Also, on the final set, you’ll do a rest-pause set (you’ll also do this for the last set of your final chest exercise). But here you’ll superset triceps with biceps. Where would u puf a second leg day in? A complete guide to the Push/Pull/Legs split. I’m going to give you a 6-day ‘bro split’ bodybuilding workout routine that’s going to help you pack on more muscle mass. In order to benefit from a 6 day split, you must be able to recover from a workout within 2-3 days. Chest + Shoulder day should not be too close to back day. Hi, I'm Jason Stallworth and I created The Muscle Program in 2010 for the purpose of helping you build muscle. Great work you did on creating that, I just had one question regarding the plan as it says it trains every body part twice, what about biceps and upper arms? Best Supplements to Get Ripped in 4 Weeks | Scientifically Proven, Gym Workout Plan for Weight Loss (Beginners). Train hard, stay focused, and keep pushing. 4 sets of 12,10,8,8,8 reps” Therefore, a flat bench press activates less deltoid muscles then an incline bench press which activates less deltoids muscles than a military press. Traditional bodybuilding from the golden age of weightlifters have been using this common workout split to target all the main muscle groups while ensuring enough rest time to train at a high intensity. On page 175 of his book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, he presents this workout as one his advanced training routines (2). If you wish to really understand the topic of bodybuilding nutrition, I highly suggest picking up a copy of Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews. A chest press activates the anterior deltoid muscle to a certain degree. Lateral raises are very difficult to do without activating a great deal of back muscles. The Muscle Program is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. It was discovered that consuming 10 grams (post-workout) had no effect, while consuming 20-40 grams improved MPS by over 50%! 1- what’s the best break period between each rep? Exercises that work on the width of your back, begin with our hands above your head and end with your hands at shoulder level. Are you looking for a workout schedule that will allow you to hit the gym 6 days a week? Increasing MPS:MPB will improve your recovery and performance, and accelerate muscular development. Just know that when you’re on this type of bodybuilding program you have to revolve everything around your training and your ultimate goal. I learned a great technique from a local pro bodybuilder that involved separating back workouts into two types— those that target back “thickness” and those that target back “width”. How would you modify your program for that? Don’t be that person! This may be a dumb question, but I’m assuming that every time you move onto another set, you should be increasing the weight or are you just reducing the repetition at the same weight? Do dynamic stretches before you begin and static stretches at the end. Use this plan for 6 – 8 Weeks, than change in order to stop the muscles getting too used to a certain workload. This brings up a very important note: In any case, this article will show you how to improve your recovery. After heavy squats, you’ll pump out more reps for exercises that focus on quads. At night, it helps me sleep well, and in the morning, it helps me focus on my work by blocking out background noise. Remember however, you will be training chest again on day 1, so never train chest on day 7, … This is exactly what I was looking for. Calfs should be trained twice a week and abs every other day. If this seams excessive it you, realize that this much analysis is only necessary for advanced splits. Day 1 : Chest (Heavy) + Shoulders (Heavy) +, Day 4 : Arms (Heavy biceps, Light Triceps) +, Day 5 : Chest (Light) + Shoulders (Light) + Abs, (Note: Alternate each back workout with your choice of a 10 min ab workout), Arms (Heavy biceps, Light Triceps) + Calfs, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big proponent of the 6 day split workout. This machine has been running non-stop in my room for the past 2. years and shows no sign of wearing down. Training 6 days in a row isn’t easy. 2- Do you recommend any specific Ab workouts? Hitting legs once a week on this program kinda feels like hitting legs on a ‘bro-split’ program. Two problems: Firstly, our bicep workout now lies on a rest day. The farther your hands are, the more you target the chest. Use controlled reps to grow. With that being said, many people swear by them and report p, OPTIMUM NUTRITION Gold Standard 100% Whey, This can be quite difficult if you are a light sleeper like I am. Full-body workouts are great for an eventual transition to a