Which Workout Split is Best? (ft. Huberman Lab Podcast)

Summary

In a discussion featuring the ATHLEAN-X™ team and insights from the Huberman Lab Podcast, various workout split strategies are explored. The conversation delves into the different ways of organizing workout routines, emphasizing the importance of choosing a split that aligns with personal preferences and lifestyle. The key takeaway is that there's no one-size-fits-all solution; what's crucial is selecting a split that fits your schedule and ensures consistency. Traditional "Bro Splits" are discussed alongside more modern approaches, highlighting how individual goals and recovery abilities influence the decision-making process.

Highlights

• Different splits cater to different goals, whether strength, aesthetics, or general fitness. ✨
• Bro Splits work well due to their focused nature, targeting one muscle group per day. 🎯
• Push-pull splits offer synergies by grouping similar muscle actions together. 🤝
• The right split should fit into your weekly schedule and be something you look forward to. 📅
• Recovery ability influences how often you should work out—listen to your body! 🛌

Key Takeaways

• Consistency is key! Choose a split you can stick to, rather than the 'optimal' one you won't follow. 🗓️
• Bro Splits focus on one muscle group per day and are great for aesthetics. 💪
• Recovery matters: tailor your workout frequency to your body's needs. 🔄
• It's okay to mix and match styles like push-pull and Bro Splits to fit your goals and schedule. 🤸‍♂️
• Enjoying your workout is crucial for long-term success! 🏆

Overview

The ATHLEAN-X™ team, along with insights from the Huberman Lab Podcast, delves into the world of workout splits, exploring various methods to effectively structure training routines. They emphasize the importance of choosing a split that aligns not only with one's goals but also with one's lifestyle and schedule.

Everyone's heard of ‘Bro Splits’—the method of working one specific muscle group each day, which is excellent for those looking to focus on aesthetics. Alternatively, push-pull splits offer a harmonious workout flow by combining similar movements on the same day, maximizing efficiency and targeted results.

Ultimately, the best workout split is subjective. It's less about following a strict program and more about finding a routine that you can consistently adhere to and enjoy. This personalized choice will ensure you can maintain intensity and motivation, leading to sustainable fitness progress.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Workout Splits The chapter introduces the concept of workout splits, which refers to which body parts are trained on specific days. It notes that most people follow a weekly workout schedule for convenience, although it does not align with how the body naturally functions. The chapter mentions whole body workouts done three times a week and different types of splits, such as focusing on pushing exercises on certain days.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Different Variations of Splits This chapter discusses different variations of workout splits, particularly how to divide workout days across different body parts. The speaker notes that there are countless possibilities and mentions the importance of general themes to guide these splits. They emphasize understanding the underlying logic and rules that dictate how to effectively create and follow workout splits. Additionally, the chapter promises resources in the show notes to aid in designing workout splits effectively.
