YOUR TRAINING SPLIT DOESN’T MATTER

Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes | March 18, 2025 By Xavier Savage | dxthetrainer.com

You’ve been lied to.

All the obsession over your training split—whether it’s push/pull/legs, upper/lower, or the classic bro split—is mostly noise.

Yeah, I said it.And no, I’m not walking it back.

Because this fixation with organizing your workouts perfectly?It’s a distraction from the only three things that actually matter:

• Intensity

• Recovery

• Progression

What Is a Training Split (And Why It’s Overrated)?

A training split is just a way to divide your workouts throughout the week. That’s it. Nothing magical. No hidden code. No secret formula.

But the industry wants you to treat it like religion.Every day, I get flooded with questions like:

• “X, is this 6-day split optimal?”

• “Is it bad to hit chest and calves on the same day?”

• “Can I run biceps after legs?”

You already know my answer:Train with intensity, recover well, keep progressing. That’s what matters.

The 4 Popular Splits (And Why They’re Just Tools)

Let’s break them down without the hype.

1. PPL (Push/Pull/Legs)

• Push: Chest, shoulders, triceps

• Pull: Back, biceps, rear delts

• Legs: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves

Run it 3, 5, or 6 days a week. Rotate as needed. It's flexible—but it still obeys the same rules: stress, recover, grow.

2. Upper/Lower (UL)

• Upper: Chest, back, arms, shoulders

• Lower: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves

Typically used by powerlifters or minimalist lifters. Great for 4-day setups. Keeps fatigue manageable and recovery higher.

3. Full Body

• 2–4 days a week

• Uses big lifts like squats, presses, pulls in every session

• Efficient and effective—especially for busy professionals or beginners

Built on frequency. Built for simplicity.

4. The Bro Split

• Monday: Chest

• Tuesday: Back

• Wednesday: Shoulders

• Thursday: Arms

• Friday: Legs (if you remember)

Old school. Not useless, but suboptimal for naturals due to low muscle frequency. Works well when paired with volume and intensity.

Which Split Is Best?

None of them.Every split is a delivery system. Not a magic bullet.

The real breakthrough comes when you stop copying what works for someone else—and start tuning into what works for you.

This is where the SRA Curve becomes your compass.

The SRA Curve: Stimulus → Recovery → Adaptation

Every time you train, you trigger this cycle:

• Stimulus: Muscles are pushed past comfort with enough volume and effort

• Recovery: Body repairs damage and rebuilds

• Adaptation: Supercompensation happens—muscles grow bigger and stronger

But if your next session hits too soon or too late, you miss the window:

• Too soon = incomplete recovery = fatigue, stalled gains

• Too late = adaptation fades = missed growth opportunity

Each muscle has its own recovery timeline. Treating every body part the same? That’s lazy programming.

Muscle Recovery Is NOT One-Size-Fits-All

A few key differences:

• Muscle Size: Big muscles (quads, glutes) need more time than small ones (biceps, delts)

• Fiber Type: Slow-twitch muscles bounce back faster than fast-twitch

• Stretch Under Load: Movements like RDLs or flyes damage tissue more, requiring longer recovery

• Range of Motion: Full-ROM lifts tear down more fiber = longer rebuild time

Let me ask you:

• Do you feel fresh 24 hours after lateral raises?

• Do you feel fresh 24 hours after heavy squats?

Exactly.

Stop pretending every body part is on the same clock. Your recovery system isn’t a factory—it's a battlefield.

Build Your Own Split Using the SRA Curve

Now we’re talking sovereignty. This is where your training becomes yours.

Step 1: Track Your Recovery Patterns

• Delts, arms, calves: Often good to go in 24–48 hours

• Quads, glutes, lats: Usually need 72–120 hours

• Pay attention to when soreness fades and strength returns

This is your SRA blueprint.

Step 2: Schedule Smarter

• Muscle recovered? Hit it again.

• Still sore or weaker than usual? Wait.

• Let your body—not your calendar—dictate your training

Step 3: Break the Rules (On Purpose)

Forget what Instagram told you.

• Quads + biceps + calves in one day? Yes.

• Chest + triceps + abs? Do it.

• Shoulders twice a week, legs once? If that’s what your recovery says, go for it.

You’re not training to impress people. You’re training to adapt.

Real-World Example

Let’s say you train legs and delts Monday.

• Wednesday: Your delts feel fresh.

• Legs? Still sore.

Solution: Hit delts again. Wait to train legs until Friday.

This is adaptive training.This is programming based on reality—not dogma.

What Actually Matters Most

Forget your split. Instead, lock in these non-negotiables:

• Training Intensity: Are you actually pushing near failure?

• Adequate Recovery: Are you letting muscles bounce back fully?

• Progressive Overload: Are your lifts, reps, or effort increasing over time?

These are the big levers that drive change.

Ask Yourself

• Am I copying a split because I saw it online—or because it matches my recovery?

• Do I know how long it takes my body to bounce back from each muscle group?

• Is my program rigid, or does it flex around what I feel in real time?

• Am I focused more on structure—or results?

Final Word

Your split doesn’t make or break your progress.What matters is what you do inside the set, how you recover, and whether you keep evolving.

Train smart.Recover hard.Adapt like a machine.

And stop worshiping the template.Make the template worship you.

—

Written by Xavier Savage Your Master Strategist for Strength, Sovereignty, and Self-Command Visit: dxthetrainer.com for more unapologetic, evidence-based training wisdom.