The “Arnold break up” is a 6-day exercise routine created by seven-time Mr. Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Famend for its depth, weightlifters typically hail the “Austrian Oak’s” routine as the final word blueprint for constructing muscle mass.
However what’s the Arnold break up precisely?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of following this legendary exercise plan?
And the way have you learnt if it’ll give you the results you want?
Get evidence-based solutions to those questions and extra on this article.
What Is the Arnold Break up?
The Arnold break up is a six-day workout routine created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, outlined in his 1985 e book, The New Encyclopedia of Fashionable Bodybuilding.
Technically, when folks check with the Arnold break up, they’re often speaking about one of many two “primary” coaching routines that Arnold shares—particularly, his “Stage 1” program.
Regardless of being labeled “primary,” this routine is just not for inexperienced persons—many skilled lifters discover it difficult.
The second stage of the fundamental program and the 2 “superior” applications are much more demanding, to the purpose that they’re typically unrealistic for many pure weightlifters.
The Arnold Break up Exercise Routine
The Arnold break up incorporates three separate exercises: chest and again; shoulders, higher arms, and forearms; and thighs (quad and hamstrings), calves, and decrease again.
You repeat these exercises twice weekly for a complete of six coaching periods. Right here’s the fundamental format:
- Day 1: Chest and back
- Day 2: Shoulders, higher arms, and forearms
- Day 3: Thighs, calves, and decrease again
- Day 4: Chest and again
- Day 5: Shoulders, higher arms, and forearms
- Day 6: Thighs, calves, and decrease again
- Day 7: Relaxation
You additionally practice your abs in each exercise.
Now, let’s have a look at how one can carry out every exercise:
Day #1: Chest and Again
Arnold’s chest day isn’t like most bodybuilding chest exercises. As a substitute of coaching solely the pecs, he preferred to coach his chest alongside his again (typically utilizing “supersets”). For him, this was one of the best ways to enhance conditioning and maximize “the pump.”
Right here’s the exercise:
- Flat Barbell Bench Press: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Chin-up: 50 complete reps
- Barbell Row: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Deadlift: 3 units of 10, 6, and 4 reps (to failure)
- Crunch: 5 units of 25 reps
Day #2: Shoulders, Higher Arms, and Forearms
Day 2 of the Arnold break up is a mammoth exercise that trains all three “heads” of the deltoids and your entire arm.
Right here’s the exercise:
- Clear and Press (or Overhead Press): 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Upright Row: 3 units of 10, 6, and 4 reps (to failure)
- Push Press: 3 units of 10, 6, and 4 reps (to failure)
- Barbell Curl: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Dumbbell Curl: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Close-Grip Bench Press: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Overhead Triceps Extension: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Wrist Curl: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Reverse Wrist Curl: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Reverse Crunch: 5 units of 25 reps
Day #3: Thighs, Calves, and Decrease Again
Day 3 of the Arnold break up is a rigorous decrease physique exercise specializing in the quads, hamstrings, calves, and decrease again—areas Arnold believed had been important for a well-balanced physique.
Right here’s the exercise:
- Squat: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Lunge: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Leg Curl: 4 units of 15, 10-to-12, 8-to-10, and 6 reps
- Standing Calf Increase: 5 units of 15 reps
- Stiff-Leg Deadlift: 3 units of 10, 6, and 4 reps (to failure)
- Good Morning: 3 units of 10, 6, and 4 reps (to failure)
- Crunch: 5 units of 25 reps
The Arnold Break up’s Coaching Rules
To maximise your outcomes on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s exercise routine, he recommends following these rules:
- Progressive Overload: Arnold emphasizes progressive overload (step by step growing the burden you raise over time), which is the primary driver of muscle progress. The simplest option to implement that is to make use of double progression.
- Coaching to Failure: Arnold advises pushing every set to the purpose the place you can’t carry out one other rep with out resting (“failure”). He believes this maximizes muscle fiber stimulation, resulting in better muscle progress.
- Full Vary of Movement: To totally activate each muscle fiber, Arnold recommends performing every train by way of its complete range of motion, from absolutely stretched to completely contracted.
- High quality of Contraction: Arnold emphasizes the significance of specializing in how nicely you contract your muscle tissues throughout each rep. He suggests beginning with lighter weights that permit exact, managed actions, guaranteeing the goal muscle does many of the work with out assist from surrounding muscle tissues.
- Warming Up: Whereas Arnold considers warming up important for stopping injuries, he doesn’t specify a strict warm-up routine. As a substitute, he suggests normal mild barbell or dumbbell workout routines for every physique half, adopted by a light-weight set of every train in your exercise earlier than you start your heavier coaching.
- Energy Coaching: In Arnold’s routine, “energy coaching” includes lifting weights close to your one-rep max. He believes energy coaching is vital as a result of it builds “dense” muscle that’s straightforward to maintain, will increase muscle and tendon power, prevents accidents, and builds psychological toughness.
- Relaxation Between Units: Arnold recommends preserving rest intervals between units to a minute or much less. In accordance with him, brief relaxation intervals let you recuperate most of your power whereas guaranteeing your muscle fibers are fatigued sufficient to necessitate progress.
Advantages of the Arnold Break up
1. It incorporates an excellent mixture of compound and isolation workout routines.
The Arnold break up primarily contains compound exercises (workout routines involving a number of joints and muscle tissues). Specializing in compound workout routines is helpful as a result of they let you practice dozens of muscle tissues concurrently and raise heavy weights safely, which is generally better for muscle and power achieve.
