The great Full Body versus Bro Split workout routine-which one to pick when trying to build muscle and strength? Well, the Bro Split is pretty much a standard when it comes to old-school bodybuilding. But more and more exercise science says that higher frequency workouts might be better. Your choice will depend on what it does to your body regarding volume load, protein synthesis, and neurological recovery. Here’s how the two most popular split routines stack up across 9 critical points:
The Window of Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)
The body produces MPS for about 36-48 hours post-workout. A full-body workout uses this time by training the muscles three times a week, while with a Bro Split, your muscles go without stimulus for 6 days straight after the MPS window closes.
Neurological Adaptations and Motor Learning
Strength is a skill that requires a high level of neurological adaptation. Training compound lifts (squat, presses) three times a week in a full-body split forces your body to quickly learn how to recruit muscle fibers, and your strength will increase faster than a split that trains them only once a week.
Hypertrophy beyond the Junk Volume Threshold
After you perform 8-10 sets per body part, the extra volume doesn’t significantly promote more hypertrophy, and it’s known as ‘junk volume.’ While Bro Splits often push past the junk volume limit in individual sessions, a Full Body split rarely does.
Scheduling & Missed Workout Inflexibility
It’s a fact that everyone misses workout sessions now and then. When a session on a Bro Split is missed, that specific muscle group is skipped for 7 full days. If one full-body workout is missed, two more ensure that your muscles are still stimulated at least three times that week.
Systemic versus Local Muscular Fatigue
Bro Splits will provide tremendous muscular breakdown, but cause crippling muscular DOMS. However, the full-body workout stimulates both system-wide CNS fatigue (due to the heaviest compounds) and musculature recovery.
Target Mind-Muscle Connection
The Bro Split training method allows a greater focused pump for any specific muscle group, and thus the mind-muscle connection is considerably higher, compared to the rushed pace of the Full Body method.
Beginner/Advanced Training Split
The Full Body split routine promotes the acquisition of new movement patterns very quickly, hence ideal for Beginners needing to acquire a basic strength base. The advanced trainees who require the stimulation for new fiber activation may find a Bro Split a better option due to its volume potential.
Session Time Commitment
Full Body splits generally take more time as a result of longer recovery periods for each of the massive compound lifts, making them likely to go well over an hour to complete, including warm-ups, etc. Conversely, Bro Splits are typically completed under an hour, as it includes one specific movement pattern each workout and therefore much shorter rest times.
Exercise Selection & Variety
The Bro Split allows a number of different angles and machines to target a single muscle, thus the mind-muscle connection is enhanced. A full-body workout, however, needs to use minimal exercises with a high yield, to keep it efficient.
