and i was for my first 3 years of training, Using the bro split was actually my introduction into bodybuilding. After that is when i found powerlifting and i started using an Upper/Lower type of split routine and now with just about 10 years of training under my belt i still continue to prefer an upper/lower split (even tho i don't following powerlifting types of programming anymore) to the common bro split. So whats more effective? What should one start out with? Is there ever a time to use a bro split? What does the science actually say? All this and more will be answered in todays blog! Plus i will lay out a sample of all 3 split routines!
The Famous Bro Split
When i say bro split i am talking about the famous "one time a week body part split" that goes something like this;
Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Back
Thursday - Shoulders
Friday - Arms
This split has been around forever and i still to this day see people start off with this type of training split.
Another method of the bro split that i always preferred was;
Monday - Chest/Triceps
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Back/Biceps
Thursday - Shoulders
Friday - Arms
I used this split for years and it worked great but was it optimal at the time?
Meet The Total Body Split
The total body split is a 3 day split routine that could go something like this, but honestly there is endless options to program.
Monday - Total Body Heavy
Wednesday - Total Body Moderate
Friday - Total Body Light
This could be integrated into a powerlifting split but also it can be a very effective bodybuilding split.
Enter the Upper Lower Split
This is my go to and i always end up going back to it. Why? because it works and it works probably the best for the majority of people. Upper lower can be structured a lot of different way but this is the most popular method and also my favorite;
Monday - Upper Heavy
Tuesday - Lower Heavy
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Upper Light
Friday - Lower Light
This works well but if you like training 5 days a week like myself then you could do something a little bit more advanced;
Monday - Upper Heavy
Tuesday - Lower Heavy
Wednesday - Chest/Back/Arms (Hypertrophy)
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Lower Hypertrophy
Saturday - Shoulders/Arms (Hypertrophy)
Sunday - Rest
That split is my current go to that i typically train with.
Now these are not set in stone by any means, i pretty much just wanted to give you an outline of the splits that we typically see people using.
Lets Talk Bro
What are the benefits of a bro split?
First off its fun! it is getting in the gym and pretty much only focusing on one or two muscle groups for the day. You blast the heck out of the muscle and get a huge pump and you don't have to worry about hitting that muscle again for a week. Another benefit is it is extremely easy to program. Also These workouts you can get done in an hour or less which for a lot of people is another benefit.
What are the cons of a bro split?
Really there is only a couple cons that i can think of and that is that while it may be fun to only lift a muscle group one time a week you are really cutting your gains short. Studies show [1] that about 42-72 hours after training and stimulating a muscle for growth it is recovered and ready to be trained again. So in reality you are not loosing muscle but you are missing opportunity for growth. So for example
- you train legs on Tuesday
- Wednesday your legs are still stimulated for growth
- Thursday your legs are just about recovered
- Friday - legs are ready to train again
but you don't train legs until Tuesday so your legs are fully recovered now and they still have
Saturday
Sunday
Monday to go until being stimulated for growth again. Thats 4 days of no stimulus for the leg muscles which means if your trying to build muscle naturally this is NOT THE WAY TO GO. What worse is that for smaller muscles like shoulders they can be trained every 42 hours so if you only train shoulders directly 1 time a week you are missing out on 5 more days of growth than if you hit them twice a week.
The other con is that while training only a few muscle groups a day might be fun the after burn effect (calories burned after exercise) is a lot lower than compared to compound upper and lower days. This might not be a problem if you are on a calories deficit or maintaining but if your trying to gain mass with a bro split you might run into some trouble then if you are trying to remain on the leaner side.
Lets Talk Total Body / Upper Lower Split
What are the benefits of a Total Body / Upper Lower split?
1. You maximize muscle protein synthesis because every 42-72 hours you are hitting the same muscle group again meaning twice the growth and stimulus than a bro split.
2. Its a lower volume higher frequency approach that allows better recovery as long as you are not constantly training to failure.
3. The after burn (Calories) that you get from a total body split is way higher than if you only train one or 2 muscle groups a day making it that more effective when in a gaining phase. Bulking on a bro split is just kinda dumb when you look at the science.
4. Using an upper lower split also allows you to integrate D.U.P. (Daily Undulating Periodization) if you so choose too which also has been shown to increase strength and hypertrophy more than a typical linear training model.
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What are the Cons of a Total Body or Upper Lower split?
1. It can be hard to program if your new to it. For example when i used to use a bro split i would do like 12-15 exercises for a said muscle... well if you are training with a higher frequency approach you can't be doing 12 exercises for one muscle in a workout. That 12 exercises actually gets split into 4-5 days so instead of say 12 exercises for chest on Monday, you might instead split that through the week [2] so it would be something like 4 exercises for chest on Monday, 4 For chest on Wednesday, and then another 4 on say Saturday. Or you you could do 4 Monday, 2 wed, and 6 on Saturday, There are endless ways to do this. But as you can see programming that if your just starting to train with this approach can be daunting.
