Arnold 6 Exercises – Original program and two newer editions

Arnold 6 Exercises – Original program and two newer editions:

In this article you will find three versions of Arnold Schwarzeneggers’ legendary Golden Six muscle building program: Original Golden Six, Beginners’ Golden Six and Golden Six 2020

• Step – by – Step guides for three variations of Arnold Golden Six program
  • Original Golden Six
  • Beginners’ Golden Six
  • Golden Six 2020
• Goal: building muscle mass and strength
• Technical complexity: easy – medium
• 1 – Day Split
• Duration: 40 – 60 minutes
• 3 times a week

“When I was trying to get bigger in my early days of training, I followed a routine called the Golden Six. I made tremendous gains on this program and so did many others who trained at my gym in Munich. All agreed that this simple system of training produced excellent gains in muscle size and bodyweight.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold’s Golden Six has been the go-to program for many upcoming and as well as experienced gym-goers for the past the two-three decades. We all know Arnold Schwarzenegger is someone we all look up to when we think what should be our goal for exercising. In gyms, in any corner of the world, you’d surely find a picture of Arnold gracing the gym walls.

Moreover, the original Golden Six is a very simple yet effective workout. It includes six basic exercises, which in principle work almost all of our muscles. Do it three times a week and you will see results, no doubt.

So why did I make two alternative versions of the program?

First, it is amazing how often I hear or read that, “Golden Six is good for beginners”. While it is simple program, it does not mean that it is good for beginners. Doing so many big exercises and at such a high volume in one workout, will sooner or later cause serious overtraining syndrome or injuries to the beginner gym-goer. So, I made a version which is based on original Golden Six but which will suit beginners better.

Secondly, while Golden Six works almost all of your muscles, there is some debate that some muscles are left out. Obviously some muscles are hit as a synergists, like triceps in Bench Press, but some muscles are left completely out if you look at the program very critically. I made another version of the original- Golden Six 2020, which also pays attention to hamstrings, triceps, erector spinae, rear delts and obliques. Still, the foundation of this edition lies in the Original Golden Six.

Given below is my newbie-friendly edition of Arnold’s Golden Six.

1. Leg Press (Glutes, quads): 2 x 15. Set your legs to about shoulder width. If you want more emphasis on glutes, set your legs to the upper part of plate, and if you want to focus on quads, set them to the lower part of plate. When you straighten your legs, don’t let them go all the way to the straight knee lock position. Rest between sets for one minute.
2. Bench Press Machine (Chest, shoulders, triceps): 2 x 15. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
3. Lat Pulldown (Lats, trapezius, biceps): 2 x 15. Bring the bar to your upper chest, don’t bring it to your lap (typical mistake I see at gyms). While you let the bar go up, also let your shoulders go up with it. When you pull the bar down, squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement. Rest between the sets for one minute.
4. Lever Shoulder Press (Shoulders, triceps): 3 x 15. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
5. Barbell Bicep Curl (Biceps): 3 x 15. Keep the weight low enough, so you don’t need to wave your body to do the reps. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
6. Crunches (Abs): 3 x 15 – 20. Rest between sets 1 minute.

The Workout

To be completed three days a week with at least one day rest in between workouts. 90 seconds rest between all sets.

Barbell Back Squat x 10 reps and 4 sets

Begin by grabbing the barbell a little wider than shoulder-width apart and unrack the barbell with it on the meaty part of your shoulders, behind your head. Maintain an upright torso and push your hips back, bending your knees until your thighs pass parallel to the floor. Stand back up to the start position.

MH: The godfather of leg exercises, the barbell back squat would of course be at centre stage in the Golden Six workout. While one leg exercise a session is likely to be scoffed at by the devout leg day enthusiasts, the high volume certainly got the workout off to a high intensity start. The rest time is just about adequate, but if you’re used to strength training and reaching more maximal efforts at the end of your sets, you may find it a tad brisk. Adjust your weights accordingly.

Barbell Bench Press x 10 reps and 3 sets

Lay flat on a bench, with your knees bent and pushing your feet into the floor. Take the weight off the rack, locking out your elbows. Lower the bar slowly until it touches your chest. Keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle, pause here before explosively pressing back up.

MH: Another heavy compound lift, this is where the intensity starts to increase. For beginners, perhaps this could be subbed for dumbbell bench press to help build strength equally between the arms and also to increase range of movement during the reps. For more experienced lifters, the addition of incline bench press on an alternate day could benefit muscle building for the entirety of the pecs.

Pull-ups x max reps and 3 sets

Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip with you hands over shoulder-width apart. Lift your feet from the floor, hanging freely with straight arms. Pull yourself up by flexing the elbows, while pinching your shoulder blades together. When your chin passes the bar, pause before lowering to the starting position.

MH: At this point in the workout, the culmination of big lifts back to back started to take their toll. The reps are long and the rest has a sharpish turnaround considering the prescribed max effort. Since the workout is aimed at beginners, the addition of pull-ups in the programme is a little optimistic. If you haven’t managed to do these yet, regress the exercise by completing inverted rows, ring rows or banded pull ups, which could help you acquire the necessary strength to reach higher reps.

Behind the Neck Barbell Press x 10 reps and 4 sets

Take the barbell behind the neck with a wide grip. Take a breath and brace your core. Press the barbell overhead while keeping the chest open. Lower under control to your shoulders and repeat.

MH: A controversial choice of exercise, especially for beginners. The behind the neck barbell press divides lifters over its safety and efficacy. It is believed that for people without the required mobility, it can put excessive stress on the shoulders. However, as with many exercises, usually it is the load of the exercise that can cause issues, not necessarily the exercise itself. The exercise can easily be subbed for dumbbell or barbell strict press, and the Golden Six has been widely modified online to adopt these changes should you be concerned about the exercise choice.

Barbell Bicep Curls x 10 reps and 3 sets

Stand tall, gripping a barbell with palms facing upwards. With minimal momentum, curl the barbell upwards, until your little fingers are near your shoulders. Squeeze here and lower the weight under control.

MH: It wouldn’t be an Arnie workout without barbell bicep curls. In many clips from Schwarzenegger’s training through the ages, he can be seen completing ‘cheat curls’ to focus on the eccentric part of the movement. This means to drive your hips forward and use the momentum to help you curl the barbell upwards. On the descent, the weight is controlled slowly for a three count. If you find this part of the workout brings you repeatedly to failure during your reps of 10, reducing the weight can be your first port of call. However, if like MH, you don’t have lower weights available, ‘cheat curls’ could be the answer due to the eccentric part of the movement being slightly easier. It’s not cheating if you can get a few extra reps in, and after all, if it’s good enough for Arnie…

Sit-ups x max reps and 3 sets

With your legs bent and your soles on the floor, lie with your arms at your sides. Tense your abs as you lift up, and touch your hands to your knees. Reverse the move, slowly and under control.

MH: Schwarzenegger is famous for his lengthy abs sessions, mentioning his father would make sure he completed 200 reps before breakfast. With the bar set high, we completed 25 and got a bit bored. To avoid succumbing to an Arnie-workout-induced existential dread, a weight was added to cut down on the reps and speed up the process to hit fatigue. We recommend to regress the exercise, complete crunches, and to progress the exercise, complete jack knives or weighted sit-ups.

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