Exercise Scientists Rank Best Training Splits for Muscle Growth

Key wellness / training strategies highlighted

Core principles for designing a muscle-growth split (the “only 3 things”)

• Recovery timing: Your split must give target muscles enough time between sessions to recover and perform well again.
• Avoid wasted time: Don’t space training so far apart that you’re just waiting (e.g., 1x/week training for muscles that could recover sooner when volume/frequency is appropriate).
• Interference effects: Consider performance interference when adjacent sessions tax the same system (e.g., heavy row/back work before leg day may reduce leg performance; push days may interfere with next-day shoulder/triceps depending on intensity).

Self-care / sustainable scheduling logic

Build schedules around: “Are you recovered already? Go again.”

Use frequency strategically to increase weekly work without excessive per-session fatigue:

• Example logic: distributing sets across more days can increase total quality volume (e.g., more sets across the week vs. cramming them into one session).

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Split ranking and what they recommend adjusting

1) Bro Split (each muscle group ~1x/week)

Pros

• Simple to follow; easy conceptual structure.
• Lets you hammer each muscle group hard in a single session.

Cons

• Often requires doing “everything in one session,” limiting productive volume once fatigue hits.
• Logistics: missing a leg day can push it to the next week.
• Less flexible for recovery differences across individuals.

Tier (as stated)

• General population: about B/C tier
• Females / smaller lifters: F tier (due to recovery capacity differences and ability to handle volume)
• Pros (big/advanced prioritizing large muscle groups): could be up to B tier

Key adjustment idea

• If you recover quickly, lower-frequency “bro” spacing can become suboptimal—frequency should scale to your recovery.

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2) Full-Body Split (3–4 days/week)

Pros

• Great for busy individuals and limited weekly training time.
• Supports a minimal effective dose approach (e.g., ~8–12 sets per muscle group per week as “solid growth”).
• Variety can keep sessions engaging.

Cons

• Fatigue spillover: hard legs/back work can leave less “gas” for the remaining exercises that day.
• Less convenient to prioritize one body part without adjustments.

Tier (as stated)

• Average person: B / B+ tier
• Very strong/jacked (“freaks”) long-term: D tier (because doing chest/back/legs well in one session is harder when advanced and highly fatigued)

Key wellness/productivity tip

• Often best for most people 2–4x/week; advanced lifters may prefer more frequency/splitting to manage fatigue and recovery.

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3) Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) and variations

Why it’s favored

• Helps avoid doing too much in one session and also avoids too little exposure.
• Considered an “intermediate” between training everything daily and only once weekly.
• Works well as an asynchronous schedule (skip a day if needed, rotate the sequence when ready).

Recommended variation

• Push Legs Pull or Push/Pull/Legs with adjustments.
• Common add-on: train side delts + biceps more often by pairing them with push/pull days (e.g., delts/biceps on push + pull days).

Key reasoning

• Not dogmatic: adjust the split when anatomy and recovery patterns demand it.
• Concern raised: side delts don’t fit neatly into “push vs pull vs legs,” so you may need to schedule them intentionally.

Tier (as stated)

• A tier, and if adjusted well: S tier

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4) Upper/Lower split (4 days/week)

Pros

• Solid, balanced option for building muscle and strength.

Cons

• Less easy to prioritize certain body parts hard, especially with limited specialization room.

Tier (as stated)

• A tier / B+ tier (described as high ranking for “regular dudes,” slightly less ideal for content-consuming “freaks”)

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“Dogma” / routine philosophy (productivity + adherence)

• Principles > rigid templates: Don’t treat splits like “set in stone.”
• Basic strength routines can help, but hypertrophy-focused goals require appropriate emphasis and volume distribution.
• Avoid false promises from “beginner/strength-only” programs if the goal is looking jacked:
  • Starting with basics is fine, but later adjust and specialize as fatigue and recovery realities set in.
• Routine effectiveness depends on: your body + your recovery, not someone else’s exact program.

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Presenters / sources

• Mr. Jared Feather (named as a reference regarding PPL order)
• Arnold Bros (mentioned as an example of high chest volume recommendations)
• Jason Genova (shoutout/reference from comments/meme context)
• Scott (named in relation to video title/thumbnails)
• Grizzly Edit (shoutout within the video)
• Aiden Sade (mentioned via a comment/context)
• Mike Mentzer (cited regarding recovery time)
• Rich Piana (mentioned via reference/meme context)
• Ronnie Coleman (mentioned as an example of recovery demands)
• 5/3/1 (discussed as a routine/perspective, not a person)
• RP Hypertrophy app (software promoted in the video)