What Is The Arnold Split?

The man, the myth, the legend; Arnold Schwarzenegger is the most famous bodybuilder to ever live. However, to understand how he became one of the all-time greats, you need to look at how he got there.

Arnold's training tenacity and his workout split enabled him to be so dominant. In this guide, we'll cover what the "Arnold split" is, what exercises he did for each muscle group, and how he approached training to become the ultimate champion.

Table of Contents:

• A brief history of Arnold Schwarzenegger
• What was Arnold's split in his prime?
• Arnold's workout plan
• Arnold workout split spreadsheet (downloadable)*
• Arnold training tips & tricks
• FAQs about Arnold's training plan

A BRIEF BACKGROUND OF ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER 

Born on July 30th, 1947, in Austria, Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger first became interested in lifting weights in 1960. Arnold's father was an athlete and hoped one day that his sons would become Bavarian curling champions. We would like to think that Arnold far outdid what his father had hoped for.

At 14-15 years old, it became clear to Arnold that he wanted to focus on weightlifting, although he was already involved with multiple sports. He started attending a gym in Graz, Austria, and in 1961 he crossed paths with Kurt Marnul, former Mr. Austria. 

Marnul took Arnold under his wing and started training him at the local gym. Over the next few years, Schwarzenegger trained hard and was so dedicated to lifting that he broke into the gym to train on weekends when it was closed.

In 1965 Arnold joined the Austrian Army as all 18-year-old men were required to serve one year. During this time, he participated and won the Junior Mr. Europe contest. However, Arnold's hunger to be the best was displayed as he went AWOL to attend the competition, resulting in a week spent in military prison.

Arnold's name in the bodybuilding community was becoming more popular after being voted best-built man in Europe. Since childhood, he had often watched famous Hollywood movies in Graz; he was determined to move to the USA one day. He recognized his best chance of getting into the states was to win the Mr. Universe title.

In 1966, he flew to London to compete in the NABBA Mr. Universe competition and took second place, losing to American Chester Yorton.

At this competition, Arnold caught the attention of Charles Bennet, who was one of the judges. Bennet offered to coach Schwarzenegger and even took him in to stay with his family who lived above one of Bennet's gyms.

It was at this time when Arnold's training started to become dialed in. His loss at the 1966 competition was due to his less-defined legs compared with his upper body. Therefore, Bennet went to work and put together a training program to help Arnold bolster his weak areas.

A year later, in 1967, Arnold competed and won his first Mr. Universe (amateur) title at the age of 20, the youngest to have achieved such a feat. He then won the title again the following three years. Finally, in 1968 Arnold fulfilled his dream of moving to the US and began training in the legendary Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Here, Arnold began training under Joe Weider, who is one of the most recognizable characters in bodybuilding history.

By the age of 23, Arnold won his first Mr. Olympia title in New York. He ended up winning this title a total of seven times, with the last being in 1980.

Arnold is synonymous with when you think of the best and biggest bodybuilders. He's become a fixture in the world of fitness with the Arnold Classic and his numerous businesses that intertwine into supplements, gyms, and media.

This is just a brief synopsis of his bodybuilding career; as you came here to read about the Arnold split and workouts, we won't go into his movie or political career. Let's just say the man excels at everything he does.

WHAT IS THE ARNOLD SPLIT?

The Arnold split is not for the fainthearted; it consists of training six days a week. If you look online for Arnold Schwarzenegger's split or workout plan, you're bound to see some conflicting information, but the consensus is that it's intense.

Let's have a look at the Arnold Blueprint for Mass Phase One which is 4 weeks long, produced by MusclePharm. This reference is related to their Arnold signature supplements line, so we'll take it that this is similar to the true Arnold split.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chest Back Abs	Shoulders Biceps Triceps Forearms Abs	Legs Calves Abs	Chest Back Abs	Shoulders Biceps Triceps Forearms Abs	Legs Calves Abs	Rest

Note: Arnold was also known for a brutal twice-a-day split that most people walking this planet wouldn't be able to do. However, he did have the aid of some performance enhancing substances. Keep in mind that during the 1970s, steroids weren't illegal. They played a part in Arnold's success but even if you take steroids, there's no guarantee you'll see results anywhere near what professional bodybuilders accomplish, even with the Arnold split. It takes extreme dedication and hard work to compete at the elite levels of modern bodybuilding.

ARNOLD SPLIT WORKOUT BREAKDOWN (EXERCISES BY MUSCLE GROUPS FOR THE DAILY WORKOUTS ABOVE):

In Arnold's words, "the last three months before a competition you have to shock the muscles, shock the muscle and shock the muscles with different training principles. Expose your weak points. You're gonna go and hit those marks; then you move the bar higher. Then you move the bar higher, and you feel that with hard work, you can achieve the goals and you can become successful". He says the major mistake bodybuilders make these days is that they aren't doing the basic exercises.

