In this article you will find three versions of Arnold Schwarzeneggers’ legendary Golden Six muscle building program: Original Golden Six, Beginners’ Golden Six and Golden Six 2020
- Step – by – Step guides for three variations of Arnold Golden Six program
- Original Golden Six
- Beginners’ Golden Six
- Golden Six 2020
- Goal: building muscle mass and strength
- Technical complexity: easy – medium
- 1 – Day Split
- Duration: 40 – 60 minutes
- 3 times a week
“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
Arnold’s Golden Six has been the go-to program for many upcoming and as well as experienced gym-goers for the past the two-three decades. We all know Arnold Schwarzenegger is someone we all look up to when we think what should be our goal for exercising. In gyms, in any corner of the world, you’d surely find a picture of Arnold gracing the gym walls.
Moreover, the original Golden Six is a very simple yet effective workout. It includes six basic exercises, which in principle work almost all of our muscles. Do it three times a week and you will see results, no doubt.
So why did I make two alternative versions of the program?
First, it is amazing how often I hear or read that, “Golden Six is good for beginners”. While it is simple program, it does not mean that it is good for beginners. Doing so many big exercises and at such a high volume in one workout, will sooner or later cause serious overtraining syndrome or injuries to the beginner gym-goer. So, I made a version which is based on original Golden Six but which will suit beginners better.
Secondly, while Golden Six works almost all of your muscles, there is some debate that some muscles are left out. Obviously some muscles are hit as a synergists, like triceps in Bench Press, but some muscles are left completely out if you look at the program very critically. I made another version of the original- Golden Six 2020, which also pays attention to hamstrings, triceps, erector spinae, rear delts and obliques. Still, the foundation of this edition lies in the Original Golden Six.
Common instructions for all editions
Arnold does not mention anything about warming up before workout or exercises. I recommend warming for up 5 to 10 minutes on a treadmill, exercise bike or a rowing machine before working out. I also recommend doing one or two warm-up sets before working sets in every exercise.
In all editions, there are three training days in a week (two to three in the beginner’s version). It is advisable to not do them in consecutive days. It is good to have one or two resting days between workouts.
Good duration for this training program is 12 – 15 weeks at max, after that your muscles yearn for more variation and new kind of stimulation.
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Original Arnod Golden Six
There is Arnold’s plan in his own words.
- Squat: 4 x 10. This exercise not only develops the lower body, but it strengthens the heart and lungs while improving the general circulation as well. Use a weight that will allow you to perform 4 sets of 10 reps. Always lower yourself until your upper thighs are at least parallel to the floor, and keep your back flat. Rest 2 minutes between sets.
- Bench Press: 3 x 10. This is my favorite upper body exercise, and almost every training program I’ve ever used includes it. Take a fairly wide grip — your hands about 32 inches apart. Inhale as you lower the bar to your nipples and exhale as you push it back to arms’ length. Don’t bounce the weight off your chest. Rest 2 minutes between sets.
- Pull Ups: 3 x maximum reps. If you have limited training experience, you may find chins (Pull Ups) difficult at first. If you have a lat machine, you can perform pulldowns until you’ve developed sufficient strength to do chins. Use a fairly wide grip and try to bring your chin over the bar. Rest 2 minutes between sets.
- Barbell Military Press: 4 x 10. This exercise reigns supreme for widening and thickening the shoulders. Use a wide grip — your thumbs about six inches wider than your delts on each side. Lower the weight slowly and don’t pause at the bottom. Rest 2 minutes between sets.
- Barbell Curl: 3 x 10. The triceps have already been thoroughly exercised during the bench press and the overhead press. Use a shoulder width grip and a weight you can curl without any body movement. Don’t let your elbows move away from the sides of your body, and make sure you straighten your arms completely before each rep. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
- Abs: 3 sets. Crunches or/and V-ups. Rest one minute between sets.
