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What's inside
Ever wondered what Arnold Schwarzenegger did before he was Arnold? Long before the famous double splits, he built his early size with a simple routine of just six exercises. It’s known as the Golden Six.
It’s three full body workouts a week, and it’s still one of the best starting points for building muscle. Keep reading for the full routine, how to progress it over 8 weeks, and a few smart tweaks for today.
One honest note before we start: Arnold never published an official version. As Men’s Health put it, “Arnold’s original programme is still exclusive material.” What you’ll find here is the version most widely reported, the same structure Men’s Health tested in 2023.
The routine at a glance
| Level | Beginner to intermediate |
| Days | 3 a week, with a rest day between each |
| Session length | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Rest | 90 sec between sets (up to 2 min on squats if you need it) |
| Length | 8 weeks, then repeat heavier |
| Equipment | Barbell, bench, squat rack, pull-up bar |
Your week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Six | Rest | Golden Six | Rest | Golden Six | Rest |
Any three days work, as long as there’s a rest day between them.
The Golden Six
Do them in this order, every session.
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbell back squat | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Barbell bench press (wide grip) | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Chin-up or pull-up | 3 | As many as you can |
| 4 | Overhead press (front or behind the neck) | 4 | 10 |
| 5 | Barbell curl | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Bent-knee sit-up | 3 | As many as you can |
Can’t do a chin-up yet? Swap in the lat pulldown for 3 sets of 10 until you can do a few clean reps, then switch back.
Front or behind the neck? The classic version uses a behind-the-neck press. It asks a lot of your shoulder mobility, or how freely your shoulders move, so we’d start with the standing front press. If your shoulders feel completely comfortable, try the behind-the-neck version with a light weight.
Wide grip or regular grip on the bench? Either works. Many versions list a wide grip. Use whichever feels better on your shoulders.
How the 8 weeks progress
| Weeks 1 to 3 | Week 4 | Weeks 5 to 7 | Week 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weights | Add a little each week | Same as week 3 | Add a little each week | Lighter |
| Effort | Stop 2 to 3 reps short of failure | Same | Stop 1 to 2 reps short | Easy |
| Sets | As listed | As listed | As listed | Half the sets |
When to add weight: once you hit all 10 reps on every set with good form, add 5 lb (2.5 kg) to the squat and 2.5 to 5 lb (1 to 2.5 kg) to everything else next session. You’ll drop back to 8 or 9 reps for a bit, and that’s exactly right.
For chin-ups and sit-ups, write down your reps and try to beat last session’s total.
Week 8 is a deload, or an easier week. Half the sets, lighter weights. Then head back to week 1 with the heavier weights you’ve earned.
Why it works so well
Here’s the thing: what builds muscle is the total amount of hard work each muscle does across the week. A meta-analysis of 25 studies found that when weekly work was the same, training a muscle more or less often made no meaningful difference to growth.
So the Golden Six isn’t magic. It’s efficient. Six big lifts cover nearly every muscle, three times a week, and you get lots of practice on each one. That’s exactly what a beginner needs.
It also ticks off the WHO recommendation of strength training for all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.
A myth worth dropping
You’ll often read that squats “boost testosterone” and that’s why they build so much muscle. It’s not quite true.
When researchers measured hormone levels after workouts in 49 trained men over 12 weeks, the post-workout rise in hormones wasn’t linked to how much muscle or strength they gained. Squats are in the routine because they train a lot of muscle at once, not because of a hormone spike.
Want more? Smart add-ons
The Golden Six skips a few things. Once you’ve run it for 8 weeks, you can add one of these at the end of each session:
- Romanian deadlift, 3 sets of 10, for your hamstrings and glutes, or the muscles on the back of your legs
- Barbell row, 3 sets of 10, for extra back work
- Calf raise, 3 sets of 15
Add one, not all three. The whole appeal of this routine is that it’s simple.
Eating for it
If you want to build size like Arnold did early on, you’ll need to eat a little more than you burn and get plenty of protein. Aim for about 0.6 to 0.9 g of protein per pound of bodyweight a day (1.4 to 2.0 g per kg). Our list of the best foods to gain muscle makes a great shopping list.
Questions people ask
Is the Golden Six good for beginners?
Yes! It’s one of the best. Start light for the first two weeks and focus on your form.
Is this the routine Arnold used to win the Olympia?
No. This is what he’s reported to have used early on, while building his base in Munich. His later training was a high-volume split. You can see that in our Arnold Schwarzenegger workout routine and the Arnold split.
Can I do it more than three days a week?
Not with this routine. Your muscles need the rest days to recover and grow.
How long should I run it?
At least 8 weeks, and many people run it for several months. When you stop making progress, move on to a split like the 3 day workout split.
Happy lifting, and enjoy the old school simplicity!
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have an injury or a medical condition, check with a doctor before starting a new training plan.
