Is Your Bro Split Routine Taking Up Too Much Time?

The bro split routine…bad reputation or bad practice? The gym bros have made quite a reputation for themselves. Their personality is the gym, their favorite hobby is lifting, and their favorite food is protein. Does that mean there isn’t any merit to bro science? Not at all. Fitness is not one size fits all, and we’ll help you determine if a bro split routine is right for you. Below we’ll cover what a bro split workout is, typical routines, and alternatives that might better fit your goals.

 

What Exactly is The Bro Split Routine?

The bro split workout focuses on individual muscle groups each day. Training one group daily vs multiple muscle groups allows users to exhaust their muscles while still providing ample time to recover. Unlike traditional workout routines that focus on upper, lower, or full body gains, the bro split allows for a more targeted approach, maximizing gains by focusing on one muscle group at a time. Instead of working chest, arms, and back in one day, you will focus on one. You will choose one muscle group for a specific day of the week. For example, the most popular 5-day bro split routine dedicates one day to each of the following: chest, arms, back, shoulders, and legs.

Focusing on one muscle group at a time is much easier on the mind for many people. Instead of going to the gym knowing that you have to work out every single part of your body, you can rest your mind knowing you just need to exhaust the muscle group you’re hitting that day.

 

Pros & Cons of The Bro Split Program

The bro split is perfect for beginners; its simplicity makes it an easy program to follow. This can help you build a schedule that works for you, which will help you stay consistent… and consistency breeds results! Knowing what you are going to do each day is a huge draw. Unfortunately, if your goal is to build muscle quickly, the bro split is not the training program for you. For quick exponential growth, you should train each muscle group at least twice weekly. The bro split program can also be time-consuming since you need to dedicate one day to an individual muscle group, increasing the amount of days you commit to going to the gym.

 

Various Bro Split Routines People Do

There’s a split for everyone. The best bro split routine depends on your schedule and your fitness goals; all can be tailored to fit your needs. Here are a few of our favorite bro split schedules! Remember, you can target the muscle groups of your choosing.

 

3-Day Bro Split

• Monday: Chest and Triceps
• Tuesday: Rest
• Wednesday: Back and Biceps
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Legs and Shoulders
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest

 

4-Day Bro Split

• Monday: Chest
• Tuesday: Arms and Shoulders
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: Back
• Friday: Legs
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest

 

5-Day Bro Split

• Monday: Chest
• Tuesday: Arms
• Wednesday: Back
• Thursday: Shoulders
• Friday: Legs
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest

 

6-Day Bro Split

• Monday: Chest
• Tuesday: Legs (Quad)
• Wednesday: Back
• Thursday: Shoulders
• Friday: Legs (Hamstrings)
• Saturday: Arms
• Sunday: Rest

 

Alternative Workout Routines

If you’re looking to completely revamp your upper body, an effective alternative to the bro split is a push day and pull day. Unlike the bro split, you’ll activate various complimentary muscle groups in one day. You will challenge your muscles to achieve muscular hypertrophy, which is required for increasing muscle size and definition. Lauded by many, the results speak for themselves. You can do this once or twice per week based on your goals.

 

Push Day (Chest Shoulders and Triceps)

Focus on push exercises. Exercises that work your shoulders, chest, and triceps. Incorporate workouts like, bench press, dips, overhead press, push-ups, and incline dumbbell press.

 

Pull Day Routine (Back and Biceps)

Focus on pull exercises. Exercises that work your back and biceps improve your posture and overall physique. Incorporate workouts like, deadlifts, dumbbell shrugs, pull-ups, dumbbell rows, and face pulls.

 

• Monday: Push
• Tuesday: Pull
• Wednesday: Legs or Rest
• Thursday: Push
• Friday: Pull
• Saturday: Legs or Rest
• Sunday: Rest

 

3 Day Full Body Workout

The bro split can be time consuming in terms of how many days you are going to the gym. If the thought of spending all your waking hours in the gym targeting one muscle group at a time makes you sad – then this 3-day full body workout is just what the doctor prescribed. Bro splits aren’t for everyone and that’s ok. Unlike the bro split, this workout takes a holistic approach to training, targeting your entire body over 3 days. That means you can spend less time in the gym and more time doing whatever you love.

Here’s how to work your entire body in 3 days. You can rest between days or knock it out back to back:

 

• Monday: Upper Body
• Tuesday: Rest
• Wednesday: Lower Body
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Light Full Body
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest

 

Day 1: Upper Body – Back, Chest, Arms, Shoulders

• Bench press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Shoulder press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Pull-ups – 3 sets – Go until failure
• Push-ups – 3 sets – Go until failure
• Seated cable rows – 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10-15 reps

 

Day 2: Lower Body – Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

• Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Squats – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Lunges – 3 sets of 8-12 reps on each side
• Leg press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Calf raises – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Romanian Deadlift – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

 

Day 3: Light Full Body

• Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Leg press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Bench press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Pull-ups – 3 sets – Go until failure
• Mountain climbers – 2 sets 30 seconds

 

The bro split workout definitely has its perks! It’s easy to start, easy to focus, and customizable to suit your needs. Though trendy, it’s not the most efficient way to reach your fitness goals for some. Dedicating an entire day to one muscle group is inefficient. It limits what you can achieve daily. Consider the benefits of an alternate workout routine that provides a well-rounded workout and balanced results – like one of the plans above. All in all, your gym goals, schedule, and fitness level all play a part in what will ultimately be the best workout routine for you. Explore a full-body routine, a push pull leg (PPL) routine, or a bro split routine until you find a routine that works with your schedule, needs, and keeps you motivated.