The Arnold Split: the 6-day classic, laid out
The Arnold split is a six-day routine built on three paired workouts — chest and back, shoulders and arms, legs — each run twice a week. It's named for the antagonist pairings Arnold Schwarzenegger used, and the structure is the part that's actually "the Arnold split": which muscles get trained together, and how often.
The exact exercises vary from telling to telling. What's below is a faithful version of the chest+back / shoulders+arms / legs pairing from his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding — but treat the specific movements as representative, not sacred. The pairing scheme is the program.
How it's built
Arnold paired antagonists — muscles that do opposite jobs. Chest (pressing) with back (pulling); biceps with triceps; quads with hamstrings. The signature method that falls out of this is the antagonist superset: pairing, say, bench press with bent-over row, working one while the other recovers. It cuts session time and gives a huge pump. He also trained abs every session — hanging leg raises, crunches — so fold those into each day.
The weekly schedule
| Day | Workout |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest & Back |
| Tuesday | Shoulders & Arms |
| Wednesday | Legs |
| Thursday | Chest & Back |
| Friday | Shoulders & Arms |
| Saturday | Legs |
| Sunday | Rest |
Chest & Back
Trained twice a week. This is where antagonist supersets shine — pair the bench and the row.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 8–12 |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 8–12 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 10–12 |
| Bent Over Row | 4 | 8–12 |
| Wide-Grip Pull-Up | 3 | 8–12 |
| Deadlift | 3 | 6–10 |
Shoulders & Arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 4 | 8–12 |
| Lateral Raise | 4 | 10–15 |
| Bent Over Lateral Raise | 3 | 10–15 |
| Barbell Curl | 4 | 8–12 |
| Seated Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10–12 |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 4 | 8–12 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 10–15 |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 5 | 8–12 |
| Leg Press | 4 | 10–15 |
| Leg Extension | 4 | 12–15 |
| Leg Curl | 4 | 10–15 |
| Stiff-Leg Deadlift | 3 | 8–12 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 5 | 10–15 |
The catch — recovery
This is a high-volume, six-day program, and there are two recovery traps built into it. First, front delts and triceps get hit two days running — they work on chest+back day (pressing) and again on shoulders+arms day. Second, your lower back is loaded twice — deadlifts on back day and again on leg day (squats and stiff-legs). Neither is a dealbreaker, but you have to manage them: don't grind every set to failure, and if your lower back is cooked, drop the deadlift volume before something tweaks.
That's also why this isn't a beginner routine. It assumes you've already built a base and can recover from training six days a week.
How to progress
Double progression: add reps within the range, and when you top it out across your sets, add weight. Keep the main compounds stable long enough to actually load them over time, rather than rotating exercises every week — you can't progress a lift you keep swapping out.
Set opening weights on the compounds off a recent hard set instead of guessing — estimate your max without testing one.
Common questions
Is the Arnold split good for beginners?
No — it's an intermediate-to-advanced program with six training days and high volume. Beginners should start with a 3-day full-body routine.
How many days a week is the Arnold split?
Six — three workouts (chest+back, shoulders+arms, legs) each performed twice, typically Monday to Saturday.
What makes the Arnold split different from PPL?
It pairs antagonist muscle groups (chest with back, biceps with triceps) rather than grouping by movement, and leans on antagonist supersets. Both PPL and the Arnold split train each muscle twice a week.
Can I run the Arnold split on a cut?
Yes, but cut volume — drop an accessory or two per session and keep the heavy compounds. Recovery is the limiter on six days a week in a deficit.
Before you start supersetting, set honest working weights for the bench, row, squat and deadlift — run a recent set through the 1RM calculator and build from there.