The bro split is one of the longest-standing structures in serious bodybuilding for a reason: it lets you train each major muscle group hard, recover for a full week before training it again, and accumulate enough volume per session to drive significant growth. The best bro split workout covers chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs across five days, with each day dedicated to maximum focus on one body part.
This 12-exercise program covers the foundational lifts on each day. Run it five days per week (Monday through Friday is the standard schedule), or stretch it across six or seven days if recovery is slower. The exercises are organized by day with the heaviest compound first and accessory work building on it.
Chest Day
Chest day covers the pectoralis major from every effective angle. The three exercises below cover horizontal pressing for foundational mass, incline pressing for upper chest, and cable isolation for the contraction angle that pressing misses.
Barbell Bench Press
The Barbell Bench Press is the king of upper-body pressing. Lying flat with a barbell over the chest, you lower the bar to mid-chest and press it back to lockout. It builds the chest, front delts, and triceps as a complete unit and is the single best mass-builder for the upper body.
Every chest day starts with bench pressing. The barbell allows the heaviest possible load and the bilateral lift develops raw pressing strength better than any unilateral or machine variation. Run it first when fresh, with 4 to 5 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range for strength and hypertrophy.
Plant the feet flat, arch the upper back slightly, and pull the shoulder blades together hard. Lower the bar to the lower-to-mid chest under control, then drive it back up. Keep the elbows tucked at roughly 60 to 75 degrees from the torso, not flared straight out.
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press performs the incline press with dumbbells instead of a barbell. The incline angle shifts emphasis to the upper chest and front delts, and the dumbbells allow each arm to work independently with a longer range of motion than a bar permits.
Most lifters under-develop the upper chest because flat bench dominates programs. The incline dumbbell press closes that gap. It also catches strength imbalances that bilateral work hides. Run it as the second compound after the bench press, in the 8 to 12 rep range.
Set the bench between 30 and 45 degrees. Press the dumbbells up and slightly together at the top, with a controlled descent to a deep stretch. The dumbbells let the chest stretch further than a barbell allows, which is one of the strongest stimuli for muscle growth.
Cable Crossover
The Cable Crossover is the gold-standard chest isolation exercise. The cables maintain constant tension throughout the movement, and the crossover at the front of the body produces a peak contraction across the entire pec that no pressing exercise can match.
Cable crossovers finish chest day after the heavy compound work is done. The constant tension and full contraction pattern hit the chest in a way pressing does not, which produces a different stimulus and rounds out the day. Run them in the 12 to 15 rep range for 3 to 4 sets.
Set the cables high to target the lower chest, mid for the mid-chest, or low for the upper chest. Cross the hands fully past each other at the bottom for a strong contraction. Move slow and let the chest do the work; momentum kills the effectiveness here.
Back Day
Back day covers vertical pulling, horizontal pulling, and additional pulldown volume. The three exercises below combine to develop the lats, mid-back, and biceps as a coordinated whole.
Pull Up
The Pull Up is the king of vertical pulling. Hanging from a bar with an overhand grip, you pull the body up until the chin clears the bar, then lower under control. It builds the lats, biceps, mid-back, and core in a way no other single movement can match.
Every back day starts with vertical pulling. The pull-up is the most effective option because bodyweight loading scales naturally and progressing to weighted pull-ups gives years of additional progression once bodyweight reps get comfortable. Run it for 4 to 5 sets, weighted if possible.
Hang fully at the bottom with arms straight. Drive the elbows down and back to pull the chest toward the bar. Lower under control to a full hang and reset. Avoid kipping or swinging the body to use momentum.
Barbell Bent Over Row
The Barbell Bent Over Row hinges at the hips with a barbell in the hands and rows the bar to the lower chest or upper abdomen. It is the most effective horizontal pull for total back development, hitting the lats, mid-back, and rear delts together.
After vertical pulling, every back day needs horizontal pulling. Barbell rows hit the muscles a pull-up does not target effectively: the rhomboids, mid-traps, and rear delts. Combined with pull-ups, they build a complete back that either lift would miss alone. Run them in the 6 to 10 rep range.
Hinge at the hips with a flat back and a slight knee bend. Pull the bar to the lower chest or upper abdomen, squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top. Lower under control. Avoid using momentum or jerking the bar upward.
Cable Pulldown
The Cable Pulldown is the most popular cable back exercise. Sitting at a pulldown station, you pull a wide bar down to the upper chest, working the lats, biceps, and upper back. It serves as a higher-rep volume exercise after the heavier compound work.
