The Arnold Split: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Workout Routine (and a Modern Version)

"Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding" is one of the most-searched bodybuilding terms of all time, and it's still in the top queries today. Much of that interest centres on his famous training split, the Arnold split: chest and back together, shoulders and arms together, then legs, with each muscle trained twice a week.

This guide explains the original routine, why it worked, and a modern version built for natural lifters with jobs and normal recovery.

The short answer

• The Arnold split: Day 1 chest + back · Day 2 shoulders + arms · Day 3 legs · repeat · rest (6 days a week).
• Each muscle is trained twice per week, with high volume.
• Chest + back pairing (antagonist supersets) was a signature feature.
• The original volume was extreme. Arnold and his peers trained up to twice a day, for hours.
• A modern version keeps the structure but cuts volume to a level natural lifters can recover from.

The original Arnold split

Day	Muscles
Mon	Chest + back
Tue	Shoulders + arms
Wed	Legs (+ lower back)
Thu	Chest + back
Fri	Shoulders + arms
Sat	Legs
Sun	Rest

Abs and calves were trained on most days. Arnold described routines like this in his books, especially The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, with volumes of 20+ sets per body part per session and sometimes two sessions a day.

Why it worked for Arnold

• Twice-weekly frequency, still considered effective for hypertrophy today.
• Antagonist pairing: chest and back in the same workout allowed supersets, a big pump and efficient sessions.
• Huge volume and intensity, driven by elite genetics, years of training, a competitive environment, full-time training and, as Arnold has acknowledged, performance-enhancing drugs, which were legal in bodybuilding at the time.

That last point matters. The original volume isn't a sensible template for most natural lifters. See our natural bodybuilding guide.

Original vs modern volume

The modern Arnold split (natural-friendly)

Same structure, sensible volume: about 12–16 hard sets per muscle per week, spread across two sessions. Rest 2–3 min on compound lifts and 60–90 s on isolation lifts. See rest between sets.

Day 1 & 4: Chest + back

Exercise	Sets × reps
Incline barbell bench press	3 × 6–10
Pull-ups (weighted if possible)	3 × 6–10
Flat dumbbell press	3 × 8–12
Barbell row	3 × 8–10
Dumbbell fly superset with straight-arm pulldown	2 × 12–15 each

Day 2 & 5: Shoulders + arms

Exercise	Sets × reps
Seated dumbbell press or Arnold press	3 × 8–12
Lateral raise	4 × 12–20
Barbell curl superset with close-grip bench	3 × 8–12 each
Incline dumbbell curl superset with overhead triceps extension	2 × 10–15 each
Rear-delt fly	2 × 15–20

Day 3 & 6: Legs

Exercise	Sets × reps
Back squat	3 × 6–10
Romanian deadlift	3 × 8–10
Leg press or walking lunges	3 × 10–12
Leg curl	3 × 10–15
Standing calf raise	4 × 10–15
Hanging leg raise	3 × 10–15

Want to use the second session of each pair as a lighter day? Use slightly higher reps on days 4–6.

Is the Arnold split right for you?

✅ Good fit	⚠️ Think twice
You can train 6 days a week consistently	You can only train 3–4 days
You're an intermediate lifter	You're a complete beginner
You want a big upper-body focus (arms and shoulders get their own day)	You prioritise lower body or strength sports
You recover well (sleep, nutrition)	Your sleep or job limits recovery

Beginners are better off starting with full-body or upper/lower training. Want a 6-day alternative? Compare with push/pull/legs, which splits chest and back into separate days. With only 3 days, see our best 3-day split.

Arnold's principles that still work

1. Train each muscle twice a week.
2. Use antagonist supersets to save time and get a big pump.
3. Prioritise weak points. Arnold famously trained his calves with extra focus when they lagged.
4. Mind-muscle connection. Focus on the target muscle during every rep.
5. Progressive overload. Arnold chased heavier weights and more reps constantly. Here's how to track progressive overload.

Track it like a champion

Arnold-era lifters recorded their training in notebooks. Today it takes a phone and a few seconds per set. With six sessions a week and lots of supersets, a log is the only way to know you're beating last week on each exercise.

GymMonster lets you save each Arnold-split day as a routine, log supersets set by set, and see your weekly muscle coverage on a heatmap.

The bottom line

The Arnold split trains chest and back, shoulders and arms, then legs, twice a week over six days. The structure still works well, but Arnold's original volume doesn't suit most natural lifters. Use the modern version (12–16 hard sets per muscle per week, antagonist supersets and progressive overload), and log every session.