Can anyone recommend a decent bro-split template?

@william3 Ok sounds good, I've been doing ppl and arnold splits for most of my training and repeatedly burn out so i want to try something new i think im gonna give this a shot. Thanks for the quick reply man!
 
@gowdy No problem! Definitely try out a 4 day split! The bro split is kinda nice cause you can do more volume but you’re also fully recovered by the same time next week
 
@gowdy It’s basically a close grip row, so your upper arm is tucked close to your body. It biased the lats vs if your arms are flared out 90* from your body that biased the upper back
 
@william3 Hey dude, how are your results after doing that split with low volume? Are you still doing low volume or have you switched? Im pretty much on a same split with same exact volume.

I have been gaining strength nicely and Im stronoger than I have ever been but hypertrophy seems to come very slow for me no matter what split Im using.

I have never tried doing bro split with higher volume and wonder if you have any experience on that vs the low volume.
 
@zobers “It’s not optimal”

There’s absolutely no hard science proving that bro-splits are either less (or more) optimal than any other kind of split. It’s the unfortunate reality of the fitness industry that we conflate fitness coach “expert opinion” with empirical evidence.

Just do what works best for you. Most fitness claims about just about everything are based entirely on anecdote. The number of fitness claims that are actually based on repeatable, peer-reviewer studies is shockingly low.
 
@zobers This is what I have been doing to keep the wheels churning at 46

Chest, back, rest, posterior chain, rest, arms, quads, rest, repeat

Good exercise selection with compounds creates good direct/indirect overlap like the following

Chest day is always an incline pattern then a flat pattern then v bar dips. I end with a lateral variation for side delts. Recap incline barbell, flat bench, dips, laterals. Triceps obviously hit from the dipping.

Upper back is copious amounts of dead hang neutral grip pull up’s or pull up’s then lots of supported row variations. If feeling giddy will toss in a curl at end, sun a pound stone curls

Posterior chain day self explanatory. Some sort of snatch grip hip variation which also hits upper back. Snatch grip rdl or snatch grip floating deadlifts or snatch grip block pulls. End with unilateral leg stuff that will hit the quads as well. Lunge variations, or Bulgarian split squats or if I go to gym I would do leg press. Will end with laterals

Arm day is self explanatory but 99.9% of time I start with close grip bench or close grip floor presses or reverse grip bench. Wala I get chest stimulation. Same with biceps I always start off with chest to bar chin up’s. Wala upper back stimulation. Then I end with the basic arm stuff, floor skulls, barbell curls etc.

Quad day is simply quad day. Leg curls to start then a squat variation. Front’s or zercher’s which btw hit the upper back or saftey bar squat. Then do lunges or if at gym do hacks etc

It’s a fun split I enjoy. Always a day off after upper back, deadlift day and squat day
 
@zobers My 5 day routine which I really enjoy:

Mon: chest

Tue: back

Wed: off / cardio

Thu: delts

Fri: arms

Sat: legs

Sun: off / cardio

Rest days can be moved around the week if needed but generally I like this order for better recovery.
 
@zobers My bro split is as follows:

Day 1: Chest with 1-2 triceps isolation (extensions)

Day 2: bicep with 1-2 back isolation (lay pull-down)

Day 3: legs with shoulder isolation (raises)

Day 4: triceps with chest isolation (close grip bench)

Day 5: back with bicep isolation (curls)

Day 6: shoulders and abs

Day 7: rest or restart with day 1

You can combine shoulders day with leg days if you only want a 5 day schedule.

I aim for 9-15 sets, 60-75 min workouts.
 
@zobers For 5 days try something like:

Chest: Flat Press, Incline Press, Machine/Cable Fly
Back: Pulldown, Chest Supported Row, Straight Arm Pulldown
Legs: Hack Squat/Leg Press, Leg Extension, Romanian Deadlift, Hamstring Curl, Seated Calf Raise
Shoulders: Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Rear Delt Fly, Shrugs
Arms: Tricep Pushdown, Overhead Rope Extension, Dip Machine, DB Curl, DB Hammer Curl, Preacher Curl Machine
 
@stainlessea I have very long femurs, so squatting requires a ton of forward lean which I’m not comfortable with as it puts pressure on my lower back. It also barely gives me a stimulus to my quads compared to hack squat/leg press, as I’m limited by my core before my quads get to failure. I just have terrible leverages for it. I’ve spent years focusing on squat for legs with negligible returns.

As for the deadlifts, we’ll agree to disagree. Tons of respected coaches and bodybuilders say the same thing as me about deadlifting. The reward just isn’t worth the risk. Sure with perfect form it’s fine, but just one small slip up can be brutal for your back.

I know tons of guys that have fucked themselves up deadlifting, and don’t know anybody who has fucked themselves up from benching.

Regardless, not here to argue, we can agree to disagree.
 
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