When you have managed to do your sets using a clean technique for 2-3 workouts in a row, you can add weights. The weights you are using are essentially 60 – 80 % of your estimated one rep max. Keep the weight the same through the set.
Calculate your estimated one rep max>
Beginners’ Golden Six
I understand why Original Golden Six is recommended, albeit incorrectly as a beginner’s workout. It is 1- day split workout, which is always a good choice for beginners and with six exercises it covers almost your whole body.
That said, I still would make some alterations to the program, before I would recommend it to one of my clients who is starting his or her gym career.
I’d change some exercises to their easier counterparts, like the Barbell Squat to Leg Press. Also rep and set count and resting times should be changed. Original 3-4 x 10 with 2 minutes rest is good for a seasoned gym-goer who aims for muscle building, while it is not the best option for a newcomer who is just starting his or her journey with irons. When you start training at gym, you should first concentrate on strength-endurance type training with lower weights, higher rep count and shorter resting times.
Given below is my newbie-friendly edition of Arnold’s Golden Six.
- Leg Press (Glutes, quads): 2 x 15. Set your legs to about shoulder width. If you want more emphasis on glutes, set your legs to the upper part of plate, and if you want to focus on quads, set them to the lower part of plate. When you straighten your legs, don’t let them go all the way to the straight knee lock position. Rest between sets for one minute.
- Bench Press Machine (Chest, shoulders, triceps): 2 x 15. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
- Lat Pulldown (Lats, trapezius, biceps): 2 x 15. Bring the bar to your upper chest, don’t bring it to your lap (typical mistake I see at gyms). While you let the bar go up, also let your shoulders go up with it. When you pull the bar down, squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement. Rest between the sets for one minute.
- Lever Shoulder Press (Shoulders, triceps): 3 x 15. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
- Barbell Bicep Curl (Biceps): 3 x 15. Keep the weight low enough, so you don’t need to wave your body to do the reps. Rest between the sets for 1 minute.
- Crunches (Abs): 3 x 15 – 20. Rest between sets 1 minute.
Choose a weight which is 40 – 60% of your one rep max. Weight is right when you have the feeling that you could have done a few reps more after your last set. Keep the weight same in every set. Increase the weights a bit after every few weeks.
Calculate your estimated one rep max>
Arnold Golden Six 2020
When you are training with 1 – day split program, it is impossible to include exercises for absolutely all muscle groups. For example, in Original Arnold Golden you will miss hamstrings, calves, erector spinae, rear delts, obliques and main exercise for triceps.
Some aforementioned muscles get some indirect stress in Original Golden Six, but I decided to make a version which would take care of those “missing” muscle groups as well. This version is not meant to be better than Golden Six, it is just a different version which spreads training effects to a wider area of your body.
In the workout, many exercises are marked A or B, this means that you do the exercises in turns. The exercises marked ‘A’ are to be done on one training day and ‘B’ exercises on the next training day.
Exercise 1 A Barbell Squat (Glutes, quads): 4 x 10.
Exercise 1 B Straight leg dead lift (Hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae): 4 x 10.
Rest between sets 2 minutes.
Exercise 2 Bench press (Chest, shoulders, triceps): 3 x 10. Rest between sets 2 minutes.
Exercise 3 A Pull ups (Lats, lower trapezius, biceps): 3 x max. If you get less than 5 reps, do Lat pulldown instead 3 x 10.
Exercise 3 B Bent over barbell row (Lats, mid trapezius, biceps): 3 x 10.
Rest between sets 2 minutes.
Exercise 4 Barbell Military Press (Shoulders, triceps) 3 x 10 + Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raises (Rear delts) 1 x 12. Rest between sets 2 minutes.
Exercise 5 A Barbell Bicep Curl (Biceps) 2 x 10 + Barbell Reverse Curl (Biceps, brachialis) 1 x 10
Exercise 5 B Barbell Lying Triceps Extensions (Triceps) 3 x 10.
