In the realm of bodybuilding, few names resonate as profoundly as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Known not just for his cinematic achievements but for a physique that has become the gold standard in the sport, Arnold’s approach to arm training offers invaluable insights into building strength and aesthetic perfection.
His commitment to the sport and his innovative training methods propelled him to win seven Mr. Olympia titles, making his workouts the blueprint for those aspiring to greatness. Join us as we delve into the specific exercises and philosophies that shaped Arnold’s legendary arms, providing you with the tools to sculpt your own peak physique.
Understanding the Arm Muscles
The arm consists of three primary muscle groups that are vital for various movements:
- Biceps Brachii: This two-headed muscle sits under the deltoid muscle, extending to just below the elbow. Its main functions are to lift and curl the arm and to pronate the wrist, turning it downwards. This muscle is often the focal point for exercises aimed at enhancing arm curvature and strength.
- Triceps Brachii: In contrast to the biceps, the triceps is a three-headed muscle that operates in opposition to the biceps. It too attaches under the deltoid and extends to the area below the elbow. The triceps are essential for straightening the arm and supinating the wrist, which involves a twisting motion upwards. Training this muscle group is crucial for developing arm thickness and pushing strength.
- Forearm Muscles: The forearm encompasses a complex group of muscles on both the outer and inner sides of the lower arm. These muscles are responsible for controlling hand and wrist actions. The flexor muscles in the forearm facilitate the downward and forward curling of the palm, while the extensor muscles allow for the curling back and upward of the knuckles.
Together, these muscles not only perform essential daily functions but also contribute significantly to the aesthetics and strength of the arms, making them a popular focus in fitness and bodybuilding.
How Arnold Trained His Arms
Arnold typically trained his biceps and triceps on the same day, a method that allowed him to maximize the pump and maintain high energy levels throughout the workout. This approach ensured that both muscle groups received equal attention and were developed in proportion to each other, which is crucial for achieving the balanced look iconic to Arnold’s physique.
How He Viewed Arm Training
Training the arms has always been a highlight in bodybuilding, symbolizing peak physical strength and aesthetic appeal. From early on, prominent bodybuilders like Leroy Colbert and Reg Park have inspired many with their formidable arm muscles. Arnold himself was motivated by these figures, aiming to achieve similarly impressive arm development. By the age of nineteen, Arnold’s arms had grown to over 20 inches, showcasing their massive potential on stage.
Arm training is often a priority for bodybuilders, partly because of the mental drive associated with achieving large, well-defined arms. Beginners especially tend to focus heavily on arm workouts, applying intense effort and constant measurement to fuel growth.
However, creating competition-worthy arms involves more than just size; it requires strategic shaping to ensure they look good from various angles and in different poses. This means developing not just the biceps and triceps but also the forearms to ensure overall proportion and detail. Successful arm development demands a thorough and methodical approach to training each part of the arm muscles.
How to Perfect the Arms, According to Arnold
While we often envision bulging biceps as the hallmark of well-developed arms, the triceps actually form a larger and more complex group, making up two-thirds of the arm’s muscle mass compared to the biceps’ one-third.
Perfecting arm development requires a strategic approach to training, focusing on the right exercises for each muscle group and the appropriate intensity. Bodybuilders might choose to train all arm muscles in one session, either sequentially or by alternating between biceps and triceps for an overall pump.
Effective arm training demands innovation and intensity, incorporating a variety of exercises and applying advanced techniques to continually challenge and grow the muscles. This tailored approach ensures balanced growth and definition across all arm muscles.
A Detailed Breakdown of Arnold’s Arm Workout
Biceps Exercises
Barbell Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: Build mass and thickness in the biceps.
How to:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grip the barbell with both hands.
- Curl the weight while keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Lower the weight slowly after a full curl.
Extra Tips from Arnold: You can move your body ever so slightly during this movement, because it;s about building mass. But, do not swing your whole body unless you’re trying to do cheat curls. Slowly lower the weight down to maximize eccentric control, and keep your body upright to maximize ROM.
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: To completely stretch the biceps and for complete development of the muscle
How to:
- Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Keep your elbows forward, curl the weights out and up to shoulder level.
- Lower the weights again, fully under control
- Pause at the bottom
Extra Tips from Arnold: Do not use any momentum to swing the weights upward. To get the best results, pronate and supinate your wrists during the movement by turning your wrists so that your palms face each other at the bottom, then twist the weights as you lift so that your palms turn toward the sky, then outward.
