Strength
Arnold 6-day
Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous 6-day double split. Chest+Back / Shoulders+Arms / Legs twice a week. High volume, advanced only. Six days a week, about 85 minutes a session.
- Days per week
- 6
- Session length
- About 85 min
- Level
- Advanced
- Focus
- Hypertrophy
What it takes
You will need six sessions a week of roughly 85 minutes, plus a warm-up.
Your week
Rest or walk on the other one days. Spread the sessions out if you can, so the same muscles get a day off in between.
- Day 1: Chest + Back (about 90 min)
- Day 2: Shoulders + Arms (about 90 min)
- Day 3: Legs (about 80 min)
- Day 4: Chest + Back (about 90 min)
- Day 5: Shoulders + Arms (about 90 min)
- Day 6: Legs (about 80 min)
Chest + Back A
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 5 × 6–10 | 2 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 × 8–10 | 90 s |
| Dip | 4 × 8–10 | 90 s |
| Pull-Up | 5 × max reps | 2 min |
| Pendlay Row | 4 × 6–10 | 2 min |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s |
Shoulders + Arms A
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 4 × 6–10 | 2 min |
| Arnold Press | 3 × 8–10 | 90 s |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 4 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Barbell Curl | 4 × 8–10 | 1 min |
| Preacher Curl | 3 × 10–12 | 1 min |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 4 × 8–10 | 90 s |
| Rope Triceps Pressdown | 3 × 10–12 | 1 min |
Legs A
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 5 × 8–12 | 2½ min |
| Leg Press | 4 × 10–15 | 2 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 10–12 | 2 min |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 × 10–12 | 1 min |
| Standing Calf Raise | 5 × 15–20 | 1 min |
Chest + Back B
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 5 × 8–10 | 2 min |
| Cable Chest Fly | 4 × 10–12 | 90 s |
| Lat Pulldown | 4 × 8–10 | 2 min |
| T-Bar Row | 4 × 8–10 | 2 min |
| Straight-Arm Pulldown | 3 × 10–12 | 1 min |
Shoulders + Arms B
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 4 × 8–10 | 2 min |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 4 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Rear Delt Fly | 3 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Hammer Curl | 4 × 10–12 | 1 min |
| Cable Curl | 3 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Overhead Rope Triceps Extension | 4 × 10–12 | 1 min |
Legs B
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 4 × 8–10 | 2 min |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s |
| Leg Extension | 4 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Seated Leg Curl | 4 × 12–15 | 1 min |
| Seated Calf Raise | 5 × 15–20 | 1 min |
Adding weight
Where an exercise has a rep range, like 6–8, stay at the same weight until you hit the top of the range on every set. Then add the smallest jump you can and build back up from the bottom.
Jumps of 1–2.5 kg on upper-body lifts and 2.5–5 kg on lower-body lifts are plenty. Bigger jumps stall sooner.
Making it fit
- Plan a lighter week every four to six weeks: same exercises, about half the sets, lighter loads.
- Keep the first exercise of each day sacred. The ones after it can flex with how you feel.
