Arnold Schwarzenegger's Minimalist Push Pull Workout
December can cause chaos for your workout routine. Not only because of all the late-night celebrating and consequently skipped alarms, but because so many of us travel away from our gyms, often for weeks at a time.
But you don't always need access to barbells, lat pull-down machines and cables to get a good session in. If you can get your hands on a pair of dumbbells and a pull-up bar, whether at your family home or in a hotel gym, you've got yourself a decent pump. Don't believe us? Well, believe Arnold Schwarzenegger, who shared his go-to minimalist upper-body workout in his Pump Club newsletter.
Jacked festive season, incoming. Keep this one in your back pocket for January, too, when gyms are always extra busy and you don't have the time or patience to queue for kit.
The Workout
To complete Schwarzenegger's workout, you need a pair of heavy dumbbells, a lighter pair (for flyes), a bench, and a high bar. No bench at home? No problem, you can move most exercises to the floor, and use a coffee table, sofa or any other high surface to stabilise you in your rows.
Superset 1:
Perform these exercises back-to-back as a superset, taking a rest after the second move, repeating for five sets.
Exercise 1: Bench press
Do 15 reps in the first set, then drop to 12, 10, 8 and 6.
Lie on your back on a bench with your feet planted on the floor. Bring the dumbbells up above your chest with the arms straight and the palms facing away from you. Lower the dumbbells either side of your chest, at 45 degrees below your shoulders. Feel a stretch across your chest before pushing the dumbbells away from you, ready to repeat.
Exercise 2: Chin-ups
Aim for 6-12 reps for each set, slow and controlled.
Grab the pull-up bar with your palms facing towards you and a grip that is slightly narrower than shoulder width. Pull yourself up until your head is above the bar. Slowly lower back to the start position.
Superset 2:
Perform these exercises back-to-back, taking a rest after the second move, repeating for three sets.
Exercise 1: Dumbbell flyes
Do 15 reps in each set.
Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells at your shoulders with your palms facing inwards. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are almost fully extended. From here, with a slight bend in your arms, arc the weights down to your sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return the weights to the start position by reversing the movement.
Exercise 2: Dumbbell pullover
Do 15 reps in each set.
Lie down on a flat bench. Hold a single dumbbell in both hands above you with slightly bent arms. Keeping your arms bent, arc the weight back behind your head and then slowly return to the start position.
Superset 3:
Perform these exercises back-to-back, taking a rest after the second move, repeating for two sets.
Exercise 1: Press-ups
Do as many as possible to (or close to) failure.
Start in a high plank position, with your palms flat on the floor, stacked directly below your shoulders. Squeeze your shoulders, glutes, and core to create full-body tension. Your spine should form a straight line. Bend your elbows to descend to the floor, stopping with your chest just above the ground. Your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle relative to the torso. Press back up off the floor, raising up to the top position with your elbows fully extended.
Exercise 2: Single-arm dumbbell row
Do 12-15 reps each side.
Place your right hand on a flat bench, under your shoulder, keeping your arm straight. Rest your right knee on the bench and step your left leg out to the side, grounding on the floor. With your free hand grab a dumbbell off the floor and row it up to your hip until your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Lower slowly back to the floor and repeat.
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