The body part split, often referred to as a (BRO) split, is a popular workout split among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who want to focus on hypertrophy (muscle growth) and isolation of individual muscle groups.
In this article I am going to give you a sample body part split workout plan that I have used many times over the years to increase my workout intensity and volume.
Before I dive into work out plans, I am going to tell you what a body part split is and give you examples of different ways you can arrange it to suit your training goals and availability.
What is the body part (BRO) split?
The body part split is a training program that only focuses on a single major muscle group per workout. This allows for maximum volume for each workout, as you are guaranteed to work each muscle group to its maximum potential.
There are many different types of body part split workouts depending on your training experience, goals and availability.
Here are two examples of how body part splits could look:
Example 1
| Day | Workout |
|---|---|
| Monday | Back |
| Tuesday | Legs |
| Wednesday | Chest |
| Thursday | Shoulders |
| Friday | Arms |
| Saturday | Rest and Recovery |
| Sunday | Rest and Recovery |
This is the most common body part split as you are concentrating all of your energy targeting one muscle group per day on each workout.
Example 2
| Day | Workout |
|---|---|
| Monday | Back |
| Tuesday | Legs |
| Wednesday | Chest |
| Thursday | Rest and Recovery |
| Friday | Shoulders and Arms |
| Saturday | Rest and Recovery |
| Sunday | Rest and Recovery |
Example 2 is similar to workout 1 and is a good variation if you are only available to train 4 days per week.
Body part splits are a very adaptable split, as you can change your rest days and targeted muscle groups around to suit your availability. This is convenient for people with busy schedules.
Ultimate Body Split Workout Plan to Build Muscle
Monday (Day 1): Back Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 | 4-6 |
| Bent Over Row | 3 | 6-8 |
| Lat Pull Down / Pull-Ups | 3 | 8-10 |
| Single-Arm Row | 3 | 8-10 |
| Reverse Flyes | 3 | 10-12 |
Tuesday (Day 2): Chest Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 4-6 |
| Dumbbell Incline Bench Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 8-10 |
| Chest Press Machine | 3 | 8-10 |
| Cable Fly Crossover | 3 | 10-12 |
Wednesday (Day 3) Leg Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Hack Squat | 3 | 4-6 |
| Front Lunges | 3 | 6-8 |
| Hack Squat Machine | 3 | 8-10 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Seated Leg Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 10-12 |
Thursday (Day 4): Shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Shoulder Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Arnold Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Upright Row | 3 | 8-10 |
| Front Raises | 3 | 10-12 |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 10-12 |
| Shrug | 3 | 10-12 |
Friday (Day 5): Arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Chin-Ups | 3 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 8-10 |
| Barbell Curls | 3 | 8-10 |
| Rope Hammer Curls | 3 | 8-10 |
| Dips | 3 | 6-8 |
| Skull Crushers | 3 | 8-10 |
Saturday (Day 6): Rest and Recovery
Sunday (Day 7): Rest and Recovery
Each workout should take between 45-75 minutes to perform depending on your rest periods. Use progressive overload whenever capable while understanding that progress isn’t always linear. So long as you’re going up over the duration of the program, you will see some nice results.
What Are the Benefits of Body Part Splits?
Having a plan when you walk into the gym is beneficial by itself, but using the bro split can come with unique benefits of its own.
Here are some of the benefits:
Muscle Hypertrophy
Performing a high volume of exercises on one specific muscle group can help to maximize muscle growth. Although many bodybuilders think you should work each muscle group twice per week, targeting each body part once per can produce similar results, providing you put enough volume and effort into the workout.
Good for Bodybuilders of Any Experience
As you are only targeting a single major muscle group per day it allows more time to recover which is good for beginner bodybuilders as their muscles are less developed and can take longer to recover.
Advanced Bodybuilders can also use the bro split to their advantage as they can directly target one muscle group per work out with high volume and intensity as the have a lot of time to recover.
Ample Recovery Time
A bro split gives you six or seven days recovery time between muscle groups which allows for the damaged muscle to repair fully between each workout, preventing overtraining.
Very Adaptable
There are many different ways you can use a bro split program depending on your training goals and availability. Rest days and targeted muscle groups can be easily changed to suit your daily routine.
How Effective are BRO Split Workouts?
The bro split has received a lot of criticism over the past few years as the new normal in bodybuilding is to train each body part twice per week.
So the big question is, does the bro split actually work?
The simple answer is yes. BRO split workouts can be very effective as long as you use them correctly.
It is essential to use progressive overloading, and increase the volume and intensity of your workouts in order to get the most out of your workouts.
Due to having so much time in-between each muscle group you can massively up the intensity of your workout and push your muscles to their limits, forcing them the muscles to tear.
In order for your muscles to grow to their maximum potential it is important to combine it with good diet and nutrition. Providing your muscles with the right nutrients is essential for the muscles to grow and repair.
Diet, Nutrition and Supplementation
Training is a key aspect to both weight loss and muscle gain, but it is pointless without combining is with good diet and nutrition. By combining training with balanced diet and nutrition, your results will be incredible.
Here are some articles about what foods to eat or avoid when trying to gain muscle or lose weight:
- Delicious Smoothies to Boost Your Weight Loss Journey
- Fuelling Your Gains: The Ultimate Guide to Nutrition for Lean Muscle Building
- Foods to Avoid When Building Lean Muscle or Lose Weight
There are also various different supplements on the market that can aid muscle gain and weight loss if you hit a plateau or feel like you need a bit of extra help.
However, be careful when choosing which supplement to use, as a lot of them do not work, and could cause harm.
To help you to choose the best weight loss supplement I have done a lot of research and tested a number of supplements myself to find out which supplements are safest and work best.
Here are some articles on supplements that i have written to help you achieve your goals:
- Top supplements for building lean muscle.
- Benefits and Side Effects of Creatine Monohydrate
- Top 5 fat burning supplements to boost your weight loss journey
- The ultimate guide to choosing the best protein powders for weight loss
- How to choose the best supplement for weight loss
If you combine training, diet and supplementation into either a muscle gaining program or a weight loss program, you cannot fail to reach you training goals.
Conclusion: Increased Intensity = Increased Gains
The BRO split is a unique split that allows you to focus all your energy on a single major muscle group per workout, allow you to workout at an increases intensity and volume in every workout.
This can help you build muscle, get enough recovery, and work out around your availability.
It is essential to use progressive overload if you want to continue to progress, whilst combining this with good nutrition and supplementation for optimal results.
If you like the sound of the bro split give it the sample workout a try. Hit the gym and watch your body transform.
However, if you give the BRO split a try and it isn’t working for you, there are many other workout splits out there that might work better to suit you.
Here are some articles I have written on other workout splits that may suit you more:
If you have any questions about upper-lower split, or any other training split, leave a comment in the comments section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.