An Arnold-inspired
Workout
Provided by American Council on Exercise
As
a Gen-Xer growing up in the 1980s, I was motivated to start working out by the
action heroes in the summer blockbuster flicks. Larger-than-life movie stars
like Arnold, Stallone and Van Damme had big muscles,
always beat the bad guys and ended up getting the girl. Who wouldn’t want to
emulate that?
When
I was in my teens and wanted to start lifting weights, I invested in Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder. Interested in
growing muscles like my favorite action movie heroes, I devoured Arnold’s book
and started spending a lot of time in the weight room at my high school.
When
I started my fitness career in the late 1990s, I soon learned that most clients
interested in weight loss or improving muscle mass were not well served by
bodybuilding programs that focused on individual body parts or muscle
isolation. Because total-body, movement-based exercises involve many muscles
working together, they can be an effective component of a weight-loss program.
Even though I have greatly expanded my education and knowledge of how the body
adapts to exercise, doing an old-school, high-volume bodybuilding program can
often satisfy the primal urge to lift heavy stuff.
In
honor of Arnold’s birthday (he turns 68 on July 30),
here are five benefits of following an Arnold Schwarzenegger-inspired
bodybuilding program.
1. Improved muscle tone and
definition.
One
of the top goals clients mention when starting a workout program is to “improve
muscle tone.” Body-part training can require a lot of daily trips to the gym,
but for those who can invest the time the payoff is
increased muscle tone and definition.
2. Increased muscle size.
High-volume
bodybuilder exercise programs not only improve definition and tone, but can
also add significant mass or size to the involved muscles.
3. Increased levels of hormones
that can slow down the aging process.
“Anti-aging”
clinics charge thousands of dollars for hormone treatments that have been shown
to slow down the aging process. However, high-volume strength training can
increase levels of testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor
(IGF-1)—the hormones that help grow new muscle tissue—as well as slow down the affects of biological aging.
4. Enhanced aesthetic
appearance.
Isolation
training can help increase the size of the back, shoulder and arm muscles responsible
for developing the downward V-taper of the upper-body, which helps create the
appearance of a smaller waist.
5. Greater ability to lift heavy
stuff.
High-volume
strength training not only increases size and definition, it can significantly
enhance muscle strength as well. The ability to lift heavy weights can help
improve your self-confidence and it’s nice knowing that you won’t need help
lifting a suitcase or carrying a heavy purchase from a store.
The
following is a three-day Schwarzenegger-inspired workout program. This program
is based on Arnold’s advice in his book, Education of a
Bodybuilder, and
requires that you lift four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday are designed to be days for moderate- to
high-intensity cardio or simply rest. Mondays and Thursdays are for legs, chest
and abdominals (this was before the era of core training), while Tuesdays and
Fridays are for back, shoulders and arms. Do your favorite cardio workouts on
Wednesdays and Saturdays and give yourself Sundays off for rest, recovery and
muscle growth. Each weightlifting exercise should be done for five sets of
eight reps, with the last one to two reps of each set being difficult and the
last set of each exercise causing fatigue by the last rep. Complete all sets of
an exercise before moving on to the next exercise.\
Mondays
and Thursdays: Legs, Chest and Abdominals
According
to Arnold, leg exercises, specifically squats, require deep breathing, which
can help warm up and stretch chest and abdominal muscles. Do a complete dynamic
warm-up to prepare for the workout, and select weights that make completing
eight repetitions difficult. Brief rest periods between each set can help
elevate levels of muscle-building hormones. To save time, do two sets for
different body parts back-to-back; for example, squats followed immediately by
bench press and then rest.
|
Exercise |
Intensity |
Reps |
Sets |
Rest Interval |
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
Body weight |
To fatigue |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
Body weight |
To fatigue |
5 |
60 seconds |
Tuesdays and Fridays:
Shoulders, back and Arms
Arnold’s theory is that shoulders should do pushing
movement while the back does pulling movements; therefore, he alternates
exercises with these body parts to allow one to rest while the other is
working. In addition, shoulder and back exercises use the upper arms, which makes it a great way to pre-fatigue those
muscles before isolating them. Do a complete dynamic warm-up to prepare for the
workout, and select weights that make completing eight repetitions difficult.
Brief rest periods between each set can help elevate levels of muscle-building
hormones. To save time, do two sets for different body parts back-to-back; for
example, shoulder press followed immediately by chin-ups and then rest.
|
Exercise |
Intensity |
Reps |
Sets |
Rest Interval |
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
Body weight |
To failure |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
|
|
8RM |
8 |
5 |
60 seconds |
AUTHOR
Pete McCall
Pete
McCall, MS, CSCS, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and long-time player in
the fitness industry. He has been featured as an expert in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Runner's World and Self. He holds a master's
degree in exercise science and health promotion, and several advanced
certifications and specializations with NSCA and NASM.