Concentration Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 15 reps
Purpose: Create the high peak in the bicep, especially the outside of the muscle
How to:
- While standing, bend over slightly and take a dumbbell in one hand.
- Rest your free arm on your knee or other stationary object to stabilize you.
- Curl the weight up to the deltoid without moving the upper arm or the elbow and make certain you don’t allow your elbow to rest against your thigh.
- As you lift, twist the wrist so that the little finger ends up higher than the thumb.
- Tense the muscle fully at the top of the Curl
- Lower the weight slowly, resisting it all the way down to full extension.
Extra Tips from Arnold: Make sure that you are curling the weight to the shoulder to work the outside of the bicep. Don’t just curl it to your chest. Do this exercise at the end of your biceps training because it is one of the best means of peaking the muscle
Preacher Bench Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: Specifically designed to build the lower part of the biceps muscle.
How to:
- Place your chest against the preacher bench pad, with your arms extending over it.
- Take hold of a barbell (or ez bar) with an underhand grip.
- Hold your body steady and curl the bar all the way up
- Lower it again to full extension, resisting the weight on the way down.
Extra Tips from Arnold: This is a really good exercise for anyone who has space between the lower biceps and the elbow joint, because it fills in thickness in the bicep. Make sure to not lean and swing backward as you lift the weight. Flex the muscle completely at the top of the movement, as there is little stress on the bicep at that point. These can be done with barbells, ez bars, or dumbbells!
Tricep Exercises
Close-Grip Bench Press
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Purpose: Mass builder for the overall triceps muscle
How to:
- Lie on a bench press with your feet flat on the floor.
- Grip the barbell with hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Lower the bar slowly to your chest.
- Push up powerfully to extend your arms fully.
Extra Tips from Arnold: This is a really good exercise for anyone who has space between the lower biceps and the elbow joint, because it fills in thickness in the bicep. Make sure to not lean and swing backward as you lift the weight. Flex the muscle completely at the top of the movement, as there is little stress on the bicep at that point. These can be done with barbells, ez bars, or dumbbells!
Lying Triceps Extensions (Skull Crushers)
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: Target the long head of the triceps, and work them from the elbow to the lats.
How to:
- Lie on a bench with a barbell or EZ-curl bar.
- Extend the arms straight up.
- Bend the elbows to lower the weight towards your forehead.
- Keep the upper arms stationary and extend the arms back to the start position.
Extra Tips from Arnold: Make sure to control the weight throughout the movement. Also, if you lean your head back off the bench, you can get a more full ROM in the tricep because your head isn’t in the way. When you can’t do another rep, you can rep out with some close grip extensions.
Triceps Pushdowns
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: Sculpt the outer triceps and enhance definition through a full ROM.
How to:
- Stand in front of a cable machine with a bar or rope attachment.
- Grip the attachment with an overhand grip.
- Push down until your arms are fully extended.
- Keep your elbows pinned to your sides throughout the movement.
Extra Tips from Arnold: You can vary your grip, what kinda bar you use, how close you stand to the cable machine, how far apart your hands are, etc. You can go from all the way up to 3/4 of the way down to really hammer those lower triceps as well.
One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 12 reps per arm
Purpose: Isolate each triceps individually, focusing on the contraction and stretch.
How to:
- Stand or sit with a dumbbell in one hand.
- Extend your arm above your head.
- Bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
- Keep your upper arm stationary, and extend your arm back to the start.
Extra Tips from Arnold: Do this as strict as possible, and look in the mirror to check your form. Do not rest in between one arm’s set and the other. These can be done sitting or standing, whichever you prefer.
Dips
Sets/Reps: To failure
Purpose: To develop the thickness of the tricep, especially the lower portion of the muscle near the elbow.
How to:
- Grip parallel bars and lock out your arms by holding yourself up.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows.
- Dip down until your shoulders are below your elbows.
- Push up to the start position and flex the tricep muscle at lockout.
Extra Tips from Arnold: Stay as upright as possible throughout the movement. The more you lean backwards, the more the triceps work, and the more you lean forwards the more the chest works. You can also make dips harder by hooking a weight belt to you and adding some plates, and by coming up only about 3/4 of the way, rather than locking out.
