The muscle-group split: one day for each part of the body.
A muscle-group split, often called a bro split, gives each part of the body its own session: chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms. Each session goes deep on one area, which then has most of the week to recover. BodyPlan's planner chooses it for six or seven training days, except for muscle gain at six days, where it uses push/pull/legs.
- One area of the body per session
- Fits six or seven training days
- Legs train twice a week
A sample week
Train on whichever days suit you. This is one way to lay them out.
6 days
- Mon Chest
- Tue Back
- Wed Legs
- Thu Shoulders
- Fri Arms
- Sat Legs
- Sun Rest
7 days
- Mon Chest
- Tue Back
- Wed Legs
- Thu Shoulders
- Fri Arms
- Sat Legs
- Sun Core
- Chest
- Presses at two angles and a fly.
- Back
- A row, a vertical pull and a hinge or back extension.
- Legs
- A squat or leg press, a hinge, a lunge, a hamstring curl and calf raises.
- Shoulders
- An overhead press, lateral raises and rear-shoulder work.
- Arms
- Biceps curls and triceps exercises.
- Core
- Bracing and anti-rotation work, such as planks and Pallof presses.
How it works
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Check it fits your week
Enter your days, goal and experience in the split builder and see whether a muscle-group split is the one it picks.
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Get a plan built on it
BodyPlan fills each day with exercises for that area, your equipment and your experience.
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Log sets as you train
Suggested weights and reps update each session from what you logged.
Who it's for
People training six or seven days a week who like shorter, focused sessions. Each upper-body area is trained directly once a week, so for muscle gain at six days BodyPlan uses push/pull/legs, which trains each group twice.
Try it free
No account needed. These use the same logic as the BodyPlan app.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bro split?
The everyday name for a muscle-group split: one session each for chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms. It comes from bodybuilding, where it has long been the standard layout.
Is a bro split worse than push/pull/legs?
When weekly sets are equal, studies find little difference in muscle growth. The difference is in how the week feels: a muscle-group split puts all of a muscle's work into one session, and push/pull/legs over six days spreads it across two.
Why do legs get two days?
Legs are the largest muscle group, and splitting their work across two sessions keeps either day from running long.
Ready to get started?
Download BodyPlan free on iOS or Android, and your plan comes with you.
