The Arnold split rotates through three days: chest and back, shoulders and arms, and legs. Run
it twice a week for six sessions and every muscle is trained twice, with big supersets and a
serious pump.
Below is the full program with every exercise, set, rep range and rest time, the 6 day and 3
day schedules, and the weekly sets for each muscle.
How to progress
Start each exercise with a weight you can lift for the bottom of its rep range with two or three
reps to spare. Keep that weight until you reach the top of the range on every set, then add the
smallest jump you can (about 2.5 kg or 5 lb) and build the reps back up. This is double
progression: reps first, then weight.
Rest the full time on the big lifts, and stop a set when your form breaks down. If a lift stalls
for three or four sessions in a row, take a lighter week or swap the exercise for a close
variation.
Who it is for
Six days a week is a lot of training. This split suits lifters with a year or more of steady
training who recover well and want extra shoulder and arm work. If you are newer, or life is
busy, run the three days once a week, or start with push pull legs.
Chest and back together
Training opposing muscles in the same session means one rests while the other works, so you
can move quickly between pressing and pulling. The fly and pullover at the end are a superset
for the same reason.
Questions
What is the Arnold split?
A 3 day rotation popularised by Arnold Schwarzenegger: chest and back, then shoulders and arms, then legs, usually run twice a week for 6 sessions. Pairing chest with back lets the opposing muscles rest while the other works.
Is this Arnold's actual program?
No. It keeps the classic pairing of muscle groups, but the volume is cut from the golden-era style of many sets of 10 on everything to an amount most lifters today can recover from. It is our own program, not a reproduction of his.
Arnold split or push pull legs?
Both train each muscle twice a week on 6 days. The Arnold split trains chest and back together and gives arms a whole day, so it suits lifters who want more arm and shoulder work; push pull legs groups muscles by movement and is a little easier to recover from.
Can I run the Arnold split 3 days a week?
Yes. Run the three days once a week on non-consecutive days. Each muscle is trained once a week, which still builds muscle when the sets are hard.