The Elegant Front/Back Split

Program Description

This is kind of a follow up program to the 6 week Hybrid Upper/Lower Split with Arm Emphasis that I created. A lot of the instructions for that program can be applied here. You’ll see a lot of similarities between programs, so I’ll discuss the differences here. That program had more of a pure bodybuilding focus with rep ranges entirely in the 8-12 range. In this program I wanted to have a lower rep strength focus for compound lifts, but with a higher rep range that might be a little easier on the joints for isolation movements that would also provide a bit more stimulus variety for each muscle. Both programs are extremely easy to customize to avoid boredom, but this program has a little more variety built right in. Both programs have a big emphasis on traps, shoulders, and arms, but this program takes a little bit of the trap emphasis and shifts it to the lats. There’s a bigger push in this program to provide different stimuli on bicep curls to provide a little more forearm growth, so you’ll see multiple grip orientations for bicep curls. On Back Days you’ll see that RDLs/Good mornings which are treated as a bigger hamstring emphasis movement are done after Leg Curls in the workout, which may seem counterintuitive. I noticed that lower back tended to tire first on these exercises even though they’re intended to be hamstring/glute movements. Putting Leg Curls first does two things: helps pre-exhaust hamstrings so they receive a better stimulus during RDLs/GMs, and also allows for a lighter weight to be used on these bigger movements which provides a bit better stimulus to fatigue ratio and is a little easier on the hip joint, which is helpful for squats on Front Day. Both programs are a lot of fun. If you’re used to lower volume than this consider taking a set off of each lift or removing a superset you don’t care for as much in the first few weeks. This can ease your joints into the higher volume a little bit, and you can always come back through the program again at the full volume. Enjoy!

Program Overview