The Best Workout Split for MAXIMUM Muscle Gains

Summary

In this ATHLEANX video, Jeff Cavaliere discusses the impact of training splits on muscle gains, debunking the one-size-fits-all approach. He outlines various splits, from total body to bro-splits, emphasizing the importance of recovery and muscle stimulation frequency. Jeff encourages viewers to experiment with different splits to find what works best for their individual goals and physiology, highlighting the need for change and adaptation in training routines for optimal results.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♂️ Training Splits: Different people may benefit from different training splits, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to workout routines.
• 🔄 Total Body Split: Training every muscle group three times a week can provide more recovery time and frequent muscle stimulation for protein synthesis.
• 📚 Historical Perspective: Even decades ago, bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger used variations of training splits, including total body workouts.
• 💪 Push/Pull/Legs Split: This method groups muscles by function, which can be beneficial for athletic training and recovery.
• 🚫 Bro-Splits Critique: Traditional bro-splits that sequentially overlap muscle groups without sufficient recovery time can be counterproductive.
• 🔄 Modifying Splits: It's important to change your training split if you're not seeing progress to avoid plateaus and continue making gains.
• 🤔 Individual Response: People respond differently to training, so it's crucial to find what works best for your individual body and goals.
• 🧠 Experience Over Studies: Personal experience and practical training knowledge can be more valuable than relying solely on scientific studies.
• 🔄 Experimentation: Encourages trying different training splits and methods to find the most effective routine for oneself.
• 📈 Progress Monitoring: Monitoring strength and hypertrophy progress is essential to determine if a training split is effective or needs adjustment.
• 👍 Customization: The importance of customizing your workout routine based on your response to different training methods and splits.

Q & A

What is the main issue with the training splits discussed in the video?

The main issue is that people often stick to the same training split for too long without adapting it to their individual needs and progress, which can hinder gains in strength and hypertrophy.

What are the benefits of a total body training split according to the video?

A total body split provides more recovery time during the week and more frequent stimulation of all muscle groups, allowing for muscle protein synthesis to resume every 48 hours or so.

How does the push/pull/legs training split differ from a total body split?

The push/pull/legs split involves training different muscle groups on separate days, focusing on push muscles one day, pull muscles the next, and legs on another, which can enhance athletic performance by pairing muscles with similar functions.

Why do some people criticize the bro-split approach to training?

Bro-splits can be problematic because they often involve sequential overlapping of shared muscle functions without sufficient recovery time, which can be detrimental to natural athletes who need adequate recovery.

What is the significance of training muscle groups every 48 hours as mentioned in the video?

Training muscle groups every 48 hours is important because it aligns with the research suggesting that this frequency helps maintain continuous muscle protein synthesis, contributing to muscle growth and repair.

How can one make a bro-split more effective according to the video?

One can make a bro-split more effective by choosing the right exercises and sequencing workouts to avoid overlapping muscle fatigue and to ensure that each muscle group gets adequate stimulation and recovery.

What is the importance of changing up your training split as suggested in the video?

Changing up your training split is crucial because it helps prevent your body from adapting to a specific routine, which can lead to stagnation in progress. It also allows you to identify what works best for your individual body and goals.

What does the video suggest about the relationship between training frequency and muscle stimulation?

The video suggests that more frequent training, such as total body workouts, can provide better muscle stimulation by targeting all muscle groups more often, which can potentially lead to better gains.

What is the video's stance on the importance of individualized training programs?

The video emphasizes that individualized training programs are essential because everyone responds differently to training. It suggests that one should not strictly follow generic advice or studies but instead tailor their training to their own needs and responses.

How does the video address the role of genetics in muscle development?

The video acknowledges that genetics can play a role in muscle development but suggests that the training split and its adherence over time can be just as, if not more, important in determining muscle growth and strength gains.

What advice does the video give regarding the use of research and experience in training?

The video advises that while research can provide general guidelines, personal experience and individual response to training are paramount. It encourages trainees to experiment with different splits and programs to find what works best for them.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Training Splits and Their Impact on Gains

Jeff Cavaliere from ATHLEANX.com discusses the importance of training splits in muscle gain and recovery. He explains that different types of splits, such as total body, push/pull legs, and bro-splits, have been used historically with success. He emphasizes the benefits of total body splits for recovery and frequent muscle stimulation, referencing research that supports training every 48 hours for optimal muscle protein synthesis. Jeff also mentions the push/pull legs split, which is beneficial for athletic training and can be adjusted for beginners. He critiques the traditional bro-split for overlapping muscle groups without sufficient recovery, suggesting modifications for better results.