For the third movement on back day, the cable pulldown lets you accumulate more pulling volume without the load capacity of pull-ups or barbell rows being a limiter. Run it in the 12 to 15 rep range for 3 sets, focusing on a strong contraction and full stretch at the top.
Pull the bar down to the upper chest, not behind the neck. Lean back slightly to engage the lats fully. Squeeze the back hard at the bottom of each rep before letting the weight stretch the lats at the top.
Shoulder Day
Shoulder day covers the front, side, and rear delts. The three exercises below work overhead pressing for the front delts, lateral raises for the side delts, and face pulls for the rear delts and shoulder health.
Barbell Standing Military Press
The Barbell Standing Military Press is the king of overhead pressing. Standing with a barbell at the shoulders, you press it overhead to lockout while keeping the body rigid. The standing version requires significant core and glute engagement on top of pure pressing strength.
Every shoulder day starts with overhead pressing. The military press handles the vertical plane and develops the front delts, traps, and triceps in ways no other lift can match. Run it for 4 to 5 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range.
Brace the core hard before unracking the bar. Press the bar in a slight arc around the head, ending with the bar directly over the crown. Keep the rib cage stacked over the pelvis throughout to avoid arching backward.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The Dumbbell Lateral Raise stands with dumbbells at the sides and lifts them out to shoulder height. It is the single most effective side delt exercise and the foundation of every shoulder program built for visible width.
After overhead pressing, the side delts need direct work. The military press emphasizes the front delts heavily, which can leave the side delts under-trained. Lateral raises fix that. Run them for high reps (12 to 20) with strict form for 3 to 4 sets.
Keep the elbows slightly bent and lift the dumbbells straight out to the sides until parallel with the floor. Pause briefly at the top, then lower under control. Avoid swinging the weight; if the load is too heavy to do strict, drop down a pair.
Cable Standing Face Pull
The Cable Standing Face Pull pulls a rope attachment from a high cable to the face level, with the elbows flaring out wide. It is the best rear-delt and external rotation exercise in any program and a critical inclusion for shoulder health.
Face pulls finish shoulder day. They train the rear delts (which most pressing-heavy programs under-develop), the external rotators (which protect the shoulder joint), and the upper back. Run them for 12 to 20 reps, multiple sets, with strict form.
Pull the rope toward the face with the elbows flaring out wide and the hands ending at temple level. Squeeze the rear delts and upper back hard at the end of the rep. The motion should feel like pulling apart a bow.
Arms Day
Arms day splits between biceps and triceps with two exercises per muscle. The four exercises below cover heavy bicep pressing, brachialis emphasis, tricep isolation, and tricep compound work.
Barbell Curl
The Barbell Curl is the most effective bicep mass-builder. Standing with a barbell in both hands at the thighs, you curl the bar up toward the shoulders. The barbell allows heavier loading than dumbbells and produces a strong contraction at the top.
Arms day starts with the heaviest bicep movement. The barbell curl loads the biceps directly with the heaviest weight you can curl strictly. Run it for 3 to 4 working sets in the 8 to 12 rep range.
Keep the elbows pinned to the sides through the entire rep. Avoid swinging the bar up using body momentum. Lower under control to full extension between reps for a complete range of motion.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
The Dumbbell Hammer Curl uses a neutral grip (palms facing each other) instead of a supinated curl grip. The neutral grip emphasizes the brachialis (the muscle underneath the biceps) and the brachioradialis (the upper forearm), building visible arm thickness.
Most lifters chase bicep peak development with curl variations but ignore the brachialis, which is what actually pushes the biceps up and creates a thicker overall arm. Hammer curls are the most efficient way to train the brachialis directly. Run them for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Keep the elbows pinned to the sides through the entire rep. The wrists stay neutral throughout, never rotating to a supinated grip. Lower under control.
Cable Pushdown
The Cable Pushdown anchors a high cable and pushes the bar or rope attachment straight down to the thighs by extending only at the elbows. It is the most effective tricep isolation exercise in any program and a foundational piece of arm day.
Cable pushdowns dominate tricep arm-day work because the cable provides constant tension through the rep, which produces stronger contractions than free-weight tricep work. Run them for 4 sets in the 10 to 15 rep range, focusing on full elbow extension.
Anchor the cable high and pin the elbows tightly to the sides. Push the bar straight down to the thighs by extending the elbows fully. Slowly return to the start. The upper arms stay still throughout; only the elbows move.
Triceps Dip
The Triceps Dip is performed on parallel bars with the body upright, lowering until the upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor and pressing back to lockout. It is the most effective bodyweight tricep mass-builder and a strong second tricep exercise on arms day.
