“The Godfather of Bodybuilding,” Charles Glass, believes workout structure is key to progress. In a video from July 1, 2026, he broke down his weekly training split that can help prevent overworked muscles.
Before online workout videos existed, Charles Glass was lending a helping hand to some of bodybuilding’s greatest athletes. He trained elite-caliber talent, including Dexter Jackson, Dennis James, and the late Shawn Rhoden.
Glass’ training insights aren’t exclusive to the Men’s Open division. He has guided former Bikini Olympia winner Lauralie Chapados and has offered tailor-made workouts for the new Fit Model division. Whether you’re a competitive bodybuilder or a typical gym-goer, it’s easy to overtrain, prompting Glass to share his philosophy on how workouts should be organized.
Charles Glass’ Training Split That Avoids Overworked Muscles
Find his split from the video below:
- Monday — Legs
- Tuesday — Chest
- Wednesday — Back
- Thursday — Shoulders
- Friday — Arms
- Saturday — Rest Day
- Sunday — Rest Day
In the video, Glass shared that he starts the week with legs after his two rest days.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, that’s my workout. So, each day, I’m training a different body part, but then I can go all out. My first body part is always legs, because why? I’ve had the day off, I’m rested, now I’m ready to train legs.”
He explained that the lower back is taxed on leg days, so he tries to space them out during the week.
“I go legs, then I do upper body, which would probably be chest. Because, in doing legs, you affect your lower back a lot, so I try to give it a little break in between. But then I do back, shoulders, arms. If you have certain exercises you do, then it’s different,” Charles Glass shared.
With the right structure, Glass believes you can avoid muscles from being overworked.
“If you structure the week right and have certain exercises you do, it’s less likely that you will run into issues with certain muscles getting overworked.”
Glass’ training demonstrations aren’t always about pushing heavy weight. He recently outlined his bodybuilder workout for bigger legs. He emphasized that strict form is key to maximizing muscle growth. On lower body-focused days, Glass prefers to keep the rep range around 12 and 15.
Glass believes organization is crucial when designing a routine. He favors this five-day split for helping him train without overworking muscles, which can risk injury.
