When it comes to achieving the best physique, you need a good workout plan. A good bro-split plan includes the best compound and isolation exercises that highly engage muscles. I’ve created a 5-day dumbbell only Bro split to help you build strength, size, and endurance. So whether you’re a male or female, if you’re working out for a while, you can save this workout program to train efficiently.
What Is Bro Split?
The bro split is a training program where you train one muscle group in one day. It allows you to train separate muscles on separate days so you can work on them effectively. For example, Back on Monday, Chest on Tuesday, Legs on Wednesday, etc.
Bro split is quite famous in the gym community worldwide, irrespective of what the science-based fitness community says about it. It is mostly promoted in fitness magazines and on youtube and other social media channels.
The studies have been done on limited people, so we can’t conclude that Bro-split is bad. It can be pretty effective if your workout plan is designed well.
Pros and Cons of Bro Split
Let’s see some pros and cons of bro-split that will help you decide whether you should do it or not.
Pros
- The bro split enables you to train each muscle group separately once a week.
- It saves your time. As you only train one muscle a day, so your training session will be short.
- The bro-split is less challenging, simple, and easy to follow.
- It helps maintain and increase strength and mass.
Cons
- The bro split only allows you to train a specific muscle once a week, which is not enough for maximizing hypertrophy. A study recommends that you should train your major muscle groups at least twice a week for ultimate muscle growth.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;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
- There is a chance of overtraining in bro-split that can harm you in the long run. So, make sure not to do plenty of exercises for one muscle group in a day.
Who Should Do Bro Split?
Anyone can do bro-split training except newbies. I have done all types of split workouts, including the bro split. It might not be as effective as full-body, PPL, or upper/lower split. But it increases strength, muscles, and endurance and helps you achieve your best physique if you design the program well, consistently follow it and feed optimum nutrition to your body.
When Should You Bro Split?
You should definitely not start your fitness journey with Bro-split – in my opinion. However, if you’re working out for a while, bro-split can be worth trying, especially when you want to work on one muscle a day, maintain your strength and gain, follow a straightforward plan, and have limited time to work out.
The Best 5 Day Dumbbell Only Bro Split
- Monday – Chest
- Tuesday – Legs
- Wednesday – Back
- Thursday – Rest
- Friday – Shoulders
- Saturday – Arms
- Sunday – Rest
Monday – Chest
Workout | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Fly | 3 | 8-10 |
Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 8-10 |
Dumbbell Squeeze Press | 3 | 8-10 |
Tuesday – Legs
Workout | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Dumbbell Squat | 4 | 10-12 |
Dumbbell Lunges | 3 | 8-10 |
Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6-10 |
Dumbbell Leg Curl | 2 | 8-10 |
Dumbbell Glute Bridge | 3 | 8-10 |
Dumbbell Calf Raises | 3 | 8-12 |
Wednesday – Back
Workout | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Incline DB I-Y-T Raises | 3 | 6-8 |
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 |
One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 2 | 8-12 |
Incline Dumbbell Rowing | 3 | 8-12 |
Friday – Shoulders
Workout | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Dumbbell Overhead Press | 4 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 3 | 8-12 |
DB Rear Delt Raises | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Upright Row | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Shrugs | 3 | 8-12 |
Saturday – Arms
Workout | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Incline DB French Press | 3 | 8-12 |
Incline Triceps Kickback | 3 | 8-12 |
Single-arm Tricep Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
Alternate Bicep Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
Concentration Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Only Bro Split PDF
Related Dumbbell Workout Plans
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;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8