• 01:00 - 01:30: The Importance of Enjoyment and Consistency The chapter discusses the importance of enjoying your workout routine and maintaining consistency. The speaker emphasizes that personal preferences play a critical role in sticking to a fitness regime. If someone doesn't enjoy a full body split or if it feels too exhaustive and time-consuming, it may lead to a lack of motivation and inconsistency. Instead, it is crucial to choose a workout routine that is enjoyable and fits well into one's schedule to ensure long-term commitment.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Push-Pull-Legs and Weekly Training Patterns The chapter discusses the importance of selecting a workout routine that fits one's schedule, emphasizing on the flexibility in using the Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) split. It highlights that an uncompleted workout split, regardless of its effectiveness, is not beneficial. The PPL routine can be adapted to different weekly patterns; for example, it can be executed once or twice a week. Options include a Monday-Wednesday-Friday cycle or a six-day cycle with adjustments for rest days based on individual needs and lifestyle.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Synergy in Training and Bro Splits This chapter discusses the planning of training schedules, particularly focusing on balancing rest days and training intensity. It compares the benefits of a three-day split training schedule, which allows an extra rest day between workouts, with a more conventional seven-day week that has a fixed rest day. The narrative favors grouping similar muscle actions together and suggests a preference for consistent, predictable rest days to maintain convenience and effectiveness in training routines.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Science Perspective and Personal Goals This chapter explores the integration of scientific insights with personal fitness goals. It highlights the concept of training movements synergistically to target specific objectives each day. The conversation reflects on traditional workout routines like the 'Bro Split' and acknowledges their past effectiveness while suggesting that contemporary scientific approaches provide more efficient strategies. An example mentioned is separating muscle group workouts, such as exercising biceps on one day and returning to focus on a related muscle a couple of days later.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Personal Experience with Bro Split The chapter explores the concept of a 'Bro Split' workout routine, where a single muscle group is trained per day. This method is popular due to the satisfaction of feeling a pump and its focus on esthetics and strength building. It emphasizes the synergy between exercises, especially with muscle groups like biceps being stimulated multiple times. The chapter describes why many people prefer this routine.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Discussion on Mike Mentzer's Influence The chapter discusses the influence of Mike Mentzer on workout philosophies, specifically the Bro Split workout routine. It highlights the contrasting perspectives of those who follow such routines strictly for aesthetics, rather than strength or scientific foundational approaches. The conversation reflects on aligning workout goals with personal objectives, emphasizing that while some may prioritize athletic ideals, others might simply aim to get in shape, thus validating different approaches based on individual needs.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Recovery and Personal Preferences In this chapter, the focus is on recovery and personal preferences in fitness routines. It discusses the effectiveness of a 'Bro Split' workout for individuals who see favorable outcomes from such routines. The main point is the emphasis on understanding how to focus on one muscle group at a time, helping individuals refine their technique and maximize their training outcomes. It highlights how some people may need multiple sets to develop the proprioceptive ability to perform exercises correctly.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Choosing a Sustainable Split The chapter discusses the early experiences of individuals who began resistance training, particularly highlighting interactions with Mike Mentzer. One individual shares how they started resistance training at the age of 16 and learned from Mike Mentzer, a well-known bodybuilder and trainer. Despite the lack of modern communication tools like the internet back then, they connected with Mentzer by sending money through Western Union, initially setting up contact through a magazine. The chapter captures the significance of Mentzer’s influence and the beginning of their friendship.

