How to Train Like Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Austrian Oak's Muscle Building Routine

Who knows how to build a perfect physique better than Bodybuilding "king" - Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many people that are involved in bodybuilding still look up to him and trying to follow the routines and diets that Arnold followed when he was competing.

Arnold often said that the biggest mistake that many lifters make is that they avoid the basic exercises, they don't want to move out from comfortable zone. And this is one very sad truth. When you enter many fitness centers you can see that people mostly exercise on machines or doing light dumbbell curls which isn't bad to isolate some muscles but not so good for those that want to build muscle.

Some of the best exercises that you should do to build muscle mass need to be performed with barbell and they are also called compound exercises. You can check out more about best muscle-building exercises in another article:

Best Muscle-Building Exercises - Build Muscle Mass Fast

Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends performing heavy, compound movements and high intensity of training. "Never save yourself for the next set, go all-out in every set that you perform," Arnold used to say very often.

Of course, Arnold tried many workout variations, as many other bodybuilders. He never let his body to adapt for same type of workout for too long. I will present you one of his routines that he followed and which can be found in his book - The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.

 Monday and Thursday - Chest, Back and Abs

Barbell Bench Press - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps)

Incline Bench Press - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps)

Dumbbell Flyes - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps)

Dumbbell Pull-Over - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Wide-grip Chin Up - 4 sets (reps to failure)

Hanging Leg Raises - 5 sets of 25 reps

Bent-Over Barbell Row - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Bent-Over Row with Dumbbells - 5 sets 

 Tuesday and Friday - Shoulder, Arms and Abs

Clean and Press - 5 sets of 5 reps

Standing Dumbbell Press - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Front Dumbbell Raises - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Lateral Raises - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Upright Row - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Barbell Curls - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Incline Dumbbell Curls - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Concentration Curls - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Close-Grip Bench Press - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Barbell Skullcrushers - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

One-Arm Triceps Extension - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, 6)

Reverse Wrist Curls - 5 sets (30, 12, 10, 8, and 6)

Decline Sit-ups - 5 sets of 25 reps

Wednesday and Saturday - Legs, Calves and Abs

Barbell Squat - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Stiff-legged Deadlift - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Barbell Lunges - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Leg Extensions - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Seated Leg Curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Standing Calf Raises - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Seated Calf Raises - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Kneeling Cable Crunches - 4 sets of 25 reps

Sunday is the day for rest

Don't get confused by the pyramid sets that Arnold used in his workouts, just start performing the exercise with lighter weight and 30 reps for first set, then put more weight to do maximum 12 reps in the second set, 10 reps in the third, 8 in the fourth and 6 in the last set. Always rest 45 seconds between the exercises and don't forget to consume enough calories and macro nutrients - proteins, carbs, and fats to fuel your muscles. You can also check out the list of the best muscle-building supplements that can be very helpful to recover your muscles faster after hard workout like this:

Best Muscle-Building Supplements to Build Muscle Mass Fast

ONE RECOMMENDATION:

Don't follow this workout routine if you are a beginning lifter, this routine is designed for advanced lifters and Arnold didn't perform this workout when he started lifting. He was a great fan of Reg Park's 5x5 Workout Routine which I recommend for beginning lifters and you can also find it on this website:

Reg Park's 5x5 Workout Program for Muscle and Strength Gain

How Many Calories You Need to Gain Muscle Mass

How many reps I should do to build muscle? How many calories should I consume to gain muscle mass? There are many different answers and different opinions on these questions, but one is sure - you need to consume more calories than you burn every day. You need to constantly be in caloric surplus.

But, that isn't so easy and it doesn't mean that if you eat twice more calories than you need that you will build twice as muscle. Also, that doesn't mean that you should eat anything. By the way, check out the list of muscle-building foods you should include in your diet:

20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Lean Muscle Mass

There is an upper limit of nutrients that you can consume and turn into muscle which means that there is no point in eating calories that would just be stored as fat. Of course, it is very common that you will gain some fat while trying to build muscle mass but that doesn't mean that you should eat more that it is enough for the muscle to grow. 

Now you are probably thinking something like this:

But those big guys on YouTube say that I need to consume at least 5000 calories to gain muscle mass.

Your muscles need enough calories and enough proteins to grow, you don't need to consume 5000 calories every day if you weigh about 170 pounds. That would be too much and many nutrients will be stored as fat. Protein also, if you consume more proteins that you need that excess of proteins will be stored as fat and nothing else. 

There is no natural way to build 10 pounds of muscle every week, it doesn't exist. You need to focus on steady lean muscle gains. The whole point of muscle growth is to pursue progressive overload every week and to be in caloric surplus every day.

SO, HOW MANY CALORIES DO YOU NEED TO GAIN MUSCLE?

