Other than his role on screen in movies we just cannot forget, Arnold Schwarzenegger has impacted the fitness and bodybuilding world. From the numerous awards he won as a professional bodybuilder to the books he wrote, diet plans he created, and even exercise he designed, Arnold is no doubt an icon when it comes to sculpting the body.
Arnold Schwarzenegger did not achieve all these the easy way.
For years now, he has continuously shared the secret to his past massive and still muscular build: a grande eating regimen and an unforgiving workout routine.
He dedicated his physique to his fool-proof workout split system, which allowed him to target and touch all parts of his body. Below, we have provided an in-depth description of working out like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Past Arnold was a massive hunk of muscular meat. He had a massive, intimidating build that was impressive enough that it won him the Mr. Olympia contest seven times.
At one point during his career, he hulked at 106.6kg, 6’3 inches, videos that measured 22 inches, rock-hard chests that measured 57 inches, and calves that measured a whopping 20 inches.
It is impossible to think of Arnold as anything other than a force to be reckoned with. Even now 74 years old, the Austrian Adonis still sports a very fit and youthful physique that has skimmed years off his age.
Arnold was a resilient bodybuilder with diligence anyone will envy. He never skipped the gym and often split his exercises between two groups, enabling him to dedicate time to all the major muscle groups of his body. The split is the Terminator's secret to securing a high muscle volume routine.
The Arnold workout split is a six-day workout routine split designed by Arnold to enable him to train the significant muscles- arms, legs, forearms, calves, shoulders, back, and chest- two times a week.
He arranged this workout routine to double the response of his muscles, a feat not a lot of bodybuilders can pull off.
The Arnold workout is a high-volume workout routine designed to boost muscle mass and improve your physique in no time. Arnold often followed this split faithfully each time he prepared for a bodybuilding contest. With his repertoire, it is safe to say that the Arnold solid is exceptionally effective.
The Arnold split is not for the faint-hearted.
It is an intense routine that goes from low to medium to high-intensity exercises and only rests once a week in his time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was known for training twice a day in the morning and afternoon. He split his exercises between these periods and never misses a single day.
Admittedly, Arnold used to be on a little ‘something, something.’ In those days, steroids were legal, and Arnold has admitted to using them in his time. Regardless of this slight chemical push, it takes a certain degree of dedication and tenacity to pull off the frequency of these exercises.
He is also very fond of dietary supplements.
Way before he founded his own supplement company, he used to take supplements for his nutritional needs and fitness goals.
While this split might be effective, Arnold does not recommend it to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. It is a challenging routine and requires time and strict adherence to the schedule.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is essential to note that if you are not fit enough, you won't be strong enough to last a day.
The Arnold split should only be practiced:
If you are a beginner or a weekend warrior who is now bent out of shape, you might want to steer clear of this one.
It is a better option to start with shorter and easier routines to condition your body and build total-body strength. Even after this, it is still a long shot before you can give the Arnold split a trial… But hey! Who knows?
Also, time is a vital part of the Arnold split. If you don't have a log of time on your hands, you might want to skip the Arnold split off now.
While there are various versions of what many people claim is the Arnold split, there are only two widely accepted variations:
Even when he wasn't competing and winning awards, Arnold’s regular training split was a high-volume bodybuilding strength-training program. Arnold regularly trained six times a week, focusing on working each body part at least twice a week.
Arnold’s off-season split looked like this:
Splitting his routine to look like this helped him focus and intensely train every major muscle group and their connected muscles.
He specifically loved to train like this because he could train antagonistic muscles in the same workout session.
This saves him the stress of having to dedicate separate routines to focus on more muscle groups at a time.
Arnold’s off-season split also enabled him to rest correctly and ward off early fatigue during workout routines. Think about it: the legs are not the primary movers during chest and back exercises, so they get minimum intense movements.
Dedicating these exercises to specific days helped to keep each part well-rested until it's their turn to be engaged in intense, high-volume exercises.
Besides, there is about a 48-hour interval between each muscle group routine which is more than enough time to recover.
