The Modern Bro Split Workout Program (free PDF)

Bro Splits are one of the handful of popular methods of separating bodybuilding exercises into logical groups.

The Bro Split is unique in that it confines single body part exercises to a single day. The lifter trains one body part per gym day.

Jump to the bro split workout program now!

Alternatively, you can download the free PDF version of the routine using the link below:

Bro Split Workout Program In a Nutshell

About Bro Splits

Pinpointing the bro who first described or used what we now call “Bro Split” isn’t possible. Or probably not.

The idea of training a specific body part evolved in the earlier days of bodybuilding, the 1960s and ‘70s, when champions like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lee Haney trained individual body parts on specific days, although they also often trained more than one body part a day.

Related: Two Body Parts a Day Workout Plan

For instance, Haney would train arms with legs.

Over time, the idea of dedicating a day per body part emerged.

The debate rages.

The exercise science literature strongly suggests that a muscle needs work a couple of times a week to grow.

The bodybuilding geek squad (the folks who noodle on muscle science) does not recommend bro splits for natural lifters, because the natty folks have been shown to need more than one training session per muscle group per week.

Why do a Bro Split?

If you can get into the gym 5 days a week, and have your sleep and nutrition dialed in, a Bro Split might be a good routine for you.

Lots of concentration and pushing yourself to get the most out of every repetition is required.

Great form and taking sets to task failure is key. 

Task failure means a set is over when the form falls apart. Once the exercise can no longer be performed strictly, you’re done.

This means you have to be smart about choosing your working weights.

Who Should Consider Doing This Program?

Weigh the pros and cons very carefully.

A Bro Split requires a very specific application. Follow a Bro Split if you like the format.

However, unlike the ‘70s and ‘80s, there’s a lot of exercise science available now, and it strongly suggests each muscle gets more stimulus than once weekly.

Know that in doing so that the Upper-Lower or Push Pull Legs splits are much better for muscle development.

Muscles require more frequent instances of work in order to grow.

Adding reps or sets to a Bro Split will not overcome this shortcoming.

The Pros and Cons

Pros

Bro Split are a fine choice when:

• You like getting into the gym more than 3 or 4 days a week.
• You’ve got a firm grip on Progressive Overload.
• You know how to select the right equipment for the job
• You know what a max effort feels like. (If you think you do, studies show that most underestimate their actual max.)
• You’re getting 8 or more hours of sleep a night.
• You’re eating right, getting all the right micro and macronutrients.

Cons

Bro Splits have downsides.

• It’s easy for muscles to not get enough work during the course of a week.
• Very form-dependent. Perfect form in the right exercises is mandatory.
• Bro Splits prove challenging for the natural lifter to build muscle versus other splits, like Upper-Lower, or PPL..

Program Structure

If you had your heart set on adopting a Bro Split as your routine and you’re training natural…

Don’t worry fams. We got you!

We’ve crafted a bro split with a couple of tweaks that get your target muscles more work than a single day a week, without losing the concept of one focus day per-muscle-per-week.

Another way of saying it is that our program isn’t a pure Bro Split. We’ve found a couple of loopholes and exploited them.

How many days per week?

Our new Bro Split routine has you in the gym 5 days a week.

Time Requirement

Each workout will take you about 70 minutes to finish.

Warm-up sets will go pretty fast. Your working sets should leave time for intra-workout recovery so that you can get the most out of each.

What about Rest Days?

You’ve got lots of flexibility on where you put your rest days.

I would suggest 3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off. Rest days should be observed as-written to allow for muscle recovery. You’ll be doing some work if you follow the routine correctly and those rest days will be important.

Change the days if that works better for you based on whatever else you’ve got going on in your life and your weekly routine.

Nothing says you can’t create your own workout-rest day schedule.

Remember that recovery is half of building muscle, the other half being quality workouts.

Just arrange your workouts and rest days to give your muscles time to rebound.

Rep Scheme

Evidence these days is strong for fewer, more challenging reps, if muscle growth is your thing.

We apply that method here. You’ll be warming up with 3 sets to 2 really tough sets to failure for most exercises.

Let’s look at Leg Day as an example:

	40%	60%	80%	Target
Squat Variation or Leg Press	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Romanian Deadlift or Sumo Deadlift	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Leg Extension	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Leg Curl	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Glute Drives	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Notice that the first 3 sets are warm-ups. Start light and build up with big stair-step weight increases.

Starting light with big stair-steps gets you ready for the working sets without stripping the energy you’ll need to execute perfect, grinding reps.

Like you’ll find in our 5×5 routine, supplemental exercises are prescribed at a higher rep range.

The Bro Split Workout Program

Exercise	Set 1 (40%)	Set 2 (60%)	Set 3 (80%)	Set 4 (Target)	Set 5 (Target)
Squat Variation or Leg Press	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Romanian Deadlift or Sumo Deadlift	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Leg Extension	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Leg Curl	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Glute Drives	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Exercise	Set 1 (40%)	Set 2 (60%)	Set 3 (80%)	Set 4 (Target)	Set 5 (Target)
Chest Press	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Incline Press	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Cable Flyes	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Triceps Pushdowns	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Exercise	Set 1 (40%)	Set 2 (60%)	Set 3 (80%)	Set 4 (Target)	Set 5 (Target)
Deadlift or Row	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Pulldowns	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Kelso Shrugs	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Upright Row	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Exercise	Set 1 (40%)	Set 2 (60%)	Set 3 (80%)	Set 4 (Target)	Set 5 (Target)
High Incline Press	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Side Lateral Raises	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Thumbs-up Front Raises, or Neutral Grip Overhead Press	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Rear Delt Flyes	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Kelso Shrugs	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Standing Shrugs	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Exercise	Set 1 (40%)	Set 2 (60%)	Set 3 (80%)	Set 4 (Target)	Set 5 (Target)
Triceps Press	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Close-Grip Bench	6-8	6-8	5	5	5
Hammer Curl	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8
Biceps Curls	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8	6-8

Equipment Selection Logic

Our downloadable Bro Split also includes equipment options from which to select. I’ll also detail it below.

