mark-wahlberg-workout-routine

Build Great Arms With Mark Wahlberg’s Workout Routine

Mark Wahlberg has been lifting iron ever since the 80s, a period when all training was based on the info and techniques they acquired from golden-era bodybuilders. For Mark and his buddies, ignorance was indeed a bliss.

They had to figure things out on their own. One thing they found out was that the more often you work a muscle, the faster it grew, but if you started training it too often your gains would eventually stop. And that was it. No other philosophy.

In this article, we present to you a program similar to what Mark was using back in the 80s and it is a combo of both volume and frequency that has been carefully adjusted so that it doesn’t cause overtraining and emulates golden-era bodybuilding programs that gave Mark the body he is known for up to this day.

The mechanism behind it:

The biceps and triceps are actually small muscle groups which do not require a lot of training in order to grow. Training them with a smaller number of sets will allow you to train them a lot more often, hence training 4 days a week.

The workout is designed in such a manner that triceps exercises are incorporated into the back workout, biceps exercises are incorporated into chest day and a mix of both is added on shoulder day.

It may be a lot more volume in compassion to other arm workouts you’ve done before, but it is deliberately spread out over multiple days so as to speed up recovery and increase arm strength. When you don’t train as hard in just one workout sessions, you leave yourself more energy for the other workouts and also leave energy for training arms each session.

Workout guidelines:

Do each training sessions (Day #1, #2, #3 and #4) once a week. Rest for a day between the first and second workout and do days #3 and #4 back to back.

Those exercises that are marked as ‘A’ and ‘B’ should be alternated. That means you will do one set of ‘A’, rest the appropriate amount of time, then do one set of ‘B’, rest again and repeat the same process until you complete all sets.

Day #1 Triceps and back

Exercise #1

One-Arm Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Put one of your hands on a bench and grab a dumbbell with your other hand. Stagger the legs and bend the torso in a position parallel to the floor. Start the exercise by rowing the dumbbell to hip level. Then proceed by lowering it slowly back to the starting position. Pause for a few seconds, then do the next rep.

Exercise #2

Lat Pull-downs – 4 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

You will need an adjustable cable machine and a lat pull-down bar.

Exercise #3

Rack Pull – 3 sets x 8-10 reps, 90 seconds of rest

You will need a barbell and a squat rack.

Exercise #4

Rope Pressdowns – 3 sets x 12-15 reps, 60 seconds of rest

You will need an adjustable cable machine and a rope attachment.

Exercise #5

Incline Lying Triceps Extension with an EZ bar – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

You will need an EZ-Bar and a bench. Adjust the bench at a 30-degree incline. Hold the EZ-bar with your hands at shoulder width and lie on the bench. Press the EZ-bar over your head and then let the arms go behind the head. Bend your elbows as you lower the bar behind your head, then extend them back.

Day #2 Biceps and pecs

Exercise #1

Dumbbell Incline Squeeze Press – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Adjust the bench at a 30-degree angle. Lie with your back against it while holding a dumbbell in both of your hands. Press both dumbbells into each other and maintain a tension in your pecs while you lift them.

Exercise #2

Machine Seated Chest Press – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Exercise #3

Pushups on Boxes – 2 sets x as much reps as you can, 60 seconds of rest

Place the hands on some boxes or a mat that would raise the torso a few inches off the ground. Get yourself into a push-up position do push-ups in a way that when you lower the body down you can feel a bigger stretch in your chest muscles.

Exercise #4

Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 2 sets x 12-15 reps, 60 seconds of rest

You will need two dumbbells and a bench.

Exercise #5

Seated Barbell Biceps Curls – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Exercise #6

Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curls – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

You will need a bench and two dumbbells.

Day #3 Abs and legs

Exercise #1

Leg Curls – 3 sets x 12-15 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Set yourself up on a leg curl machine and ensure that the knees are properly aligned with the axis of rotation. Curl the load until you feel a full contraction in the hamstrings.

Exercise #2

Front Squats – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Exercise #3A

Reverse Lunges – 3 sets x 12-15 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Hold dumbbells in both hands and step back with one leg. Lower the body until the rear knee touches the ground and the front thigh is parallel to the ground. Do the same with the other leg.

Exercise #3B

Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 90 seconds of rest

Exercise #4A

Body Saws – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest

Get in a push-up position, and rest the feet on sliders. Bend the elbows and rest the forearms on the floor. Tighten the core and push the body backward so that the legs can slide black. Proceed until you feel the abs are about to lose the tension and pull the body forward for one rep.

Exercise #4B

One-Arm Farmer’s Walk – 3 sets x 30-second hold, 60 seconds of rest

Grab a heavy dumbbell in one hand and walk for 30 seconds as fast as you can. Keep the shoulders back, spine rigid and pecs forward. Resist the urge to twist or bend to the dumbbell’s side. Do the same on the other hand.

Day #4 Arms and shoulders

Exercise #1

Incline Reverse Dumbbell Flyes – 4 sets x 15-20 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Exercise #2

Six-Way Shoulder Raises – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Sit on a bench while holding dumbbells in both hands. Raise the dumbbells 90 degrees out to the sides, then bring them in front of you and point them straight ahead. Then raise the dumbbells over your head. Reverse each direction, while bringing the dumbbells in front of you and out to the sides and then lower them down at the sides.

Exercise #3

Bradford Presses – 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Grab a light barbell with your hands slightly outside shoulder width. Press the barbell overhead, but don’t lock out your elbows. Then lower it behind your head, but don’t go that low so that the shoulders relax. Continue switching the presses behind and in front of your head. Doing the press in each direction counts as one rep.

Exercise #4A

Cross-Body Dumbbell Curls – 4 sets x 8-12 reps, 60 seconds of rest.

Exercise #4B

Bench Dips – 4 sets x as much reps as you can, 60 seconds of rest

You will need a bench.

Place both hands on a bench and extend the legs on the floor in front of you. Lower the body for approximately 3 seconds until the upper arms are parallel to the ground. Then, press the body back up into the starting position.


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