05:01

🤔 The Problem with Bro-Splits and Recovery

This paragraph delves into the issues with bro-splits, which often lack adequate recovery time due to the sequential training of overlapping muscle groups. Jeff uses the example of training shoulders, chest, and triceps in succession without allowing for recovery, which can hinder progress. He suggests alternative splits that group muscles with similar functions, such as chest and biceps or back and triceps, to improve recovery and training outcomes. Jeff also stresses the importance of exercise selection and sequencing workouts to avoid overworking certain muscle groups without proper rest.

10:05

🔄 The Need for Change in Training Splits

Jeff concludes by highlighting the importance of not sticking to the same training split for too long, as it can lead to stagnation in muscle gains. He encourages viewers to experiment with different splits and adjust their routines based on their individual responses. Jeff argues against relying solely on studies and instead advocates for personal experience and experimentation to find the most effective training approach. He emphasizes that what works for one person may not work for another, and it's crucial to understand one's own body and how it responds to different training methods.

Keywords

💡Training Split

A training split refers to how different muscle groups are scheduled for exercise on different days. The video discusses various types of splits such as total body, push/pull, and bro-splits, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right split to avoid hampering gains and ensuring proper recovery.

💡Total Body Training

Total body training involves working out all major muscle groups in a single session, typically performed multiple times a week. Jeff Cavaliere highlights its benefits, such as more frequent muscle stimulation and better recovery periods, which are supported by recent research.

💡Bro-splits

Bro-splits are a type of training split where individual muscle groups are trained on separate days. The video critiques bro-splits for their lack of recovery time and sequentially overlapping shared muscle functions, which can hinder muscle growth, especially for natural athletes.

💡Recovery

Recovery refers to the rest period required for muscles to heal and grow after a workout. The video stresses the importance of adequate recovery, noting that improper recovery, as seen in some bro-splits, can negatively impact muscle development.

💡Frequency

Frequency is the number of times a muscle group is trained within a certain period, usually a week. The video explains that higher frequency, like in total body training or modified splits, can be more effective for muscle growth compared to less frequent bro-splits.

💡Muscle Protein Synthesis

Muscle protein synthesis is the process by which the body repairs and builds muscle fibers. The video mentions that frequent training, as seen in total body splits, can better stimulate muscle protein synthesis every 48 hours, aiding muscle growth.

💡Push/Pull/Legs Split

A push/pull/legs split divides workouts into three categories: pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulling muscles (back, biceps), and legs. Jeff Cavaliere advocates this split for its athletic training benefits and the ability to pair muscles that function together.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle size achieved through training. The video discusses how different splits can influence hypertrophy, with bro-splits being beneficial for targeted muscle growth but potentially lacking overall balance and recovery.

💡Exercise Selection

Exercise selection involves choosing specific exercises to target muscle groups effectively. The video emphasizes the importance of selecting the right exercises within a training split to ensure proper muscle stimulation and avoid overlaps that can hinder recovery.

💡Individualization

Individualization in training means tailoring workout programs to fit an individual's specific needs and responses. The video advocates for personal experimentation with different splits to find the optimal training method for one's unique body and goals.

Highlights

Jeff Cavaliere discusses the impact of training splits on muscle gains and the importance of finding the right split for individual needs.

Different training splits, such as total body, push/pull legs, and bro-splits, have various benefits and drawbacks.

Total body training allows for more recovery time and frequent muscle stimulation, which can be beneficial for muscle growth.

The push/pull legs split is advantageous for athletic training, as it groups muscles that work together functionally.

Bro-splits can be effective for hypertrophy but may lack recovery time for overlapping muscle groups.

The effectiveness of a training split can depend on exercise selection and the sequence of workouts.

Individual response to training varies, and what works for one person may not work for another.

The importance of changing up training splits to avoid stagnation and to continue making progress.

The value of personal experience over relying solely on research studies for training advice.