two or three day split in the near future. How to Build Muscle: 6 Day Split Cycle: 6 Day Split. For the most part, BCAAs will not help (unless your diet is severely lacking) as your body cannot store excess dietary amino acids. The same should be applied to back. You’ll be ready for a day off after this workout. Below you will find the final, polished version of our 6 day workout split. And that’s an awesome day. Thanks, How much lighter should we go for the (light days) could you give example? It follows a push/pull/legs workout scheme. Five-Day Split Program 2: Two On, One Off. You’ll surprise yourself on how much volume you can pump out on leg day when you’re focused. At this stage in your fitness career, you shouldn’t be afraid of shifting away from the common exercise paradigms and trying something new. Aim for around 7-8 hours of sleep each night. All along, you must insure that you are getting an adequate amount of sleep, in my opinion, is a huge limiting factor in building muscle. You’ve read the hype of most muscle-builders and if you’re like me, you’ve wasted money on many of them. Is would you be doing harm to muscle growth by incorporating an hour of cycling, using an elliptical, or 30 minutes of stadiums. Unless you want to argue the chest and shoulder exercises only work 1 head of the triceps and the tricep exercises only work the other 2 heads. As a result, you’ll train each muscle group at least twice per week. The other thing you can do is to structure your split in a way that maximums recovery. So, if for example, you feel that your chest is lagging in comparison to the rest of your body, you would train your chest on day 6 perhaps, repeating the same chest workout from day 1. Also note that back is divided into “width” and “thickness” days. Additionally, if you cant push more weight every week or so (progressive overload), then you are also not ready for the 6 day split. And you will force your muscles to grow. The pain is intolerable! 4-Day Workout Split: Push/Pull/Full Hybrid. A study conducted in Birmingham university tested the effects of whey protein on MPS in adult males (1). 4 sets: same formula as Bench Presses Every third workout, substitute Dumbbell Presses andIncline Dumbbell Presses for barbell exercises. Another distinction is that each body part is trained 3 times a week as opposed to twice a week. Basic 3-Day Push Pull Legs Workout. The Muscle Program also participates in affiliate programs with Stacked Brands, Clickbank, Alpha Lion, TruFierce, and other sites. If you really think about it, this is fundamentally what bodybuilding is about— optimizing recover so that you can build the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time. As mentioned, the higher volume of a five-day split demands greater recovery, and that's built into this two days on, one off cycle. You may want to start with this if you’re new to the concept, or new to working out in general. They are fairly safe to consume so feel free to give them a try if you can afford to do so. Training legs twice a week is going to make the biggest difference in your new bodybuilding mass gains. Two questions if you don’t mind; These split workout routines vary from program to program, but generally, your muscles groups are segmented into – chest, back and core, shoulders, arms, and legs. The reason you’re training only back on this day is that your back is your largest upper body muscle. This is more than enough for shoulders because they also get some work on back and chest day. “Low Cable Crossover. This is really going to help you exhaust the muscle. But this is true only for those who can recover well enough. Your workout routine awesome.it is very effective.Except in the days of back workout.Because back workout routine consists of only 4 exercises.I can complete it within half an hour.After that I am totally disappointed.My daily workout timing is one hour and fifteen mins.But backworkout never let me more than half an hour.what should i do? Progressive overload should be your primary focus. For this reason, we should try to separate these two workout days as much as possible. In my opinion, the only supplement you really need is proper whey protein powder, and I cant recommend OPTIMUM NUTRITION Gold Standard 100% Whey highly enough. The Most Important Fitness Habits for Building Muscle, Organic Whey Protein Powder (Orgain Organic). It’s also more complex in nature than chest, shoulders, and arms. One calf workout will be on leg day and the other on. “Thickness” exercises involves pulling weight towards your chest. I’ve always enjoyed doing cardio, but by doing it with this plan, are you hurting opportunities for muscle growth? Training Split for 3-Day Routine. Big biceps with