In fitness, workout splits are the foundation of an effective training program. They help organize your sessions so you can train different muscle groups with the right intensity and frequency. This approach not only boosts strength and muscle development but also supports fat loss, improves recovery, and builds a well-balanced physique.
But with countless split routines floating around from bro splits to full-body and push/pull/legs, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or choose the wrong plan for your goals. That’s why we’ve crafted this strategic guide. It will help you confidently select the best workout split, whether you’re aiming to shred fat, gain muscle, or build raw strength.
A workout split involves structuring your weekly training by dividing your workouts into sessions on particular days based on the muscle groups they target. For instance, instead of exercising all of your muscles at once, you group exercises that work on specific areas, such as upper body exercises, and perform them on the same day. This allows fuller recovery, focused effort on individual groups, and increased strength and hypertrophy.
The workout split is developed based on the full body, upper, and lower body muscles because they are the primary muscles in weight lifting. The smaller muscles are trained along with the major muscles.
Before choosing a workout split, consider your fitness level, training frequency, fitness goal, and recovery period. If you’re new to weightlifting, consider starting with a basic workout split or full-body split that requires less intensity and volume, 2 to 3 days a week. This way, you’ll create a foundation for your muscle development and prevent overtraining.
As an intermediate or advanced bodybuilder, you can perform any customized split workout that suits your fitness goal since your muscles are already exposed to heavy lifting.
The amount of time you have for training is also essential. Some splits require more time to complete, while others take less. Choose your split based on the time you can truly commit to training. It could be 1 or 2 hours, three days a week, or 30 minutes, five days a week.
Splits are also grouped based on your fitness goal. Bro split is excellent for correcting muscle imbalance, while a full body workout split is good for muscle hypertrophy and strength gain.
Below are four workout splits you should consider doing as a bodybuilder. They increase muscle mass, build strength, correct muscle imbalances, and make you fit.
1. Full‑Body Split
The full-body workout split is the easiest split to perform, making it suitable for novice weight lifters. It involves hitting all the major muscle groups in each session, typically performed two or three times per week, with at least one rest day between.
To develop this split, simply combine compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses that work different major muscles in one session. By doing so, you ensure you get high-impact training for your whole body.
A couple of times a week is best, but more than four still provides the same result. According to research, when total weekly volume matches, full‑body training twice per week yields similar hypertrophy and strength gains as a four‑day split.
Full Body workout Split Pros and Cons
| Full Body workout Split Pros | Full Body workout Split Cons |
|---|---|
| Highly time-efficient | Doesn’t allow the addition of exercises because it will make sessions longer or increase volume |
| Great for incomplete training schedules | Can be fatiguing |
| Balances muscle work | Hard to focus on a particular muscle. |
| Low risk of imbalances. | May not allow enough recovery period if you decide to hit your muscles more than 3 times |
2. Upper/Lower Split
This split alternates training the upper and lower body across four or six sessions per week. A typical weekly plan for six sessions would be to train upper body muscles on Monday and lower body muscles on Tuesday. As you train your upper body, your lower body recovers and rests, and vice versa. With four sessions, you train the upper body on Monday, rest on Tuesday, and train the lower body on Wednesday.
The upper body includes the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and the lower body focuses on the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Because one group rests while the other works, fresh strength and volume are maximized.
Upper/Lower Split Pros and Cons
| Upper/Lower Split Pros | Upper/Lower Split Cons |
|---|---|
| Less body fatigue. | Midweek fatigue may accumulate if you choose six sessions per week |
| Shorter workouts make it suitable for those with less time for training. | Scheduling can be tight with 6 sessions. |
| The split allows you to train more frequently, under six sessions | If you miss a session, you risk unequal frequency across weeks. |
| It can be customized to include more exercises, days and volume in a session |
3. Push/Pull/Legs (PPL)
Push Pull-Leg splits divide workloads by movement type: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps, and forearms), legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes).
The split is usually organized into three- or six-day weekly cycles. For example, you can train pull muscles on Monday, push muscles on Tuesday, and leg muscles on Wednesday, rest on Thursday, and then continue in the same pattern. By matching movement patterns, you enhance recovery and reduce overlap fatigue.
It’s ideal for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders who are accustomed to heavy weights and challenging workouts.
Push/Pull/ Legs Pros and Cons
| Push/Pull/ Legs Pros and Cons | Push/Pull/ Legs Cons |
|---|---|
| Highly modular (you can train for 3 days or up to 6 days). | Requires high frequency to work at optimal volume |
| Excellent for recovery between similar movements | Not suitable for individuals with limited training time who frequently miss workouts. |
| Excellent for strength gains and improving a particular muscle weakness | Can lead to overtraining without good programming. |
| Has great volume control and focuses on specific muscles |
4. Bro Split (Body‑part Split)
The traditional “bro split” assigns one major muscle group per day. For example, chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesday, legs on Thursday, arms on Friday. This setup allows you to hit each muscle group with high volume and intensity once per week.
