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Back to Front 2-Day Split Routine

Get the most bang for your training buck by splitting your workout this way.—

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  • 2 days

  • 33

  • Yes

Bodybuilder
Bodybuilder

Flip a coin 100 times and chances are good it’ll come up heads 50% of the time. Apply this to bodypart training and it’’s sort of like splitting it into just two workouts. Choice A might be the upper-body vs. lower-body split; choice B, another logical way to break it down, is the push vs. pull. Both systems of training are highly effective, and trainees typically choose one or the other when following the two-day split.

But, alas, this two-day coin has three sides, the third being a unique way to shake up your training by splitting your workout into front and back – something you’’ve probably never considered. Here’’s how it works: You train the muscle groups on the front side of the body one day, then train the muscle groups on the back side on day two.

Each body part gets hit with both heavier weights in a lower rep range to build strength and size and lighter-weight, higher-rep sets to help build detailed, lean mass and strength endurance. The next time you train those body parts, the order is modified slightly with new moves inserted to stimulate the target muscle from new angles.

So in the end, you follow the logic of a smart muscle-building program that’’s just extreme enough to offer an altogether different approach. 

Choose your weights to approach muscle failure by the rep range listed.

Routine

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Front-Side Workout 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 2 of 33

Dumbbell Press

Equipment
Bench, Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
6,6,10,15
Rest
--
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.

Back-Side Workout 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 9 of 33

Romanian Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
8,8,10,12
Rest
--
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.
Exercise 12 of 33

Cable Kickback

Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, D-Handle Attachment
Sets
4
Reps
8,8,10,10
Rest
--
Exercise 14 of 33

Front Pulldown

Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
12,8,8,8
Rest
--
How to
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.

Front-Side Workout 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 17 of 33

Barbell Hack Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
12,8,6,8,12
Rest
--
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.

Back-Side Workout 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 28 of 33

Glute-Ham Raise

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
8,8,10
Rest
--
Exercise 29 of 33

Lying Leg Curl

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
10
Rest
--
Exercise 30 of 33

Cable Pressdown

Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, V-Handle Attachment
Sets
4
Reps
8,10,12,12
Rest
--
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.
Exercise 32 of 33

T-Bar Row

Equipment
Barbell, V-Handle Attachment
Sets
4
Reps
6,6,12,15
Rest
--
Includes 1-2 warm-up sets, but do as many as you need.
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