Train your entire physique with Arnold Schwarzenegger's triple superset exercise routine
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the legendary bodybuilder, has shared a compact yet effective full-body workout that can be done at home with just a pair of dumbbells. This routine, inspired by Arnie's Golden Era training, targets the main movement patterns: squat, hinge, push, and pull, in a time-efficient manner.
The Workout
The workout consists of four supersets, each focusing on a different movement pattern. Here's a breakdown of the exercises:
Superset 1 - Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10 reps - Reverse Lunges: 3 sets of 8 reps per leg
Superset 2 - Goblet Squat: 3 sets of 10 reps - Three-Point Row: 3 sets of 10 reps
Superset 3 - Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps - Push Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
Finisher (Bicep-focused) - A bicep finisher using the 'stripping method' to exhaust the biceps
Instructions
Perform each pair of exercises as a superset, completing one set of the first exercise immediately followed by the second. Rest 60 seconds between exercises within the superset. After both exercises, take a 2-minute rest before repeating the superset two more times (3 sets total). After completing all supersets, finish with the bicep finisher using the stripping method where you reduce the weight after each mini set to continue working the muscles without resting.
This structure hits all major muscle groups and promotes functional strength by including compound movement patterns such as squatting, hinging, pushing, and pulling. The aim of the workout is to build maximum muscle in minimal time, and it can be completed in approximately 40 minutes.
Additional Notes
The workout emphasizes efficient muscle building across the whole body using only dumbbells at home. It draws inspiration from Arnold’s Golden Era training methods but adapts intensity and volume for modern home use. The ‘stripping method’ is a technique Arnold favored where you drop weight after muscle fatigue to prolong the set and stimulate muscle growth further.
If different weighted dumbbells are not available, two sets of 8-10 reps can be done, followed immediately by as many reps as possible. The bicep finisher involves doing as many reps as possible with the initial weight, then dropping the weight by 5lbs and repeating until unable to do more reps.
This routine offers a balanced approach targeting upper and lower body while keeping rest times brief, making it suitable for a comprehensive yet time-efficient workout at home with minimal equipment. The 8-minute upright ab workout involves no floor exercises and only requires dumbbells, making it a perfect addition to this full-body workout.
In this compact full-body workout, the exercises are organized into four supersets to target the main movement patterns: squat, hinge, push, and pull. The workout includes a series of dumbbell exercises such as the Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, and Three-Point Row that fall under these categories.
Additionally, the 'stripping method' is employed in the bicep finisher to stimulate muscle growth further by reducing the weight after muscle fatigue, drawing inspiration from Arnold Schwarzenegger's Golden Era training techniques.
