Last Updated On September 21, 2023
When it comes to your workouts, there are some brilliant ways to organize your program so you get the best results.
Two of the most common training splits are the Bro Split and PPL (Push, Pull, Legs). What is a Bro Split? And which routine is the best for you?
By the end of this guide, you’ll know the best option for you and your personal goals.
- Bro Split Overview
- PPL Split Overview
- Bro Split Vs Push Pull Legs: Key Differences Explained
- When Should You Do A Bro Split?
- When Should You Do A PPL Split?
- Bro Split Workout Program
- Push Pull Legs Workout Program
- Considerations When Choosing A Split Training Program
- Common Bro Split Versus PPL Questions
- Conclusion
Bro Split Overview
Pros And Cons Of Doing Bro Split Exercise
Pros
Focuses On One Muscle At A Time
The Bro Split is focused on working one muscle group at a time.
There’s no better feeling than walking into the gym on a Monday (aka international chest day), knowing that all you’re working on is your pecs.
It makes training simple, and you can ensure that you give the targeted muscle one hell of a workout.
From my experience, if I walk into a gym and know I’m working my chest, the bench press will be my main focus.
Using the Bro Split, I can fully exhaust my chest by pushing myself to the max without worrying about saving energy for other muscle groups.
And, if the equipment you want to use is being used by someone else, there are plenty of other chest exercises you can do.
Personally, the focus on specific muscle groups is one of the biggest pros of the Bro Split training program.
Has Been Around For Years
The Bro Split has been around for a long time, and it began its life in bodybuilding circles globally and has stuck around for a reason.
The Bro Split is generally the workout split most people start when they begin lifting weights.
It’s been used by famous bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Culter, Dorian Yates, Franco Columbu, and many others.
One of the reasons why the Bro Split has remained popular is because it gets you the desired results you want (building muscles).
Maximum Rest & Recovery
During Bro Split training, you only work your major muscle groups once per week.
While your entire body is worked throughout the week, each body part you’ve worked previously gets to rest until the week after.
Doing so gives your body more than enough time to rest and recover for the next workout.
You can hit your muscle groups hard for one workout and then not have to think about it again for an entire week.
This is a massive bonus in my eyes, especially if you dislike leg day as much as I have in the past.
If having a week’s rest for each muscle sounds good, the Bro Split is the one for you.
You Can Push Yourself Harder
If you’re only working your muscle groups once per week, you tend to push each muscle harder than you would using PPL.
Why? - Because you've always got that voice in the back of your head saying, "we're doing push again in a few days; let's lay off a little." Or at least that's what pops into my head sometimes.
However, while performing the Bro Split, I found that my mind likes to push my body, especially if I know I won’t be hitting my biceps again for another week.
While using the preacher curl to train my biceps, I performed 4 sets of 8-12 reps. On my last set, instead of stopping at 12, I pushed myself to 20 reps.
This made me think, “I should go harder next week,” as I clearly had the strength there.
I doubt the above situation would have occurred during PPL pull workout as I would have been conscious of the other muscle groups I needed to work on that day.
If you enjoy relentlessly pushing your muscles, the Bro Split is a great choice.
Cons
You Only Train Each Muscle Group Once Per Week
As I mentioned before, you only train each muscle group once a week during the Bro Split.
As the study cited earlier in the article stated, research has shown that training the same muscle group twice a week gives you better muscular hypertrophy results.
While training your muscles once a week can be a pro for some people, it also has its downsides.
Yet, this doesn’t mean you should leave the Bro Split; it still yields fantastic results.
You Need A Wide Knowledge Of Exercise Variations
If you plan on working the triceps for an entire workout, you need around 20 working sets of 8-12 reps to provide that muscle with enough stimulus to grow.
The last thing you want to do is perform the same exercise for the 20 sets; it’ll get boring and isn’t efficient.
To use the Bro Split effectively, you need a wide knowledge of exercise variations so you can mix things up.
This can be a struggle for beginners and often overwhelming. However, don’t let it put you off completely; you’ll learn plenty of exercises in time.
It Can Increase Your Risk Of Injury
When you train a body part to complete failure, you’re risk of injury increases.
