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Arnold Schwarzenegger Routine and Variations for Beginners

February 9, 2021 · 4 min read

Arnold Schwarzenegger started weight training at 15 and became the youngest Mr. Universe at 20, then won the Mr. Olympia championship seven times. He has remained influential in bodybuilding through books and articles on the sport.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Original Routine

This high-volume routine from a 1991 Muscle Mag issue trained six days per week with the following splits:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

Chest:

Bench press: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Flat openings: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Incline Bench Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Cable crossovers: 6 sets of 10-12 reps
Dips: 5 sets to failure
Dumbbell pull over: 5 sets, 10-12 reps

Back:

Wide grip pull-ups: 6 sets to failure
T-bar row: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Seated cable row: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
One-hand dumbbell row: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Stiff-legged deadlift: 6 sets of 15 reps

Legs:

Squats: 6 sets of 8-12 reps
Leg Press: 6 sets of 8-12 reps
Leg extensions: 6 sets of 12-15 reps
Leg curls: 6 sets of 10-12 reps
Barbell Lunges: 5 sets of 15 reps

Calves:

Standing Heel Raise: 10 sets of 10 reps
Seated heel raise: 8 sets of 15 reps
1 Leg Heel Raise (holding dumbbells): 6 sets of 12 reps

Forearms:

Wrist curl (forearms at knees): 4 sets of 10 reps
Inverted wrist curl: 4 sets of 8 reps
Wind rope (wright machine): to failure

Abdomen:

30 minutes of instinctive training without stopping

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:

Biceps:

Barbell Curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Seated Dumbbell Curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Dumbbell concentration curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Triceps:

Close grip bench press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Triceps Pulls: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Barbell French Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
1-hand dumbbell extension: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Shoulders:

Seated Barbell Military Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Birds: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Lateral cable raises: 5 sets of 10-12 reps

Calves, Forearms and Abs: Same as Monday, Wednesday and Friday

High Volume/Hypertrophy Scaled Down Version

This version reduces training from six days to four, alternating exercises for better sustainability while maintaining high volume. It's suited for those prioritizing hypertrophy.

Monday

Chest:

Bench press: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Flat openings: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Dips: 3 sets to failure

Back:

Wide grip pull-ups: 6 sets to failure
T-bar row: 5 sets of 6-10 reps

Legs:

Squats: 6 sets of 8-12 reps
Leg extensions: 6 sets of 12-15 reps
Leg curls: 6 sets of 10-12 reps

Forearms:

Wrist curl (forearms at knees): 4 sets of 10 reps
Inverted wrist curl: 4 sets of 8 reps

Tuesday

Biceps:

Barbell Curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Dumbbell concentration curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Triceps:

Close grip bench press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Triceps Pulls: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Shoulders:

Seated Barbell Military Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Lateral cable raises: 5 sets of 10-12 reps

Calves:

Standing Heel Raise: 10 sets of 10 reps

Abs:

10 minutes of instinctive training without stopping

Thursday

Chest:

Incline Bench Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Cable crossovers: 5 sets of 10-12 reps
Dumbbell pull over: 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Back:

Seated cable row: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
One-hand dumbbell row: 5 sets of 6-10 reps
Stiff-legged deadlift: 5 sets of 15 reps

Legs:

Leg Press: 6 sets of 8-12 reps
Barbell Lunges: 5 sets of 15 reps

Forearms:

Wind rope (wright machine): to failure

Friday

Biceps:

Seated Dumbbell Curl: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Triceps:

Barbell French Press: 6 sets of 6-10 reps

Shoulders:

Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 6 sets of 6-10 reps
Birds: 5 sets of 6-10 reps

Calves:

1 Leg Heel Raise (holding dumbbells): 6 sets of 12 reps

Abs:

10 minutes of instinctive training without stopping

Reduced Version of Medium Volume Hypertrophy/Strength

This version divides training into four workouts (A, B, C, D) done three times per week, alternating routines. It emphasizes lower repetition ranges and greater functionality with fewer exercises.

Example schedule for Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Monday: Training A, Wednesday: Training B, Friday: Training C, Monday: Training D, Wednesday: Training A, Friday: Training B (and so on). Alternatively, train four days per week with one workout per day.

Training A

Chest:

Bench Press Dumbbells or Dips: 5 sets of 5-7 reps
Flat openings: 3 sets of 6-10 reps

Back:

Dominated: 5 sets of 7-10 reps
T-bar row: 4 sets of 5-7 reps

Legs:

Squats: 5 sets of 7-10 reps

Training B

Shoulders:

Standing Barbell Military Press: 5 sets of 5-7 reps
Lateral cable raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Biceps:

Barbell Curl: 5 sets of 5-7 reps

Triceps:

Close grip bench press: 5 sets of 5-7 reps

Calves:

Standing Heel Raise: 5 sets of 10 reps

Abs:

Inverted Crunch abs: 4 series to failure

Training C

Chest:

Incline bench press: 5 sets of 5-7 reps
Cable crossovers or dumbbell pullover: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Back:

Deadlift: 5-6 sets of 3-5 reps
Seated Cable Row or One-Handed Dumbbell Row: 5 sets of 5-7 reps

Legs:

Leg Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Barbell Lunges: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Forearms:

Wind rope (wright machine): to failure

Training D

Biceps:

Seated Dumbbell Curl: 5 sets of 5-7 reps

Triceps:

Barbell French Press: 5 sets of 5-7 reps

Shoulders:

Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
Birds: 4 sets of 6-10 reps

Calves:

1 Leg Heel Raise (holding dumbbells): 4 sets of 10 reps

Abs:

Knee Raise 4 sets to failure (parallel or hanging)

How Much Weight Should I Use?

Start with light weight that feels too easy, then progress each training session. For biceps, triceps, and shoulders, add 1 kg each repetition. For legs, chest, and back, add 2 kg per session.

As progress plateaus, increase frequency to once every two sessions. Eventually, progression will stall—at this point, the lifter should reassess their approach.