2. You can get a great pump from upper lower routines but the bro split pump will forever be labeled as better. The pump does not equate directly to more gains tho so remember its not as important as everyone says. Also tho you should be getting at least some pump tho because for one it makes a better training session, two the pump has been shown to help create a metabolic effect which can lead to more hypertrophy and last but not least the pump shows you are having a proper electrolyte balance in your diet. So while the pump is not a huge deal it still can benefit you quite a bit.
3. It can get repetitive if you are not progressing in strength and or not substituting in different exercises every now and then.
So Whats Better?
This is such a hard question to answer because it will be pretty much a different answer for everyone. So to save time i have created the below guide to go through and that will tell you where you should currently stand for what type of training split you follow. This is not a set in stone guide but more of a reference.
IF YOUR A BEGINNER, JUST STARTING OUT
If you are just starting out or you've only been training for only 3-5 years you should be using a total body split. This split can look something like this;
Total Body 3 days a week (Sets x Reps)
Day 1
- Squat 3x5
- Bench 3x5
- Deadlifts 3x5
- Cable Pull Down 3x8-12
- DB Seated Shoulder Press 3x8-12
- DB Alt. Curls 3x8-12
- DB Skull Crushers 3x8-12
50 crunches
Day 2
- Leg Press 3x8-10
- Flat DB Press 3x8-10
- Cable Row 3x8-12
- DB Side Laterals 3x8-12
- Cable Face Pulls 3x8-12
- EZ Bar Curls 3x8-12
- Tricep Overhead DB Ext. 3x8-12
50 crunches
Day 3
- Leg Ext 3x12-15
- Leg Curls 3x12-15
- Calf Raises 3x12-15
- Incline DB Fly 3x10-12
- One Arm Row 3x10-12
- Cable Pull Down 3x10-12
- Cable one arm side laterals 3x10-12
- Rear Delt Fly 3x10-12
- Cable Curls 3x10-15
- Cable Push Downs 3x10-15
50 crunches
So you could do this possibly Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Then on Saturday you could just take a walk or some other type of active recovery. This type of split will work amazing for someone in there first 3-5 years of training. Feel free to sub in whatever exercises you like for each day, just follow the body part template to keep some structure tho.
YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING 5-8 YEARS
You are more advanced than a beginner and you have the fundamentals down, you have focused on the main lifts and your ready for the next level in your training. It's time for you to transfer to an upper lower template, that split can look something like this;
Upper/Lower Split 4 days a week
Day 1
Upper
- Bench 5x5
- Overhead Press 5x5
- Cable Row 5x8-10
- Cable Pull Down 5x8-10
- DB Side Laterals 3x8-10
- Cable Face Pulls 3x8-10
- Barbell Curls 3x8-10
- Close Grip DB Press 3x8-10
50 crunches
Day 2
Lower
- Squat 5x5
- Deadlift 5x5
- Leg Ext 3x8-12
- Leg Curls 3x8-12
- Calf Raises 3x8-12
Day 3
Upper
- Flat DB Press 3x8-12
- Cable Row 3x8-12
- Seated Arnold Press 3x8-12
- Cable Pull Down 3x8-12
- Cable One arm side laterals 3x12-15
- Db Flys 3x12-15
- DB Pull Overs 3x12-15
- Rear delt fly 3x12-15
- Alt DB Curls 3x10-12
- Tricep Push Downs 3x10-12
50 Crunches
Day 4
Lower
- Squat 4x8-10
- Leg Press 4x8-12
- Hip Thrusts 4x8-12
- RDL 4x8-12
- Leg Ext 4x12-15
- Leg Curls 4x12-15
- Calf Raises 4x12-15
So you could do this split Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday you can do some form of active recovery.
YOU HAVE 10-15 YEARS OF TRAINING
You have done the basics, you have continued to master your craft and you got strong. Lets amp it up now! I introduce you to the 5 day a week upper lower split, that may look something like this
Upper/Lower Split 5 days a week (Advanced)
Day 1- Upper
Superset
- Bench 3x5
- Wide Grip Rows 3x8-10
Superset 3x6-10
- Incline DB Press
- Close Grip Pull Downs
Superset 3x6-10
- Seated Arnold Press
- Face Pulls
Superset 3x7-10
- Side Laterals
- DB Pull Overs
Superset 3x8-10
- EZ Curls
- Close Grip DB Press
BFR Superset - Hammer DB Curls and Rope Push Downs 4x20/10/10/10
50 crunches
Day 2 - Lower
- Squats 5x3-5
- Deadlifts 5x3-5
- Leg Press 3x8-10
- Leg Ext 3x8-12
- Leg Curls 3x8-12
- Calf Raises 3x8-12
Day 3 - Chest/Back/Arms
Superset 3x8-12
- Reverse Grip DB Press
- Close Grip Rows
Superset 3x8-12
- Machine Chest Press
- Machine Rows
Superset 3x8-12
- Flat DB Flys
- Wide Pull Downs
Superset 3x8-12
- One Arm Cable Pull Downs
- One Arm Cable Side Laterals
Superset 3x8-12
- Dips
- Cable Pull Over
BFR Superset - Lying Cable Curls and Rope Push Downs 4x30/15/15/15
5 crunches
Day 4 - Lower
- Squats 4x8-10
- Hip Thrusts 4x8-12
- Leg Press 4x10-15
BFR Giant Set 4x30/15/15/15
- Leg Ext
- Leg Curls
- Calf Raises
- Seated Calf Raises
Day 5 - Shoulders/Back/Arms
Superset
- Overhead Press 3x3-5
- Close Grip Pull Downs
Superset 3x8-12
- Seated Arnold Press
- Cable Upright Row
Superset 3x12-15
- Side Laterals
- Cable Rear Delt Fly
Superset 3x8-12
- Alt Pin Wheel Curls
- Overhead DB Ext
Progressive Set 3x15/12/10
- Cable One Arm Curls
Progressive Set 3x15/12/10
- Cable One Arm Reverse Grip Press Downs
BFR Superset - Machine Curls and Machine Ext
50 crunches
This is a bear of a split and what i currently train with most of the time. This is the time when you can start incorporating supersets, giant sets, drop sets and Blood Flow Restriction Training into your split. These are advanced techniques and this is an advanced split for advanced trainers only!
YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR 20+ YEARS
You have done the basics, you mastered your craft, You honed in on the skills and got strong and jacked. You are past advanced and you are at the top level. This is when you may transfer to a bro split. Your not going to make much more gains in your life and this is pretty much the maintenance stage. For Example you could do;
Bro Split 5 days a week
Day 1 - Chest/Triceps/Abs
- Bench 5x5
- Flat DB Press 4x8-12
- Incline DB Press 4x8-12
- Cable Fly 4x8-12
- Close Grip DB Press 4x8-12
- DB Skull Crushers 4x8-12
- Tricep Push Downs 4x8-12
50 crunches
Day 2 - Legs
- Squat 5x5
- Deadlift 5x5
- Leg Press 4x8-12
- Hip Thrusts 4x8-12
- Leg Ext 4x8-12
- Leg Curls 4x8-12
- Calf Raises 4x8-12
Day 3 - Back/Biceps/Abs
- Cable Wide Row 4x8-12
- Cable Close Pull Down 4x8-12
- Cable Pull Over 4x8-12
- One Arm Row 4x8-12
- Alt DB Curls
- Rope Hammer Cable Curls
50 crunches
Day 4 - Shoulders
- Overhead Press 5x5
- Seated Arnold Press 4x8-12
- Db Side Laterals 4x8-12
- Db Alt Front Raises 4x8-12
- Upright Cable Row 4x8-12
- Face Pulls 4x8-12
- Rear Delt Fly 4x8-12
Day 5 - Arms/Abs
- Barbell Curls 4x8-12
- Db Skull Crushers 4x8-12
- Alt Db Curls 4x8-12
- Overhead Db Tri Ext 4x8-12
- Reverse Grip EZ Bar Curl 4x8-12
- Cable Push Downs 4x8-12
BFR Superset - Cable Curls and Rope Push Downs 4x30/15/15/15
50 crunches
A bro split is something that everyone can eventually transfer to once they have developed the the strength and mass in the previous stages. An easy rule to go by is that as you get older you need less and less training to maintain so the more your training age advances the more you can train the typical bro split. You notice how all the pros now a days use the bro split? Thats because they have already developed and built the foundation. Even the pros started with the compounds and the basics, thats just something you never hear anyone talk about tho. Arnold even wrote himself in one of his books that he started out with total body and upper lower training to build a foundation before he transferred to more of the bro split even tho Arnold always did train with more frequency than the typical lifter.
Follow my guide or don't, it's up to you.
Honestly in the end it all comes down to what you enjoy, if you enjoy the bro split and you can stick to it then use that, If you enjoy more frequency then train with the total body or upper lower style. Whatever keeps you coming back to the gym is what you should do. The above guide is structured for someone that wants to make the most gains in size and strength in their lifetime. It is structured appropriately to allow you to build the foundation, then hone the skills and get strong and jacked then kinda coast into a nice maintenance with the bro split. I myself am on my 10th year of training and for the most part i have followed this guide and it worked extremely well to the results i have today. In another 10 years i will be 36 and by then i will probably have hit my genetic limit unless i choose to use steroids so by then i will probably transfer to more of a bro split if i choose too.
To Recap
- Total body and upper lower training should probably be the route you take for the majority of your training career.
- Don't get in a rush in your training and allow yourself to experiment to see what you enjoy and can stick too even if its not the most optimal method.
- Keep with the basics first, and get good at the basics
- Bro splits can be effective but utilize them appropriately and as your training age gets more advanced.
If you guys enjoyed this weeks blog let me know and feel free to share on your social media as i greatly would appreciate it. Till next week guys.
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey
References
1: Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency
on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports
Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. Review. PubMed
PMID: 27102172.
2: Naclerio F, Faigenbaum AD, Larumbe-Zabala E, Perez-Bibao T, Kang J, Ratamess
NA, Triplett NT. Effects of different resistance training volumes on strength and
power in team sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Jul;27(7):1832-40. doi:
10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182736d10. Review. PubMed PMID: 23044934.
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