Schwarzenegger Exercise

[Elvisa Schimke]

Thefollowing are two typical workouts and split structures used by 7 time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. They features a high frequency and high volume approach, training each major muscle group 2-3 times per week.

Each major bodypart is trained 2 times per week. This Arnold Schwarzenegger workout variation was featured in the book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Dobbins.

If you struggle to get enough protein in your diet, a protein supplement may also be beneficial. And if you struggle to eat enough calories, adding drinkable calories, such as those in a mass gainer, might also help you accomplish your goals.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you are in a fat loss phase, you may want to add a multi-vitamin and fish oil to your supplementation. As we cut down on our food intake, a lot of times we also cut down on our nutrient intake. A multivitamin can help with this.

If, however, you feel you need to do something, it is recommended that you add in walking as a form of active recovery to help push out some of the lactic acid that will inevitably by chilling in your muscles with this amount of volume.

At minimum, you should be sleeping 8-10 hours nightly with this routine. Arnold was also likely able to nap between workout sessions during the day, which would be valuable for you as well to optimally recover. But again, you're probably not a professional bodybuilder with the ability to do that.

Everyone warms up differently. Work out any problem areas you may have with a foam roller and lacrosse ball. Then perform a few dynamic stretches relevant to the muscle groups you are training that day.

Hi Youssef, there are actually several movements like pullups and versions of rows that Arnold used in this workout for the upper back. My guess would be he didn't focus on isolating lats or isolating the teres major or rhomboids. He lifted heavy and tried to make the whole upper back work.

I think doing Variation 1 would even be jumping into the deep end since you have been out for a while. I suggest doing this first to get your feet wet again, then consider doing Variation 1 of this after six weeks.

I weighed 250 when I did his workouts, and I found 300 grams of protein, 300 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fats was plenty. That is 3,300 a day. I split that up over six meals to keep it simple. Not sure what you're doing now, but that may help you.

The way I would go about it is different - I would start light and gradually increase weight, going to failure on the last set of 10 with the heaviest weight possible. My example would be for bench press.

In arnolds education of a bodybuilder he has a 4 day split

That isn't exactly condensed but still pretty sensible to follow for a good while, Peter khatcherian has a video on youtube laying out the program.

I do just want to ask, why was the clean and press recommended to isolate the shoulders? I can definitely clean much more than I can press lol but do you think there are more effective exercises to isolate delts? If so then what would you do in place of the clean and press? Thanks!

Hi Randy. Arnold also trained in the Olympic lifts because he used to compete in the Olympic lifts. Even though it's a compound lift, it's as solid of a shoulder builder as you will find. I suggest keeping them in.

Hi guys, i was wondering if you could transform arnolds workout variation 1 to a dumbell only workout. So to switch up any excercise which doesnt include a dumbell excercise to a alternative with a dumbell. Thanks for all your good work

It can be done. There are several dumbbell exercises you can use in our Exercises section if you can't simply do the dumbbell version of the barbell exercises here. You may not see the exact same results if you're limited in the weight you can use, but it would work for a short time at least.

This is an advanced routine, and for most people, it would be too much volume. So for the vast majority of people, yes, it would be too much to do it as Arnold did. If you were to pick one exercise and focus on doing three sets of 10-15 reps, then you'd be ok training abs everyday.

Hello, I am currently standing at 6,1 170 lbs i was wondering how much I need to eat in order to build significant muscle so I can start competing. I know for my height it has been hard to maintain a good balance of muscle weight and i feel like i am wasting time in the gym because of my diet. Any suggestions on how I can maximize muscle growth for my height?

Hi, Adam. I actually suggest going up to 200 grams of protein, so 2400 calories would be better. This is a lot of volume, and your body will need all the protein you can feed it. You might also need carbs for fuel if you find yourself struggling, so don't be afraid to add fruit in before you train. 2,500 calories at the high end should be all you need if you sleep well and make the most out of the time away from the gym.

Hi there, is this program suitable for female bodybuilders and also do I have to split up variant 2 between two seperate workouts in that day or can I do just one workout? Time isn't a factor, I'm just worrying about keeping energy and intensity going. Would perhaps eating carbs halfway through the workout help to keep that energy up?