Jeff shares his personal training experience and how it has influenced his views on training splits.

The potential benefits of experimenting with different splits to find what works best for an individual's body and goals.

The ATHLEAN-X program offers various training splits tailored to different goals and experience levels.

A reminder to subscribers to engage with the content by leaving comments, giving a thumbs up, and turning on notifications for updates.

A call to action for viewers to subscribe to ATHLEAN-X for more in-depth training advice and content.

A final note on the importance of not sticking to one training method for too long and the need for adaptability in training.

Transcripts

What's up, guys?

Jeff Cavaliere, ATHLEANX.com.

Your training split is killing your gains.

I promise I’m going to make this worthwhile for you today because a lot of us are following

very, very, very different types of training splits.

Are you here people?

You’ve got buddies at the gym that do the bro-splits – don’t bash them yet, guys.

Not yet.

It’s too early.

Especially as you’re going to see here, total body training – you could even take

the guy who influenced me a long time ago to dial back my workouts a bit.

Mike Menser.

High intensity workouts, one muscle group every 14 days.

You go and take that and think “That is so much different from the advice that some

people say now, with more frequent training, with total body workouts.

So how is it that even existed?

How are people able to get away with that if it never worked?”

Maybe it does.

So, what I want to do is go over some of these splits to tell you what I think is going on

here.

Right here we’ve got the days of the week and the typical training schedule.

What I’ve laid out here first and foremost is a total body split.

For a total body split you’re looking at the classic ‘train everything Monday, Wednesday,

and Friday’ and you have a bunch of off days.

What’s nice about the total body split is a few things, what you’ve probably heard.

Number one: you get a little more recovery in the week.

Which is music to my ears.

That’s the first thing.

Number two: You’re getting more frequent stimulation of the muscles in your body – all

of them – so you’re getting that opportunity to resume muscle protein synthesis every 48

hours or so, which is what the research is pointing us to.

I’ll be back to research in a second.

But that’s what it’s pointing us to here, why this is superior and why a lot of guys

are moving toward this.

We even have our own program coming out, which is Total Body Split.

So, I do believe it’s extremely beneficial for many, many, many, many people.

But if you could go back – this is not new.

This is not new.

You could go back decades and decades.

Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger were doing both total body Monday, Wednesday, Friday

splits and even more than that.

What they were doing was taking your typical total body workout which consisted of all

of – your legs, chest, shoulders, arms, back, everything – and they put them all

in one workout.

And he just decided to split it up a little more into a push/pull with legs included in

both of those workouts.

So, a push workout would be chest, triceps, shoulders, and quads.

Then a pull workout would be back, biceps, and hamstrings.

So, you’re doing that now and you’ve taken one workout, split it over two, increased

the volume of those exercises a little bit – because you could do so because you didn’t

have so much to do in one day – shorten the workout a little bit.

Yes, the frequency is greatly enhanced here with six days versus three, but the workouts

were a little bit shorter.

The idea was the same because you’re still stimulating every 48 hours.

So, the research with the proponents of total body training will say, but we go and look

at some of the other ideas and we have push/pull legs as well.

That’s another popular thing.

People have probably heard about that.

We’ve programmed push/pull legs many times.

With a push/pull legs what we have here is, a gain, six days a week.

And we can do this even in a beginner versions.

I’ll explain that in a second.

But with a push/pull legs, the benefit is that you’re starting to train more athletically.

My big benefit with this split is that I get to pair muscles together that share similar

functions.

So, I’m not thinking about chest training.

I’m not thinking about tricep training.

I’m thinking about push training.

When you saw Antonio Brown coming through here, we did a push workout.

When you saw Seamus coming through here, we did a posterior chain workout.

We’re grouping muscles that tend to work together because athletically, that’s how

we’re going to function.

So, I like this, and I veer toward this a lot.

What we do is – if you wanted to go more toward a beginner level, we could do a push

workout on a Monday, we could have a day off.

We could do a legs workout here on Wednesday, a day off.

A pull workout here, and a couple of days off.

So, we’re dramatically decreasing the overall volume, but at least we’re still maintaining

the benefits of those similar functions and shared functions to at least train the body

in that way.

What we don’t want is what we talked about with bro-splits.

We can break this down even further.

A lot of guys do this.