This factor is something that you should pay attention to. I’ve had many injuries in the past from my knee, shoulder, wrist… you name it; I’ve probably hurt it somehow.
However, several of these were 100% caused by pushing myself too far past failure.
Now, I’m not trying to scare you off the Bro Split, but if you’re injury-prone, PPL is the better choice for you.
Not Optimal For Strength Training
If you're looking to develop your strength (e.g., increasing your max strength), the Bro Split isn't for you.
While the Bro Split helps you build muscle, strength gains aren’t its strong point.
However, you can combine this program with your strength training as an alternative to PPL. But be careful it doesn’t hinder your strength program.
PPL Split Overview
Pros And Cons Of Doing The PPL Exercise
Pros
It Trains Your Muscles Twice A Week
Working your muscles twice a week provides you with additional stimulus to grow. And it’s been shown to be more beneficial compared to training once per week.
For example, performing a bench press twice a week for 10 sets each day is more beneficial than performing 20 sets in one go.
If you select the right exercises, you'll be able to train all of your muscles twice a week… Now that's what I call muscle-building potential!
It Adds Greater Variety To Your Program
PPL allows you to work on various muscles during a single workout. For example, on a "Push day," you can work your pecs, triceps, and shoulders.
And on a "Pull day," you can train your back, shoulders, biceps, and traps.
With this type of variety, I doubt you’ll get bored.
Brilliant For Beginners
While PPL isn’t suitable for all beginners, some beginners might be able to start out with a PPL split.
As most beginners don't always know the anatomy of the body and how to work each muscle, it's nice heading to the gym knowing it's "push day," aka any exercise that pushes weight away from your body.
Plus, PPL allows you to train multiple muscles in one session, which is closer to an entire body workout (which I recommend for most beginners) than the Bro Split.
Cons
Difficult To Focus On A Specific Muscle & Related Muscle Groups
If you’ve been training for a while and want to focus on certain body regions, then the PPL split isn’t the best option for you.
If you're looking to develop your lateral deltoids, it makes sense to focus on developing your lateral head delts.
So in this instance, the Bro Split could be more beneficial as it allows you to remain focused on smaller muscle groups by using isolation exercises.
Occasionally, the PPL split can lead to muscular imbalances or gaps in your body’s symmetry, which isn’t much of an issue at the start; it can cause problems for athletes. If this happens, try the Bro Split for a few weeks to develop any lagging body regions.
It Can Become Repetitive
For some gym-goers, performing the same PPL workout twice a week can become repetitive. However, I have a solution for this that’ll prevent your workouts from becoming stagnant.
Have two different PPL workouts that you do each week rather than doing the same workout twice.
It's not a perfect solution, but it can help you hit more muscle groups differently during your workouts.
Sometimes Lacks Intensity
While research shows that training your muscle groups twice a week is better than training them once, it's only true if you hit them with the same intensity.
Sometimes when you become complacent during the PPL split, you can lower the intensity of your workouts without realizing it. Don’t fall into this trap; it can be a gains killer.
Always remember: You get out of it what you put in, so always work hard during your workouts regardless of if you’re doing the Bro Split of PPL.
Bro Split Vs Push Pull Legs: Key Differences Explained
Workout Consistency
When you look at the Bro Split vs PPL, one of the first major differences you'll notice is the training frequency of each muscle group routine.
During the Bro Split, you only hit major muscle groups once per week. For example, Monday might be chest day, Tuesday could be back day, Sunday rest day, and so on…
The Bro Split Generally Looks Like This:
Tips From A Trainer!
Then build up your workout frequency; it's not ideal, but it might help.
On the other hand, while performing PPL (Push, Pull, Legs), you train each muscle group twice a week.
By hitting each muscle group twice per week, you provide double the amount of stimulus, which has been shown to promote greater muscle gain than training once per week.[1]
By Doing So, Your Push Pull Legs Split Might Look Like This:
Tips From A Trainer!
Beginners can lower the frequency to three times a week by only performing the Push Pull Legs split once through the week, allowing your muscle groups to adjust to your workouts
I’ll cover program design further down the article, so keep an eye out for that section.
Workout Intensity
When it comes to training intensity between the Bro Split vs PPL, the Bro Split allows you to completely exhaust one muscle group at a time.
