Antagonist pairings — chest with back, shoulders with arms — for an intense pump and old-school size. Six days for advanced lifters.
Old-school size via antagonist supersets — high volume for advanced lifters.
Periodizzazione
Come eseguirlo
Level-up rule: run a column until you own EVERY top-of-range set at its loads for two consecutive weeks — then the next column is yours. Junior ≈ your first month, Intermediate ≈ month 3, Advanced ≈ month 6. Your bodyweight will change on the way; the loads don’t care — re-calibrate after every deload week and let the working weights, not the scale, decide the column.
Controllo volume
Serie dure dirette per gruppo muscolare a settimana — i sinergici non contano (le spinte allenano anche i tricipiti, le trazioni i bicipiti). 10–20 serie dure sono la zona di crescita: sotto è mantenimento, sopra richiede un recupero d'élite.
Come eseguirlo
Trova il tuo peso
Don't max out to find your numbers. (1) Warm up, then load the reference weight for your level. (2) Do one set: if you finish the top of the rep range with MORE than the target RIR left, add 2.5 kg (upper) / 5 kg (lower) and repeat; if you can't reach the bottom of the range at the target RIR, take the same off. (3) That weight is your working load for every set that day. Junior: start one notch BELOW the reference and earn the jumps — clean reps beat heavy reps.
Come eseguirlo
Superset antagonist pairs (chest/back) to save time and flood the area with blood. High volume — only run this with years of training and solid recovery behind you. The core finisher recovers fast — you can also run it daily or on rest days; obliques count.
Progressione
+2.5 kg on presses/rows when every set hits the top rep target; micro-load isolations.
Riscaldamento
General: 5 min easy cardio + dynamic mobility for the day's joints. Per heavy compound, ramp: 10 reps empty bar → 5 @ 50% → 3 @ 70% → 1 @ 85% of your working weight. Isolation: one light feeder set.
Autoregolazione (RPE/RIR)
RIR = reps in reserve (left in the tank); RPE 8 = 2 RIR. Pick a load that lands you on the target RIR at the last rep — feel strong, add weight; feel flat, take some off. Anchor every working weight to YOUR own 1RM, not the reference numbers.
Cardio
Volume here is enormous — cap cardio at 2 × 20 min easy spins in the rest windows. More would eat the recovery this split lives on. 6–8k daily steps cover the rest.
Scarico
Every 5th–6th week: volume −40%, intensity −10%, every set left at 4+ RIR. One light week resets fatigue before the next mesocycle.
Programma settimanale
Mon Chest+Back · Tue Shoulders+Arms · Wed Legs · repeat Thu–Sat · Sun rest
L'allenamento
I pesi di lavoro sono indicativi per un atleta di riferimento. Adattali al tuo 1RM e raggiungi l'RPE obiettivo: la prescrizione è la %1RM, le ripetizioni e il RIR, non i chili.
Le indicazioni in parole semplici
Ogni esercizio porta con sé qualche numero. Ecco come leggerli, senza tecnicismi.
Reference loads assume an ~80–90 kg male. Lighter or female athletes typically scale to ~60–70% of the upper-body numbers and ~70–80% of the lower-body numbers — the %1RM, reps and RIR stay identical.
Fase di allenamento
Peso di lavoro per livello
Pectorals · Lats · Upper Back · Core
7
Esercizi
27
Serie
~90
min
Alternate a press and a row/pulldown as supersets — chest and back in the same session.
Run it as Arnold did — antagonist supersets: barbell bench + cable pulldown, dumbbell press + assisted pull-up, cable press + bent-over row. One set of each back-to-back, rest 90 s after the pair — the pump doubles and the session drops by ~12 min.
Second run (Thu): bench → incline bench, cable press → assisted chest dip, and pull from a low-cable angle. Arnold rotated angles relentlessly — same superset pairs, new stimulus.
Shoulder blades pinned, bar to lower chest, drive through mid-foot.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Per dumbbell. Stretch deep at the bottom, press in a slight arc.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Cable stack. Constant tension — never lock out fully.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Cable stack. Drive elbows to hips, squeeze the lats, control up.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Assist weight — LESS assistance is harder. Set assist so the last 1–2 reps are hard. Full hang to chin-over-bar.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Torso ~45°, pull to the navel, no jerking the weight up.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Bodyweight. No swing — raise the legs with the abs, lower slow, control the return.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Passo dopo passo
Chest and back trained against each other all session — so stretch them against each other too: open the front, lengthen the lat, then rotate the spine free.

Clasp your hands behind your back, lift the sternum and pull the shoulders back and down. Don't arch the lower back — the stretch belongs in the chest, not the lumbar spine.

From all fours walk the hands forward, hips back toward the heels, sternum to the floor. Breathe into the flank — the lat only releases on the exhale.

Interlace the fingers, press the arms forward and deliberately round the upper back to spread the shoulder blades. The exact counter-move to every row.

