So I’ve been toying with the idea of a bro split for a while now I think I hit on the best way to do it. Any input is welcome.
Back and rear delts
-Upper lat row with need to stabilize for erector gains (T-bar row or seated cable row)
-Lumbar lat row (probably a chest supported row)
-Lower lat row (high row or kneeling cable row)
-Teres movement (any lat pulldown/chin up/pull up)
-Mid back movement (probably Pronated chest supported rows or meadows row)
-A rear delt movement
Chest and shoulders
-A flat press variation
-an incline press variation
-Pec deck or flys
-2 lateral raise variations
-External rotator work at the end
Legs
-Calf raises/presses
-Hip adduction machine
-Leg extensions
-Leg curl variation
-Quad compound
-Hip extension movement (usually SLDL or back extensions)
Arms
-Pressdowns variation
-Long head Tricep movement
-Incline curl
-Preacher curl
-Hammer curl variation
-Reverse or Zottman curls
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Thread: Think I wanna do a bro split?
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01-11-2022, 12:55 PM #1
Think I wanna do a bro split?
Age: 30
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants"
-Sir Isaac Newton
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01-11-2022, 01:02 PM #2
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01-11-2022, 02:30 PM #3
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01-11-2022, 05:05 PM #4
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01-11-2022, 05:46 PM #5
Kind of this.
Doesn’t look too bad overall though assuming you’re getting in enough sets/reps for each body part. For your unspecified rear delt movement do face pulls. I’d also recommend fitting in squats, and for your lateral raises just do sets for front and sets for sides. As mentioned above though, I think of a bro split more along the lines of an individual day for back, arms, shoulders, legs, chest, and possibly abs/core and only combine any two if they are disproportionally stronger than other areas.+positive crew+
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01-12-2022, 03:18 AM #6
Thanks for the input guys, come to think of it I can only generally do one heavy press per upper session now so might be better to have a separate shoulder day after all.
Originally it was going to be chest and biceps/forearm flexors (my weaknesses) and shoulders and triceps.
Since someone mentioned what I would do for rear delts, I’ve been doing swings and rear delt rows and found them superior to facepulls in just about every way (can get the rear delt fully shortened, loading potential). I think my favorite mechanical drop set is doing swings until failure then doing rear delt rows from there, also till failure.
As far as squats go, I generally only do them when the mood strikes. I never really got a lot of quad growth out of them and since I can squat over 400 lbs with a SSB even without doing them regularly, I kinda wrote them off as a staple.
I’m not looking to maintain, I’m trying to keep growing.Last edited by BeginnerGainz; 01-12-2022 at 03:24 AM.
Age: 30
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants"
-Sir Isaac Newton
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01-12-2022, 09:41 AM #7
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01-12-2022, 09:52 AM #8
Not many people do this, but consider doing a standard 4-day UL but stick an extra chill Upper day on Wednesday for isos only, 2 sets each. Whatever you want. You get a little extra work on weak spots for stuff that doesn't fit into the other Upper days, it doesn't interfere with recovery, and you still get weekends off.
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01-12-2022, 09:57 AM #9
I’d do a specialized 4 day upper lower. Blast the two lagging muscles at the start of upper day for 6 weeks while maintaining everything else. That way all of your energy goes into weak points. Then rotate the next group in after that. This keeps frequency at 2, volume high for the specialized muscle and you’re only in the gym 4 days.
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01-12-2022, 10:09 AM #10
Yeah my suggestion is more for the volume fiend that hides in most of us, that itches to do the PPLs that you love to hate.
Mentally it feels like you're besting the system. Plus it lets you fit on all the isos that don't fit into your regular days or that you hate in the first place. As add-ons to bread & butter stuff they help a lot... face pulls, kelso shrugs, incline curls, cable crap, etc.
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01-12-2022, 10:12 AM #11
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01-12-2022, 10:45 AM #12
That is pretty much what I do now.
