I've been doing the classic bro split for like 4 years now (started when I was 17, now I'm 21) and I mean, I've seen some pretty sick results tbh. I went from 61kg to 83kg since I started, so it's clearly working a bit.
The thing is, I'm kinda a perfectionist with everything, so I think that bleeds into my training... I just pick a muscle group and absolutely destroy it until it can't move anymore. I do crazy high volume too—like 70 to 100 sets depending on the muscle. I know my intensity probably isn't perfect, but I still hit failure and do dropsets and supersets until I'm totally gassed.
Anyway, I keep hearing about these studies that say training everything twice a week is way more optimal for growth. Can anyone actually prove that or explain the science to me?
Should I switch over to a PPL split or just stick with the bro split since it worked so far? Also, I'm worried that if I switch to PPL, all that super high volume I'm used to will like mess up my gains or something if I have to dial it back. Let me know what you guys think.
honestly man, your results already speak for themselves. 61 to 83kg in 4 years is solid. i’ve been in the same boat—crazy high volume on a bro split and it worked, but i hit a point where recovery became a nightmare.
from what i’ve read and experienced, hitting each muscle twice a week can be more efficient for growth and keeps fatigue more manageable, but you don’t have to dump all your volume. you can just spread it out across two sessions instead of smashing 100 sets in one day. tried PPL after a bro split and it actually felt like i recovered better and still made gains, just with a little dialing back on total sets.
dude, first off, 61 to 83kg in 4 years is legit—your bro split clearly isn’t trash. i’ve been in the same boat, hitting one muscle insanely hard and doing way too many sets in a single day. it works for a while, but recovery can become a nightmare.
the twice-a-week thing isn’t some bro myth—studies basically show that muscle protein synthesis only stays elevated for like 48 hours after a workout. hitting each muscle more than once spreads the stimulus out, helps you recover better, and can actually improve growth.
if you switch to PPL, you don’t have to trash your volume—you can just split it across the two sessions instead of doing 100 sets in one day. i did that after a bro split and still made gains, but felt way less beat up and actually looked fuller because i wasn’t completely fried every session.
i feel you man, i was doing 80+ sets on chest alone back in the day thinking more = better. switched to hitting everything twice a week with way fewer sets and honestly my gains didn’t just hold—they actually got better. recovery is crazy underrated, and hitting a muscle more frequently with moderate volume seems to crush the once-a-week madness. definitely worth trying a PPL, you can still push hard without frying yourself.
honestly man, i was in the same boat—killing one muscle once a week with like a million sets. switched to a PPL hitting each muscle twice a week with way less volume per session and my strength and size actually shot up. sometimes dialing it back and training smarter beats just grinding yourself into the floor every week.
dude, i feel this so hard. i was doing the exact same thing with insane volume and going to failure on everything, and yeah the gains were real—but i plateaued hard after a while. switching to a PPL and hitting each muscle twice a week actually shocked my body into growing again, even with way less total sets per session. you don’t have to dial back your intensity too much, just spread it out smarter. bro splits work, but training frequency matters more than we give it credit for once you’re past the beginner gains.
if you went from 61 to 83kg you’re def doing something right lol, that’s solid progress no matter the split
70-100 sets is kinda insane ngl. respect the work ethic but recovery might be the real limiter here
bro splits work especially when you’re young and recover fast. studies don’t erase real world results
training a muscle 2x a week usually just spreads the volume out better so quality stays higher
you might actually grow more doing less per session but hitting it again later. feels wrong at first tho
switching to PPL doesn’t mean you lose volume, just means you’re not nuking one muscle in a single day
perfectionist mindset can be a double edged sword in the gym. more isn’t always more
intensity matters way more than doing every set known to man until you can’t move
you could even run a hybrid. keep a bro split feel but add some light frequency later in the week
