Arnold Split: The Full 6-Day Program, Who It Suits and a 4-Day Version

The Arnold split is a six-day routine built from three sessions: chest and back, shoulders and arms, and legs. You do the three in order, repeat them, and rest on the seventh day, so every muscle gets trained twice a week. It suits lifters who already train consistently and can recover from six sessions. Beginners and anyone short on time or sleep will usually do better on four days.

What the Arnold split is and where it comes from

The name comes from Arnold Schwarzenegger's training in the 1970s. The source most guides point to is his book with Bill Dobbins, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. Its advanced chapter is built around high-set training and double-split training, which means two sessions in the same day (Schwarzenegger & Dobbins, 1998).

What gyms call the Arnold split today is a simpler, one-session-a-day version of that idea. Three pairings make it different from other splits:

• Chest with back. These muscles work in opposite directions, so you can alternate a press and a pull and let one rest while the other works.
• Shoulders with arms. Biceps and triceps get a full session of their own instead of the leftovers after chest or back.
• Legs alone. Squats, hinges, hamstrings and calves get a whole day.

The full 6-day Arnold split program

The layout:

Each table below lists the exercises for the first half of the week (A) and the swap for the second half (B). Same sets and reps on both days. Stop each set with one or two reps left in the tank.

Chest and back (Monday and Thursday)

You can pair each press with the pull below it and alternate sets. That saves time on a 16-set day. For more options, see the best chest exercises and the back and bicep workout.

Shoulders and arms (Tuesday and Friday)

Lateral raises get four sets because presses work the side delts much less than the front delts. The rear delt exercises and best tricep exercises guides have more swaps if something hurts.

Legs (Wednesday and Saturday)

The leg day workout explains each lift and gives home swaps.

What that adds up to

Counting only direct sets, the week gives chest about 16 sets, back about 14 to 16, quads 14, hamstrings 12, biceps and triceps 10 each, and side delts 8. Pressing and rowing add more work for shoulders and arms on top of that. A 2017 meta-analysis found that more weekly sets led to more growth, with the best results at 10 or more sets per muscle per week (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). So this program clears that line for every major muscle. Run your own numbers through the weekly sets calculator if you change exercises.

Who the Arnold split suits, and who should skip it

Training a muscle twice a week has decent support. A 2016 meta-analysis found more growth from twice-weekly training than from once a week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). A later one that matched total volume found that frequency itself mattered little, and that its main use is spreading out your sets (Schoenfeld et al., 2019). The Arnold split gets you to two sessions a week per muscle. Whether that works for you depends on recovery and schedule.

It suits you if:

• You have trained steadily for a while and progress has slowed on three or four days.
• You can be in the gym six days a week, most weeks.
• You sleep and eat enough to recover from about 110 hard sets a week.
• You like long, focused sessions per body part, especially for arms and shoulders.

Skip it, or use the shorter version below, if:

• You are a beginner. The ACSM progression guidelines suggest two to three full-body days a week for novices and keep four to six days for advanced lifters (Ratamess et al., 2009). Six days adds fatigue a beginner doesn't need.
• You often miss days. Missing one session on a six-day plan pushes everything else back.
• Your shoulders or elbows complain. Monday's presses are followed by Tuesday's overhead press and triceps work, so the front delts and triceps get worked on back-to-back days.
• You are in a big calorie deficit or sleeping badly. Recovery is the first thing to suffer.

The 4-day and 5-day Arnold split

If six days is too many, keep the pairings and drop sessions. The trick is to use exercises that cover two jobs: chin-ups train back and biceps, and dips train chest and triceps.

On four days, add a set to the main lifts of each session so the weekly total doesn't drop too far. Check it with the calculator above.

Arnold split vs. PPL vs. upper/lower

When the weekly sets are the same, studies haven't found that one way of dividing the body builds more muscle or strength. A 2024 meta-analysis comparing split routines with full-body training found no difference (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024). So the choice comes down to how many days you can train and which sessions you'll actually look forward to.

How to progress on the Arnold split

Use the rep ranges in the tables. When you hit the top of the range on every set of an exercise, add weight next time and start again from the bottom. That is progressive overload in its simplest form.

Example with made-up numbers: Monday you bench 80 kg for 8, 7 and 6. You stay at 80 kg until you get 8, 8 and 8, then move to 82.5 kg and work back up from 6. To set first-week weights, estimate your max from a recent set with the one-rep max calculator.

Write every set down. You train each session twice a week, so on Thursday you need to know exactly what you did on Monday.

Common mistakes

• Doing Arnold's volume. Pro bodybuilders' double-split days are not a starting point. Use the program above and add sets only if you keep progressing and recover well. The sets per week guide shows where to stop.
• Skipping the second leg day. Many people keep both arm days and quietly drop one leg day. That halves your leg training.
• Going to failure on every set. Leave a rep or two in reserve, especially on squats and presses.
• Changing exercises every week. Keep the A and B lists for at least six to eight weeks so you can see progress.

Want the Arnold split adapted to your body?

Discover the routine that fits your body best with a simple scan.

Get

If you have pain that gets worse from session to session, a past injury or a heart condition, talk to a doctor or physical therapist before moving to six training days.