This split also helps Arnold to strike a balance in his routine.
It provides an opportunity to give each muscle group an equal amount of focus and energy without feeling burnt out. Below, we have provided a breakdown of the exercises he performs on each part.
Where the incline bench press allows him to hit his chest muscles from different angles, the dumbbell flyes were Arnold’s tickets to targeting his chest muscles.
Arnold also confessed to using the pyramiding technique during his chest routine.
He often practiced with one weight, and as soon as his muscles felt pumped enough, he switched it for a heavier weight and reduced the number of reps he performed. This helps to get complete and optimal contractions in his muscles, shocking them into growth.
When he trains his back, Arnold focuses on all parts from top to bottom.
This not only helps him to attain a viable symmetry but ensures he strengthens all parts and muscle groups in his back.
Arnold chooses this combination of exercises because he believes in strength and thickness in the back. He was adventurous and experimented with different grips for targeting other muscles. He uses a narrow grip for the low back muscles and a wider grip for the upper ones.
Arnold’s routine looked like this:
Chest and Back (Version 1)
(Version 2)
Shoulders and Arms:
Legs:
Arnold’s off-season routine is packed full of so many exercises that will leave you shaking and breathless. It is no news that no one can do Arnold better than Arnold can, but if you feel up to the task to take on his training split, you will need all the help you can get.
Pair your efforts with ADABOLIC for increased muscle endurance, skin-rippling muscle fullness, better muscle tone, and intense performance.
When Arnold was preparing for a contest, he often ramped his training up 2-3 months before. He increased the volume and intensity of his workout sessions.
For his pre-contest workout, Arnold often split his routine in half every day, so he worked some muscle groups in the morning and the rest in the afternoon.
His split often looked like this:
AM: Chest, Back,
PM: Legs, Abs, calves
AM: Shoulders, Arms
PM: Calves, Abs
AM: Chest, Back
PM: Legs, Abs, Calves
AM: Shoulders, Arms
PM: Calves, Abs
AM: Chest, Back
PM: Legs, Abs, Calves
AM: Shoulders, Arms
PM: Calves, Abs
Rest day
Arnold chose to train this way because it allowed him to perform antagonistic supersets.
This made it possible to alternate between opposing muscle groups. While this was great for muscle response, the volume of the workout often took most of his day, something many people cannot afford.
For his pre-contest chest and back routine:
Superset #1:
Bench press, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Pull-ups (wide/overhand grip), 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Superset #2:
Incline bench press, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Cable pulldowns (wide/overhand grip), 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Superset #3:
V-bar dips, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
T-bar rows, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Superset #4:
Flat DB flyes, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Barbell bent-over row, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Superset #5:
Cable crossover, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Seated cable row, 3-6 sets of 5-20 reps
Arnold Schwarzenegger enjoyed using a mixture of antagonistic superset and high-intensity to provide his muscle with maximum pump.
This helped him to increase muscle endurance and shock his muscles into growth.
Another method he loved to use was the pre-exhaust method.
This technique included using high-intensity exercises to fatigue his body before finishing resistance exercises. Arnold liked to use this method to train his legs, especially the quad muscles of his thighs. This helped him reach an impressive thigh girth.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pre-exhaust Quad exercises include:
The leg extensions helped his legs to reach fatigue while the hack squats trained every muscle in his legs.
Arnold also trained using the drop set, during which he uses a higher weight to achieve muscle failure before continuing with a lower weight. He often used this method to train his arms and shoulders.
His typical arm and shoulder drop set included:
For his legs, the drop sets often looked like this:
For his back, Arnold performed:
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workout routines will leave even the most experienced bodybuilder shaking. It is an all-encompassing high-volume and even higher-intensity routine that leaves no room for slacking.
Arnold was consistent and dedicated; he worked long and hard for his results.
Arnold also supplemented his intense workout routine with a diet plan almost as massive and detailed as his workout routine. If you are feeling adventurous, check out Sylvester Stallone’s workout routine and diet plan.