Except I do forearm flexor sh!t on my lower days first so they get the attention they need, also so I get to do both muscle groups I hate on the same day: legs and bis. Presses always come first on upper days, back gets saved for last in the order of lats> mid/upper back> rear delts.
The whole 2x a week frequency thing kinda goes out the window once you get past a certain training age. There is only so much muscle that can be built as a natural lifter. Hence why damn near every natural bodybuilder is doing a body part split.
Maybe I have to pretty good with what I’m doing now after all…Last edited by BeginnerGainz; 01-12-2022 at 11:12 AM.
Age: 30
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants"
-Sir Isaac Newton
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01-12-2022, 11:51 AM #13
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01-12-2022, 11:55 AM #14
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01-12-2022, 12:02 PM #15
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01-12-2022, 12:41 PM #16
- Join Date: Jan 2015
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14 months may aswell still be a beginner tho tbh...
When it comes to muscle mass potential and how long it takes to reach anything close to potential. Especially if you have to account for a cut to a sub 15% bf and the loss of lbm that comes with rust.
Do the bro split tho, if it keeps you training its better than anything more 'optimal' that you arent doing.
Bonus: "natural" bodybuilders usually aren't.. 😉 And those few that actually are.. Are top tier genetics.FMH crew - Couch.
'pick a program from the stickies' = biggest cop out post.
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01-12-2022, 01:07 PM #17
Back in the 80s-90s…”The Weider system of bodybuilding “ was king.
You essentially followed either a 3 on 1 off or a 4 on one off….and some gave up the day off to “bro split”…my personal favorite splits:
Day 1- chest and back, abs
Day 2- legs, calves
Day 3- shoulders arms, forearms
Off
Repeat.
Or..Lee Haney influenced split…
Chest and arms
Legs and calves
Back and shoulders
Off
Repeat
Now to bro split and give up off days…
Chest
Back
Shoulders
Arms
Legs
Repeat
The 4 on 1 off…
Chest/tris
Back bis
Shoulders
Legs/calves
Off
Anyhow, the old Weider tapes are on YouTube and I recently went through a few of them for a laugh."A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Old Guy deadlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zMrim-0Dks
bench press https://youtu.be/GaRzfueJVJQ
Every workout is GAME DAY!
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01-12-2022, 01:43 PM #18
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01-12-2022, 02:49 PM #19
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01-12-2022, 03:01 PM #20
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01-12-2022, 03:22 PM #21
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01-12-2022, 05:03 PM #22
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01-12-2022, 05:20 PM #23
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01-12-2022, 05:26 PM #24
I'd say this for people who respond well to bro splits, which isn't everyone. From my limited personal window of observations, skinny people with narrow frames/small bones tend to respond better with other setups. Other people may have diff experiences & observations of course.
Most people's bro splits have way more than 6-10 sets per body part a week.
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01-12-2022, 05:35 PM #25
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01-14-2022, 07:00 AM #26
Yeah, and for this reason and others I never understood why once a week is advisable for anyone who isn't quite new to it.
I personally do best with 2-3x/week also, although the only isolations I train regularly are curls and lateral raises. Someone constructing their training with more of them probably could get away with higher frequency.Bench: 350
Squat: 405
Deadlift: 505
"... But always, there remained, the discipline of steel!"
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01-14-2022, 09:14 AM #27
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01-14-2022, 09:30 AM #28
Check out Steve Shaws video “bro splits are back”…
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Old Guy deadlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zMrim-0Dks
bench press https://youtu.be/GaRzfueJVJQ
Every workout is GAME DAY!
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01-14-2022, 12:57 PM #29
I think people get so caught up in protein synthesis as if that is the only factor that matters, and Steve really hit the nail on the head: just because we are hitting a muscle group more frequently, does that mean we are stimulating MPS more frequently AND optimally, or just stimulating it “enough”.
Age: 30
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants"
-Sir Isaac Newton
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01-14-2022, 01:09 PM #30
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