The main advantage of the bro split is muscle isolation. You can fully exhaust one muscle group without worrying about fatigue affecting other muscles needed for the next day’s workout. For bodybuilders or advanced lifters looking to increase specific areas of strength, this can be especially useful. It is also great for hypertrophy.
However, the bro split comes with drawbacks. Since each muscle is trained only once a week, training frequency is low, which may slow down progress compared to programs that hit each muscle twice per week. Additionally, missed sessions can throw off your entire routine since you’re only hitting each muscle once.
Best Workout Split by Fitness Goal
Choosing the best workout split depends on your primary fitness goal—whether it’s fat loss, muscle gain (hypertrophy), or strength. Each goal demands a different approach to volume, frequency, intensity, and recovery. Here’s a table showing the most effective splits for each objective.
| Fitness Goal | Workout Split | Exercises In Training Split |
|---|---|---|
| Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth) | full‑body, upper/lower split, pull/push/leg split. | Variety of compound and cardio exercises |
| Strength | Pull/push/Leg split is highly effective Upper/lower splits | compound lifts and progressive overload |
| Fat Loss / Conditioning | push/pull/legs split upper/lower splits | cardio and high-intensity sessions |
Warm-Up (5–10 min) by doing light cardio, followed by dynamic stretches before doing any workout split.
Weekly Full Body Workout Split
Day 1
- Squat – 4 sets x 5 reps
- Bench Press – 4 sets x 5 reps
- Bent-Over Row – 3 sets x 8 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Plank – 3 rounds x 30–60 sec
Day 2
- Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets x 10 reps
- Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Goblet Squat – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 3 sets x 15 reps
Day 3
- Deadlift – 3 sets x 6 reps
- Push-Ups (weighted or bodyweight) – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Kettlebell Swings – 3 sets x 20 reps
- Dumbbell Walking Lunges – 3 sets x 10 reps/leg
- Russian Twists – 3 sets x 20 reps (10/side)
Weekly Upper/Lower Workout Split
Monday: Upper Body:
- Bench Press 4 sets x 4–6 reps,
- Bent-Over Row 4 sets x 6–8 reps,
- Overhead Press 3 sets x 6–8 reps,
- Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 6–8 reps
- Barbell Curl 2 sets x 8–10 reps
Tuesday: Lower Body:
- Back Squat 4 sets x 4–6 reps
- Romanian Deadlift 4 sets x 6–8 reps
- Walking Lunges 3 sets x 10 reps/leg,
- Standing Calf Raise 3 sets x 12–15 reps,
- Hanging Leg Raises 3 sets x 15 reps
Wednesday: Rest or active recovery: Light cardio, stretching, or mobility work
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body
Weekend: Rest or optional cardio/core/mobility
Weekly PPL Split (6-Day Plan)
Day 1 – Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
- Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets x 6–8 reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Lateral Raises – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Triceps Rope Pushdowns – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
Day 2 – Pull (Back, Biceps)
- Deadlifts – 4 sets x 5 reps
- Pull-Ups (or Lat Pulldowns) – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Barbell Rows – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Barbell Curls – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Hammer Curls – 2 sets x 12–15 reps
Day 3 – Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves)
- Back Squats – 4 sets x 6–8 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Leg Press – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Walking Lunges – 2 sets x 12 steps per leg
- Seated Leg Curls – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Standing Calf Raises – 3 sets x 15–20 reps
Day 4 – Push
Day 5 – Pull
Day 6 – Legs
Day 7 – Rest or Active Recovery
- Light walking, stretching, or yoga
- Focus on mobility and recovery nutrition.
Weekly Bro Split Workout Plan
Monday – Chest
- Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets x 6–10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 sets x 8–12 reps
- Cable Crossover – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover – 3 sets x 10–12 reps
- Push-ups (burnout set) – 2 sets to failure
Tuesday – Legs
- Barbell Back Squat – 4 sets x 6–10 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets x 8–12 reps
- Walking Lunges – 3 sets x 20 steps
- Leg Press – 3 sets x 10–15 reps
- Seated Leg Curl – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
- Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets x 15–20 reps
Wednesday – Back
- Deadlifts – 4 sets x 5–8 reps
- Pull-ups (weighted if possible) – 3 sets x 8–10 reps
- Barbell Rows – 3 sets x 8–12 reps
- Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets x 10–15 reps
- Lat Pulldown (reverse grip) – 3 sets x 12–15 reps
Thursday – Arms
Friday – legs
Saturday & Sunday – Rest or Active Recovery
Choosing the right workout split is key to aligning your training with your fitness goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or build strength. Each split, such as a full-body, upper-lower, push/pull/legs, or bro split, offers a unique set of benefits.
Full-body splits suit fat loss and beginners, while upper/lower and PPL splits are significant for hypertrophy and strength. The bro split allows intense focus on individual muscle groups for growth.
The best split is one that fits your lifestyle, recovery capacity, and training frequency. Stay consistent, adjust as needed, and prioritize nutrition and progressive overload to get the most out of your chosen program.
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