small triceps = funny looking! If you can learn to improve MPS:MPB (via diet, exercise strategy, and supplementation), the 6 day gym workout schedule will yield gains if you have only dreamt of. In the best way, of course. I wonder if one leg day would be enough. In a one major muscle group per day workout split, bodybuilding workouts are designed in such a way that only one muscle group is targeted in each bodybuilding workout. From there you’re doing a couple more shoulder exercises that focus more on getting that pump. One of the main differences is you’re going to be training each muscle twice a week. You do the push workout on Monday and the pull workout on Tuesday. Before looking at the 6 day split, lets discuss how we can improve our bodies ability to recover. Our 6 day split is starting to shape up, but we still have to consider a few more things. You’ll also burn extra calories and get ripped from working out more frequently. A 5-day split workout routine. The one thing that makes this routine so effective is the fact that you’re training each muscle twice a week (you only train shoulders once but remember, you get adequate shoulder work from training back and chest). Rather than doing half-assed reps with heavyweight on leg press, you’ll drop the weight down and go for 15-20 reps. You’ll probably hit 20 reps on your first 2-3 sets but then it will be tougher (make sure you get at least 15). I like how everything is spaced between lift days This is the part of the workout that helps you get stronger and builds dense muscle mass. **If you’re new to bodybuilding then you’ll want to read my post: Bodybuilding for Beginners and then come back and read this one (that link will open a new browser so you don’t lose this page!). Try doing so yourself (these is an ideal way to do this). So, on the 6-day split article, I mentioned that the chest and deltoid muscles are very interconnected. This is important to keep in mind as you are constructing your own split. The Muscle Program is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The only difference is you’ll do an additional set for each triceps exercise. This is because 6 day splits often require training each body part twice a week. TestoFierce is one of them. And Let’s make an analogy to the two heads of the biceps. Some supporting muscle groups (especially the back and … He is a full time pre-medical student majoring in computer science and chemistry. I was curious though, would there be any benefit to putting exercises of the same muscle back to back versus what you have included in the sample plan? This workout will seem somewhat abbreviated. The closer your hands are, the more you target the triceps. Let’s call the military press a 90° press. Shoulder workouts can be divided into two categories— presses and lateral raises. Once you have diet and supplementation taken care of, you should shift your attention to training. 3-Day Upper/Lower Split Routine. Another thing to consider while pressing is your hand placement. If you prefer training four days a week, but still want to hit each muscle group three times a week, you can combine a push/pull split with two full-body workouts to create a push/pull/full hybrid. CLICK HERE TO BOOST YOUR GAINS. So if you are hitting triceps the day after chest day, do not do any close grip presses. Many fitness experts claim that taking branch-chained amino acids (BCAAs) immediately following a workout will improve protein synthesis because, well, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Chest and Shoulders are two very interconnected muscle groups and should be trained together. More on this later. You can train the two heads of the biceps once a week, or you can train it twice a week. Another thing that can really complement your workouts is taking a natural testosterone booster like TestoFIERCE. This workout routine consists of chest, biceps, triceps, forearms back, legs, calf, shoulders and abs for 3 months. For starters, the answer has nothing to do with soreness levels— a lack of soreness is not an indicator of recovery, and you can workout if you still feel sore (so long as the soreness does not hinder your range of motion). Follow up with a burnout set of 20-25 reps, 6 sets: 20 rep warm-up, followed by 10,8,8,6,6 sets, 5 sets: 15 rep warm-up, followed by 12,10,8,8 sets, 4 sets: 1 set of 15 rep warm-up; sets of 10, 8, 6, 4 reps—stripping last two sets. (Hint: shoulders). Proper supplementation is important as it allows us to improve our body ability to synthesis proteins (MPS). And you probably already know this, but it’s just a matter of actually doing these things and being consistent. It’s back day. I love this 6 day split but I’ve been thinking about the leg thingy