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Bro Split

5 days/weekAny Level

Overview

The Bro Split is the traditional bodybuilding approach where each muscle group gets its own dedicated training day. A typical week hits chest, back, shoulders, legs, and arms across five sessions. Each muscle group is trained once per week, but the volume per session is high, allowing you to thoroughly exhaust each muscle before giving it a full week to recover.

Despite its reputation as an unscientific approach, the Bro Split has built more impressive physiques than any other split in bodybuilding history. The high per-session volume creates significant muscle damage and metabolic stress, both of which are drivers of hypertrophy. The dedicated focus on one muscle group also allows for better mind-muscle connection and the ability to hit the muscle from multiple angles.

The main criticism of the Bro Split from a scientific perspective is that training each muscle only once per week may not be optimal for protein synthesis, which peaks at 24-48 hours after training and returns to baseline within 72 hours. However, for lifters who respond well to high-volume, low-frequency training, or who simply enjoy the focused bodybuilding-style sessions, the Bro Split remains a viable and effective option.

Weekly Schedule

DaySessionExercises
MondayChest
  • Barbell Bench Press 4x6-8
  • Incline Dumbbell Press 4x8-10
  • Dumbbell Flyes 3x10-12
  • Cable Crossovers 3x12-15
  • Dips 3x10-12
TuesdayBack
  • Deadlifts 4x5
  • Barbell Rows 4x6-8
  • Lat Pulldowns 3x10-12
  • Cable Rows 3x10-12
  • Face Pulls 3x15
WednesdayShoulders
  • Overhead Press 4x6-8
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raises 4x12-15
  • Reverse Flyes 3x12-15
  • Cable Lateral Raises 3x15
  • Dumbbell Shrugs 3x12
ThursdayLegs
  • Barbell Squats 4x6-8
  • Leg Press 4x10-12
  • Romanian Deadlifts 3x8-10
  • Leg Extensions 3x12
  • Lying Leg Curls 3x12
  • Standing Calf Raises 4x12-15
FridayArms
  • Barbell Curls 3x8-10
  • Close-Grip Bench Press 3x8-10
  • Incline Dumbbell Curls 3x10-12
  • Overhead Tricep Extension 3x10-12
  • Hammer Curls 3x10-12
  • Tricep Pushdowns 3x12-15

Progression Scheme

For compound lifts, add 2.5 kg (5 lb) when you can complete all sets at the top of the rep range. For isolation lifts, add weight when you hit the top of the prescribed rep range for all sets. Use double progression: first increase reps within the given range, then increase weight and drop back to the bottom of the range. Consider running a deload week every 4-6 weeks where you reduce volume by 40-50%.

Who Should Run This

The Bro Split works for lifters at any experience level who enjoy focused, high-volume training sessions and are primarily motivated by hypertrophy. It is especially popular among bodybuilders and physique competitors who want to specialize volume on specific muscle groups. Lifters who can only train with maximum intensity when focusing on one body part per session often thrive on this split.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • +Maximum volume per muscle group in each session for thorough stimulation
  • +Easy to understand and follow with clear daily focus areas
  • +Excellent mind-muscle connection when dedicating an entire session to one group
  • +One of the most enjoyable splits for lifters who love training

Cons

  • –Each muscle group is only trained once per week, which may be suboptimal for hypertrophy
  • –Missing a training day means a muscle group goes untrained for two weeks
  • –Five training days per week is a significant time commitment
  • –Shoulder and arm overlap from chest and back days can cause recovery issues

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