This section lists our recommended equipment first. Any of the equipment will work fine if used correctly.

Equipment that adds stability and ability to load the muscle in the most productive way tops each list.

For instance, a Pendulum Squat machine is unmatched for its ability to load the quads through a complete range of motion without compromise.

For this routine, you will get the best results with machines.

Opt for the stability they provide so that you can use all your focus and energy on the specific muscles being worked, without wasting it on technique-dependent methods.

Example: a good hack squat machine will build bigger quads than a barbell squat. Yeah, I know… this is heresy to the purists… but go to a gym where they’re training for the big contests. They’re more than likely using machines.

	Exercise	Equipment Options
Legs	Squat Variation or Leg Press	Leg Press Machine (Pendulum, Belt Squat, Hack, Leg Sled), Barbell, Dumbbells
	Romanian Deadlift or Sumo Deadlift	Barbell, Hex Bar, Dumbbells, or Smith Machine
	Leg Extension	Leg Extension Machine
	Leg Curl	Leg Curl Machine (seated preferred)
	Glute Drives	Hip Thrust Machine, Smith Machine, or Kickback Machine

	Exercise	Equipment Options
Chest	Chest Press	Smith Machine, Chest Press Machine, Barbell, Dumbbells
	Incline Press	Smith Machine, Chest Press Machine, Barbell, Dumbbells
	Cable Flyes	Cable Machine (cuffs preferred), Dumbbells, Side Lateral Machine
	Triceps Pushdowns	Seated Triceps Machine, Cable Machine (straight, EZ Curl, or V Bar)

	Exercise	Equipment Options
Back	Deadlift or Row	Barbell, Trap Bar, Seated Row Machine
	Pulldowns	Cable Machine (shoulder width or wider), Pulldown Machine
	Kelso Shrugs	Smith Machine, T-Bar Row Machine
	Upright Row	Cable Machine, Barbell, Dumbbells

	Exercise	Equipment Options
Shoulders	High Incline Press	Smith Machine, Incline Press Machine, or Dumbbells
	Side Lateral Raises	Cable Machine, or Dumbbells
	Thumbs-up Front Raises, or Neutral Grip Overhead Press	Cable Machine, or Dumbbells. Can sub Neutral Grip Press Machine
	Rear Delt Flyes	Cable Machine, Dumbbells, or Rear Delt Flye Machine
	Kelso Shrugs	Smith Machine or Barbells
	Standing Shrugs	Smith Machine (can do single arm), Barbell, or Cable Machine

	Exercise	Equipment Options
Arms	Triceps Press	Smith Machine (JM Press) or Seated Triceps Machine
	Close-Grip Bench	Smith Machine, Chest Press Machine (that has narrow grip option), Barbell
	Hammer Curl	Cable Machine (rope attachment), Dumbbells
	Biceps Curls, Traditional	Dumbbells, Cable Machine, Barbell (straight or EZ Curl)

Will I Lose Fat By Doing This Program?

No.

Program Guidelines

Progressive Overload. Your goal should be increasing the weight each week, although that’s not always realistic. Lifting more each week is very achievable for beginners due to the newbie gains phenomenon. The more experienced you are, the slower the gains 

Reps in Reserve. Leave several reps “in the tank” for your first 2 sets. These are warm-up sets. The last 2 sets would be 0 – 1 Reps in Reserve. Rep speed’s going to be slow but don’t waste your brainpower timing your reps. You’re going on feel here.

Rest periods. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between your warm-up sets. Rest 3 to 5 minutes between your 2 heavy sets where you’ll lift your target weight for that session.

Warm up smart. Be smart about your warm-ups… don’t waste energy needed for your working sets. Take big stairstep weight jumps, going from pretty darn light to just less than your working weights. Then bust it on your working sets..

Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water prior to your workout. How will you know? Urine will be almost completely clear.

Sleep. If you’re getting into the gym a lot you’ll need to stay in bed a lot too. 8 hours minimum nightly of good quality sleep.

What If I Overtrain? What If I Plateau? And How Will I Know?

As with any intense lifting regimen, overtraining is a real risk. Symptoms of overtraining include:

• Joint or muscle pain that doesn’t go away. (No, it is not weakness leaving your body. SMH.)
• Lifting less this week than last week, and next week doesn’t get any better.
• Interrupted sleep where sleep wasn’t previously an issue.
• Loss of desire to train.
• Irritability in the absence of other explanations.
• Catching a cold that lingers.

This is not an all-inclusive list. They’re symptoms I’ve experienced myself.

If you stop making progress–or go backwards–during your cycle, you’ve probably overtrained or hit a plateau.

When the poundages stop going up for several weeks at a time, back off the intensity a bit and leave 1 Rep in Reserve for a week… maybe 2.

Then try for a weight increase again.

---

Download our Bro Split Workout Program PDF below:

---

We write custom programs. If you have specific physique goals–such as “I’d like wider shoulders”, or “I’d like more ‘V’ in my back”–we can write one for you. Reply in the Comments or simply contact us and we’ll get back in touch. First come, first served.