As you’re only working the muscle once a week, you need to push your muscles harder during your workout than you would during your typical PPL workout.
For example, during the Bro Split leg day, you might push yourself so hard that you can’t sit on the toilet without needing to lean on something… yeah, we’ve all been there.
On the other hand, during Push Pull Legs, it's highly unlikely that you'll push that hard as you have another leg session in a few days.
You still hit each exercise with the same level of intensity, but it won’t leave you unable to walk afterwards, whereas the Bro Split does.
Your Individual Choice
At the end of the day, when you weigh up the difference between the Bro Split and the Push Pull Legs Split, it all comes down to preference.
Many lifters (like me) love to completely destroy a muscle until it’s got nothing left (like the Bro Split).
However, many other gym-goers enjoy working their muscles with intensity but stopping before they reach failure. By doing so, they can train their muscle groups twice per week.
You can still hit the same workout volume using this method but in a different way.
As long as you’re training each workout split with intensity, you’ll get the results you want. Choose the one that suits you the best.
When Should You Do A Bro Split?
You Can Bring The Intensity
If you think you’ve got what it takes to bring the intensity to every session and work your muscles to complete failure, the Bro Split is for you.
There’s little room for sub-par training during this split as you only work each muscle once a week.
You Aren’t Afraid Of Soreness
With a high intensity and volume, you’ll get your fair share of DOMS, more than if you spread your volume out (like during PPL).
If you're like me and enjoy DOMS, the Bro Split is right up your alley.
You Like The Split More
When it comes to weight training, you’ve got to enjoy the split you’re doing. If you enjoy it, the chances are you’ll get the results you want.
If you love the Bro Split, don’t worry about the “training your muscles twice a week is better” research.
You can train twice a week, all you want, but if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll get substandard results. Always do the split you enjoy; your training will be consistent for many months and years.
When Should You Do A PPL Split?
You Want To Grow Muscle As Quickly As Possible
You can’t deny the science; studies have shown that training your muscles twice a week is better than once per week.
If you want to grow muscle all over your body, PPL is the split for you.
You Don’t Care About Stage Symmetry
Not a bodybuilder? Not a problem; the PPL will be ideal for you. Bodybuilders need to have excellent symmetry and proportions for when they get on stage.
The PPL isn’t great for bodybuilders looking to sculpt each body part perfectly.
However, for you and me, it’s a great way to develop muscle all over the body.
And, if you get any lagging areas, you can always jump on the Bro Split for a few weeks to iron out imbalances or to focus on a particular muscle.
You Have Some Strength Training Goals
Unlike the Bro Split, the PPL is great if you have some strength-specific goals. By working your muscles several times a week, you’ll see greater strength goals compared to the Bro Split.
The PPL split can be adapted slightly to mimic powerlifting programs, such as using your Push day to focus on developing your bench press strength, and so on.
If you're only looking to gain strength, better splits and programs are available.
Bro Split Workout Program
The Bro Split can be a 5-day split or a 6-day split, depending on whether you include a day dedicated to abs.
If you’re struggling for time, perform a 5-day split and add the abs to the end of another day. Always remember the routine has to suit your schedule.