Some people say that one needs to multiply his body weight in pounds by 16 - 17, well I recommend you to multiply your body weight by 20. You might gain some fat along the way but if your diet is perfect there is nothing special to worry about. You can always shred one or two pounds of fat after you reach the size that you always desired.

Let's do some calculation for all you lazy people over there:

If you weigh about 160 pounds, for example, you need to multiply that number by 20 as I already mentioned which will be equal to 3200. You can add about 100 calories more if you want to be sure that you consumed enough, but I think that 3200 calories will be enough for you muscles to grow. Now, as you gain more and more muscle mass every week, you are going to need more calories and more proteins. If you reach the 170 pounds weight then multiply that number by 20 and the result is - 3400 calories. 

I know that there are many recommendations that differ from mine and that is mostly because I recommend more calories than someone else, or less than someone else but you can adopt this advice and see if it works for you. I believe that it does, especially if you are just started your bulking phase.

ALSO READ:

High-Protein Foods for Lean Muscle Gain

Mass-Building Workout Routine for Beginners

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass

Workout for Strength and Size - Gain Strength and Muscle Mass with one Workout Routine

Alright, we all know that best rep range for building muscle is from 8 to 12 and that is range is usually used in bodybuilders' routines. We also know that working out with 1 - 5 rep range is common for powerlifters for strength gain. 

But can strength and muscle mass be built at the same time?

Actually, strength and size are highly related to each other and one of the best ways to keep gaining both of them each week is to unite strength and hypertrophy training.

Three big lifts, deadlift, squat, and bench press are the probably the best exercises to build muscle and also strength with lower rep range. Those three exercises are very important but you are going to need some isolation exercises to train some of the smaller muscles directly.

The best way to increase muscle mass and strength is to start with multi-joint movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses in a powerlifting rep range and then continue training with higher rep range to aim for muscle hypertrophy.

Muscle Palace Strength and Size Workout Routine:

MONDAY - Legs and Calves

TUESDAY - Chest and Triceps

THURSDAY - Back and Biceps

FRIDAY - Shoulders and Traps

To gain lean muscle mass you need to be in caloric surplus, constantly. Consume proteins, carbs, and fats to feed your muscles and follow this workout routine for at least 8 weeks for to gain more strength and muscle mass.

20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass

How to Gain Muscle Mass - 5 Principles of Muscle Hypertrophy

Gaining weight is very easy, many people may gain a lot of weight for a short period of time. On the other side, building lean muscle mass can be very hard, especially for guys that have a fast metabolism, commonly know as hard-gainers.

Also Read: How To Eat To Gain Muscle Mass - Diet Strategies For Hardgainers

Like many of the people in the world that are fighting with a body fat, there are also many people that are struggling to gain weight and build muscle mass. If you are one of those from the second group, continue reading this article.  

For everything in life you need three things - a goal, plan to achieve it and dedication. Those are three basic things to success in anything you want. You need to apply this rule and start your muscle building trip. 

There are 3 main ways to make your muscles grow:

1. Force muscles to grow with the right training

2. Feed your muscles with enough healthy calories

3. Rest, recover your muscles, let them grow

Those are only three general rules for muscle gain, now continue reading to learn five principles of muscle growth.

1. Multi-Joint Movements

In order to gain muscle mass faster, you need to place emphasis on the compound, multi-joint movements. Compound exercises are much better for building muscle mass than single-joint, isolation exercises. That is because exercises like squat and bench press allow bigger loads of weight and involve more muscle groups which lead to more muscle gains.


Top 10 Exercises To Build Muscle Mass


Bigger load and heavier exercises stimulate the bigger release of the muscle-building hormone. 

It is very important to do one of the hardest exercises - Squats. The squat is a great mass builder and it is probably the movement that involves the most muscle groups at the same time. 






2. Progressive Overload


The progressive overload is one of the most important muscle-building principles. Lifting the same weight will not help you build muscles. Muscles can quickly adapt to the weight and you need to put some more load in order to force your muscles to grow. 


Mass-Building Full-Body Workout Routine for Beginners


The key of muscle gain to leave your comfort zone, give your muscles a reason to grow. If you lift heavier weights from week to week you won't let your muscles time to adapt and you will force them to grow.


The best rep range to stimulate muscle growth is from 8 to 12. I recommend doing 10 reps per set for best muscle growth stimulation. 




3. Caloric Surplus 


To gain muscle mass you need to eat a lot. And that means you need to spend a lot of your time in the kitchen. It is one of the biggest mistakes that lifters make and don't succeed in building muscle mass, they don't consume enough calories or macronutrients. 


20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass


You need to consume 18 calories per pound of your bodyweight to build muscle and at least 1 gr of protein per pound of bodyweight. On training days, try to consume more proteins because your muscles need it to repair and grow. 


Foods that are Best Sources of Protein




Consume enough calories and all three macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and in a combination with resistance training your muscles will start to grow. 




