Arnold’s Schwarzenegger’s Bodybuilding Routine

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the greatest bodybuilder of all time in terms of popularity and what he did for the sport. In regard to the question of who is the greatest  pure bodybuilder of all time, he is still at least in the top 3. The conversation always centers around Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Lee Haney. All were great champions and reached the heights in bodybuilding that they did partially due to their superior genetics but also as a result of how they trained in the gym. And in the gym, Arnold worked as hard or harder than anyone. He was known for engaging in excruciating workouts, which would cause others to throw up when they tried to emulate his bodybuilding routine.

Arnold’s bodybuilding routine consisted of a very high volume training split and high output of sets per workout. A major reason why Schwarzenegger was able to prosper which such a rigorous training split and set output was because he was mentally on a higher level than everyone else (not just in bodybuilding but in all walks of life). He was a avid believer in the power of the mind and a very positive thinker, which are essential traits to have in the sport of bodybuilding since the mind always follows the body. Unless you are on the same mental level as Arnold or are born with exceptional genetics which grant you the capacity to engage in such grueling regimens, I would not advise you to adopt his bodybuilding routine. But I will still present it to you for fun.

All of the information below is derived from The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Arnold’s Training Spit

Monday- Chest, Back, Thighs, Calves, Abs

Tuesday- Shoulders, Upper Arms, Forearms, Calves, Abs

Wednesday- Chest, Back, Thighs, Calves, Abs

Thursday- Shoulders, Upper Arms, Forearms, Calves, Abs

Friday-Chest, Back, Thighs, Calves, Abs

Saturday- Shoulders, Upper Arms, Forearms, Calves, Abs

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Arnold’s Chest Routine

1. Barbell Bench Presses (5 sets of 15, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps)

2. Barbell Incline Bench Press (4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 4 reps)

Use dumbbells instead of barbell for these two exercises every third workout

3. Dumbbell Flys (3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps)

4. Parallel Bar Dips (3 sets of 15, 10, 8 reps)

5. Dumbbell Pullovers (3 sets of 15 reps)

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Arnold’s Back Routine

1. Chin-Ups (4 sets of 10 or more reps)

2. Close-Grip Chins (4 sets of 10)

3. T-Bar Rows (4 sets of 15, 12, 8, 6 reps)

4. Bent-Over Barbell Rows (4 sets of 8-12 reps)

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Arnold’s Shoulder Routine

1. Behind-the-Neck Barbell Presses (5 sets of 15, 10, 8, 8, 6 reps)

2. Lateral Raises (4 sets of 8 reps)

3. Bent-Over Dumbbell Laterals (4 sets of 8 reps)

4. Dumbbell Shrugs (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Arnold’s Bicep Routine

1. Standing Barbell Curls (5 sets of 15, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps)

2 Incline Dumbbell Curls (4 sets of 8 reps)

3. Concentration Curls (3 sets of 8 reps)

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Arnold’s Tricep Routine

1. Lying Triceps Extensions (3 sets of 10 reps)

2. Triceps  Cable Pressdowns (3 sets of 8 reps)

3. One-Arm Triceps Extensions (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Arnold’s Thigh Routine

1. Squats (5 sets of 20, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps)

2. Front Squats (4 sets of 10, 8, 8, 6 reps)

3. Hack Squats (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Arnold’s Hamstring Routine

1. Leg Curls (4 sets of  20, 10, 8, 6 reps)

2. Standing Leg Curls (4 sets of 10 reps)

3. Straight-Leg Deadlifts (3 sets of 10 reps)