Monday – Chest
Today is all about building a well-rounded barrel-like chest.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Bench press | 4 | 8-12 |
Incline DB chest press | 4 | 8-12 |
Incline chest flys | 4 | 8-12 |
Chest Dips | 4 | 8-12 |
Push-ups | 4 | AMRAP (As Many As Possible) |
Tuesday – Back
Want a V-shaped body? These exercises will get your pull muscles moving.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Pull-ups | 4 | 8-12 |
Wide grip lat pull downs | 4 | 8-12 |
Seated row | 4 | 8-12 |
Single arm seated row | 4 | 8-12 |
Barbell shrugs | 4 | AMRAP |
Wednesday – Legs
These lower body exercises will give you a great leg workout to build killer legs.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Barbell squats | 4 | 8-12 |
DB Romanian deadlift | 4 | 8-12 |
Leg extension | 4 | 8-12 |
Leg press | 4 | 8-12 |
Lying hamstring curls | 4 | 8-12 |
Standing calf raises | 4 | AMRAP |
Thursday – Shoulders
These shoulder exercises will use your pull and push muscles.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
BB military press | 4 | 8-12 |
DB Arnold press | 4 | 8-12 |
Cable lateral raise | 4 | 8-12 |
DB front raises | 4 | 8-12 |
Bent over reverse fly | 4 | 8-12 |
Friday – Arms
Want god-like arms? Follow this workout to grow your biceps and triceps.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Reverse grip pull-ups | 4 | 8-12 |
Barbell bicep curls | 4 | 8-12 |
Reverse grip preacher curl | 4 | 8-12 |
Dips | 4 | 8-12 |
Skull crushers | 4 | 8-12 |
Tricep pushdowns (rope) | 4 | 8-12 |
Saturday – Abs
To have beach-ready abs, you want to follow this workout.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Plank holds | 4 | 1-2 minutes |
Hanging leg raises | 4 | 8-12 |
V sit holds | 4 | 1-2 minutes |
Russian twists | 4 | 20-30 |
Plank holds | 4 | AMRAP |
Push Pull Legs Workout Program
Depending on your schedule, you can perform the PPL as a three-day split or a six-day split. The program below is one example of a PPL split. The movement patterns will be based on the day.
Monday – Push
All the exercises today are pushing movements.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Bench press | 4 | 8-12 |
DB overhead press | 4 | 8-12 |
Chest press machine | 4 | 10 |
DB Arnold press | 4 | 10 |
Tricep pushdowns | 4 | 12 |
Overhead tricep cable extension | 4 | 12 |
Tuesday – Pull
These pulling movements will help you develop areas like your back, biceps, and shoulders.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Bent over barbell row | 4 | 8-12 |
Lat pulldown | 4 | 8-12 |
Standing DB curl | 4 | 8-12 |
Preacher curl | 4 | 8-12 |
Cable lateral raise | 4 | 8-12 |
Barbell shrugs | 4 | AMRAP |
Wednesday – Legs
Use this lower body workout to grow your legs.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Barbell squats | 4 | 8-12 |
DB Romanian deadlift | 4 | 8-12 |
Barbell hip thrusts | 4 | 8-12 |
Walking lunges | 4 | 8-12 |
Thursday – Push
Use this push workout as your second of the week.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Incline DB press | 4 | 8-12 |
Barbell overhead press | 4 | 8-12 |
Chest press machine | 4 | 10 |
DB Arnold press | 4 | 10 |
Tricep dips | 4 | 12 |
Overhead tricep cable extension | 4 | 12 |
Friday – Pull
Pull day two; uses your pull muscles again.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Bent over reverse grip row | 4 | 8-12 |
Lat pulldown | 4 | 8-12 |
Seated DB curl | 4 | 8-12 |
Reverse grip BB curl | 4 | 8-12 |
DB lateral raise | 4 | 8-12 |
DB front raise | 4 | 8-12 |
Saturday – Legs
Use this lower body workout to grow your legs.
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
Barbell front squats | 4 | 8-12 |
Deadlift | 4 | 8-12 |
Hip thrusts | 4 | 8-12 |
Bulgarian split squat | 4 | 8-12 |
Walking lunges | 4 | 8-12 |
Sunday – Rest
Ah, the day of rest, relaxation, and eating plenty of protein for recovery. Your upper and lower body will need rest for the week ahead.
Considerations When Choosing A Split Training Program
When choosing the best training split for you, there are several considerations you need to make before you can start. Here are some of the primary considerations:
Your Current Experience Level
If you're a beginner, I recommend avoiding jumping head-first into the Bro Split or the Push-Pull-Legs (PPL). Instead, you'd be better off performing several whole-body workouts throughout the week to build up your body's overall strength.
Full-body workouts give you a greater training frequency, giving your muscles the stimulus they need to grow.
A whole-body routine will work well for beginners as you can hit each muscle group several times per week without any ridiculous DOMS that stop you from working out the next day.
Less DOMS is a bonus for beginners, as I’ve found the majority of beginners skip a few workouts because of soreness. Missed sessions lead to inferior progression.
However, I must add that when I began lifting during the early 2000s, my preferred split was the Bro Split.
I yielded excellent results over the years and looked forward to focusing on one muscle group per day.
My approach wasn’t ideal for a beginner, but it worked, and I was dedicated (which is half the battle).
