Arnold Schwarzenegger's Workout Split: How to Run and Modify It
Learn how Arnold Schwarzenegger's high-volume six-day split worked, what it demands, and practical ways to adapt it for busy or newer lifters.
On this page · 4 sections
Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic six-day workout split pairs chest with back in the morning and stacks legs, shoulders, and arms in the evening, repeating the cycle three times per week with one rest day. Built around high training volume and traditional bodybuilding movements, the plan helped him dominate the Mr. Olympia stage. If you have the time, equipment access, and recovery habits to support it, here's how the program is structured, plus realistic ways to scale it down.
Before You Begin
Bodybuilding success depends on more than just hard training. Sleep, nutrition, and consistent recovery habits all shape how much muscle you can actually build.
It's also worth remembering that Schwarzenegger's results came from a rare combination of genetics and decades of full-time training. Copying his split won't change your bone structure or limb length, so it helps to set realistic expectations before jumping in. The routines drawn from his book are extremely high-volume and demand serious weekly time commitments.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Workout Split
Schwarzenegger trained in the golden era of bodybuilding, when physique athletes chased growth through relentless, body-part-specific volume. Mornings focus on chest and back, while evenings hit legs or smaller muscle groups. The pattern below uses his Level 1 program: nine workouts per week and one full rest day.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Morning: Chest
- Barbell Bench Press: 4 x 10, 8, 6, 4
- Barbell Incline Bench Press: 4 x 10, 8, 6, 4
- Dumbbell Flye: 3 x 10, 8, 6
- Dip: 3 x 15, 10, 8
- Pullover: 3 x 15
Morning: Back
- Weighted Chin-Up: 4 x 10+
- Close-Grip Chin-Up: 4 x 10
- T-Bar Row: 4 x 15, 12, 8, 6
- Barbell Row: 4 x 8–12
Evening: Legs
- Squat: 5 x 20, then 4 x 10, 8, 6, 4
- Front Squat: 4 x 10, 8, 8, 6
- Hack Squat: 3 x 10
- Leg Curl: 4 x 20, 10, 8, 6
- Standing Leg Curl: 4 x 10
- Straight-Leg Deadlift: 3 x 10
Evening: Calves
- Donkey Calf Raise: 4 x 10
- Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 15, 10, 8, 8
Evening: Abs
- Crunch: 3 x 25
- Bent-Over Torso Twist: 100 reps each side
- Machine Crunch: 3 x 25
- Crunch: 1 x 50
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Shoulders
- Behind-the-Neck Overhead Press: 5 x 15, then 4 x 10, 8, 8, 6
- Lateral Raise: 4 x 8
- Bent-Over Lateral Raise: 4 x 8
- Dumbbell Shrug: 3 x 10
Arms
- Barbell Curl: 5 x 15, 10, 8, 6, 4
- Incline Dumbbell Curl: 4 x 8
- Concentration Curl: 3 x 8
- Skull Crusher: 4 x 15, 10, 8, 6
- Cable Triceps Pressdown: 3 x 8
- Single-Arm Triceps Extension: 3 x 10
Forearms
- Barbell Wrist Curl: 4 x 10
- Reverse Wrist Curl: 3 x 10
Calves
- Seated Calf Raise: 4 x 10
Abs
- Reverse Crunch: 4 x 25
- Seated Twist: 100 reps each side
- Vertical Bench Crunch: 4 x 25
How the Program Works
Schwarzenegger's approach is straightforward: pair chest and back in the morning to take advantage of their opposing roles, then train the remaining muscles in dedicated sessions. Smaller muscle groups like calves and forearms receive direct work most days, while abs are trained through low-load calisthenics such as crunches and twists.
What You'll Need
Running this split as written requires a serious time commitment. The Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning sessions alone include around 32 working sets, which typically takes 90 minutes to two hours. Beyond time, you'll need access to a well-equipped facility with barbells, dumbbells, cables, and machines such as the hack squat. Plan on budgeting roughly 15 to 20 hours per week for training.
How to Modify the Arnold Schwarzenegger Workout Split
Few people have the training resources to match Schwarzenegger's. If the full split doesn't fit your life, the following tweaks preserve the spirit of his training while making it more manageable.
Drop the Volume
Training volume drives growth, but research suggests returns diminish once weekly sets climb past a certain point. Most lifters make the majority of their gains within roughly 10 to 20 weekly sets per muscle. Removing a few exercises per session is the easiest way to reclaim hours without losing meaningful stimulus.
Up the Intensity
Schwarzenegger followed a "stimulate, don't annihilate" mindset, training hard but not pushing every set to absolute failure. Modern hypertrophy research largely supports this idea, showing that training close to failure offers small extra benefits but isn't required. If you cut volume, pairing the change with closer-to-failure efforts helps protect your progress.
Use Supersets
Supersets pair two exercises back to back with no rest, cutting session length while increasing calorie burn. Most of Schwarzenegger's pairings translate well. A sample chest-and-back superset layout could look like:
- Barbell Bench Press + Weighted Chin-Up
- Barbell Incline Bench Press + Close-Grip Chin-Up
- Dumbbell Flye + T-Bar Row
- Dip + Barbell Row
- Pullover: 3 x 15
Keep in mind that pairing heavy compound movements is demanding, especially when equipment or technique demands setup time.
If You're a Beginner
Beginners are better served by starting with a structured beginner routine that builds exercise familiarity and work capacity. The volume, exercise variety, and intensity here are far more than a new lifter needs.
What Are Workout Splits?
A workout split is simply how you divide muscle groups across separate sessions, the opposite of full-body training. Several common split formats offer a different balance of frequency and focus.
Upper-Lower Split
Upper-lower splits train the entire upper or lower body in a single session, usually multiple times per week. Heavy on compound lifts, they're a strong starting point for newer lifters who want balanced strength and muscle development.
Push-Pull-Legs Split
Push-pull-legs (PPL) splits divide upper-body work into pushing and pulling days, with a dedicated leg session completing the rotation. Push sessions cover chest, shoulders, and triceps; pull sessions focus on the back and related muscles. PPL is a logical step up from upper-lower training.
Body Part Split
Schwarzenegger's routine is a specialized body part split, where each workout targets specific areas. Bodybuilders often group muscles by convenience or personal priority, such as chest and shoulders together or a dedicated arm day. These splits offer the most flexibility and specialization potential but require more planning and experience to execute well.