Rather than breaking down the Arnold workout plan by workout sessions, we will look at the Arnold split based on each muscle group:

• Chest
• Back
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Shoulders
• Forearms
• Legs & Calves
• Abs

Arnold Chest Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Monday & Thursday	Flat Barbell Bench Press	5	Week 1: 30,12,10,8,6 Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2 Week 3: 30, 5, 5,5,5,5,5 Week 4: 20, 15, 12
	Incline Barbell Bench Press	5
	Superset: Dumbbell Flys & DB Pullover	5

Note: Incline change bench angles each week: Low, Medium, High

There were three exercises that Arnold swore by when training the chest; bench press, incline bench press, and dumbbell flys. Arnold thought it vital to hit bench press and incline press at low medium and high inclines.

He also believed that dumbbell flys were crucial to expanding the chest. Dumbbell flys allowed him to move through a full range of motion while getting the optimal stretch and contraction. He would go out as far as he could until his elbows almost hit the ground, then come in towards the center where the dumbbells would touch while contracting the pectoral muscles as much as possible.

Schwarzenegger believed you couldn't replace these three chest exercises with machines, and it's hard to argue with one of the best chests in the history of bodybuilding (to this day, "Arnold Schwarzenegger chest workout" is among the most common workout searches online).

Going back to the point above, Arnold believed to get the muscle growth he desired; he needed to shock the muscles. So once his body knew a routine he was doing, like starting with bench press 135 then jumping to 225 to 275 then 315, he would switch it up.

For example, he would change it to starting with 315 at 20 reps, then stripping plates to go to 225, then performing ten reps, then take off more plates to do 135 for up to 15-20 reps. He did this to confuse his pectoral muscles and torture his muscles to grow.

Arnold Back Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Monday & Thursday	Wide Grip Chin Ups	4	To Failure
	Superset 2 of the following: Bent-Over Rows, Dumbbell Rows, T-Bar Rows	5	Week 1: 30,12,10,8,6 Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2 Week 3: 30, 12, 10, 8, 6 Week 4: 20, 15, 12

Arnold considered back exercises like bent-over rows with the barbell and T bar row as his go-to exercises to add thickness to his back. Next, he looked to the stiff-legged deadlift, bent over rows and deadlifts to help create the striations in the lower back.

These exercises lack the component of supporting the chest so that the lower back has to hold the body upright. Finally, Arnold often speaks about doing bent-over rows with 315 lbs off the side of a bench to produce thickness, width, and strength.

Arnold Bicep Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Tuesday & Friday	Barbell Curls*	5	Week 1: 30,12,10,8,6 *Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2 *Week 3: 30, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Week 4: 20, 15, 12, 10
	Superset: Seated Incline Two-arm Dumbbell Curl & Concentration Curl	5

Note: *Barbell Curls Week 2 & 3 use 1-10 method (do max rep, lower weight 2 reps, lower weight 3 reps, until you get to 10 reps)

Schwarzenegger had some serious guns; he attributes this to barbell curls, dumbbell curls on an incline bench, concentration curls, and "bicep 21s". He would start with a heavy barbell curls up to 275 lbs. Arnold employed drop sets when doing curls. He would start with a heavyweight, then do one rep, pull some plates off, do two reps, strip a few more plates, and then do three and then four reps.

He wouldn't put the bar down the whole time, so that he kept shocking his biceps with new stimuli and increased time under tension. The concentration curl with heavyweights allowed him to form the massive peaks outside the biceps; this was especially important for posing during competition with the back shot view.

Arnold Tricep Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Tuesday	Close Grip Bench Press	5	Week 1: 30,12,10,8,6 Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2 Week 3: 30, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Week 4: 20, 15, 12, 10
	Superset: Barbell Skull-Crushers & One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Ext
Friday	Close Grip Bench Press	5
	Superset: Triceps Pushdown & One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension

When training the triceps, Arnold primarily focused on the narrow bench press, overhead triceps extensions, triceps pushdowns, and triceps dips. With some of these compound exercises, he would lift with maximum training intensity.

Arnold might've been more well-known for his massive biceps, but his triceps were also impressive. As a result, he would often train supersets of biceps and triceps pre-competition.

Arnold Shoulder Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Tuesday	Clean & Press	5	Clean & Press/Arnold Press: 5 sets x 5 reps   Week 1: 30,12,10,8,6 Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2 Week 3: 30, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Week 4: 20, 15, 12, 10
	Superset: Dumbbell Press & Full-Frontal Raise
	Superset: Lateral Raises & Upright Rows
Friday	Arnold Press	5
	Superset: Behind The Neck Press & Full-Frontal Raise
	Superset: *Rear Delt Flys & Upright Rows

Note: *Rear delt flys while lying face first on incline bench.