Which Workout Split is Best? (ft. Huberman Lab Podcast) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 In terms of splits, you mentioned splits. And  so, for those who aren't familiar with this   term splits, it's really which body parts are  you training on which days? Seems like almost   everybody follows a weekly workout schedule,  although the body, of course doesn't care about   the week. Right.   There's no reason to think that once every  seven days or twice every seven days makes   sense physiologically, just the body doesn't  work that. But that's the way life is structured.   I've seen you discuss three days  a week, whole body workouts.   Mm-hmm. I've heard of splits like a pushing one day,
• 00:30 - 01:00 pulling another day, legs another day, a day  off, repeat. I mean, there are so many variations   on this. What are some general themes that we  can throw out there? And in order to avoid the   huge matrix of possibilities, you have some  wonderful content that points those and,   in our caption, show notes we'll link out to some  of those that different ways to design splits.   But in terms of giving people a logic of  how to think about splitting up body parts,   what's governing the split? What are the  rules and the logic that dictate a split?
• 01:00 - 01:30 For me, the first rule is, will you stick to it,  right? Because I don't particularly like full body   splits. I was actually talking to Jesse about  that the other day. Like, I don't necessarily   like to have to train everything. Now, of course  the volumes will come down per muscle group. But   if you don't like to do that, and you actually  don't look forward to your workout because you're   dreading having to do everything and feeling maybe  too fatigued by the time your workouts over. Or   the fact that those generally do take a little  bit longer and don't fit into your schedule,
• 01:30 - 02:00 I don't care how effective the split is, a split  not done is not effective. So, you need to find   one that fit. So maybe you go into an alternative  option like a push pull leg, like you mentioned.   And that could be done either one cycle through  the week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday split.   Or it could be twice in a week, so you're actually  training six times where you repeat it. Pull, push   legs, pull, push legs or however you want to do it  with either a day off in between the three days or   at the end of the six days. And again, that  actually impacts your schedule. I've broken that
• 02:00 - 02:30 down before where it's, you know, if you put it in  between the three days, it's good because you're   giving yourself an extra rest day in between. But it starts to shift that day off every week as   we wrap around for those guys that were choosing  that seven-day schedule, a lot of convenience in   our heads, you know, it starts to mess with  that off day. So, others like to just keep it   predictable, let's say, on a Sunday and train six  days in a row. But that's a better way to maybe   group similar muscle actions together, which I  definitely prefer that because if I'm going to
• 02:30 - 03:00 be training, pulling movements, at least there's  a synergy between them and I feel like I'm looking   to achieve one goal that day. And then, I mean,  quite honestly, you can go back to the Bro Split   days and those still work effectively. There's a  reason why they worked in the past. Like I think   that science shows that there's smarter ways to do  them these days. Like you can come back and hit a   related muscle so you could do, let's say, biceps  on one day and then come back two days later and
• 03:00 - 03:30 do back realizing again, synergy between the  exercises there, your biceps are going to get   stimulated again. So you can figure out ways  to make that work. But the thing that I think   is effective there is that tends to be one of the  ones that people like the most, because they can   go in, they get their pump, they feel good.  It's solely focused on one muscle group.   Is that the definition of a Bro Split? One muscle group a day.   I see. So, it's very much geared  towards strength and esthetics
• 03:30 - 04:00 really maximizing your chest one day-- Probably more esthetics than strength. Yeah.   Yeah. You're just-- Hence the Bro name.   The Bro name, right. Yeah. But, again, like here  I am a science guy, and I could appreciate the   benefits of a Bro Split, especially because again,  to what end? You know, whose goal are we trying   to achieve here theirs or ours? You know, like,  I mean, if, if I'm applying my standards and my   goals or even like athletic ideals, but they just  want to get in shape, then it's perfectly fine to
• 04:00 - 04:30 do a Bro Split in that instance, if you're  sticking to it again and you're seeing the   results that you want to see from it. But they're  able to, you know, really keep their focus on one   muscle. A lot of times people struggle with the  way an exercise feels until their second or third   set. Like they don't have that proprioceptive  ability to kind of lock in on an exercise. So,   spending a few not only sets in the same exercise,  but then doing another exercise for the same   muscle group helps them to dial in a little bit  better and get more out of their training.
• 04:30 - 05:00 Yeah, that raises an interesting, I think  important question. Early on when I started   Resistance Training, which was when I was 16  in high school, I got in touch with and I was   learning from Mike Mentzer. Me too.   Interesting. That's crazy.   And Mike was very helpful. Very, very  helpful. We got to be friendly.   So, I just read his book. I didn't get  a chance to be him, so I'm jealous.   Back then there was no internet I paid by Western  Union type thing to, to send him some money.   From the back of the magazine. And then. He got on the phone with
• 05:00 - 05:30 me and my mother at the time was like,  Why is this grown man calling the house?   And he gave me a very straightforward split,  which was shoulders and arms one day. He had   me taking two days off and then training legs and  then two days off and then chest and back, etc.   And that's a variation of a Bro Split too, where  you're sort of breaking them down that way,   chest and back or chest and bis, you know. Yeah. And it worked very well for me,   probably would have because of my age, I think  because I was untrained. I think it would have   grown on many different programs, but it  worked very well for me. I eventually just
• 05:30 - 06:00 made that in every other day things,  shoulders, arms, day off, legs,   day or two off. Because if you hit legs right,  at least for me, I'm not training the next day,   I'm not doing much of anything athletic the next  day. And chest and back and repeat and so on.   And the reason I found that helpful is I almost  always recovered between workouts. The six day   a week program of push pull legs, push, pull legs  to me seems excruciating from two standpoints.   One is, at least with my recovery abilities  or lack of recovery abilities, I can't imagine
• 06:00 - 06:30 coming back feeling fresh. And the other one is,  if I'm in the gym more than four days a week,   I really start to fatigue about the whole  psychological experience of it. Whereas if   I'm in there three or four days a week, in other  words, if I put a day off in between each workout,   I really want to be there and I get in there  with a lot of fire. And I'm also doing other   things on the off days. So, I think that I love  that you mentioned the split that you'll stick to   and that you can bring the intensity to,  because I think that that's really important.