Again, we’ve used bro-splits in training for a particular purpose because you always

have to ask, “What is the end goal?”

If it’s straight hypertrophy there are going to be benefits to bro-splits, in terms of

developing muscle, and building muscle like a body builder.

Even though we don’t train body builders.

But we do recognize that guys want to build muscle and sometimes doing that, it’s important

to split things up.

However, this is why bro-splits get a bad name.

What we’ve done here is, we go shoulders, chest, triceps, back, biceps, legs, and then

a day off.

Why is that not so good?

Because based on what I just told you here, you’re sequentially overlapping shared functions.

I’m going with a push muscle – shoulders – and push.

Chest.

And push.

Triceps.

Where’s the recovery.

We know that when we do chest exercises, we’re going to impact the shoulders.

If you do a bench-press here, you know you’re working the shoulders.

Where’s the recovery from your shoulder training from the day before?

Especially as a natural athlete, recovery is paramount.

Where is it?

It’s absent.

So, what you want to do is make sure you’re not doing bro-splits like this because this

is where they get a bad name.

Instead, you opt for something different.

Instead you’d opt for – again, I’m just sharing some of the popular splits that are

out there.

I’m not trying to make a judgment on any of them…until the end.

We have chest and biceps.

Chest and bis.

Back and tris.

Legs.

Legs are often done twice a week simply because it allows you to train them more frequently,

for the reason we talked about down here.

Then shoulders and traps, or shoulders and whatever you want to include.

Shoulders and abs.

Whatever that split might be.

We’ve got this other version here.

This is another popular one.

Chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, and then legs.

Again, split out more of an anterior/posterior.

This is very popular.

Especially arm day on Friday is key, because before you go out to the bars, if you could

just do as few sets of biceps and triceps, you’re good to go.

I promise you.

Especially in – a chest day is intact.

This is great.

Again, what we can do though is take a bro-split and actually make it work.

The way you make it work for you is based on exercise selection and then putting the

workouts in the right sequence, so you avoid this and benefit a bit more from the principles

of what we established back here with the total body training.

So, let’s take a look at this one here.

When I train my biceps and chest, I wait 48 hours and I’m back to back and triceps.

So, I have the potential to involve biceps in my back exercises here.

I have the ability to hit my chest again and my triceps if I choose the right exercises.

Again, if I place them in the right sequence, in terms of the time lag between workouts

– in my back workout – that would demand, however, that I do exercises like an underhand

barbell row, or even better, a weighted chin-up.

You guys here me talk all the time about how I think the weighted chin-up is a great back

exercise and, of course, it’s a great bicep exercise as well.

So, I can get great bicep activation, reactivation 48 hours after, by choosing that exercise

or both of those exercises here.

If my back workout consisted solely of straight arm pushdowns – which I love, by the way

– dumbbell pullovers.

People call it the upper body squat.

Another great exercise.

Maybe even lat pulldowns, or wide grip lat pulldowns.

I don’t have as much bicep activation there.

As a matter of fact, I can pretty much go an entire workout without activating the biceps,

which would be a violation of the re-stimulation of the biceps within 48 hours.

It becomes very important, that if you’re going to do this, you choose the right exercise.

So why do some guys get results and some guys don’t?

Some guys choose better exercises.

Some guys plan this out more thoughtfully and it winds up working.

Again, as soon as you hear somebody say “Well, research says”, what that means is, ‘I

have no experience’.

That’s what that translates to.

If they lead with “Studies show”, it means ‘I have not experience.

I’m not training people.

I don’t understand how people train in front of me because I’ve never trained them myself.

I just read studies’.

You could take strength coaches.

I have a great friend of mine, Joe DeFranco, who’s a great strength coach.

Do you know what his studies are?

The hundreds, and hundreds of athletes that come through his facility every day that show

these differences to him.

He knows they’re not a textbook.

He knows that they’re not a PubMed study.

He knows that there are differences from person to person.

Which is going to lead me to my final point.

You realize that these things can vary in their success level because of the different

variables.

Even the person’s ability to sleep well between the accessions.

We don’t know that in our studies.

They’re not controlling for what these guys do when they leave the lab.

One guy could sleep 10 hours a night and the other guy could be out partying and eating

like crap.

Which would entirely impact what their training protocol was.