Hi, Valeria. Female bodybuilders can certainly do it, but I do suggest the two separate workouts so you have that break in between for recovery and preparation for round two. EAA's and a carb source such as Vitargo would be a big help. The toll will be as much mental as it is physical. Make sure you lock in before you train because by the end, you're going to be pushing yourself when you might just want to call it a day. Good luck, and thanks for reading M&S!

I am starting this workout to tone muscle and turn fat into muscle. I am six foot 4 and 340lbs I don't look overweight but I feel it. should I add more cardio until I start feeling more comfortable? What should my diet be for turning fat into muscle?

Hi, LV! As you progress, then yes, add cardio in slowly by doing it either first thing in the morning, or after training. Within three months, you might be able to do both. As for the diet, protein should be high, healthy fats should be moderate, and don't be scared of carbs. This guide may help you out.

Inspired by photos of his boyhood idol Reg Park in the German magazine Der Muskelbilder, Arnold made his first visit to a gym as a teenager. The young Oak watched gym-goers lifting weights, and did his best to commit the exercises to memory so he and his friends could do them at home. Four in particular stood out, all arms exercises: the cheating barbell and Zottman curls for biceps, and the pushdown and close-grip bench press for triceps. At the time, having big arms interested him the most, so this served as his starting point.

I exercise regularly and love lifting weights. When I want to challenge myself, I whack some extra weight on my barbell or try squeezing out a few extra repetitions. However, there is another way to ramp up the difficulty of an exercise, which is by doing it at a slower pace.

That's the idea behind this recent workout featured in Schwarzenegger's Pump Club newsletter. The session is based around two foundational exercises, the push-up and squat, but you're challenged to do them at a leisurely "5:3:1" tempo.

This means you take five seconds to lower your body, pause for three seconds at the bottom of each movement, then drive explosively back to the starting position. Doing this increases the amount of time the working muscles are under tension.

Before starting the advanced version of this workout, I was confident I could handle 50 push-ups and squats along with a few planks; I'm used to doing longer high-repetition workouts in my regular CrossFit training sessions.

However, the slower tempo made the push-ups much more challenging. I can normally rattle through 10 repetitions (reps) in a matter of seconds, but by using the 5:3:1 tempo my chest, shoulder and triceps muscles were made to work for more than a minute at a time.

On the flipside, I didn't find the squats too difficult. In fact, I'd probably add a light dumbbell or kettlebell to this move if I was doing the workout again. I'd also be tempted to add a third bodyweight exercise that works the back muscles, such as a superman pull-up, to turn it into a full-body workout.

Harry Bullmore is a Fitness Writer for Fit&Well and its sister site Coach, covering accessible home workouts, strength training session, and yoga routines. He joined the team from Hearst, where he reviewed products for Men's Health, Women's Health, and Runner's World. He is passionate about the physical and mental benefits of exercise, and splits his time between weightlifting, CrossFit, and gymnastics, which he does to build strength, boost his wellbeing, and have fun.\n\nHarry is a NCTJ-qualified journalist, and has written for Vice, Learning Disability Today, and The Argus, where he was a crime, politics, and sports reporter for several UK regional and national newspapers. "}), " -0-10/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Harry BullmoreSocial Links NavigationFitness WriterHarry Bullmore is a Fitness Writer for Fit&Well and its sister site Coach, covering accessible home workouts, strength training session, and yoga routines. He joined the team from Hearst, where he reviewed products for Men's Health, Women's Health, and Runner's World. He is passionate about the physical and mental benefits of exercise, and splits his time between weightlifting, CrossFit, and gymnastics, which he does to build strength, boost his wellbeing, and have fun.

Harry is a NCTJ-qualified journalist, and has written for Vice, Learning Disability Today, and The Argus, where he was a crime, politics, and sports reporter for several UK regional and national newspapers.

As a bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger was famous for hitting the gym twice a day with sessions often lasting more than two hours. I tried one of these mammoth workouts once, and it was predictably exhausting.

3a8082e126