I Tried a 5-Day ‘Bro Split’ for a Month — Here’s What Happened

The bro split is arguably as old as the gym culture itself.

If you think about it; training one muscle group each day made the most sense when people didn’t have enough data or access to fancy scientific equipment to determine the effectiveness of various training splits.

I’ve lately been switching between seemingly more robust training splits like upper/lower, push/pull/legs (PPL), power hypertrophy upper lower (PHUL), and power hypertrophy adaptive training (PHAT). However, something felt amiss and I was not happy with my progress despite putting in the time and effort.

This motivated me to return to the classic five-days-a-week bro split.

While many criticize the bro split for its vanilla training approach, research shows that overall training volume is the primary factor for promoting hypertrophy, and not necessarily the frequency of training a specific muscle group per week. This points toward the fact that the bro split can be as effective as other fancier training routines at building muscle mass. (1)

In this article, I take you over my experience (and results) following the five-day bro split for a month. I’ll also share tips on how you can adopt this training program according to your unique needs if you’re looking to try it for yourself. So, sit tight and read on.

My Bro Split Week

This is what my weekly workout schedule looked like:

• Monday: Chest
• Tuesday: Back
• Wednesday: Shoulders
• Thursday: Legs
• Friday: Arms
• Saturday & Sunday: Rest Day

Workout Breakdown

My workouts comprised a balance of compound and isolation lifts to ensure overall development. Here is what my routine looked like:

Monday: Chest

I started the week with a simple chest workout comprising three presses and one flye movement. Research shows performing three sets of eight to 12 reps of an exercise with 60 to 80 percent of your one-rep max (1RM) can help maximize hypertrophy. (2)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Bench Press	3	8-12
Incline Dumbbell Press	3	10-15
Decline Dumbbell Press	3	10-15
Cable Flyes	3	12-15

Tuesday: Back

Progressive overload is indispensable to ensure consistent gains. It involves gradually increasing the demand placed on your muscles by increasing the training volume and intensity. You could also employ progressive overload by reducing the rest time between sets or using advanced training principles like supersets and dropsets.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pull-ups/Lat Pulldowns	3	To failure/8-12
Barbell Rows	3	8-12
Seated Cable Rows	3	10-15
Face Pulls	3	15-20

Wednesday: Shoulders

Consider limiting your rest time between set to 60 to 90 seconds to maintain a high training, intensity and maximize target muscle fiber stimulation.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Overhead Press (Barbell/Dumbbell)	3	8-12
Lateral Raises	3	10-15
Front Raises	3	10-15
Reverse Flyes	3	12-15

Thursday: Legs

My leg workouts are usually the most demanding day in my training routine. I focus on following a full range of motion during each exercise to get the best bang for my training buck. Ensuring maximum knee flexion during exercises like barbell squats, leg presses, leg extensions, and hamstring curls will result in optimal muscle recruitment.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Squats	3	8-12
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)	3	10-15
Leg Press	3	12-15
Leg Extensions	3	15-20
Hamstring Curls	3	15-20
Calf Raises	3	15-20

Friday: Arms

I recommend starting your arm workouts with the weaker muscle group. For instance, begin the session with close-grip bench presses if your triceps are lagging as compared to your biceps.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	3	8-12
Hammer Curls	3	10-15
Close-Grip Bench Press	3	8-12
Overhead Triceps Extensions	3	10-15
Triceps Pushdowns	3	12-15

Use the final two days of the week to rest and recover. However, avoid turning into a couch potato during your days off from training. Studies show active recovery techniques like cardio, stretching, and yoga can boost recovery by promoting blood flow to the target muscles, flushing out the lactic acid, and improving flexibility and overall functionality. (3)

Week 1: Initial Impressions

To be honest, I was pumped to start this five-day bro split as it allows you to focus on each muscle group individually. I went into each workout with a clear focus and mentally rehearsed each exercise before hitting the gym, allowing me to develop a deep mind-muscle connection.

This made this four-week challenge feel manageable and helped me get into the zone before each training session.

Sore But Satisfied

Targeting a muscle group with 12 to 15 back-to-back sets is a lot of training volume. I felt brand new during the first few sets but the fatigue hit like a wall of bricks as I moved to the third or fourth exercise. It really required me to dig deep in some of the workouts to get past the finish line.

I wasn’t surprised when I felt delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in my chest and back during the third day of this program. It also impacted my training performance on the subsequent days, but it wasn’t anything unmanageable.

This soreness was a sign that I was moving in the right direction and this bro split split would help me break through my strength and muscle plateaus.

I leveraged the rest days to focus on my recovery by indulging in light cardio, stretching, and foam rolling.

Remember, training is only one-third of the equation when it comes to building a jacked physique.