If you’re an intermediate or advanced lifter, feel free to jump into either the Bro Split or PPL split. But be sure you’ve read this guide to know which one suits you best.
Your Availability And Convenience
Before you jump head-first into one of these splits, you must consider your availability and the convenience of the split you’ve chosen.
If the workout split isn't going to fit into your schedule, it's not worth attempting; another split could be a better fit.
The bro split might not be the best option if you're in full-time work and have limited time or days off. The bro split is reliant on using set days to train a single muscle group such as "chest."
If you miss a day, the training plan doesn't work.
In this instance, the PPL program might be your best option. With the PPL, you get to work several muscle groups during one session.
For example, you might work shoulders, chest, and triceps on your push day.
When comparing the Bro Split and PPL, the PPL is less time intensive and can be completed within 3 days a week.
Your Diet, Rest, And Recovery Needs
For muscle and strength gains, you need three things:
- A good diet (plenty of protein)
- Plenty of rest
- And adequate recovery
These are the main factors that'll come into play besides your workout routines.
It’s important to remember that your muscles might be worked in the gym, but they grow outside the gym (when you’re resting).
Your diet supports your muscle recovery, and the fast/better you recover, the more training sessions can do.
Who doesn’t want more muscle gains, right?
Common Bro Split Versus PPL Questions
While both splits are excellent for muscle development, I find the PPL has one major advantage over the upper and lower split.
Trying to fit your entire upper body into one day (chest, shoulders, back, arms, forearms) into one day can be a challenge, if not impossible. And you tend to neglect certain areas.
However, with the PPL split, your upper body days are split into two (a push workout and a pull workout).
Having your upper body workout split over two workout sessions allows you to include more exercises, so you don’t neglect any areas, and you can train a little harder.
When it comes to weight training, I have a rule of thumb. - “If your workout lasts longer than 60 minutes, you’re not working hard enough”.
During the bro split, you should spend around 50-60 minutes total during your workout programs.
Studies have shown that 60 minutes of hard work is enough to stimulate muscle hypertrophy.[2]
Besides, 60 minutes of working one muscle group is a killer, and I doubt you’d want to do any longer.
As with the question above, even with the PPL split, you should aim for your workouts to last around 60 minutes.
An hour of hard work is plenty of time to stimulate muscle growth.
When it comes to beginners, you’d be best performing full-body workouts two or three times a week.
Full body routines allow you to work all muscle groups during one workout rather than targeting a specific muscle group.
While the PPL split is a fantastic program, doing it too soon could lead to overtraining, resulting in injury and exhaustion.
However, the PPL split could be a great split to move on to after you’ve built up your strength during the entire body workouts.
It depends on your goals. If you want to promote muscle growth all over your body, the PPL split could be your best option.
If you want to target a particular muscle group, though, bro splits are the way to go.
Overall, when it comes to Bro Split vs PPL, both are excellent splits for gaining muscle.
Rest days are crucial for muscle hypertrophy. If you want to maximize muscle growth, you should always implement a rest day into your workout.
During the PPL split, your rest days will depend on which type of PPL you’re doing.
If you’re performing a 3-day PPL split, you will have 4 rest days per week. However, if you’re doing a 6-day PPL split, then generally, you’ll have a rest day Sunday.
Don’t be tempted to skip your rest days; you’ll develop more muscle by including them in your week split.
If you’re looking to lose fat, the Bro Split and PPL are both effective.
When it comes to losing fat, so long as your training split promotes muscle retention, you’ll be fine.
During a calorie deficit (diet), your body will look to lose muscle to save calories. It’s important to keep your muscle-building workouts up while consuming adequate amounts of protein.
Most professional bodybuilders will continue their splits throughout their contest prep.
From experience, my clients get the best fat loss results by performing resistance training alongside a calorie-controlled diet.
Conclusion
If you're looking to develop your muscles, you've probably been looking at which split is the best for you.
Two popular splits are the Bro Split and the PPL (Push Pull Legs), but knowing which one you should choose can be difficult.
The article above is the ultimate guide to which split is best for you and your goals.
Have a read-through and see the benefits of each and which one you’d prefer.
References:
1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34564330/
Last Updated on September 21, 2023
