Fans, athletes, and anyone familiar with lifting weights can learn from bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger’s training. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 1, 2024, exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel critiqued Schwarzenegger’s workout in Pumping Iron (1977), offering tips for maximizing progress and exploiting your genetics.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is easily the most recognizable face the sport of bodybuilding has birthed. During his prime, he amassed seven Mr. Olympia titles, testing himself against fellow icons such as Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, and Sergio Oliva. He also cultivated worldwide fame courtesy of starring roles in action films.
Having once held the honor of being the World’s Best Built Man, Schwarzenegger married nutrition with training like no one before him. This has led to many notable voices in fitness examining his workouts, with the latest being physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel.
Exercise Scientist Breaks Down Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pumping Iron Workout, Gives Insight on Exploiting Your Genetics
To kick off the examination, Dr. Israetel looked at Schwarzenegger’s back training.
“Those look like flexion rows. Now to be a pedantic asshole, Arnold could be controlling that eccentric more, he could be spending a little bit more time at the bottom but otherwise, daddy like,” said Israetel.
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“Definitely full range of motion, I love it. He actually has really good technique, but Arnold could do the way back slower and get more out of each rep and reduce the injury probability of each rep. Another thing I have to say is it is profoundly unlikely that you can push your back to your limits with just your regular handgrip stretch with a row.”
Israetel provided some lessons fans can take away from how Arnold Schwarzenegger approached his bodybuilding career.
“Periodization means there are times you push your physique hard and times you let off the gas to let everything heal and recover, including the psychological.
If you always are pushing your physique as hard as it goes, and you’re always on your Ps and Qs trying to stay as lean as possible year-round, you will burn out. Arnold never burned out so we can learn that from him, pushing and pulling a little bit is always in the mix.”
Next, he analyzed Schwarzenegger’s form during chest training, specifically how he executed dumbbell flies while lying on a flat bench.
“This is really really good flying technique and Arnold is doing something here which I think he credited to Danny Padilla who was an incredible bodybuilder in his own right. He said something like doing flies and touching the dumbbells at the top.”
Israetel looked at how Schwarzenegger became a dominant bodybuilding champion, offering insight into maximizing one’s potential through genetics.
“For whatever genetics you have, if you are really really not interested in pain, challenge, and a little sacrifice, you’re probably not going to exploit your genetics as much as possible and you’re not going to build the best physique you could have built. If you do have what it takes to push through, there is a probability that you’re going to exploit your genetics and build the best physique you can.”
“Arnold looked great. Notice that his aesthetics, the proportionality of his arms to his shoulders to his waist is amazing. His overall size is baller. This was very close to a bodybuilding show, there are just straight-up different standards of leanness now,” he shared.
Dr. Israetel isn’t the only authority in fitness breaking down Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic workouts. Recently, ATHLEAN-X founder Jeff Cavaliere analyzed and critiqued the ‘Golden Six’ exercises used by ‘The Austrian Oak’ during the height of his career.
Even decades after stepping away from the sport, fans, and athletes are taking in valuable lessons thanks to Schwarzenegger. From maximizing genetic potential to mastering workouts for muscle growth, he remains a pillar of the community.
RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals If Using Heavier Weight During Warmups Enhances Workout Performance
Watch the full video from the Renaissance Periodization YouTube channel below:
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