Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t just wake up with a 57-inch chest. Honestly, the way he got there would probably land most modern gym-goers in a physical therapy clinic within a month. While the fitness world is currently obsessed with "science-based" low-volume training and taking three rest days a week, the 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger spent in the gym during his prime tells a completely different story.
It was absolute, unadulterated volume.
People talk about "overtraining" like it’s a boogeyman, but for the Austrian Oak, high frequency wasn't a risk—it was the requirement. He basically lived by a simple, albeit exhausting, rule: if a muscle isn't growing, hit it harder and hit it more often. This 6-day split is the exact blueprint that earned him seven Mr. Olympia titles. It's high-stakes, high-reward, and frankly, a bit insane.
The 6 Days Arnold Schwarzenegger Training Philosophy
The core of the Arnold split isn't just about showing up every day. It's about how he grouped his muscles to allow for massive intensity. Most people today use a "Push-Pull-Legs" (PPL) split, but Arnold preferred an Agonist-Antagonist approach.
He paired opposing muscle groups together. Think chest and back. Biceps and triceps.
Why? Because when you pump blood into one side of the joint, and then immediately hit the other side, the "pump" is legendary. It’s a feeling Arnold famously described in Pumping Iron as better than... well, you know the quote. Beyond the ego boost, this method allowed one muscle to stretch and recover slightly while the opposite muscle worked. It made the 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger routine a masterpiece of efficiency, even if the sessions lasted two hours.
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He didn't believe in "maintenance." He believed in shock. If his calves weren't growing, he’d cut the bottom off his sweatpants to expose his "chicken legs" to the gym, shaming himself into training them with 1,000-pound calf raises. That's the mindset you need to even look at this schedule.
The Weekly Blueprint
The classic Arnold split is a three-day rotation repeated twice. Sunday is your only day to contemplate your life choices.
- Monday & Thursday: Chest and Back (The "Power" Days)
- Tuesday & Friday: Shoulders and Arms (The "Sculpting" Days)
- Wednesday & Saturday: Legs (The "Do Not Forget Your Will" Days)
- Sunday: Rest (Finally)
What Really Happened During the Chest and Back Days
Most lifters today do four sets of bench and call it a day. Arnold? He’d start with five sets of 30, 12, 10, 8, and 6 reps, increasing the weight every time. He’d then go straight into incline presses, then dumbbell flyes, and then pullovers.
Wait.
He wasn't done. He’d then pivot immediately to his back. Wide-grip chin-ups (usually 50 total reps, regardless of how many sets it took), bent-over rows, and T-bar rows. By the time he was finished with the 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger chest and back session, he had moved thousands of pounds.
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The pullover is the "lost" exercise of this era. Arnold swore it expanded the ribcage. While modern science is skeptical about bone expansion in adults, the stretch it provides to the lats and serratus is undeniable. If you aren't doing pullovers, you aren't doing the Arnold split. Period.
Shoulder and Arm Warfare
Tuesday and Friday were for the "show" muscles. But don't think it was easy. The "Arnold Press" was born here—a rotating dumbbell press that hits the anterior deltoids through a larger range of motion.
He’d superset barbell curls with tricep pushdowns. He wanted his arms to be so full of blood they felt like they might burst. He’d often do 20+ sets just for the biceps and triceps. Today, experts call that "junk volume." Arnold called it the reason he had 22-inch arms.
The Brutality of Leg Day
Leg day was a different beast. Arnold famously trained legs with Tom Platz or Franco Columbu, often until someone puked. The 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger leg routine focused heavily on the basics: heavy back squats, leg presses, and leg curls.
He was also a big fan of "Stiff-Legged Deadlifts" and "Good Mornings" to build the posterior chain. He didn't have the fancy machines we have now. He had a barbell, a rack, and a lot of grit. He’d finish with at least 10 sets of calf raises. He’d do them standing, seated, and even "donkey" style with people sitting on his back.
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Does This Even Work for "Normal" People?
Honestly, probably not in its original form. Arnold was a genetic freak with world-class recovery and a lifestyle dedicated entirely to eating and sleeping. If you have a 9-to-5 job and kids, trying to replicate the exact 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger volume will likely lead to a rotator cuff injury or total burnout.
However, the structure is brilliant. Training each muscle group twice a week is objectively better for growth than the standard "Bro Split" where you hit a muscle once and wait seven days.
To make it work, you have to scale.
- Reduce the sets. Instead of 5-6 sets per exercise, do 2-3 high-intensity sets.
- Focus on the supersets. Pairing chest and back saves time and keeps your heart rate up.
- Listen to your joints. Arnold trained through pain; you shouldn't.
Actionable Steps to Start Your 6-Day Journey
If you’re dead set on trying the 6 days Arnold Schwarzenegger routine, don't just jump into the deep end. You'll drown. Start by taking your current 4-day or 5-day routine and rearranging it into the Arnold categories (Chest/Back, Shoulders/Arms, Legs).
Stick to the big compound lifts first. Bench, Squat, Row, Press.
Add the isolation work (Curls, Extensions, Lateral Raises) only if you have the energy left. Most importantly, eat like it's your job. You cannot train six days a week on a calorie deficit without crumbling. You need protein, you need carbs, and you need a lot of sleep. Arnold used to eat whole chickens and drink pitchers of milk; maybe stick to a high-quality protein shake and complex carbs, but the principle stands.
The goal isn't to be Arnold. The goal is to use his blueprint to become the biggest version of yourself. Put in the work, track your lifts, and for heaven's sake, don't skip the pullovers.