I trained like Arnold for a month. Here are the results

I trained like Arnold for a month. Here are the results

If you've read this series on Muscle & Fitness or follow me on Instagram, then you know that I took on the challenge of training like the great Arnold Schwarzenegger for four weeks by following his legendary "double split" workout routine for four days as Mr. Olympia. What started as a suggestion for me to try one of his workouts culminated in me completing what I consider to be one of the biggest training challenges in bodybuilding.

Before we get into the final results, here's a quick look at what this process entailed. The competition program I followed was in his book “The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.” This is what a week of training would look like for Arnold.

• Montag – Brust und Rücken AM – Beine PM
• Dienstag – Schultern AM – Arme PM
• Mittwoch – Brust und Rücken AM – Beine PM
• Donnerstag – Schultern AM – Arme PM
• Freitag – Brust und Rücken AM – Beine PM
• Samstag – Schultern AM – Arme PM

I would also have to train my calves and abs every day. No body part required less than 20 work sets per workout. Almost all of them were combined into supersets and trisets. Each training session lasted almost two hours. In summary, I did 48 workouts over a month that totaled almost 100 hours. I trained a total of 24 hours per week. Sunday was my only day off and I assure you I needed it.

Aside from the articles I wrote, I also texted members of Arnold's team as well as my editor for M&F to confirm that I was indeed doing these workouts. I used my social media to show the training and results as I progressed. I didn't even shave my beard for a month so viewers could see that the before and after photos weren't fake.

The bad and ugly before the good

It wasn't enough to simply go through the motions of these workouts. I had to push myself every time I trained because as long as I did, I wanted to get as much out of it as possible. Because of this, I lived with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) quite a bit. I had to take naps during the day to recover and I used different recovery strategies to prepare for the next training sessions, such as:

This challenge also put a lot of strain on me mentally. Not only did I do this program alone, but I did it in my unheated barn in the middle of winter. I already know the question that came to your mind: “How cold did it get?” The coldest temperature I trained in was 24 degrees (thanks Pacterra Athletics for the gear that kept me a little warmer during that freeze). Stuffy noses and headaches were commonplace for a long time. The good news for me was that I never got too sick and managed to finish every workout without stopping anything.

Not letting that person push me and having to find ways to get myself up for the next workout was the biggest challenge of all. As someone who grew up with childhood domestic violence and was a victim of bullying, I have a history of depression and loss of self-confidence. Some days were harder than others for obvious reasons, but as I write this, spoiler alert: I found a way and got the job done.

All that combined with the family commitments I desperately didn't want to miss and the several miles I had to travel to get there, and you can imagine how stressful it was. One example was after I did the third leg workout of the week and then had to drive for over an hour that evening. I stayed in the car as long as possible because I wanted to make sure I could walk without too much of a limp.

The good that was worth it

Well, here's what a lot of people reading this will be wondering: How did it go? I set a goal of losing 20 pounds from start to finish. Unfortunately I ended up catching a cold, but I still managed to lose 16 kilos on the scale. I also dropped two pant sizes. I have also become stronger. When I started the program, I could only do 225 incline bench presses for 6 reps. I ended up pressing 255 for 6 reps and then 260 for 4 reps.

Before I started, I hadn't done squats in six months. I found other ways to train the legs instead. The first squat workout I didn't go over 185 pounds for 15 reps. During my last leg workout four weeks later, I squatted 225 over 20. I also thought of Ed Corney in “Pumping Iron” with every rep. This was the first time I had ever squatted that much weight for that many reps. I've always been more interested in powerlifting style training, so anything over 5 under a bar was cardio.

Occasionally Arnold shared my posts on social media, and he acknowledged this series and program in one of his newsletters, which helped fuel the fire for the final week. After the last workout was over, I treated myself to three treats for the rest of the weekend, but that was it. It will take me a full week to unload and recover, but overall I feel okay physically and am already planning my next workout program.

Mentally I am ecstatic because not only have I managed to push myself to extremes I never thought possible before, but I have been able to inspire other people along the way by sharing the journey. My wife was the one who cemented my destiny to take this on when she told me I could do it. I hope my four-week odyssey shows others that they may be capable of far more than they realize. Limits are mostly self-imposed, and you are capable of far more than you might now think.

So you want to train like Arnold?

Arnold and his team are developing an app with fitness programs for all levels so that you can achieve your own personal fitness success. You could also get his book to find different routines to challenge you, as I did when I bought my first copy many years ago, and my second copy this year because I had worn out the binding on the first copy.

If you want to test yourself at a higher level and have the desire and time to commit, you can also use this version of the double split previously shared with M&F. I had a pretty well-equipped home gym, so I didn't have to worry about working near others or waiting for equipment. So if you try this program at a commercial gym, make the most of the environment you're in.

Although my training was primarily a solo act, there was a team behind this challenge who helped me throughout the month. My personal thanks go to Arnold and two members of his team, Daniel and Noah, who endured a lot of messages and saw a lot of videos and numbers from me. I would also like to thank Jeff Tomko and everyone at M&F for their support throughout this process. And last but not least, my family for their understanding and support throughout this journey.