too. After training legs you’ll hit a couple of exercises for back. The first thing is the proximity of certain workout days, and the overall ordering of the split. A 6 day workout schedule is one of the most effective routines for building muscle. Steroids, such as testosterone, increase the rate of. A 5 day split workout is a training program that is designed so that you have to work out 5 days a week – focusing one (sometimes two) muscle groups each day. The two “Chest + Shoulder” workout days were swapped so that “Arms” day fell before the “light” version. Overload on the workout without the rest and you’ll just beat yourself up. workouts/6-day-powerbuilding-split-meal-plan Main Goal: Build Muscle Training Level: Intermediate Program Duration: 12 Weeks Days Per Week: 6 Days Time Per Workout: 45-60 Mins Equipment: Barbell, Bodyweight, Dumbbells, Machines Author: Nick Ludlow. , he presents this workout as one his advanced training routines (2). Click here to download those full workouts for free. You’re doing double the work than most bodybuilding workouts have you doing. Each workout is listed in a table below (if only that were the dinner table…lol!). At night, it helps me sleep well, and in the morning, it helps me focus on my work by blocking out background noise. Love the read lot’s of information. With 6 training days, you’re going to train each muscle twice a week (most bro splits have you working each muscle once a week). Same with Days 4-5, triceps are worked on Day 4 then get worked again on Day 5. As mentioned in previous section, the rate of MPS must be greater than the rate of MPB in order to build muscle. It does look hard for me but maybe i’m too new for that? After some basic chest exercises, you’ll go to arms. This was a great read! To me, that’s proof enough that this type of training is extremely effective for building muscle and packing on size. Schwarzenegger, Arnold, and Bill Dobbins. Post your core excercise please been 6 months…. I learned alot. Your first workout is dedicated to just one major muscle. But if you do it right, this program will be super effective. For exemple: when you say Not getting a pump, working out for long sessions, switching up your routine, etc. This was the basis for the routine that helped Arnold Schwarzeneggerr win the Mr. Olympia competition 7 times! Note that “Heavy” = 4 workouts total and “Light” = 3 workouts total. I want to make a special note for leg press. Unlike our split, his incorporates Double-Split training (a technique in which the days workout are broken up into two sessions). Day 1 : Chest (Light) + Shoulders (Light), Day 5 : Chest (Heavy) + Shoulders (Heavy). Let’s break down this section into two parts- things you can do outside the gym, and things you can do inside the gym. So it makes sense to pay more attention and effort to your back. But unlike with chest and shoulders, both arm workouts should be completed at full intensity as these muscle groups recover very quickly. If MPS is greater than MPB, muscle is built (hypertrophy), and if MPS is less than MPB, muscle is lost (atrophy). I’ve had a number of requests for an abbreviated 3-day version of the Targeted Hypertrophy Training (THT) 5-day routine (a 5-day split). If you’re short on time but still want to stimulate MAXIMUM muscle growth, this workout is for YOU!. We will treat exercising as if it were a science. Chest and biceps are favorite muscles for many bodybuilders due to their visibility. On page 175 of his book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. I could only see triceps being trained twice? It has been my go to for over 10 years. There’s some controversy about whether this is the most effective way to build muscle. Thanku. Many make the mistake of loading up the leg press with as many 45 pound plates that will fit. Each workout should take around 60-90 mins to complete. You can also take the standard 4-day upper/lower split, insert an extra day of rest, and turn it into a 3-day routine. Here, you’ll start with a basic heavy compound exercise. Let’s go through the motion of building the best 6 day workout split. Light bicep day is missing, unless you’re including it in Back thickness Day 7? Most of them are junk. This is one of the best mass and strength-building exercises you can do (up there with squats!). As a matter of fact, if you have optimized your diet, sleep, and supplementation, doing so would will accelerate your gains to whole new level. The key to making this workout routine work for you is simple, and I will reiterate…. So for Day 4, we would do 4 biceps workouts and 3 triceps workouts. And here is where I share that experience with you so that you can continue pushing yourself and becoming the best version of yourself