Is The "Bro" Split Effective?
By: Donovan Washington
Introduction
One of the best foundations for the gym if you are starting off is your routine. Depending on your background, some people may have an idea of what they should be doing, while others have no clue. For me, I was lucky enough to take a strength training class during my senior year of high school where we did all sorts of exercises involving lower weight with high repetitions and low repetitions with heavier weight. It stayed fairly consistent each day and we trained 3 days a week. It helped me at the beginning because I used those workouts as a blueprint for myself when I would lift on my own. After a while, the more you are around the gym the more you are going to hear about the bro split. For those who don’t know, there are multiple debatable routines that people consider to be a bro split but the most common one is this:
Bro Split Routine
Monday - Chest Day
Tuesday - Back Day
Wednesday - Shoulder Day
Thursday - Leg Day
Friday - Arm Day
The premise behind this routine is that it is a body-part split that emphasizes the large muscle groups. It is meant to build muscle and aesthetics, not necessarily strength or endurance. People argue that the bro split is not scientific-based, so it is not accurate, but I would have to disagree. Depending on what your fitness goals are, it could be the right routine for you. My fitness goal was essentially trying to look bigger. The bro split has hypertrophy training principles meaning it is designed to maximize your muscle growth. In my experience, it is also a lot easier for me to have a routine that hones in on one muscle group per day. There are two main criticisms regarding the bro split. One is the fact that you have two rest days and the amount of volume the bro split trains would require more than two days of rest. Secondly, the bro split only allows you to train your muscle groups once a week rather than twice. The problem with these criticisms is the bro split trains multiple muscle groups per body part. For example, If I have a back day, a lot of back exercises work out my biceps as well. If I have a chest day, a lot of chest exercises also work my triceps. Each day of the bro split works out more than just the intended muscle.
Conclusion
A bro split can be effective for building muscle, especially for beginners or those with limited time. Like any workout plan, it requires dedication and consistency to see significant results, but it can be a useful guide to help you start a routine. Give it a try and see how if you enjoy it!