Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. At his peak, he had an absolutely massive and sculpted physique that looked superhuman. So how did he build such an impressive body? Let's take a look at how Arnold trained each muscle group to achieve his legendary size and definition.
Chest
Arnold loved training chest and considered it one of his best body parts. For chest, he favored heavy barbell and dumbbell pressing. Some of his go-to chest exercises included:
- Barbell Bench Press - 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps, going as heavy as possible. He would often pyramid up in weight.
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, squeezing at the top and emphasizing the contraction.
- Dumbbell Flys - 3 sets of 12-15 reps, focusing on the stretch and squeeze.
- Cable Crossovers - 3 sets of 12-15 reps, using a full range of motion.
Arnold trained chest 2-3 times per week, making sure to hit it from different angles. He knew that blasting the pecs with intense, heavy pressing was key to building that full, thick chest that he was famous for.
Back
Having a wide, thick back was critical for Arnold to create that iconic V-taper. His back workouts focused on heavy rows and pulldowns. Some of his favorite back exercises were:
- Barbell Bent Over Rows - 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps, keeping the lower back straight.
- Wide Grip Pullups - 3-4 sets to failure, sometimes with added weight.
- Seated Cable Rows - 3 sets of 10-12 reps, squeezing at the contraction.
- Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 12 reps, focusing on squeezing the lats.
- Deadlifts - 5 sets of 3-5 reps, going as heavy as possible.
Arnold always put 100% intensity into his back training, lifting with perfect form. He targeted different areas like his lats, middle back, lower back and traps to build dense, rugged muscle.
Shoulders
In addition to arms, Arnold had incredible shoulders, capped off with round, full deltoids. For his delts, Arnold favored heavy overhead pressing and side laterals. His go-to shoulder workout consisted of:
- Barbell Shoulder Press - 4 sets of 8-10 reps, pressing the weight up explosively.
- Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 12-15 reps, squeezing at the top and emphasizing strict form.
- Bent Over Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps to really target the posterior delts.
- Front Barbell Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps, keeping the elbows straight and squeezing the delts.
- Arnold Press - 3 sets of 10-12 reps to blast all three heads of the delts.
By prioritizing heavy overhead work and focusing on feeling the contractions, Arnold built boulder-like delts on top of his huge arms.
Arms
Arms were always a strong point for Arnold and he had some of the greatest biceps and triceps of all time. For biceps, Arnold favored intense barbell curls along with isolation work. His bicep routine included:
- Barbell Curls - 4 sets of 6-10 reps, going heavy and cheated a bit on the last few reps.
- Incline Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, focusing on squeezing the top.
- Concentration Curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps, holding the squeeze at the top.
- Cable Curls - 3 sets of 12 reps, emphasizing peak contraction.
For triceps, Arnold incorporated a lot of pressing work along with isolation exercises. His triceps workout consisted of:
- Close Grip Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-10 reps to blast the triceps with heavy pressing.
- Lying Triceps Extensions - 3 sets of 10-12 reps, focusing on full extension.
- Overhead Rope Extensions - 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a peak contraction.
- Dips - 3 sets to failure, sometimes with added weight.
Arnold always went heavy on arm day and gave it his all to shock his biceps and triceps into new levels of growth.
Legs
Arnold put a lot of effort into building his legs, knowing that huge quads, hamstrings and calves would complete his world-class physique. For quads, Arnold squatted heavy two times per week. His quads routine included:
- Barbell Squats - 5 sets of 5-10 reps, going as deep and heavy as possible.
- Hack Squats - 4 sets of 10-12 reps with full range of motion.
- Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 15 reps, squeezing at the top.
For hamstrings, Arnold performed stiff legged deadlifts along with isolation work. His hamstring exercises were:
- Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 4 sets of 6-10 reps, lifting the weight from a dead stop each rep.
- Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets of 12 reps, squeezing the hamstrings at the bottom.
- Seated Leg Curls - 3 sets of 12 reps, holding the squeeze for a second.
For calves, Arnold did very high volume training to bring up his lower legs. His calves routine consisted of:
- Standing Calf Raises - 8 sets of 10-12 reps, sometimes using heavy weights.
- Seated Calf Raises - 8 sets of 15 reps, holding the contracted position.
- Calf Presses on Leg Press Machine - 4 sets of 20 reps.
Arnold always made sure to thoroughly blast his legs from all angles - front, back and calves. His intense leg workouts were a huge factor in building some of the greatest legs in bodybuilding history.
Nutrition
In terms of diet, Arnold followed a high-calorie diet to support his intense workouts and muscle growth. He ate 6-8 smaller meals per day, focusing on getting plenty of quality protein and complex carbs. Arnold's diet typically consisted of:
- Chicken, beef, fish, eggs - for protein.
- Rice, oatmeal, potatoes, yams, vegetables - for carbs.
- Healthy fats from nuts, olive oil, avocados - for fat.
- Protein shakes for quick nutrition around workouts.
Arnold adjusted his calories depending on whether he was trying to lean down for competition or build size in the offseason. But in general, he made sure to eat very clean foods and get in the necessary macros to support muscle growth and recovery.
Here is an example of Arnold's daily meal plan during a bulking phase:
Meal 1 - Oatmeal, 6 egg whites, 2 whole eggs
Meal 2 - Chicken breast, brown rice, vegetables
Meal 3 - Protein shake, banana
Meal 4 - Beef, sweet potato, mixed vegetables
Meal 5 - Tuna, rice cakes, avocado
Meal 6 - Salmon, quinoa, asparagus
Meal 7 - Greek yogurt, whey protein, almonds
Arnold ate clean, hit his macros and made sure to consume plenty of calories to grow. His meticulous nutrition planning was a huge factor in building one of the greatest physiques ever.
Conclusion
There you have it - a complete guide to how Arnold Schwarzenegger trained back in his bodybuilding heyday. He left no stone unturned, training each muscle hard and heavy 2-3 times per week. Nutrition was also optimized to build muscle and stay lean. By applying Arnold's smart, intense training principles along with sound nutrition, you too can build an impressive, muscular physique. Just be prepared to work extremely hard and have the discipline to stick with your plan - that's how Arnold built the body of a Greek god.