You must also prioritize your nutrition and sleep to maximize your fitness potential. Use this total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) calculator to determine your ideal daily calorie and macronutrient intake. Furthermore, sleep for at least eight hours each night to give your muscles enough time to recover.

Although one week is too early to expect strength or muscle mass gains, I did experience an improved mental focus during my workouts. This split helped me stay dialed in for longer, resulting in better performance and output.

Weeks 2-3: Adapting and Adjusting

The first week helped me establish a baseline and it was now time to build on it in this phase.

I prioritized progressively overloading my muscles during Week Two by increasing the poundage (2-2.5 pounds in each workout) or performing a higher number of reps (1-2 additional reps) in each exercise. This led to muscle-ripping pumps, which have been shown to boost hypertrophy. (4)

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to go crazy with your training volume and intensity while employing progressive overload. Small, consistent progress leads to real magic over time.

My body started adapting to this bro split by the end of the second week and the soreness, while still present, decreased considerably.

Plateaus and Challenges

Progress in the gym will never be linear, especially if you are an experienced lifter. I hate to admit it but strength and muscle plateaus are part of the strength training game.

I was really mindful of avoiding plateaus since this was a very short training program. Nonetheless, if you’re feeling stuck, begin by assessing your form and making small tweaks to your technique. Then, proceed to adjust your training volume and intensity.

In my experience, switching up your exercise can also shock the muscles and unlock new gains.

Mental Fatigue

I usually stick to the same exercises for four weeks as this allows my muscles enough time to get the most out of these movements. A drawback of this technique, however, is that it can cause mental fatigue as you might get bored doing the same things week in and week out.

Honestly, I felt a little bored during the third week of this bro split and I had to focus on staying present during the workouts and concentrating on the mind-muscle connection.

Pro Tip: Blast your favorite music in your earphones whenever you need an extra dose of motivation.

Progress and Satisfaction

While I had done this bro split before, I had no idea what to expect from this four-week period.

However, I started seeing noticeable improvement in my muscle mass and definition around the third-week mark. This significantly boosted my workout satisfaction and motivation.

I encourage my personal training clients to monitor their training progress weekly. You can do this by taking body circumference measurements, progress photos, and tracking your body weight.

This allows you to stay focused on your goals and make necessary adjustments within time if you feel you are going off track.

Week 4: Results and Reflections

I pushed myself to the limit in the final week and ensured I didn’t leave any stones unturned.

Let’s now talk about the results of this four-week bro split because this is why we put ourselves through the wringer:

Strength Gains

I noticed an improvement in all my lifts across the board. Here are the most impressive ones:

• Bench Press: I went from benching 195 pounds for five reps to 225 within four weeks.
• Squat: My barbell back squat witnessed a 15-pound increase over the same period.
• Deadlift: The deadlift is my strongest lift and I pulled a 3RM PR of 375 pounds.
• Overhead Press: I went from hoisting 115 pounds overhead for five reps to 125 pounds, which is a big win in my book.

Muscle Gains

Since the bro split is a bodybuilding-focused program, I had big expectations going in. To be honest, I did not experience dramatic growth. But, I did notice some subtle changes, especially in my arms which looked fuller and got the coveted 3D look.

While I did not take precise measurements, the visual improvements are very encouraging.

In my opinion, one of the best things about the bro split is that it allows you to concentrate on one muscle group at a time, helping maximize target muscle fiber stimulation and subsequent adaptations. 

Use the workout program listed in this article as a blueprint and feel free to scale your training volume and intensity based on your current fitness levels. Doing too much too soon can significantly increase your injury risk and put you out of action for multiple weeks.

Conclusion

I am happy with the results I’ve gotten with this program and will be following this for eight more weeks to maximize my potential.

The beauty of this bro split training routine is that it is suitable for lifters of all experience levels. However, make sure you scale your workouts according to your current fitness levels to avoid overexertion and ensure long-term adherence.

Like with any other training program, consistency, dedication, and discipline are vital for achieving your training objective while following this five-day bro split for a month.

If you have any questions about the five-day bro split or need help implementing it into your routine, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Bartolomei, S., Nigro, F., Malagoli Lanzoni, I., Masina, F., Di Michele, R., & Hoffman, J. R. (2021). A Comparison Between Total Body and Split Routine Resistance Training Programs in Trained Men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 35(6), 1520–1526. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003573
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
3. Ortiz RO Jr, Sinclair Elder AJ, Elder CL, Dawes JJ. A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Active Recovery Interventions on Athletic Performance of Professional-, Collegiate-, and Competitive-Level Adult Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Aug;33(8):2275-2287. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002589. PMID: 29742750.
4. Hirono T, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Tanaka H, Saeki J, Yagi M, Umehara J, Ichihashi N. Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 1;36(2):359-364. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478. PMID: 31904714.

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