How Do You Know if a Training Split Is Optimal for Muscle Growth?

We’ve all seen a hundred different training splits online. Push/pull/legs, upper/lower, full-body, bro split. But how do you know if a split is actually optimal for hypertrophy?

In this email, I break down what makes a weightlifting split truly optimal for muscle growth, then I rank the most popular splits.

What makes a split good?

1. Frequency: How often you train each muscle

Most lifters grow best by training each muscle twice per week, since recovery and muscle protein synthesis usually peak around 48 to 72 hours. In other words, it’s best to wait 2-3 days before training the same muscle again.

Most studies show that hitting a muscle twice per week builds noticeably more muscle than training it once, while training it more often than twice seems to offer little to no extra benefit.

Recovery speed also varies. Experienced lifters might recover in about 24 hours, while beginners may need two to three days. Muscles can recover faster than people think, so higher training frequency can still work as long as your total weekly volume stays in check.

If you’re training the same muscle more than twice per week, instead of doing all your sets in two long sessions, spread them throughout the week to keep your training stimulus high and fatigue low.

And that leads us to the next key factor: volume.

2. Volume: The Real Driver of Muscle Growth

Weekly volume is the total number of hard sets you do per muscle each week. It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, predictors of muscle growth (aside from nutrition).

Most research points to 10–20 hard sets per muscle per week as ideal for hypertrophy.

But here’s something most lifters miss when applying that rule: not every set trains a muscle equally.

• A direct set works a muscle as the main mover (like chest on bench press).

• An indirect set hits it secondarily (like triceps on bench press).

A study found the most accurate way to track weekly training volume is to count

• 1 set for direct work

• 0.5 sets for indirect work

Example:
If you do 12 sets for chest per week, that equals about 6 tricep sets.
Add 6 direct tricep sets (like pushdowns or overhead extensions), and you’re at 12 total effective weekly sets for triceps, right in the optimal range.

To maximize growth, spread your volume across multiple sessions (at least 2× per week with 48–72 hours of rest in between).

✅ Good example: 6 chest sets Monday and 6 Thursday
❌ Bad example: 12 sets all on Monday, then resting a full week

Takeaway

To know if a split is optimal for muscle growth depends on the individual, but these 3 rules work for almost everyone:

• Hit each muscle 2× per week

• Do 10–20 hard sets per muscle per week

• Rest 48–72 hours before training the same muscle again

Ranking Popular Workout Splits

1. Upper/Lower (4×/week)
   Pros: Balanced recovery
   Cons: Upper days can be quite long

   Best for: Lifters who want a balanced routine that fits a busy schedule

2. Full Body (2-3×/week)
   Pros: Time-efficient, great for beginners or busy people
   Cons: Sessions can run long

   Best for: Busy people, beginners

3. Push/Pull/Legs (6×/week)
   Pros: High frequency, shorter sessions
   Cons: Requires the most consistency

   Best for: Dedicated lifters with flexible schedules who love being in the gym

4. Bro Split (5×/week)
   Pros: Simple, high focus for each muscle
   Cons: Low frequency (1×/week), suboptimal for naturals

   Best for: Enhanced lifters who prefer focusing hard on one muscle per day

Overall, the top three splits will deliver similar results. The bro split tends to fall behind in terms of muscle growth since it doesn’t train each muscle twice per week.

Remember, the best split isn’t the most optimal one. Its the one you can stick to long-term.

—Gymfyp