Arnold Split · 6 Days/Week

THE ARNOLD SPLIT ROUTINE

Three days, run twice a week — the classic high-volume antagonist-pairing split for building size, popularized by (and named for) a very famous bodybuilder.

Level
Advanced
Duration
70-80 min / session
Frequency
6x per week
Equipment
Barbell, dumbbells, cables

Why this split

Pairing opposing muscle groups — chest with back, shoulders with arms — lets one side rest while the other works, so you can pack in more total sets per session than a straight muscle-group split while still training each area twice a week.

Weekly schedule

The three-day rotation runs twice across the week.

Mon
Chest+Back
Tue
Shldrs+Arms
Wed
Legs
Thu
Chest+Back
Fri
Shldrs+Arms
Sat
Legs
Sun
Rest

Chest + Back Day

Alternate a chest exercise with a back exercise through the session.

ExerciseSetsReps / TimeRest
Bench Press
46-82 min
Barbell Row
4890 sec
Incline Dumbbell Press
31090 sec
Lat Pulldown
310-1260 sec
Cable Fly
312-1560 sec

Shoulders + Arms Day

Overhead pressing paired with biceps and triceps work.

ExerciseSetsReps / TimeRest
Overhead Press
46-890 sec
Barbell Curl
38-1060 sec
Lateral Raise
312-1560 sec
Tricep Pushdown
310-1260 sec
Hammer Curl
310-1245 sec

Legs Day

Full lower-body volume — quads, hamstrings, and calves.

ExerciseSetsReps / TimeRest
Back Squat
46-82-3 min
Leg Press
310-1290 sec
Leg Curl
31260 sec
Walking Lunge
312 / leg60 sec
Calf Raise
41545 sec

Coaching notes

This is a high-volume, advanced split — six sessions a week only works if you're sleeping and eating enough to recover from it. If you're new to lifting, build a base on Upper/Lower or Full Body first.

Related splits
PHUL 4 days/wk PHAT 5 days/wk HYBRID / CONDITIONING 4 days/wk