The Best Training Split for Muscle Growth (Science-Based)

Summary

This video breaks down one of fitness’s biggest debates: which training split—push-pull-legs, upper-lower, or full body—is actually best for building muscle. Using exercise science and hypertrophy research, it analyzes how training frequency, session volume, exercise order, fatigue, workout feasibility, and specialization affect results. While all routines can work when properly structured, the video argues that full-body training offers the greatest flexibility and efficiency, especially for high-volume training and muscle specialization. Upper-lower emerges as a strong balanced option, while push-pull-legs remains effective but more limited. Ultimately, the ideal routine balances science, goals, recovery, and enjoyment.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ A training routine is fundamentally a way of distributing training volume and exercises over time.
• 📚 Effective routines should balance workout frequency, volume, exercise order, interaction effects, feasibility, physique bias, and enjoyment.
• 📈 Research suggests that high-volume training, around 20–40 fractional weekly sets per muscle group, tends to maximize hypertrophy.
• ⏱️ Most muscles respond best when workouts stay under roughly 11 fractional sets per muscle per session due to diminishing returns.
• 🔄 Upper/lower routines usually train each muscle group 2–3 times per week and provide a strong balance between flexibility and recovery.
• 💪 Push/pull/legs routines often require very demanding sessions, especially leg days, and can push muscles into less efficient high-fatigue sets.
• 🧩 Full body routines are the most flexible because they allow muscle groups to be trained anywhere from 2–7 times per week.
• ⚡ Full body training may be superior for combined size and strength goals because lower local muscular fatigue allows heavier loading on exercises.
• 📉 Diminishing returns increase when too many sets for the same muscle are packed into one workout.
• 🦵 Push/pull/legs routines naturally bias upper-body development because two-thirds of training days focus on the upper body.
• ⚖️ Upper/lower routines are ideal for balanced overall physique development since training time is evenly split between upper and lower body.
• 🎯 Full body routines are highly customizable and especially useful for specialization phases targeting muscles like chest, arms, or triceps.
• 🧠 Exercise order has minimal impact on hypertrophy, but sequencing exercises intelligently can improve strength performance.
• 🔥 Workout feasibility matters because overly exhausting sessions reduce motivation, effort quality, and ultimately muscle growth.
• 📅 When training with very high volumes, distributing sets across more sessions is generally more effective than cramming them into one or two days.
• 😄 Enjoyment is an important factor in routine selection, and choosing a routine you genuinely like can improve long-term consistency.
• 🔬 The script argues that rigidly following named routines matters less than intelligently distributing volume and recovery across the week.
• 🏆 Overall, the video concludes that full body routines tend to be the most optimal for hypertrophy, with upper/lower being a strong alternative and push/pull/legs being more limited.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of a training routine according to the script?

A training routine is fundamentally a way of distributing training volume and exercises over time. It determines workout frequency, volume per session, exercise order, interaction effects, workout feasibility, routine bias, and overall enjoyment.

Why does the script emphasize weekly training volume for hypertrophy?

The script explains that research suggests high weekly training volume generally produces the best muscle growth. A cited meta-analysis found that around 20 to 40 fractional weekly sets per muscle group tends to maximize hypertrophy.

How often are muscles typically trained in an upper/lower split?

In a standard upper/lower split, each muscle group is usually trained two times per week when training four days weekly, or three times per week when training six days weekly.

Why is push-pull-legs commonly associated with six training days per week?

Because push-pull-legs divides the body into three categories, running the routine six days per week allows each muscle group to be trained twice weekly, which helps maintain sufficient weekly training volume for hypertrophy.

What makes full-body routines more flexible than other routines?

Full-body routines allow muscles to be trained anywhere from two to seven times per week, and not every session must train every muscle group. This flexibility makes it easier to distribute volume effectively and adjust workouts based on recovery or priorities.

What did the Remington meta-analysis conclude about sets per workout?

The analysis found that hypertrophy benefits increased up to around 11 fractional sets per muscle group per workout. Beyond that point, additional sets produced diminishing returns and less clear benefits.

Why can push-pull-legs create more fatigue-related issues during workouts?

Push-pull-legs often groups similar muscles together in one session. For example, chest pressing exercises fatigue the triceps before tricep isolation work begins, reducing efficiency and increasing diminishing returns from later exercises.

Which routine does the script suggest is best for strength development and why?

The script suggests full-body routines are likely best for strength because they reduce local muscular fatigue. Alternating between upper and lower body movements allows heavier loads to be used across exercises.

How does workout feasibility differ between the three routines?

Upper/lower routines are considered reasonably balanced, push-pull-legs often creates extremely difficult leg days, and full-body routines are viewed as the most feasible because workouts can be adjusted more freely in terms of difficulty and exercise selection.

What physique bias does a push-pull-legs routine naturally create?

Push-pull-legs tends to bias upper body development because two-thirds of training days focus on upper-body musculature while only one-third focuses on the legs.

Why does the script argue that training routines themselves are less important than volume distribution?

The script explains that what truly matters is distributing volume effectively across the week, ensuring each muscle receives enough weekly work while avoiding excessive fatigue or diminishing returns in a single session.

How should high-volume specialization training ideally be structured?

High-volume specialization training should distribute volume across more sessions per week. For example, if someone performs 30 weekly chest sets, spreading them across three to six sessions is likely more effective than cramming them into one or two workouts.

When are upper/lower and push-pull-legs routines most effective?

The script suggests these routines work especially well for low to moderate training volumes, such as 5 to 20 weekly sets per muscle group, because they generally stay within effective per-session set ranges.

Why does the script still support using less optimal routines if they are enjoyable?

Because enjoyment improves adherence and motivation. The script emphasizes that training should still be fun, and making a small trade-off in hypertrophy efficiency can be worthwhile if it helps someone consistently enjoy their workouts.

What is the overall conclusion of the script regarding the best hypertrophy routine?

The script concludes that full-body routines are generally the most effective overall due to their flexibility, ability to distribute volume efficiently, and reduced fatigue accumulation. Upper/lower routines are a strong alternative, while push-pull-legs can still work but are somewhat more limited.