So, what would make this all simple?

What would tie this all together?

What would tie it all together is a scenario I want you to imagine.

People have said “Jeff, your biceps are really good.

They have good bicep development.

Especially for your physique.”

However, some people would say “Jeff, you just have good bicep genetics.

That’s all it is.”

Let me lay out a scenario for you.

What if I was following, let’s just say – not this bad bro-split – but this split

here.

When I’m training biceps directly, once a week, and if I do that and my biceps are

developed the way they are, but your chest doesn’t look so good.

People have actually said that about me.

No upper chest.

Whatever, guys.

It is what it is.

The fact is, maybe it’s not that I have such great bicep genetics.

Maybe it’s that my training split that I’ve stuck with so long because it’s been so

loyal to me is optimal for bicep development.

Hitting them once every seven days with this indirect work on back day here is the holy

grail of biceps for me.

Maybe not for you, but for me.

But the problem with that is, because we’re on a routine in a split – which we all do.

We follow the same split.

We follow a split.

I don’t care how long you’re doing it for.

You follow the split.

The other muscle groups that aren’t responding as well are slaves to that split.

The chest is also – because it’s linked here and it’s only once a week – may not

be getting enough stimulation.

Even with the indirect stimulation here.

By the way, tricep day would involve some sort of a close-grip bench-press to do that.

But let’s say that’s not enough.

The chest isn’t responding well enough.

It’s a slave to that split.

So, what I want to do is make sure I change my split up.

I would go to a total body and in my total body, if I was doing 12 sets of biceps over

here over the course of a week, and now I divide them up to four, four, and four; monitor

what happens.

Do you continue to see strength increases?

Do you see development continue?

Or do you see the opposite?

Do you start to become less strong in your bicep training?

Do you start seeing development of your biceps taper off, or not look as good anymore?

If that’s the case, what you would do is modify this split.

So, you were doing biceps, once again, in addition to this split once a week.

It only makes sense.

From a frequency standpoint it’s optimal.

But it doesn’t sacrifice the fact that now my chest gets stimulate every other day and

now I’m going to start to see gains.

So, you know why splits are killing your gains, guys?

Because we’ve fallen in love with the same one too often and we stick with it for far

too long.

If you’re not making gains in strength, if you’re not making gains in hypertrophy,

if you’re not changing in the mirror, if you’re not satisfied with where you’re

at, but you’ve been told ‘because studies say that a certain method of training is what

you should be doing’; stop thinking that way.

Start changing what it is you’re doing.

Experiment with something different.

Try a different split.

Don’t go with the dumb bro-splits because those are dumb for a reason.

We’ve already outlined those.

But use something different.

I’m not advocating for any of them in particular.

I’m advocating for change.

If you’re unwilling to change just because you’re locked in, because people will tell

you ‘total body is so great’, or ‘splits have helped build massive biceps’, or whatever

it is, stop thinking that way.

It’s not individual to you and it’s your responsibility to start figuring out what

is.

When you do start mixing your routines and your splits up and you start to see the changes

and the improvements in some areas, and maybe regressions in others.

Then you become a little more educated as to how you need to put that workout together

for yourself to allow for the best gains everywhere going forward.

Guys, I hope you’ve found this video helpful.

Again, the point here is that you need to put the science back in strength.

You need to stop putting studies at the forefront of every decision you make.

Experience trumps everything.

I can tell you that, again, firsthand, myself.

I could tell you that experience trumps everything because we are individuals and we respond

differently to training.

You’re an individual.

You want to make sure you understand how you best respond.

If you’re looking for training programs, we have training programs with all kinds of

splits.

All different splits for different reasons.

Based on goal.

Based on experience level.

Based on the need to change up what you’re doing.

They’re all over at ATHLEANX.com.

In the meantime, if you’ve found the video helpful leave your comments and thumbs up

below.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe and turn on your notifications so you never

miss a video.

Let me know what else you want me to cover.

This has been a question that has been asked here many, many times before.

I feel like it needed a more elaborate answer.

There’s no “Oh, the best training split is this!”

No.

That’s wrong.

That’s B.S.

That’s bad advice.

That’s what you’d get, maybe, on another channel.

Not here.

All right, guys.

I’ll be back here again soon with another video.

See you.