each day! 6 days a week might sound like overtraining to some. On the 6 day split Copyright 2021 THE MUSCLE PROGRAM, all rights reserved. U only hit legs once a week 4 sets: 10 reps minimum each set. The way you train must be absolutely scientific (more on this later). Steroids, such as testosterone, increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) which is the biological mechanism in which protein is built in order to repair damage caused by intense workouts. So long as you can recover well enough, there is nothing wrong with training large muscle groups twice a week. I’m going to give you a 6-day ‘bro split’ bodybuilding workout routine that’s going to help you pack on more muscle mass. When constructing a workout routine, the first thing to consider is which muscle groups should be paired together. But feel free to experiment. But remember, this is not your typical bro split workout. Note that “Heavy” = 4 workouts total and “Light” = 3 workouts total. Fantastic work! Just wanted to say thank you very much for the article. Diet is the single most important factor in your fitness journey, especially if you are a beginner. Oh I also noticed there’s no specific forearms exercices, are the “arms days”‘ enough for them? Because “push” movements (chest and shoulders) require a great deal of triceps activation, and “pull” movements (back) require bicep activation, it’s best to enter these workouts with fully recovered triceps and biceps, respectively. Instead of doing two full-on chest+shoulder workouts twice per week, consider doing one “heavy” and one “light” workout. For arguments sake, let’s say that they are so interconnected that we can consider them a single muscle. You don’t always have to stretch but it helps to do so. Once you have mastered nutrition, you can started looking at supplements. Instead of adding another “arms” workout, lets add a biceps and a triceps workout somewhere in the split. The flat bench is therefore a 0° press and the incline press is a 45° press. Created Date: As such, we will place a triceps workout after the first “Chest + Shoulder” workout , and another after the second. By that I mean that they are quite difficult to completely isolate while working out. Consuming whey protein (post-workout), on the other hand, has been proven countless times to improve muscle protein synthesis. You might be able to get away with a 5 day split, but the 3 day workout routine, is the best option for beginners. This is where you’re going to experience serious mass gains! You can go below zero degrees to isolate the chest even more (i.e a decline bench press). You should always try to lift to failure, but what is more important is that you do so with a high intensity. The pain is intolerable! Thanks, Olympic Muscle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I had a question about incorporating cardio. This is a great way to train for very advanced bodybuilders who are significantly strong and can generate such a high level of intensity in each workout that training less frequently will allow for better results and recovery. A shoulder press (such as the military press) only hits the shoulder muscles when done with proper form. Thanks. 6 Day Dumbbell Workout Split Overview. As already mentioned, reaping the full benefits of a 6 day workout routine requires optimal recovery. Additionally, you may want to focus on fly movements during Day 5 as they don’t utilize as much triceps as push movements do. So it’s important to replenish those, and we typically need more assurance than ‘regular people’ who don’t train as we do. Now lets consider “arm” workouts. If gaining strength is a primary goal for you then read about my thoughts on Mike Westerdal’s Critical Bench 2.0 program. They’ve earned that right because this is a brutal exercise that will pack on lower body mass like no other. 2 days workout; 1 day off; 2 days workout; 1 day off, restart; Monday: Chest/Shoulders. This workout can be performed for up to 12 weeks. This is because there are typically more slow-twitch muscle fibers in your quads, which may respond better to higher reps and higher volume. You’ll start with heavy bench press. However, those 5 and 6-day routines don’t tend to offer much extra muscle growth over 4-day routines. Here is the full version of Arnold’s 6 day split workout: Hello! Do all sets in the order they are listed. The most single most important metric for weightlifting success is how much you can push. *Note: Some people dive straight into squats with a couple of warmup sets while others feel better warming up with some leg extensions. Here is an overview of the split:Unlike our split, his incorporates Double-Split training (a technique in which the days workout are broken up into two sessions). We’ll jump into your new workout below, but let’s first define the term ‘bro splits.’ This will be helpful if you’re new to bodybuilding. 5 Sets:  Warm set of 15 reps followed by sets of 10,8,6,4, reps. After the 5 sets, complete 1 drop set for 20-25 reps. For ever other set, substitute a barbell press for a dumbbell press. Take a second and try to think of a reason why. Really, the only way to determine this is through trial and error. But we still need to trains twice a week. More importantly, aim for as much uninterrupted sleep as possible. It’s not supposed to be. If you separate chest and shoulder days by one or two days, you should focus on flat and decline presses and flyes during chest day. 3 Day Split Workout Routine. This will pump more blood into the muscle. To combat that, you need to make sure you’re doing 2 things: That almost sounds too simple. *If you’re a seasoned lifter, you can skip to the next section. Use a dumbbell fastened around your waist for greater, 5 sets of 20 rep warm-up; 10, 8, 6, 4 reps, 5 sets of 15 rep warm-up; 10, 8, 8, 6 reps, One-Arm Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 10 reps each, Witard, Oliver C, et al. You’ll hit some biceps after chest. For most beginners, working out 6 days a week is simply overkill. A 3-day full-body workout routine. So as soon as you finish a set of pressdowns immediately go do a set of curls. The first thing I always tell beginners is that muscle is built in the kitchen. Lets do so. Chest Can you give a hypothetical of the what the difference in weights should be for light and heavy days? Try doing a side lateral raise while placing your hand over your traps and notice how much the upper back muscle flex as you raise your arm. You simply alternate between them on each of the three training days so that you’re doing A-B-A one week and B-A-B the next. More importantly, the following workout day is back day. In this section, you will learn the art of constructing a workout routine, and in doing so, develop allot of effective bodybuilding knowledge! At the end of the day, your workout split will be dictated by whatever your end goal is. Thank you for your amazing work, i’m sure i’ll get the body I want in no time thanks to your article! If you start training a muscle group twice a week and don’t see improved results, then you are not ready for the 6 day workout split. Your triceps make up the majority of your arm mass. So, how do you determine if have recovered from a workout? This machine has been running non-stop in my room for the past 2 years and shows no sign of wearing down. Part 3: The 6 Day Gym Workout Schedule. I think a second leg day would have been great. Now, this workout plan is different from most bro splits you’re used to seeing. No hype…just a solid boost. Hi Mike, thanks for writing this in detail. Try both methods and see what works best for you. More specifically, lifting with an intensity that is greater than 60% of the intensity you require for a 1PM (1 Rep Max), has a tremendous impact on muscle recovery. So, on chest day, you will dedicate your entire workout to training chest, and will perform around 6 – 8 exercises for this muscle group. On a bro split, you have a day for every muscle group, and you can give them a lot more attention without having to deal with trade-offs. Dumbbell Split Squat 4 8 - 12 Each Dumbbell Goblet Squat 3 8 - 12 Dumbbell Hip Thrust 3 10 - 15 Dumbbell Calf Raise 4 20 MUSCLEANDSTRENGTH.COM THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO BUILD THE BODY YOU WANT® Store Workouts Diet Plans Expert Guides Videos Tools DUMBBELL ONLY WORKOUT: 6 DAY DUMBBELL WORKOUT SPLIT This 6 day dumbbell only workout program Do a warmup set before each exercise with about 40-60% of your regular set loads. So if you haven’t been doing squats, now is the time to start. The opposite of this, muscle protein breakdown (MPB), occurs during a workout. I’ll explain in more detail why this particular routine is so effective. Thanks for a detailed plan. You’ll also burn extra calories and get ripped from working out more frequently. Also, “Arms” day was modified so that biceps were hit “heavily” and triceps hit “lightly”. Because triceps, chest, and calfs are relatively small muscle groups, they should also be trained twice a week. The one caveat to back that you’ll notice is you’re doing more reps for barbell rows (and with a reverse grip to work a different part of your lats). Adam is the founder and main contributor for Olympic Muscle. I’m a newbie in that amazing muscle universe (almost 2 month going to the gym 6days/week) and as I was searching for a better work out program than the one I poorly made, I think this one looks fantastic and will try it.