My Workout Split Below is the split I train 50 weeks per year. Every now and then, usually when I learn a new exercise and want to try it out, the

odd thing here or there changes. I take a de-load period of one week, approximately once every six months to allow my joints and

muscles a time to rest, and let any minor pains and aches heal. Not only this but I find that a de-load week helps me recover

psychologically. During a de-load week, I will literally just half the number of sets, and lower the weight by around 50% of my 1RM

(One rep max). I usually coordinate my de-load weeks with my holidays, due to often less access to exercise equipment and in

order to give myself a well-earned break from my usually healthy lifestyle, and maximise psychological recovery.

Monday – Chest (90 minutes)

8 sets of single arm dumbbell press, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of incline barbell bench press, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of top setting cable flyes, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

Tuesday – Legs (90 minutes)

4 sets of back squats, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of leg extensions, remembering to point toes back towards yourself to work the muscle more efficiently, superset with

hamstring curls, each around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of calf raises, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps), remembering to keep knees unlocked to work the

muscle more efficiently.

Wednesday – Shoulders and Traps (90 minutes)

8 sets of barbell shrugs, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

4 sets of lateral dumbbell raises, superset with barbell frontal raises, each around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12

reps).

8 sets of bent over rear deltoid dumbbell flyes, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

Thursday – Triceps (90 minutes)

8 sets of overhead bench dumbbell skull-crushers, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of cable rope pulldowns, each around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of tricep dips, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

Friday – Back (90 minutes)

8 sets of deadlifts, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of wide-grip pull-ups, weighted or assisted if necessary to find appropriate rep range, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy

rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of Pendlay Rows, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

Saturday – Biceps (90 minutes)

8 sets of barbell curls, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

8 sets of rope-cable hammer curls, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

4 sets of alternating across body dumbbell curls, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps).

4 sets of close grip pull ups (focusing on working the biceps and only assisting with the back once you’ve pushed your biceps to

failure), assisted or weighted if necessary to find appropriate rep range, around 70% of 1RM for hypertrophy rep range (8-12

reps).

It may become apparent after some time that a certain muscle group may be stronger on one side of your body than the other, if

this happens simply perform the exercise one side at a time, or at the same time ensuring the weight is equally distributed, which

can be done by ensuring the resistance is coming from two separate pieces of apparatus, such as cables or dumbbells. You

should only push your weaker side as far as you can. This will of course mean your stronger side will not be trained as hard. This

is okay as it shouldn’t take long for your weaker side to catch up, and you’ll be able to train them together simultaneously again.

This happens to me quite often and is nothing to panic about. It will not always be possible to isolate each side on every exercise,

and in this split there are 9 exercises in which you cannot. In these cases the next best alternative exercise where it is possible

to isolate each side is as follows:

barbell incline bench press- dumbbell incline bench press,

back squats- leg press (each leg in isolation),

barbell shrugs- dumbbell shrugs,

barbell frontal raises- dumbbell frontal raises,

deadlifts- single arm/single leg kettlebell deadlift,

pendlay rows- bent over dumbbell rows,

barbell curls- dumbbell curls.

Additional to this training, I set aside 10 minutes per day to train my abs and obliques, as it has been proven to be more effective

to train these muscles in this manner. I train these muscles with 3 sets of cable crunches,

3 sets of lying down leg raises and

3 sets on each side of oblique kettlebell raises.

I also set aside a further 15

minutes every day to make sure I

stay limber. I will do this through

stretching, different types of yoga and foam rolling. This is crucial to maximise muscle gain. I also recommend Gua sha, which is

scraping your muscles to get rid of stagnant blood from the adhesions that build up

when you tear your muscles down in the gym, although I’ve personally never had it done.

During bulking, 3 times per week (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday) I will

perform 45 minutes cardio, to maintain a healthy heart, a heart strong enough to

ensure a good pump in every session. During cutting phases I will step this cardio

up to 6 sessions a week (again leaving Sunday as a rest day).

The weight training remains the same, both in terms of the split and the rep ranges. I train within a hypertrophy rep range year

round for the muscle building in the off-season and the fact that although it burns less calories than higher volume training, which

would be beneficial in cutting, I just like training that way, something many agree with. I like training this way because anything

less than 8 reps I feel like I have energy to do more but not on that weight, and any higher and I am too fatigued by the end of the

workout. Many people see athletes online training and think that they have to train like they do to look like they do. This is false and

there are many different ways to attain a great physique, what you do should be based largely on personal preference (something

Nick Cheadle talks about a lot as anyone who follows him will know).

I will also a further 45 minute session every other week working on my athleticism; this will entail for example working on

explosive power through box jumps, Olympic lifting and MMA training. I fit this in on any day but Sunday, to ensure I get a full days

rest every week.

Whilst I recognise this training split is perhaps not optimal for all, I enjoy training this way and find it achieves results, and those

of my friends who have given it a go find it equally effective. I realise there are many who think the ‘bro split’ is not ideal, but I

disagree on the grounds that your muscles are largely worked more than once a week in reality, when you train other muscles. An

example of this would be when you work your biceps whilst training back. The only real exception to this that I see would be

calves, for which I often do a few sets of at the end of other workouts. The main reason I train this split is because I simply that I

like training this way, and personal preference is key, something I touched on earlier. I don’t know why I prefer this split, but at

least I know I’m not alone.

I hope some of you can find some use in seeing what I do, whether it be to compare to what you currently train, to jump on for a

few months or to give you a few ideas in writing your own plans. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like something explained or if

you’d like to order your own custom plans at tristanleroyfitness@gmail.com.

Tristan x