Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t just a bodybuilder or someone who influenced bodybuilding. He won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, he was a bodybuilding champ as well as a Hollywood star, a governor of California and even has statues erected after him.
Arnold has a worldwide significance as a person, which will keep him in the history books for a long, long time. The way that this guy trained is still carefully studied and practiced by millions, and it’s been well over forty years since the last time he competed.
The two most noticeable aspects of Arnie’s physique were his chest and his back, so a lot of people try to get their physiques to look like his. If you’ve been in a gym for a while and you’ve been talking to people, it probably came up in conversation that Arnold would often do supersets for his chest and back before a competition.
He was called “The Austrian Oak” for a reason, and he thought that by doing these supersets, he would pump more blood into both areas cumulatively and both of them would grow more, while his conditioning was simultaneously improving. One look at his peak physique and you can’t argue with his results.
Arnold’s workouts have been part of the public domain for a long time now, so this article isn’t just repeating what everyone else has already read. Instead, his chest and back supersets are tweaked a bit for a maximal effect and the best gains possible.
If you have the opportunity, do these supersets in an empty or a non-busy gym so that you can always get the equipment you need without being distracted. However, if you must, you can make tiny changes in this routine. Only do this if your gym is very specifically set up or you don’t have access to equipment that you need.
You will need to warm up properly before doing these supersets – they will require a large amount of effort and focus. As your weight goes up, your reps will go down and this is also true the other way around! Your rest periods will be used for changing weights, taking a sip of water or some branched-chain amino acids – nothing else.
Another thing Schwarzenegger was really proficient at, was his ability to visualize the muscles he was working on at the moment of exercise. You can do this too – it significantly strengthens the connection between your mind and your muscles, which he thought was incredibly important in getting the desired effect.
He always said that you need to take a second before working out and visualize yourself lifting that weight with the utmost focus, feeling your muscles pumping and burning rep after rep. With all said and done, let’s start with the supersets.
SUPERSET #1: Incline Barbell Bench Press and Pull Ups
Mr. Schwarzenegger would begin his workout with some flat bench lifts, but we will change it to some incline barbell bench presses for the best upper chest effect. When the bar reaches your chest, pause for a second before pressing it upwards. This will help you get stronger but it will also make your pectoral muscles deliver a bigger punch.
Pull ups with a neutral grip and your palms facing each other. Do a full range of motion and stretch your lats at the bottom of the movement. Regular pull downs are an option too, but the neutral grip pull ups are a better option. If you can do more pull ups than required, use a weighted vest or a weight belt. You will need 4 sets of each exercise, with 12, 10, 8 and 6 reps respectively.
SUPERSET #2: Low Incline Dumbbell Press and Two Arm Dumbbell Row
You need to hit the pectoral muscles from different angles, so you will need an adjustable bench on the lowest setting or a flat bench on a plate or a small step. If you pick the modified flat bench, make sure that it’s solid and doesn’t move when you move.
When doing dumbbell presses, rotate your dumbbells slightly instead of holding them completely straight (more of a neutral grip). The effect of this little rotation takes pressure off your front deltoids and redistributes it to your pecs.
The bent over dumbbell rows are similar to a barbell row, but the hands are in a more neutral position. To target the lats you want to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible. You will need three sets of each exercise, with 12, 10 and 8 reps respectively.
SUPERSET #3: Wide Seated Row and Pec-deck Fly
This is a little different than what Arnie used to do, simply because he would focus on chest exercises and then work on his back, but in order to build some balance, this superset works the back muscles first and the chest later. Also, you will start with heavy weight and fewer reps and then progress into lighter weights and more reps. This boosts muscular endurance and gets blood into the muscles you want to grow.
When doing the wide seated rows, I suggest you use a long handle and an overhand grip. Contract your muscles at the peak of the rep and then slowly return the handle to the starting position. At your most stretched-out position (the start of the repetition), don’t let the weights rest down on the stack. If they do, sit further back to keep the tension in your back.
The pec-deck flyes will isolate your chest muscles and reduce the chances of injury since this is a machine exercise. You need to work hard to contract your pecs as much as you can until you feel a stretch in the bottom part of your chest.
Make sure to maintain proper form at all times – if you need to, even take some weight off. It is definitely worth it, if your form is at stake. Do three sets of 10, 12 and 15 reps each respectively.
SUPERSET#4: Straight Arm Pulldown and Cable Crossover
Schwarzenegger loved doing pull ups, but he would also do pull downs. This version is really goo to get the pump going. To increase the range of motion and contract your back muscles as much as possible, you can even use a rope instead of a handle. You will probably be exhausted by now, but don’t rush the reps – slow down and make them count.
The same thing goes for the crossovers. Make sure you do them in a controlled manner and use proper form. Do three sets of each exercise with 15 reps per set.
SUPERSET#5: Machine Pullover and Pushups
Arnie thought that his pullovers helped him expand his rib cage and made his already-huge upper body even bigger than before. Pullovers are considered a back exercise, so we will treat them as one. If you can’t do them on a machine, use a dumbbell like they did back in the old days, but be careful not to hurt yourself.
When you’re done with the pullovers, get down and do some pushups. They are usually an exercise that serves for warming your body up, but now they are a great finishing move. Take a minute between supersets to stretch your body and take a breath, but when you’re done with these, you can go home. Do three sets of each exercise with 20 reps each and you’re set.
Related:
Arnold Schwarzenegger: “If You’re Serious About Gains, Take These 3 Supplements”
Arnold’s ‘Golden Six’ routine for strength and size
