‘The Dutch Giant’ Olivier Richters Reveals Training Splits He Used to Add Mass, Shares Current Back and Biceps Workout

Olivier Richters, the tallest bodybuilder in the world, has tried just about every training program under the sun. In his latest endeavor, shared on March 28, 2025, he walked through all the training splits he’s tried and revealed which one works best for him now. He also laid out his go-to time-efficient back and biceps workout. 

Known as ‘The Dutch Giant,’ Olivier Richters stands at 7’2″. He portrays KJ, a member of a criminal group in the popular hit action series Reacher, alongside star Alan Ritchson. In addition, he has appeared in several popular films, including The King’s Man, Louis Wain, Indiana Jones, and the Dial of Destiny. 

Fueling and maintaining such a massive physique is no easy feat. It takes calculated nutrition and intense training. Having added lean muscle tissue to his frame throughout the years, Richters revealed the training changes he’s implemented so his look is up to snuff with what’s expected in Hollywood. 

Olivier Richters Reflects on Every Training Split He’s Used, Shares His Current Back and Biceps Workout  

Below, Richters breaks down all the training splits he’s used to build his physique over the years. 

Full body 

In a recent YouTube video, Richters explained how starting his fitness journey with a full-body split helped him build a solid foundation for his physique.

“The great thing about the human body is that it loves adapting, but you have to give incentive for adapting. When you start training, that’s not very hard.

You go from a sitting chair at the office to the gym. So what I did in the beginning years is a full-body schedule. It was just one exercise per body part done in an hour, and that worked great.” 

Upper Lower Body Split 

While he praised the upper-lower body split for its time efficiency, he realized his body eventually got accustomed to this program just like his full-body routine. 

“All things come to an end when you say it’s great. The problem is your body gets used to it, and it recognizes patterns. It didn’t work anymore, it didn’t grow. What I did, I did my first split upper body lower body. It was great because again, I did two exercises per muscle group because I had more time in the week.” 

Bro Split 

Since the body continuously adapts to physical stress, he moved on to a bro split. He divided it into three days: Monday was chest, triceps, and shoulders. Wednesday was for legs only. Friday was reserved for his back and biceps. 

“At some point, you just need to give more incentive because your body keeps adapting perfectly. So then, I went into what you guys call the bro split. I would do chest, triceps, and shoulders. Wednesday, leg day. Friday, back and biceps. In between, calves and abs.” 

“The reason why this split worked very well is because the play field got a lot bigger. I had more exercises to destroy a muscle group and give it incentive to grow. Also, a lot more sets for one muscle group,” he shared.

Training Strategy While Working With a Bodybuilding Coach 

He learned from a bodybuilding coach that he was overtraining with the bro split and, as a result, began modifying his workouts with a more failure-centric approach.

“I agreed to do this. Less time in the gym, less sets, but one thing was added from him: one set has to be all. It’s going three times to failure in a single set instead of doing three sets or four sets single-wise and going one time to failure.

So you’re going way deeper in the muscle fibers in a short period of time. This means you’re quicker done in the gym, but the damage and intent to grow has to be there so you’re done with the exercise.” 

Richters’ Back and Biceps Workout for Muscle Maintenance 

Find his exercise selections below: 

• Lat pulldown – 3 sets 10-12 reps to failure with each set 
• Seated Cable Row – 3 sets 10-12 reps to failure with each set 
• Barbell Curl – 3 sets 10-12 reps failure with each set 

From experimenting with various training splits to consuming 7,000 calories a day, Olivier Richters gives his all when it comes to workouts and nutrition. He credits these practices for helping him maintain lean muscle and athleticism, which are crucial for his role in Reacher.

RELATED: Dutch Giant Towers Over Phil Heath, The Mountain, Big Ramy & Others Making Everyone Look Tiny!

Watch the full video from the Men’s Health YouTube channel below: 

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.