After the cable pushdown handles the higher-rep volume, the dip closes arms day with a heavier compound movement. Bodyweight loading is significant, and adding a dip belt with weight extends the progression for years.
Stay relatively upright through the rep to keep the triceps as the prime mover. Lower until the upper arms reach parallel with the floor, then press back to full lockout. Forward lean shifts emphasis to the chest, which is fine if that is the goal.
Legs Day
Legs day covers the squat pattern and the hinge pattern. The two foundational lifts below dominate leg development; most lifters add accessory work like leg curls, calf raises, or lunges to round out the day based on their specific weak points.
Barbell Squat
The Barbell Squat is the foundation of every serious leg routine. With a barbell across the upper back, you squat to roughly parallel depth or below, then drive back to standing. It is the single best lift for total lower-body strength and mass.
Every legs day starts with squatting. The bilateral compound load builds the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back as a coordinated unit. Run it for 4 to 5 working sets in the 5 to 8 rep range, with proper warm-up and rest periods.
Set the bar across the upper back, brace the core, and break at the hips and knees together. Squat to whatever depth your mobility allows cleanly (parallel or below). Drive up by pushing through the whole foot, not just the heels.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
The Barbell Romanian Deadlift is a hip-hinge variation performed by lowering the bar from the standing position rather than pulling from the floor. It targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back through a deeper stretch than conventional deadlifts.
The Romanian deadlift handles the posterior chain after squats have taken care of the quads. The combination covers everything from quads to calves. Run it in the 6 to 10 rep range for 3 to 4 sets.
Hinge at the hips while keeping a slight knee bend. Lower the bar in a path close to the legs until the hamstrings stretch. Drive the hips forward to stand back up. Keep the back flat throughout. The bar should not bounce off the floor.
How To Schedule The Bro Split
The standard bro split schedule is Monday through Friday with weekends off: Monday Chest, Tuesday Back, Wednesday Shoulders, Thursday Arms, Friday Legs. That gives each body part a full seven days to recover, which works well for the higher-volume sessions the bro split typically includes.
Slower-recovery lifters can stretch this to a six or seven-day cycle: Chest Monday, Back Wednesday, Shoulders Friday, Arms Sunday, Legs Tuesday, repeat. The slower frequency lets each session deliver maximum volume without recovery debt accumulating across the week.
For other split structures, see our best push pull legs routine and best 5 day split workout guides. To browse the equipment library, explore our barbell exercises collection.
Final Thoughts
The best bro split workout works because it respects the principle of focused recovery. Each muscle group gets a full week to recover from a high-volume session, which lets you accumulate more total weekly volume per body part than higher-frequency splits typically allow. For lifters chasing pure hypertrophy, the bro split is one of the most effective structures available.
Stick with this 12-exercise framework for at least 8 to 12 weeks before changing it. Progress on the bro split comes from incremental load increases on the same lifts session after session, not from constantly rotating exercises. Pick a starting weight you can do for clean reps in the prescribed rep range, add load every week or two, and let the system work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days per week should I run the bro split?
Five days is the standard, with two rest days for recovery (typically the weekend). Some lifters stretch this to six or seven days for slower recovery, while a more advanced version doubles up smaller muscles like biceps or shoulders on rest days. Five days fits most people’s schedules and recovery capacity.
Is the bro split good for muscle growth?
Yes, especially for intermediate and advanced lifters who can drive significant volume per session. Modern research suggests that hitting each muscle group twice per week may produce slightly faster growth than once per week, but the bro split’s once-per-week frequency still produces strong results when total weekly volume is adequate. For pure hypertrophy with hard-trained sessions, it remains one of the most popular structures in serious bodybuilding.
What about smaller muscles like biceps and forearms?
Biceps get worked on back day (during pulls) and arms day (direct), so they typically receive enough total volume across the week. Forearms get indirect work from grip during deadlifts, rows, and pull-ups; if visible forearm size is a goal, adding a few sets of wrist curls and reverse curls on arms day is enough.
How long should each bro split session last?
Sixty to ninety minutes is typical. That includes warm-up, the working sets across two to four exercises, and rest periods between sets (often three to five minutes for heavy compound lifts and one to two minutes for accessories). Longer than 90 minutes usually means quality has dropped off.
Can I add more exercises per day?
Yes, especially since the bro split only trains each muscle once per week. Adding 2 to 4 accessory exercises per day works well for most lifters, especially on smaller muscle days like shoulders or arms. Just keep total session length under 90 minutes and prioritize quality reps on the heaviest compound lifts.
