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Arnold Schwarzenegger's Arm Workout
Arnold is well-known for his volume training which he would combine with an unparalleled intensity. We need to understand that any bodybuilder who stands over 6 feet tall, simply has to have massive arms of at least 20 inches if they want to look like a decent bodybuilder onstage.
For Arnold Schwarzenegger his arm training was not simply hitting the gym with another workout and finishing a few sets. Arnold was consistent with the mind-numbing intensity that he would train each body-part with high volume, developing each muscle group to its absolute maximum.
Arnold strongly believed in full arm development when training all his arm muscles from every angle possible is the only way to achieve complete arm development, the judges are looking at your arms from every angle while posing. Arnold was able to show us all a clear visible development in all the many different arm muscles, with full muscle bellies in a balanced proportion.
Building arms that'll win 7 Olympia titles, Arnold used every bodybuilding trick in the book. Listed below is a very detailed look at his arm-training techniques that he used. It needs to be noted upfront that the workout techniques listed below also include some very advanced movements not for the novice bodybuilder.
Arnold trained his biceps, triceps, and his forearms with the same intensity; he constantly said the triceps are larger and a lot more complex, so he would spend one-third of his arm workout on biceps with two-thirds on his triceps. Arnold recommended that everyone should train triceps from every possible angle because when you're posing onstage your triceps are impossible to hide.
Arnold spoke at length about the importance of visualization when training arms but he also spoke about the importance of "shocking" the muscles into growth. He did this by integrating tricks that included switching up loads lifted, adding sets and reps, speeding up training to lift with a little more force, decreasing rest time between sets, performing unfamiliar exercises, or simply changing the normal exercise pattern to an unfamiliar order.
Arnold would use Forced Reps, Partial Reps, Negative Repetitions, Cheating, and Supersets, always prioritizing his weak points and emphasizing his training technique using correct form. From posing between sets to changing his hand position on the bar, Arnold tried it all.
Below is a copy of Arnold's advanced arm workout routine that he would use during the mid-70s. Arnold recommended that all forearm training should be done on a separate day, to prioritize this often very stubborn grouping:
Arnold's advanced biceps and triceps routine:
SUPERSET barbell curls with lying triceps press 4 X 10 to 12 reps
SUPERSET alternate hammer curls with triceps pushdowns 4 X 10 to 12 reps
SUPERSET incline D/B curls with kneeling cable triceps extensions 4 X 10 to 12 reps
SUPERSET concentration curls with standing one-arm triceps extensions 4 X 10 to 12 reps
BENCH DIPS 2 X 26 reps