Rest between sets 90 seconds.
Exercise 6 Do different types of ab exercises 3 sets. Crunches, twisting crunches, hanging leg raises, cable crunches, ab roller etc. Rest between sets 1 minute.
When you have managed to do your sets using a clean technique for 2-3 workouts in a row, you can add weights. The weights you are using are essentially 60 – 80 % of your estimated one rep max. Keep the weight the same through out the set.
Calculate your estimated one rep max>
But what about the calves? If you pay attention, you will notice that calves are still not getting hit. Calves participate in our workouts as stabilizing muscles in many exercises but yes, there is no actual calves’ exercise in the programs. If you want to add them as the seventh exercise, feel free to do so. But then it would not be Arnold’s Golden SIX anymore 😉
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Arnold’s 10 rules:
1. Never let pride get in your way.
Muhammad Ali ”challenged me to shove him against the wall if I could.” When Schwarzenegger did, Ali suddenly understood the benefits of weightlifting. Another time, he asked Schwarzenegger to do it again, and again he wound up against the wall. “He didn’t care about losing a pushing match. He just wanted to show his friends that resistance training worked.”
2. Don’t overthink
“Overanalyzing cripples you,” Schwarzenegger says, providing the example of when he and Danny DeVito, right, decided to take on the movie “Twins.” The two actors had a deadline to accept the roles. “Many movie deals are made under pressure, and if you freeze, you lose. . . . There was no time for agents to dialog. Danny and Ivan and I made the deal on a napkin at lunch. We all signed it and left the table. Danny later had it framed.”
3. Forget plan B
“To test yourself and grow, you have to operate without a safety net. … If there is no plan B, then plan A has to work. … If you fail at running for governor, you may be humiliated, but that is the worst that can happen. … My standard for misery is the guys who worked in the diamond mines in South Africa. … Anything better than that and you’re in good shape.”
4. You can use outrageous humor to settle a score
Schwarzenegger was insulted by a freshman state assemblyman at an event, and he retaliated by refusing to sign a resolution by the lawmaker — even sending back a note with a hidden profanity. After the media picked up on it, the assemblyman said the governor had a right to do that. They reconciled and supported another bill together.
5. A day has 24 hours
Schwarzenegger was once challenged by a student who complained about having to work part time to pay for his rising college tuition. Instead of offering more financial aid, Schwarzenegger encouraged the student to make better use of his time. “Well, the day is 24 hours. Have you ever thought about working more?”
6. Reps, reps, reps
“There are no shortcuts. It took hundreds and even thousands of repetitions for me to learn to hit a great three-quarters back pose, deliver a punch line, dance the tango in ‘True Lies,’ paint a beautiful birthday card, and say ‘I’ll be back’ just the right way. … No matter what you do in life, it’s either reps or mileage.”
7. Don’t blame your parents
“Today I hail the strictness of my father, and my whole upbringing, and the fact that I didn’t have anything that I wanted in Austria, because those were the very factors that made me hungry. … Every time he disapproved of me or embarrassed me, it put fuel on the fire in my belly. It drove me and motivated me.”
8. Big change takes cojones
Schwarzenegger asked former USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev how he so dramatically changed the Soviet Union. Gorbachev said that when he became the head of the country, ”I realized we needed revolutionary change. The only way things got done was if you knew somebody or you paid somebody under the table. So what system did we have? It was time to dismantle the whole thing.”
9. Take care of your body and your mind
“Focusing on the body was no problem for me, and later on, I became really curious to develop my mind. I realized that the mind is a muscle and we should train it too. … For people who are successful with their intelligence, the opposite applies. They need to exercise the body every day. Clint Eastwood exercises even when he’s directing and starring in a movie.”
10. Stay hungry
“Don’t rest on your laurels. … So many accomplished people just coast. … You’ll have plenty of time to rest when you’re in the grave. Live a risky life and a spicy life and like Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘Every day do something that scares you.”
