WHY I'M NOT A FAN OF A "BRO-SPLIT"

For those that don’t know, a “Bro-Split” refers to a classic bodybuilding training split, which involves training a single muscle group per day.For those that don’t know, a “Bro-Split” refers to a classic bodybuilding training split, which involves training a single muscle group per day.For those that don’t know, a “Bro-Split” refers to a classic bodybuilding training split, which involves training a single muscle group per day.For those that don’t know, a “Bro-Split” refers to a classic bodybuilding training split, which involves training a single muscle group per day.

For example:

               Monday – Chest

               Tuesday – Back

               Wednesday – Shoulders

               Friday – Legs

               Saturday – Arms

               Sunday – OFF

Each day would consist of, let’s say on average, 20-30 total sets, equally roughly 3 sets for 8-10 exercises.

An example leg day may look like the following:

               Lying Leg Curl – 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions

               DB RDL – 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions

               Leg Extension – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions

               Hack Squat – 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions

               DB Lunges – 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions per leg

               Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions

               Seated Calf Raise – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions

Sounds pretty brutal right?  Yeah, you wouldn’t be walking too well for the next 4-5 days.

Here lies the problem and why I believe it is not the best way to build muscle.  Because of the brutality of the sessions, the training FREQUENCY is WAY TOO low. 

Frequency refers to the number of times you train/stimulate a muscle within a specific time frame.  In this case, it would be once every 7 days.  You would absolutely destroy the muscle and get everything out of it in one session, then not be able to train it for at least 3 to 5 days because it hasn’t recovered enough.

When thinking about training frequency and optimizing our stimulus for growth (aka training), we need to consider 1) the Fitness-Fatigue Model and 2) the effects of training on muscle protein synthesis. 

The Fitness-Fatigue model describes the changes in fitness and fatigue and how they relate to performance following a bout of exercise.  Performance is regarded as the sum of fitness (positive) and fatigue (negative) – when fatigue is very high and fitness is only slightly elevated, such as at the beginning of the recovery process, performance is decreased compared to when you started.  However, as fatigue starts to dissipate and fitness levels continue to rise, performance increases to the point it is ABOVE what you could do prior to the last session.  This is exactly what we want!  Don’t forget, performance in the gym is critical for adding muscle and gaining strength because it is the stimulus needed to improve.  With sub-optimal performance, we are limiting the size of the “growth” signals to the body.

Train - Recover - Increased performance - Better stimulus next training session.

Now let’s take a look at a very important factor for building muscle, muscle protein synthesis (MPS).  After a training session, MPS is increased, meaning the body is in a state to build new muscle tissue.  This is why ingesting sufficient nutrients, such as an easily digestible protein powder or essential amino acid blend is important following a training – you need to give the body to building blocks (amino acids) to create new muscle tissue.  It has been shown that MPS rates can be increased by up to 109% 24-hours post-training.  HOWEVER, after roughly 36 hours (1 ½ days), it quickly drops and returns to a normal level.

So, let’s say, to make things easy, after 48 hours, MPS is back to baseline.  This means that two days after training a muscle group, it is no longer in a state to build new tissue.  Because you follow a “Bro-Split”, you need to wait FIVE DAYS to hit the muscle again.  That’s five days the muscle is not in a muscle-building state.

What’s the trick?  INCREASED TRAINING FREQUENCY!

Rather than train a body part once a week, train it TWICE A WEEK, with at least two days of recovery between sessions.  This way, the muscle has elevated MPS levels for four days rather than just two.

“But Coach Max, I’m too sore and tired from the first session, and you just mentioned the relationship between fatigue and performance...”

Here is the caveat.  With the increased frequency, you need to distribute the training volume over two days.  This will reduce the amount of fatigue accumulated from a single session and allow performance to come back above baseline sooner than had you done one huge session for a single body part.

A training split that could accomplish this would be the following:

	UPPER A (Monday)	LOWER A (Tuesday)	UPPER B (Thursday)	LOWER B (Friday)
A-Series	Chest & Lats	Squat	Shoulders & Lats	Deadlift
B-Series	Triceps & Upper Back	Quads & Hamstrings	Chest & Biceps	Quads & Hamstrings
C-Series	Shoulders & Biceps	Quads & Calves	Triceps & Upper Back	Hamstrings & Calves

This is just one of many examples.  What you need to do is:

1. Critically think about how your training is planned.

2. Objectively evaluate your progress and recovery following the sessions (How long am I sore for? Could I train again 3-4 days later?)

3. Manipulate your training volume, frequency, and intensity based on your feedback.

A final problem I see with the “Bro-Split”, and why I prefer a slightly higher frequency approach, is the decrease in quality of training volume.  What do I mean by that?  Let’s say you’re doing a full chest day with 8 exercises of 3 sets each.  If you’re training properly and getting a very good connection with the muscle, by exercise number 3 or 4, your chest should be TOAST!  For the remaining exercises, fatigue will be so high that the quality of subsequent sets will be (pardon my French) shit…

SO, if we go back to the previous training split I laid out, there should be little fatigue carrying over from the first two exercises to the second two exercises.  Yes, if you train a pressing variation that emphasizes the chest, there will be some tricep involvement, and thus some fatigue heading into the B-Series.  However, it’s not enough to cause a significant drop in performance and load during the movement.  And isn’t that the whole goal of training?  TO PERFORM MAXIMALLY DURING AN EXERCISE TO CREATE A LARGE STIMULUS FOR GROWTH.  If the muscle is already tired and maximally stimulated, more stimulation won’t bring you anything except more fatigue to recover from.

To recap why I am not a fan of the “Bro-Split”, here are the key points to remember:

1. The relationship between fatigue and performance.

2. MPS and its role in building muscle.

3. The relationship between fatigue, MPS, and training frequency.

4. The importance of quality training volume and its relation to training frequency.

Train hard folks.

Coach Max

SIDE NOTE:  A “Bro-Split” is often called a “pro-split”, and is a training split many professional bodybuilders have used to create their physiques.  However, we do need to remember one important factor…pharmaceuticals.  Many of the drugs the athletes take, such as testosterone, increase MPS rates and has the body in a constant state of building muscle (reason why they are called ANABOLIC).  This is also a reason why they typically consume very large amounts of protein – they are constantly in a state of building, so the protein and amino acids they provide are being used to build tissue.  For those that are natural, that is not necessarily the case, thus we need to use TRAINING to create this anabolic state.  Therefore, if training is what we need to get the body in a primed state to absorb nutrients and grow, but the body only stays like that for so long, it would make more sense to devise a training plan that allows us to put ourselves into that state as often as possible.

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