Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the greatest athletes in the world of professional sports. This man alone managed to turn upside down ideas about the capabilities of our body and make a real revolution in the world of bodybuilding. What is the Arnold Schwarzenegger exercise system? What are the principles of the classes of an outstanding athlete? About this in the article.
Arnoldo Schwarzenegger - anthropometric data
What anthropometry did an athlete have at the peak of his physical form? First, consider the weight and height of Schwarzenegger. The height of the athlete is 188 cm. The error throughout the athlete's life was several centimeters. Arnie reached a weight of 107 kg during competitive practice. In the offseason, the rate increased to 115 kg due to the intentional gain in fat mass.
If we consider the size of the Schwarzenegger biceps, based on the shape at the individual stages of the performances, the parameter was 54–57 cm. The athlete’s chest volume was 135–145 cm. Arnold paid particular attention to pumping this part of the body. The waist of our hero was 87 cm, the hips - 72 cm, and the shin - 50 cm.
About athlete's diet
Arnold Schwarzenegger training programs would not be so effective without a clear adherence to a special nutrition plan. The athlete reinforced regular exercise at the limit of opportunities by absorbing quality products. Composing a daily diet, Arnie paid attention to the following points:
- At least 5 - 6 meals during the day. Three times a day, the athlete organized a full feast. By the way, the athlete did small snacks whole meals 2-3 times.
- Replenishment of expended energy. During the day, the athlete absorbed such an amount of food that gave the body about 5,000 calories.
- Consumption of abundance of proteins and carbohydrates. Arnie consumed nutritious shakes daily. This ensured that the body was saturated with proteins in an amount of at least 300 grams and a similar amount of carbohydrates. The athlete drank cocktails half an hour after the end of the training.
The principle of separate training
Arnold Schwarzenegger's training programs were based on the following principle: working out during each session certain muscle groups, avoiding the loads on the whole body. When our hero first came to bodybuilding, successful athletes were inclined to perform complex exercises. Largely due to the rapid progress of “Iron Arnie”, many athletes soon realized that it would be extremely difficult to achieve truly impressive results without a high-quality, isolated study of each muscle.
Schwarzenegger has developed a system of new effective exercises that provide accentuated loads on individual parts of the body at various angles. The athlete took as a basis an increased number of approaches and an increase in the intensity of each body movement. The solution provided a quick break in muscle fibers and the formation of new structures with the increase in muscle volume.
Arnold conditionally divided the body into two separate parts. On certain days, the athlete pumped exclusively the upper limbs, shoulders and body. The next workout involved performing exercises only on the lower body. The splitting method maintained the right balance between stress and rest. The solution contributed to a doubling of the resources needed for the growth of target muscles. One part of the body at the beginning of the next training session always remained more “fresh”, getting rest.
It was after the start of translating these ideas into reality that Schwarzenegger experienced a noticeable “jump” in muscle growth. It is worth noting that in the first years of training Arnie (like the other athletes) practiced according to the system of "balanced pumping of the whole body in one session."
Work to failure
Another idea that was implemented in the programs of Arnold Schwarzenegger was the principle of work to failure. At the dawn of a career in sports, the athlete tried to create such high loads that during the course of training, unbearable pain often made him scream and lose consciousness. Exercising daily on the verge of human capabilities, “Iron Arnie” achieved the effect of muscle failure. Each time the target muscles were subjected to even more stress.
Body recovery
Arnie said that to increase the productivity of training requires a good rest. Intensive classes forced the athlete to take quite long breaks between classes. The athlete devoted about 8 hours a day to sleep. After training, our hero avoided various kinds of activities and tried to be at rest.
Chest and back muscle training
The training program of Arnold Schwarzenegger assumed the provision of increased loads on the main muscle groups twice a week. This athlete mentions in his book under the title "Encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding." To achieve outstanding results, the athlete resorted to the following exercises:
- Bench press lying on a horizontal and inclined bench.
- Pullover dumbbells lying with breeding limbs.
- Rod pull in an inclined rack.
- Pull-ups.
- Deadlift with heavy barbell.
The main place in the program of Arnold Schwarzenegger was occupied by breeding dumbbells in the supine position on the bench. Performing this particular exercise with high intensity provided the athlete with progressive growth of the pectoral muscles and the achievement of the incredible width of the presented area. Such results are due to the alternate contraction and stretching of the muscles, which was considered by Schwarzenegger as one of the most important points.
Hands and shoulder girdle
Schwarzenegger devoted a lot of time to various kinds of flexion of the upper extremities with weights, using dumbbells and a bar as the last. The favorite technique for the athlete’s classes was drop sets, which suggest some reduction in the weight of the sports apparatus during the next approach and with an increase in the number of repetitions. The decision contributed to the shock effect on biceps and the progressive growth of muscles.
In order to train his arms and shoulders, Arnie pushed the bar with a throw on his chest. The athlete paid considerable importance to the breeding of the upper limbs with dumbbells in the standing side and the vertical draft of the shells. The training program included an army bench press, lifting the load on the biceps.
Then Schwarzenegger went to the bench press with a narrow grip, the French press of the projectile behind his head. In order to exert pressure on the forearms, the athlete bent his wrists with dumbbells with his palms up and down, placing his limbs in a horizontal plane on the bench.
Leg muscles
As a fundamental exercise for developing the muscles of the lower extremities, Arnie noted squats. The use of heavy loads during training allowed the famous bodybuilder to achieve volume growth in the marked zone. Schwarzenegger alternated a wide variety of exercises. Most often, the athlete crouched with a bar held on his shoulders and chest. Sports equipment was also used during attacks with the lower extremities forward.
Arnold regularly bent his legs while lying on the simulator, taking the position face down. A special place in the training program was occupied by deadlift rods with straightened lower limbs. To pump the muscles of the legs, the athlete lifted the toes of the feet with additional weight on the simulator.
Abdominal muscles
To pump the press, Arnie resorted to twisting the case. Training included lifting the lower limbs and torso while lying on a bench. The athlete regularly raised his legs in a hang on the horizontal bar. In an effort to achieve noticeable progress in pumping abdominal muscles, Schwarzenegger performed several hundred twists of the body on a Roman bench during one training session.