The Arnold break up additionally incorporates an inexpensive quantity of isolation exercises (workout routines involving only one joint and muscle). Including isolation workout routines to your exercise routine is smart as a result of they let you proceed coaching a muscle when it’s now not sensible to take action with a compound train.
In addition they let you practice by way of completely different ranges of movement, which doubtless produces extra full progress than solely doing compound workout routines.
2. It emphasizes progressive overload.
Many bodybuilding programs make minor elements of muscle progress the main target of your coaching. For instance, they encourage you to coach your muscle tissues till they’re swollen, pumped, and sore regardless of proof that these aren’t needed for muscle progress.
In distinction, the Arnold break up prioritizes getting progressively stronger over time, which is paramount for gaining muscle and power. In different phrases, the Arnold break up highlights what actually issues in relation to constructing muscle.
3. It trains every physique half twice weekly.
Many bodybuilding exercise splits arrange exercises by body part—they practice your chest on at some point, your again on the following, your shoulders the day after, and so forth.
This often means you practice every physique half simply as soon as per week, which research shows isn’t as efficient as coaching your muscle tissues extra steadily.
However, the Arnold break up trains every muscle group not less than twice per week, which is often higher for muscle-building functions.
Drawbacks of the Arnold Break up
1. It’s time-consuming.
The Arnold break up has you coaching 6 days per week, and every exercise is prolonged, comprising between 7 and 11 workout routines.
When your exercise routine requires such a major time dedication, it may be difficult to take care of, particularly when you have restricted time for coaching.
2. It isn’t appropriate for inexperienced persons.
The volume (variety of units) and frequency (variety of weekly exercises) within the Arnold break up are pointless for beginners; doing fewer units much less typically will doubtless yield better results.
Arnold additionally advocates superior coaching strategies in his e book—drop units, unfavourable reps, compelled reps, and so forth—which add a layer of complexity that’s pointless and doubtlessly complicated for novices.
3. A number of the rules aren’t backed by science.
Sure elements of the Arnold break up, comparable to coaching to failure, brief relaxation intervals, and in depth warm-ups, lack scientific help.
Whereas these strategies could also be efficient in some eventualities, analysis reveals training shy of failure, taking loads of relaxation, and doing brief however enough warm-ups are superior for gaining muscle and power.
Who Ought to Observe the Arnold Break up?
Many individuals see footage of Arnold posing in his prime and assume the Arnold break up will assist them obtain the same physique. Working example:
It’s smart to mood these expectations, although.
Inexperienced persons gained’t get good outcomes from the Arnold break up—the amount, depth, and frequency are too excessive and can doubtless result in burnout relatively than progress.
The Arnold break up is healthier suited to intermediate or superior weightlifters with loads of time to coach and no restoration points. In different phrases, except you’ve been coaching for not less than a 12 months and your diet and sleep are on level, you most likely shouldn’t try the Arnold break up.
FAQ #1: Is the Arnold break up good for progress?
Sure, the Arnold break up might be extremely efficient for muscle progress for some folks. Particularly, it really works nicely for intermediate or superior weightlifters (folks with not less than 12 months of constant coaching beneath their belt) who’ve loads of time to coach, are consuming sufficient calories and protein, and get loads of relaxation.
Nevertheless, a much less intense coaching routine is probably going extra becoming if you happen to don’t meet these standards.
[Read More: The 12 Best Science-Based Strength Training Programs for Gaining Muscle and Strength]
FAQ #2: Arnold Break up vs. PPL: Which is healthier?
The 6-day PPL and Arnold splits share quite a bit in widespread: They contain coaching six days per week, practice every physique half not less than twice weekly, emphasize compound weightlifting and progressive overload, and so forth. Thus, choosing the proper routine for you largely relies on your preferences.
The Arnold break up includes coaching your massive higher physique muscle teams (chest and again), smaller higher physique muscle tissues (shoulders, biceps, triceps, and forearms), and legs in separate exercises. If this strategy works for you, select the Arnold break up.
If, however, you like to arrange your coaching into “pushing,” “pulling,” and decrease physique workout routines, PPL is probably going higher,
Another choice is to comply with a hybrid routine that features components of PPL and the Arnold break up, sometimes called “PPL x Arnold break up” routines. Right here’s how this may look:
- Day 1: Chest and again
- Day 2: Shoulders, higher arms, and forearms
- Day 3: Thighs, calves, and decrease again
- Day 4: Push
- Day 5: Pull
- Day 6: Legs
- Day 7: Relaxation
PPL x Arnold break up routines have grow to be fashionable in recent times, primarily as a result of folks on Reddit and bodybuilding boards tout them as the right mixture of bodybuilding and strength-focused coaching (“powerbuilding”).
Whereas PPL x Arnold break up routines can work, they’ve the identical points because the common 6-day PPL and Arnold splits: they require a major time funding, and if you happen to don’t have your eating regimen and restoration dialed in, they’re overkill for most individuals.
[Read More: The Ultimate Guide to the Push Pull Legs Workout Routine]
FAQ #3: How a lot must you eat whereas following the Arnold break up?
To gasoline your coaching whereas following the Arnold break up, it’s smart to comply with a bulking diet (eat in a calorie surplus) and eat loads of protein.
To be taught precisely what number of energy and the way a lot protein you’d have to get outcomes on the Arnold break up, take the Legion Diet Quiz.
+ Scientific References
- Schoenfeld, Brad J. “The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 24, no. 10, 2010, pp. 2857–72, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3.
- Kubo, Keitaro, et al. “Effects of Squat Training with Different Depths on Lower Limb Muscle Volumes.” European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 119, no. 9, 22 June 2019, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y.