4. Rest Your Muscles


This is how it goes, you give your muscles a reason to grow in the gym, build them in the kitchen and they grow while you sleep. Lack of rest can decrease the chance of muscle growth.


Also, don't overtrain your muscles. Don't train same muscles for two days in a row or you will overtrain them and prevent them from growing. To build muscle you need a short and intense workout and long periods of rest. 




5. Supplements Selection


Many supplements ads promise you results. A lot of them are actually unnecessary and just a waste of your money. The best muscle building supplements that you need to buy are Creatine and Whey Protein. They can be a great support for building muscle mass. 


You can check the list of 5 best muscle-building supplements, but you must know there are no better supplements for building muscle mass than Whey Powder and Creatine. 


Top 5 Muscle-Building Supplements




If you start following these five principles right now, you have a big chance to build your muscles for less than one month. Applying these rules could make the most benefits for beginners because in the starting phase, first two to three months, you can build most muscle mass. 


It is very important to start doing it right from the beginning, so don't lose your time following wrong workout plans and wasting money on unnecessary supplements. 

20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass

If you are planning to build muscle mass one of the most important things is your diet. You can't gain muscle mass if you aren't consuming enough calories and all three macronutrients - PROTEINS, CARBS, and FATS.

One of the mistakes that many hard gainers make is that they don't consume fats and they do not understand that there are fats that they should eat. It is very important to avoid trans fats, that should be clear. Also, in order to increase muscle mass, you need to consume twice more carbs than proteins. Protein is the most important nutrient for muscle building, but carbs are crucial for building muscle mass.

HOW MANY CARBS, FATS, AND PROTEINS?

You should aim to at least 1.2 grams of protein per 1 pound of your weight. In order to build muscle mass you need to stick with this calories ratio:

What are the top 20 muscle-building foods?

1. Lean White Meat (Chicken & Turkey)

Chicken and Turkey breasts are the staple of every bodybuilding diet. If you want to build muscle or to burn fat then you should include lean white meat in your diet. 

100 gr of white meat will fill you with 31 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat, which is very good for building lean muscle mass.

2. Fish 

Fish is one of the best muscle-building foods. Let's take salmon, for example, it contains about 25 grams of protein in 100 grams portion. Also, fish meat is packed with omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your heart and muscles too. 

3. Eggs

Together with fish and white meat, eggs are also very good source of proteins. It is very cheap to buy them, very easy to prepare them and they are delicious. Each egg contains about 5 - 6 grams of protein. The protein in eggs is probably the most efficiently for muscle growth among all other whole foods.

4. Lean Red Meat

Red meats, like lean beef, are the excellent source of protein. 100 grams of lean beef contains about 27 grams of protein, and that is not all, red meat is considered as best food for naturally increasing testosterone levels which support muscle growth. That is because red meat is filled with zinc, iron, and B12 vitamins. 

5. Cottage Cheese

Another great source of protein, and almost entirely pure casein protein. Casein protein is recommended for meals before bedtime because they are very slow digesting and muscles are fed during sleep.

6. Whey Protein Powder

Although it is considered as the supplement, whey protein is one of the best sources of protein with 30 grams of protein per one scoop (35 gr). It is the best post-workout protein source because it is fastest digesting and it feeds your muscles with quality proteins and reduces the risk of catabolism after a hard training session. 

I recommend making homemade mass gainers as post workout meals for faster muscle gains:

Homemade Mass Gainer - Gain Muscle Mass Fast

7. Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is one of the best muscle-building foods. It is filled with proteins and good fats and it is very high in healthy calories. 100 gr serving of peanut butter can provide you about 30 gr of protein and 600 healthy calories. 

8. Oats

Oatmeal is one of the best sources of carbohydrates containing about 70 gr of carbs per 100 gr serving. Also, it is filled with 13 gr of proteins. One of the best choices for breakfast meal.

9. Mixed Nuts

Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts and other kinds of nuts are also very good for building muscle mass. They are great sources of healthy fats and also protein. Nuts are also loaded with important nutrients like fiber, vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

10. Milk

It is enough to say that only one cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein and 13 grams of carbohydrates. Milk is also rich in branched chain amino acids (BCCAs), so it is a better and cheaper solution than buying BCCAs supplements.

11. Brown Rice (Very good source of carbs)

12. Sweet Potatoes

13. Ezekiel Bread

14. Shrimps

15. Greek Yogurt

16. Olive Oil

17. Avocado

18. Spinach

19. Broccoli

20. Flax Seeds

Don't forget to eat fruits and consume a lot of water too. Those 20 are just foods for muscle building but you need also to consume a lot of vitamins from fruits like oranges, apples, and berries. 

That is it, create your own muscle-building diet plan with these 20 foods and also check out which exercises are best for building muscle mass:

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast