Arnold’s Golden Six Routine

“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

Why Golden Six Routine?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is known to be one of the best built bodybuilders in the world. He is the ultimate split training king but he started his profession on a full-body routine and he recommends it even today for all beginners.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tried this routine of 6 exercises and found success, the method was fondly called as “The Golden Six”. Now it is popularly known as “Arnold’s Golden Six Routine”.

Arnold’s Full Body Golden 6 Workout vs. Normal Split Routine

There are pros and cons in every kind of workout, full body workout and split routines are no exception.

Pros and Cons of Arnold’s Golden 6 Workout

Pros

• A full body workout stimulates many muscles on the same day whereas the split routine targets different muscle groups on different days.
• In simple words you would be doing a full body workout on all three days you have planned to work out on, but in split routine you will perform different kinds of exercises focusing specific muscle groups on the prefixed days.
• A full body workout works on entire body at a time, hence you tend to have a balanced body structure and even if you miss a session, it will not make a huge difference as you have already worked on all the muscle groups on the other days.
• Arnold’s full body workout precisely helps you reduce the fats and burn more calories than a split workout. It cuts fats and boosts the muscle hypertrophy.

Cons 

• You may feel overtired in a single day as your entire body has worked. You may feel exhausted and it may take 4-5 days to recover from the fatigue.

It is advised to increase training frequency and go for higher weights instead of higher reps. Reduce the number of reps to avoid over tiring effects of a full body workout.

Increase sets instead of reps. So you can lift higher weights.

Pros and Cons of Normal Split Routine

Pros

• It works on the spot enhancement. You can focus on any specific muscle group and build it well.
• Easy to perform and less tiring than full body workout.
• It is easy to change the workouts on every other day. As your focus changes from one muscle group to the other.

Cons 

• Burns Less Calories as you tend to focus on specific part of the body.
• This does not give you a definitive body structure as you may focus more on a specific muscle group than the entire body.
• It’s hard to skip a workout when you’ve already planned which muscles you’ll be exercising.

A beginner can successfully and efficiently build muscle, or can lose fat with both these types of workouts. But when it comes to having a overall well-structured strong physique, full body workout is always recommended.

What Should Be Your Workout Schedule?

This workout is very easy and works your whole body. You can do it three times a week without messing up your busy schedule. If you’re super busy, consider cutting down the workout time and go for shorter sessions. 

Another way to make time for your workout is by waking up a little earlier.

• Day 1: On
• Day 2: Off
• Day 3: On
• Day 4: Off
• Day 5: On
• Day 6: Off
• Day 7: Off

Arnold’s Golden Six Routine

• Squat- 4 Sets of 10 reps
• Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press- 3 Sets of 10 reps
• Chin Up- 3 Sets till Failure
• Behind The Neck Overhead Press- 4 Sets 10 reps
• Barbell Curl- 3 Sets of 10 reps
• Bent Knee Sit Up- 3-4 Sets till Failure

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Arnold’s Golden six workout focuses precisely on six of the main compound exercises namely:

Squat

Squats are great because they help build your entire leg muscles i.e. quadriceps, calves, and hamstrings. Squats can boost your metabolism and raise testosterone levels, leading to better overall muscle growth and increased muscle mass.

Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press

The wide grip barbell bench press is a highly popular strength training exercise, and it’s a classic choice for good reasons. It’s an excellent way to specifically work on your chest and shoulder muscles, helping you build them effectively.

Chin Up

Chin-ups target the biceps, latissimus dorsi (lats), and teres major (outer back). Since you’re lifting your entire body weight using your palms, chin-ups are a very effective and relatively easy exercise. So, doing three sets of eight to twelve chin-ups is a great start for beginners.

Behind The Neck Overhead Press

The behind-the-neck press targets the supraspinatus muscles, located at the top of the shoulder. This exercise can place extra strain on the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulders. If you’re a beginner, it’s a good idea to begin with light weights to gauge your strength and gradually work your way up to heavier weights.

Barbell Curl

A barbell curl mainly works your biceps, with a bit of pressure on your forearms. If you’re just starting, begin with lighter weights and gradually progress to heavier weights.

Bent Knee Sit Up

You can easily do the classic Bent Knee Sit Up to strengthen your abs. Plus, this exercise offers some level of comfort while performing it.

The Golden 6 workout offers the benefits of a full-body workout, ensuring no muscle group is left out, and it covers a complete workout for all your muscles.

Why no dead lifts and calves?

When you have done 4 sets of 10 squats thrice a week, your legs are already tired. If you are going to add dead lifts and calves to the same session, it can do a lot of damage to the hamstrings and legs overall.

So when you perform voluminous sets of squats, avoid going for the dead lifts or calves in the same session to avoid exertion and severe damage.

If you want deadlifts in your workout, then replace squats with deadlifts

Why should you avoid behind the neck shoulder press?

Performing a behind-the-neck shoulder press can put significant stress on the rotator cuff muscles. If your shoulder mobility is limited or you’re lifting weights that are too heavy for you, it may cause harm to your shoulder muscles. Additionally, this exercise can also strain your neck, as it places substantial pressure on both these areas.

You can opt for alternative exercises that offer similar benefits:

• Behind the neck press with the dumbbells
• Basic shoulder press, where you hold the weight in front of your body.

Modified golden six routine

How to modify golden 6 routine?

To enhance the program’s effectiveness, consider incorporating some isolation exercises and regularly switching up your exercises.

When you find yourself stuck in a training plateau, it’s a good idea to change either the exercise or your training approach. Here, we’ve provided a list of some great alternative exercises and effective training methods.

Alternative exercises for the existing ones:

• Squats: Sumo Stance Deadlift, Deadlift, Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, Leg Press
• Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press: Barbell/Dumbbell Floor Press, Incline/Decline variations of Dumbbell/Barbell Bench Press, Close-Grip Bench Press, Reverse-Grip Bench Press etc.
• Chin Up: Lat Pull downs, Bent Over Barbell/Dumbbell Rows, Cable Rows etc.
• Behind The Neck Overhead Press: Standing Overhead Barbell Press, Overhead Dumbbell Press, Arnold Shoulder Press etc.
• Barbell Curl: Barbell Curl With Chains, Close Grip & Wide Grip Curls, Seated Dumbbell Curl, Incline Bench Seated Curl, Spider Curl, Preacher Curl etc.
• Bent Knee Sit Ups: Decline Crunches, Lying Leg Raises, Hanging Leg Raises, Wood Chopper, Bicycle Crunches etc.

Different Training Methodologies

Pyramid Style Workout

A pyramid-style workout consists of sets of the same exercise. It begins with light weights and higher reps, then gradually increases the weight while reducing the number of reps. In simple terms, you start with light weights and, with each set, you increase the weight while doing fewer reps.

Example:  3 set of 12-10-8 reps or 4 sets of 12-10-8-6 reps

Reverse Pyramid Training

Reverse Pyramid Training is a method where you start with the heaviest weight in the initial set of a particular exercise, and then you decrease the weight while increasing the number of reps in the following sets.

Negative Training

Negative training is a unique weightlifting technique where a lifter focuses on a specific phase of a lift. This method is commonly used to build muscle strength, power and size, often referred to as hypertrophy training.

It’s an effective way to increase weight because it emphasizes the lowering phase. To do this, you need to slow down the lowering phase, typically taking 3-5 seconds.

It’s important to have a training partner for negative training.

The 28 Method

This is a new lifting practice used in bodybuilding, and it works for anyone who wants to build some muscles. In 28 method workout you will combine 4 sets of 7 reps of the same exericese one after another in a single set. And with each set, you will have to keep changing the speed of exercise.

Basically in a single set one will do 7 full reps, 7 slow reps, 7 top half reps and 7 bottom half reps without any rest. Then you will repeat the set.

AMRAP

In bodybuilding, AMRAP stands for ‘As Many Reps As Possible,’ which means you aim to do as many reps as you can in a workout. Usually, bodybuilders do AMRAP on the final set of an exercise.

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Winding Up

Selecting the right workout style depends on your goals, lifestyle, and commitment. If your goal is to build strong muscles, the Golden Six Workout is a flexible program that can be tailored to your abilities.

Choose the approach that fits you best and embark on your journey to a healthier and stronger you.