When it comes to shoulder training, Arnold is among the most influential. To build up the deltoids, he did exercises such as barbell presses in both the front and back of the neck, military press and dumbbell press. He even has a shoulder exercise named after him, the Arnold Press.

To do the Arnold press, he increased the range of motion to stretch the lateral deltoid compared with a regular dumbbell shoulder press. He would start with his elbows tucked into his sides while holding the dumbbells with an underhand grip, then press up and rotate the wrist so that at the top of the movement, his palms were facing away from him. This tweaking of the traditional shoulder press gave him the added stretching tension and full flex of the deltoids.

Lateral raises on the bench set at a 45-degree angle were an exercise that Arnold picked up at Vince Gironda's gym. They even had a bench with a cutout in it similar to a massage table so they could keep their neck straight while doing this exercise. The main point Arnold talks about to hit the rear deltoids is that he would turn the wrists outwards at the top of the movement.

Sometimes Arnold would do shoulders by doing drop sets with dumbbell shoulder presses. Starting with 110lb dumbbells, he would complete six reps, then pick up the 100lb dumbbells to do another six.

He would continue doing six reps while dropping 10lbs each time until he got to the 40 lb dumbbells. That equates to a whopping 48 reps! After all that, he said he was in pain and didn't know what to do with his arms, which brings it back to his goal of shocking the muscle.

Arnold Forearm Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Tuesday & Friday	Superset: Wrist Curls & Reverse Wrist Curls	5	30,12, 10, 8, 6

Note: Switch up rep ranges every week. Week 2: 30, 8, 6, 4, 2. Week 3: 30,5,5,5,5,5,5. Continue to play with rep ranges as you progress.

In the Arnold split, forearms are hit on the same day as shoulders, biceps and triceps for a complete shoulders and arms workout. He would work his forearms through supersets until the flexors and extensors were torched. 

As the forearms are one of the smaller muscle groups, they were done towards the end of the workout, working them through a wide range of reps to stimulate the most growth.

Arnold Leg Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wednesday	Squats	5	8-12
	Straight Legged Deadlifts	5	8-12
	Good Mornings*	5	8-12
	Lunges	5	8-12
	Superset: Leg Ext & Leg Curls	5	8-12
	Superset: Standing & Seated Calf Raises	5	8-12
Saturday	Front Squats	5	8-12
	**Deadlifts	5	8-12
	*Good Mornings	5	8-12
	Lunges	5	8-12
	Superset: Leg Ext & Leg Curls	5	8-12
	Superset: Standing & Seated Calf Raises	5	8-12

Note: Arnold stayed within 5 sets of 8-12 reps on major leg exercises.

**Deadlifts: Choose from: 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 reps; 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 reps; or 12, 10, 8, 6, 5

*Do Good mornings only once a week. Choose either Wednesday or Saturday*

Arnold's legs may not be his most talked about body part, but they were certainly very impressive. Regular back squats and variations were the most important exercise for Arnold to build big, thick thighs. After that, he focused on other leg exercises: leg extensions, lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts, good mornings, and leg curls.

He then would shock the leg muscles by changing from squats to leg presses with extremely heavy loads. Arnold sometimes would do ten sets of ten reps on squats or leg curls, doing every rep in every set with maximum intensity.

He would train legs in two sessions on many occasions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This two-a-day split ensured he could push himself to the absolute limits with each rep.

Another anomaly found in Arnold's leg workouts was his short rest periods between sets. This allowed him to retain as much blood in his leg muscles for an extended period.

Exposing your weak points is a favorite saying of Arnold's, and that is exactly what he did when it came to his calves. When training calves, Schwarzenegger commented that he felt that the gastrocnemius muscle and soleus muscle had a mind of their own and that from workout to workout, he would have to adjust his training to what felt best that day.

Arnold Ab Workout:

Days	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Monday & Thursday	Decline Sit-ups	5	25
Wednesday & Saturday	Kneeling Cable Crunch	4	25
Tuesday & Friday	Leg Raises	5	25

Note: You can do Roman Chairs instead of Decline Sit-ups if you want.

The mainstays for Arnold's (famous 4-pack) ab routine were leg raises with straight legs and bent knees, sit-ups, and up to 500 reps of Roman Chair sit-ups and crunches. The abdominal area wasn't Arnold's best feature, but he managed to figure out ways of turning this weakness into strength.

During competitions, you can notice how his posing affected the way his waist looked to the judges. He was a master at smooth movements that took advantage of certain angles to make his waist appear smaller. Arnold's training split would involve working the abs every day he trained.

ARNOLD WORKOUT SPLIT TRAINING TIPS & TRICKS:

Here are some important training methodologies from the legend himself.

1. Full Range of Motion

Arnold trained a number of exercises through an extended range of motion so that he could stretch the muscle fibers under tension as much as possible. Arnold performed exercises with an exaggerated range of motion because he believed it led to superior gains and helped him keep his muscles limber.

2. Maximum Intensity

Arnold was a big believer in going 100% on all reps of all sets. He often comments about people that focus too much on the workload ahead of them. Therefore, making it easy on the early sets and reps to make sure there's enough in the tank to complete the desired work.

3. Full Spectrum of Rep Ranges

To achieve strength and muscle gains, it's necessary to work your muscles with various sets and rep ranges. As you can see in Arnold Schwarzenegger's split, he used both high volume and low volume rep ranges.

4. Supersets

Arnold was notorious for using the superset method with several exercises. Supersets are when you'll do two different exercises back-to-back without a rest in between. For example, on chest days, he would superset dumbbell flys and dumbbell/barbell pullovers. Arnold famously trained using supersets of chest and back exercises to get a high volume of lifting done in a short amount of time while he produced more muscle density by working opposing muscle groups at the same time.

5. Pyramid Sets (1-10 Method)

Arnold would find a weight that he could lift with maximum effort for one rep. Then he would lower the weight just enough to barely pull off two reps then follow this procedure until he got to 10 reps. He did this without rest apart from changing or lowering weights. This is a brutal one; beware!

6. Drop Sets (Strip Sets)

Arnold frequently used drop sets in his training, although he didn't necessarily follow the conventional way of dropping 20-25% of the total weight of each set. Instead, he had his lifting partners strip weights after his final working set. To do this, after the plates were pulled off the bar, he would do 5-10 reps, then keep reducing the weight while completing 5-10 reps each time without any rest in between. Finally, he would end up with just the bar while trying to hit 20 reps at the end.

7. Max Effort Reps

When it came to max effort reps Arnold would choose a specific exercise then see what he could do for a one-rep max after completing several sets beforehand. He would follow somewhat of a reverse pyramid where he took rests between sets of 20, 15, 10, 8, 5, 3, 1, 1, then 1 to get his max. Be careful with this method; it’s sure to test your limits.

If you decide to do the Arnold split, employ these tried and true training variables to accelerate your fitness goals.

Arnold Workout FAQs:

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about Arnold's training and the Arnold Split...

WHAT WAS ARNOLD’S DIET & SUPPLEMENTATION?

Arnold said that he always ate five meals throughout the day because he didn't like to overstuff himself. He wasn't a big eater, but he did focus his diet on muscle building foods. Arnold preferred eating a regular-sized steak at 10oz with some vegetables rather than stuffing an oversized piece of meat down his pie hole. He would eat a few scrambled eggs with sausage or bacon with some tomatoes and onions for breakfast. Then he would have a protein shake with milk 2 hours later. He generally went by the rule of consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This means he would be consuming 230-250 grams of protein daily. And these days, Arnold Schwarzenegger primarily eats vegan. 

HOW MANY HOURS DID ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WORKOUT A DAY?

At the high end of the spectrum, Arnold would workout 5-6 hours one day, but this isn't sustainable long-term. So, for the most part, Arnold trained 1-2 hours a day unless he was close to a competition where he had to turn it up a notch.

HOW MANY TIMES DID ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WORKOUT A DAY?

Arnold would work out one or two times daily, depending on how far out from competition he was. But, generally speaking, he would have one intense training session per day. He would train six days a week then have one rest day on Sunday.

WHICH IS BETTER, ARNOLD SPLIT VS PPL?

The Arnold split and Push Pull Legs Split (PPL split) can share a similarity in doing each as a 6-day workout split, and legs are done on a single day, but training frequency is just about all they have in common. The Arnold split doesn't work by targeting pushing and pulling muscles on separate days. Instead, the Arnold split focuses on working for antagonistic muscle groups like the chest and back within one workout session.

We can't say that Arnold's training program is better or worse than the PPL; they're just different. We've used both these workout routines to achieve some great results. It comes down to your end goals and how your body reacts to these training methods. Fitness is an individual journey, and what worked for Arnold might not be the best for you. You'll have to experiment to find what suits you and your end goals, then get after it.

FINAL NOTE ON WORKING OUT LIKE ARNOLD:

Arnold is an outlier, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to follow the blueprint that he's laid down for building muscle mass. Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or not, with grit, sacrifice, and a desire to make your dreams a reality, you can build a body that you never thought possible.

If you decide to give the Arnold Schwarzenegger workout split a try, let us know how it goes and if you're able to make any significant progress in your training.

More Workout Routines From Other Legends:

• Ronnie Coleman's Workout Split
• Chris Hemsworth's Workout Routine
• Big Ramy's Workout Split
• Mike Tyson's Workout Routine
• The Rock's Workout Split

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