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The Arnold Split: Classic 6-Day Bodybuilding Routine

The Arnold split trained chest and back together twice a week, plus legs, arms, and shoulders. Here's the full 6-day Arnold routine with exact exercises and set counts.

Pasha Mor

Founder, 1RM.fit · October 3, 2026

The Arnold split is Arnold Schwarzenegger's actual training routine — 6 days a week, with chest and back trained TOGETHER in one session, twice per week. Legs and arms get their own days.

I'm Pasha, founder of 1RM.fit. Here's the full Arnold split routine.

The Arnold Split Structure

Monday: Chest + Back
Tuesday: Shoulders + Arms
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Chest + Back
Friday: Shoulders + Arms
Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Rest

Monday / Thursday — Chest + Back

Bench press: 4×6-10
Incline barbell press: 4×6-10
Dumbbell fly: 3×10-12
Weighted pull-up: 4×6-10
Barbell row: 4×6-8
T-bar row: 3×8-10
Cable pullover: 3×10-12

Tuesday / Friday — Shoulders + Arms

Overhead press: 4×6-8
Dumbbell lateral raise: 4×10-12
Rear delt fly: 3×12-15
Barbell curl: 4×8-10
Incline dumbbell curl: 3×10-12
Close-grip bench: 4×6-8
Overhead extension: 3×10-12

Wednesday / Saturday — Legs

Squat: 4×6-10
Leg press: 4×10-12
Lunges: 3×10 each leg
Leg curl: 4×10-12
Stiff-leg deadlift: 3×8-10
Standing calf raise: 5×15-20
Seated calf raise: 4×15-20

Barbell bench press — the anchor lift of Arnold's chest + back days — Arnold hit chest AND back in one session — twice a week. Push-pull supersets built the golden-era physiques.

Why Chest + Back Together?

Antagonist supersets: Bench + rows share no muscle group. Superset them for time efficiency
Balanced pump: Never leaves the gym feeling "lopsided"
Higher frequency: Each hit twice per week vs bro split's once

Volume & Recovery

Arnold's original routine used 20-30 total sets per session. Modern natural lifters typically dial that back to 15-20 sets per session to match recovery capacity.

Progressive overload principles apply: same rep ranges, add weight when top of range hit across all sets.

Who Should Run the Arnold Split

Intermediates and advanced lifters
Anyone with 6 gym days per week
Bodybuilding-focused lifters (aesthetics primary goal)

Who Shouldn't Run It

Beginners (too much volume, not enough recovery)
Strength-focused lifters (better options like 5/3/1)
Anyone training < 5 days per week

The Arnold split is a beast. High volume, high frequency, high demand. If you can recover from it, it's one of the best hypertrophy splits ever written.

Track the Arnold Split

1RM.fit auto-tracks weekly sets per muscle group across 6 sessions.

Download 1RM.fit free.

Compare: bro split routine, PPL routine, PHUL program.

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