Forearm Exercises
Wrist Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: To develop the inside of the forearms.
Execution:
- Hold a barbell with an underhand grip, with your hands close together.
- Rest your forearms on a bench with your wrists and hands hanging over the end,
- Bend your wrists and lower the weight.
- After you cannot go any lower, roll the weight back up into your hands
- Lift the weight as high as possible without letting your forearms come off the bench
Extra Tips from Arnold: Forearms are to the arm what calves are to the leg, so they’re a bit harder to grow! Just make sure each set really burns, that way you know the muscles are being activated.
Reverse Wrist Curls
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: To develop the outside of the biceps and the forearms
Execution:
- Grab a barbell (or dumbbells) with your hands about 10-12 inches apart.
- Put your forearms on top of your thighs so they’re flat and your wrists and hands are unsupported.
- Bend your wrists forward and lower the weight as low as possible.
- Bring them back up and lift the bar as far up as you can, but don’t let your forearms move.
Extra Tips from Arnold: These can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, or an ez bar. You can also do it on a preacher bench if you feel the better stretch with that.
Reverse Curl
Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 10 reps
Purpose: To develop the outside of the biceps and the forearms
Execution:
- Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip and hold it with your arms fully extended
- Keep your elbows still and curl the weight out and up to almost your chin.
- Slowly lower the weight through the same bar path
Extra Tips from Arnold: Gripping the bar this way, you put the biceps in a position of mechanical disadvantage, so you will not be able to curl as much weight. The reverse grip makes the top of the forearm work very hard. Reverse Curls for the biceps rather than the forearms do not begin with any kind of Reverse Wrist Curl. Keep the wrists steady as you curl the weight up. Notice that the thumb is kept on top of the bar. This will help to work the outside brachialis.
Arnold’s Tips and Tricks for Training Arms
Mind Muscle Connection
Arnold believed in the power of visualization and the mind-muscle connection to achieve maximum results. He often visualized his biceps as mountains while lifting, which helped him push through intense workouts and focus deeply on each contraction. He recommended always striving for a full range of motion in every exercise to maximize the muscle’s growth potential.
Tri-Sets and Supersets for Arms
Supersets and tri-sets were staples in Arnold’s arm training, especially as he prepared for competitions. By supersetting biceps and triceps exercises, he could maintain an intense pump throughout the workout, which not only enhanced muscle growth but also endurance. For instance, he would superset a bicep curl with a tricep extension, moving quickly between exercises to keep the muscles under constant stress.
In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approach to arm training, employing supersets and tri-sets is crucial for maximizing intensity and achieving detailed muscle development. Supersets, which involve performing two exercises consecutively without rest, are used to enhance muscular endurance and facilitate a greater pump, especially beneficial when training opposing muscle groups like the biceps and triceps. This method helps create a significant pump, allowing for heavier loads during triceps exercises due to the cushioning effect of the pumped biceps.
Tri-sets, involving three consecutive exercises without rest, are particularly effective during competition preparation. They help to intensify the workout and maximize muscle overload, leading to deeper muscle striations and a more sculpted look essential for competition. These high-intensity techniques are vital for pushing muscles beyond their normal capacity, ensuring that every part of the muscle is thoroughly exhausted and stimulated for growth .
Changing Things Up
Arnold also emphasized the importance of adjusting grip and hand position to target different aspects of the muscles. For biceps, he would change his grip on barbell curls and use dumbbells to allow for wrist rotation, which activates different parts of the bicep. For triceps, varying the grip on pushdowns and extensions could isolate different heads of the muscle, promoting balanced growth and detailed definition.
Understanding Technique and Muscle Anatomy
Lastly, Arnold stressed the importance of not just working hard but also working smart. This meant understanding the anatomy of the arm muscles, using proper form to avoid injury, and continuously adjusting one’s training regimen to overcome plateaus and continue making gains. His approach to arm training was not just about lifting weights; it was about sculpting a masterpiece.
To learn more about how to train like Arnold, read our articles on Arnold’s back workout, chest workout, leg workout, and shoulder workout.
References
The rights to all images used in this article belong to:
- Schwarzenegger, Arnold, and Bill Dobbins. The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. Simon & Schuster, 1998.
- Gaines, Charles, and George Butler, directors. Pumping Iron. White Mountain Films, 1977.
