You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for a simple, easy-to-follow, and effective bro split routine. In this article, I’ll share a 5 Day Bro Split workout routine for beginners and intermediates who want to scale up their fitness level.
This routine is simple, but following it consistently will help you build strength and muscles over time.
What is Bro Split?
The Bro split means working out one muscle group or body part a day, for example, chest on Monday, legs on Tuesday, back on Wednesday, and so on.
It is one of the most popular split routines used by numerous gym freaks for building strength and mass around the globe.
Wonder? Why is it called bro split? Because various Youtube fitness gurus, bodybuilding magazines, and social media influencers promote this split. But it is often criticized by the science-based fitness community for being scientifically unsound.
However, it is not as bad as some people say, in my opinion. In the last couple of years, I’ve tried all kinds of routines, such as bro-split, full-body, PPL, and upper/lower split. Bro split was the least effective but can also be good if you design the program well and follow the program consistently.
Let’s see some of the major pros and cons of bro split workout training.
Benefits:
- It is simple and easy to follow.
- It allows you to focus on one body part a day, so you can efficiently train each muscle on separate days.
- The bro split saves your time. As you train only one muscle a day, your session may complete within 60 minutes.
- It won’t make you as fatigued as other training programs do where you have to train multiple muscles on the same day.
- The bro split is suitable for those who want to maintain strength and mass. So, if you’re going to stay in shape, you can do it.
- Bro-split also builds muscle mass and increases strength in young males and females. I’ve seen people gain muscle with bro split. It may be because everyone’s body responds differently because of genetics, diet, and lifestyle, so if the bro split works for you, you can stick to it.
Disadvantages:
- If your primary goal is to get big, bro-split isn’t for you. Because you can’t train any of your muscles twice a week with this split, while studies recommend training one body part twice a week for superior hypertrophic.1 Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172 And, in this case, you can do PPL and upper/lower split to train each muscle two times a week.
- The bro split can be boring for some fitness enthusiasts who want to train multiple muscles a day.
- Your muscles can be overtrained in bro split training if you do plenty of exercises for one muscle group. And it can harm you in the long run. So, make sure not to force your muscles too much.
Who Can Follow a Bro Split Workout Routine?
I’ve created two types of 5 Day Bro Split workout plans, one for beginners and another for intermediate and advanced muscle builders. So whether you’re a male or female, you can do one of them to improve and maintain your overall fitness.
However, if your primary goal is to beef up mass, then the other workout programs may work better for you than the Bro split.
If you’re a beginner, you should do the upper/lower or PPL split, in my opinion.
I’ve created a different workout schedule for beginners; you can check it out.
Is a 5 Day Bro Split Effective?
The 5 day bro split can be effective if it is programmed well. For example, you should primarily focus on compound exercises that strengthen the multiple muscles simultaneously, such as bench press, squat, deadlift, weighted pushups, bar dips, and pullups. Usually, the more compound exercises you do, the better results you’ll get.
Your workout sessions should start with compound workouts, and after that, you can do isolation exercises to target the muscle specifically.
You can follow the below bro split 5 Day routine for better results. I hope this program will help you improve your fitness and build strength and muscles.
Workout Summary and Description
| Goal | Build and Maintain Strength and Mass |
| Training Type | Body-part split |
| Program Duration | 8-12 weeks |
| Frequency | 5 days a week |
| Duration/session | 45-60 minutes |
| Suitable for | Men and Women |
| Workout Plan for | Beginner and Intermediate |
| At the bottom | |
| Alternate Plans | 5 Day Compound Workout Routine Upper/Lower 5 Day Split For Muscle Growth |
| Recommended Supplement | Whey Protein Isolate |
Note: You can replace some exercises in the following weeks for better results. I’ve shared myriad exercises for each muscle group on this site; you can explore them here in this category section.
Best 5 Day Bro Split Routine To Build Mass For Beginners
- Monday – Chest
- Tuesday – Legs
- Wednesday – OFF
- Thursday – Back
- Friday – Shoulder
- Saturday – Arms
- Sunday – OFF
Day 1- Chest
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Flat Bench Press | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12, 10, 8 | 2-min |
| Pec Deck Fly | 3 | 12, 10, 8 | 90-sec |
| Kneeling Pushups | 3 | AMRAP | 90-sec |
- Here AMRAP means: As many reps as possible.
- You can do the incline chest press on the machine instead of the incline dumbbell bench press. Moreover, you can also replace some exercises with another in the following weeks of the training program.
Day 2- Legs
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Back Back Squat | 3 | 20, 16, 12 | 2-3 min |
| Machine Leg Press | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Dumbbell Lunges | 2 | 10 x 2 | 90-sec |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 12 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Machine Calf Raises | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
- You can do leg extensions, glute bridge, step-up, sumo squat, and Romanian deadlift in the upcoming weeks of training.
Day 3- Back
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Lat Pulldown | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Barbell Bent-over Row | 3 | 12, 10, 10 | 2-min |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 3 | 12, 10, 10 | 2-min |
| Single-arm Dumbbell Rowing | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
Day 4- Shoulder
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Overhead Press | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Dumbbell Front Raises | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Rear Delt Machine Flyes | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Cable Upright Row | 3 | 10 x 3 | 2-min |
Day 5 – Arms
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Skull Crusher | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Rope Pushdown | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Bench Dips | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Barbell Bicep Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
Advanced 5 Day Bro Split Routine To Maximize Strength
- Monday – Chest
- Tuesday – Legs
- Wednesday – Back
- Thursday – OFF
- Friday – Shoulder
- Saturday – Arms
- Sunday – OFF
Monday – Chest
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 x 3 | 2-min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 x 3 | 2-min |
| Decline Cable Fly | 3 | 10-15 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 8-12 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Parallel Bar Dips | 3 | AMRAP | 2-min |
Tuesday – Legs
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 4 | 15, 12, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Machine Leg Press | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Dumbbell Lunges | 2 | 10 x 2 | 90-sec |
| Machine Leg Curl | 3 | 8-12 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-12 x 3 | 90-sec |
Wednesday – Back
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 | 8, 6, 4 | 2-3 min |
| Pullups | 3 | AMRAP | 2-min |
| Front Lat Pulldown | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Barbell Bent-over Row | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Single-arm Dumbbell Rowing | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
Friday – Shoulder
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Overhead Press | 3 | 8-12 x 2 | 2-min |
| Dumbbell Front Raises | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Dumbbell Bent-arm Lateral Raises | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Seated Rear Delt Fly | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Barbell Upright Row | 3 | 10 x 3 | 2-min |
| Barbell Shrug | 3 | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
Saturday – Arms
| Workout | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Skull Crusher | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Rope Pushdown | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Triangle Pushup | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Dumbbell Kickback | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Barbell Bicep Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 3 | 10 x 3 | 1 min |
Bro Split Routine PDF
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should Bro split workout take?
It would be best to complete one session of bro split training within sixty minutes. Training for more than an hour won’t make any difference. Moreover, it can be harmful in the long run.
What’s better between push-pull-legs or Bro split?
The PPL is better than bro-split for increasing strength, endurance, and muscles because it helps you train your major muscles group at least twice a week, which is good for gaining mass.
Bro-split can be good for you if you want to follow a simple workout schedule.
References
- 1Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172
