The Training That Built My Physique Isn't What I Do Today

The Question That Started It All

Someone asked me what training split I do. You'd think the answer would be simple — just say push-pull-legs or full body or bro split, right?

But the real answer is: it depends. And more importantly, the training that built my physique isn't what I do today.

That's what I want to break down here.

2023: Arnold Blueprint PPL

When I was driving a steep calorie deficit to go from morbidly obese to fit in six months, I ran the Arnold Blueprint workouts modified for Tonal. That's a push-pull-legs split with a specific structure: 6, 12, 15, and 25 rep sets. The weight drops each round, and Tonal handled all of it automatically.

Monday and Thursday were pushing exercises — skull crushers, bench press, pullovers, incline press, calf raises. Tuesday was pulling. Wednesday and Saturday were legs. Almost every workout got hit, except Wednesdays and Saturdays because I was already fatigued by mid-week.

I did that for four months. Then I dropped the 25-rep sets and did another two months with just 6, 12, 15. That built the physique I have today.

The Problem With That Approach

Here's the thing nobody talks about: that kind of training is grueling. You're doing 25-rep sets at the end of every workout. You're in a massive calorie deficit. You're training almost every day.

It's sustainable for a block. It's not sustainable forever.

After I built the physique, I asked myself: what now? I didn't want to train that hard forever. I didn't want to live in a calorie deficit forever. I wanted something I could maintain.

Full Body Minus Legs

That's when I switched to full body minus legs. I took all my favorite lifts from the Arnold workouts — the ones that felt best, the ones that built the most muscle — and put them into a single workout.

One warm-up set. One working set to failure on each exercise. Eight to nine exercises in sequence.

This is what I do now. A typical session hits 41,500 pounds of total volume. Full body, minus legs because if I add legs, I know I'm not going to do the workout.

But here's the catch: that doesn't work when you have to train every day.

When Bro Split Saved Me

Speediance ran a Lunar Challenge — workout every day for a month. My full body minus legs approach was too taxing to do seven days a week. I tried for three days and failed.

So I switched to a bro split. Dedicated arms day. Dedicated back day. Smaller, targeted sessions in the 10,000-15,000 pound range instead of 40,000.

The results were immediate. My biceps exploded. When you're hitting 10 arm exercises in a row instead of sprinkling arm work into a full body workout, your muscles notice.

But the moment the challenge ended, I stopped. Bro split is too time-intensive for my life right now. Two little kids, jiu-jitsu, running — I can't lift every day anymore.

What I Do Now

Four days a week maximum. Usually three. I go in, hit the machine hard, and get out. No completionism. No forcing every exercise if I'm gassed.

Some days I only get halfway through the working sets before my body says enough. I listen. That's the difference between training to build and training to maintain — you give yourself grace.

The Real Answer

The best training split is the one that fits your current situation:

- **Building a physique from scratch?** PPL works. It's grueling but effective.

- **Already built?** Full body minus legs, 3-4 days a week, is sustainable.

- **Training every day for a challenge?** Bro split gets the job done.

The mistake is forcing one approach across different life phases. What got you here won't keep you here. The training has to evolve with your goals, your recovery capacity, and your schedule.

Mine has. I'll probably change again next year.