On your back, arms in a T, lower the legs to one side under control. Both shoulder blades stay on the floor — the rotation comes from the thoracic spine, not the lower back.
Static stretching belongs AFTER the session, never before it — held before a heavy set it measurably costs force output. Move into each position until you feel mild tension, never pain, and breathe out into it. Hold still: no bouncing on a fatigued muscle. Skip a muscle that is cramping and walk it off first.
Delts · Biceps · Triceps · Core
9
Esercizi
28
Serie
~80
min
Press overhead first, then superset biceps and triceps for a massive arm pump.
Pair biceps with triceps, Arnold-style: dumbbell curl + overhead rope extension, rope curl + close-grip bench. One set of each back-to-back, rest 60–90 s after the pair — saves ~8 min. Keep the overhead press straight sets; it's the day's primary.
Second run (Fri): barbell overhead press → seated dumbbell press, dumbbell curls → preacher curls. The joints get a new path while the volume stays brutal.
Seated, braced, press straight up — ribs down, full lockout, no lean-back.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Per dumbbell. Press straight up, ribs down, full lockout.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Per dumbbell. Lead with the elbows to shoulder height, soft bend, no swinging.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Per dumbbell. No swing, supinate as you curl, lower under control.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Cable stack, rope. Neutral grip, elbows pinned, curl to a hard squeeze — hammers thicken the brachialis under the biceps.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Elbows tucked ~45°, bar to lower sternum — triceps-led press.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Cable stack, rope overhead. Elbows narrow and high, extend to a full lockout — the overhead angle that grows the long head.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Sit strict, lead the cables out with the pinkies in a wide arc — rear delts move it, keep the traps quiet.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Curl the pelvis up against the cable, abs do the work — don't yank from the hip flexors.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Delts and arms in one session means the shoulder capsule and both elbows. Rear delt and triceps get the rounds; neck and forearms get one each.

Arm straight across the chest, pull on the upper arm — never on the elbow joint. Keep the shoulder down or the pull migrates into your neck.

Elbow points at the ceiling, hand walks down between the shoulder blades. Keep the ribs down — otherwise the pelvis tips and you stretch your back, not the triceps.

Ear toward the shoulder, the hand adds only the weight of the head — never pull. The opposite shoulder stays down.

Arm straight, palm down, gently pull the fingers toward you, then turn the palm over and stretch the other side. After pulling and curling days this keeps the grip fresh.
Static stretching belongs AFTER the session, never before it — held before a heavy set it measurably costs force output. Move into each position until you feel mild tension, never pain, and breathe out into it. Hold still: no bouncing on a fatigued muscle. Skip a muscle that is cramping and walk it off first.
Quads · Hamstrings · Glutes · Calves · Core
7
Esercizi
24
Serie
~80
min
Squat heavy, then unilateral and hinge work for hamstrings and glutes, a strict leg curl, calves to finish.
This day is built around focused quality volume — supersets here would make the sets compete. Short on time: trim rest on everything except the primary lift by 15–30 s (saves ~6 min) and keep the primary's full rest untouched.
Second run (Sat): front squat → hack squat or leg press, straight-leg deadlift → seated leg curl. Knees and hips share the second week's load differently — that's the point.
Bar in the front rack on the upper chest, elbows high — brace, sit between the hips, knees track over toes, drive up.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Per dumbbell. Long stride, back knee toward the floor, push the heel.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Soft knees, hips back, feel the hamstring stretch, bar close to legs.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Machine stack. Hips pinned down, squeeze at full bend, 3 s lowering.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Cable stack. Face away, hinge, let the rope pull the hips back — snap to a full lockout and squeeze the glutes.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Full stretch at the bottom, 1 s squeeze at the top — no bouncing.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Serie di riscaldamento
Passo dopo passo
Bodyweight. Roll up one vertebra at a time, lower under control, chin off the chest.
Macchina occupata o non presente nella tua palestra?
Passo dopo passo
Leg day order that works: hip flexor, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. Never stretch a cramping muscle — walk a minute first, then start.

Deep lunge, drive the back hip forward, tuck the pelvis. Short hip flexors tilt your pelvis into every squat that follows — this is the priority after squatting and leg pressing.

Lying on your side, grab the top foot, heel to the glute, push the hip slightly forward. Keep knee beside knee — don't let it flare out.

Front heel down, toes up, hinge forward from the hip with a flat back. A rounded back stretches nerve, not muscle.

Ankle over the opposite knee, chest pushed forward and tall. The moment the back rounds you are stretching the back, not the glute.

Back leg straight, heel down, drive the hip toward the wall. This targets the gastrocnemius — the heel never leaves the ground.
Static stretching belongs AFTER the session, never before it — held before a heavy set it measurably costs force output. Move into each position until you feel mild tension, never pain, and breathe out into it. Hold still: no bouncing on a fatigued muscle. Skip a muscle that is cramping and walk it off first.
Per l'allenatore
Technique before load — full range, controlled 2–3 s eccentric, no momentum.
Progressive overload — log every set and beat last week's reps or weight.
Proximity to failure — compounds at 1–2 RIR, isolation at 0–1 RIR.
Volume landmarks — build toward 10–20 weekly hard sets for the muscles the split emphasizes, counting the compound work that hits them on the way.
Recovery is training — 7–9 h sleep, 1.6–2.2 g protein/kg bodyweight, 48 h per region.
Per l'allenatore
Ego-lifting and half reps — load that buries technique builds nothing.
Jumping the weight in big steps instead of small, repeatable increments.
Skipping the warm-up ramp — cold heavy sets are where joints get hurt.
Programme-hopping every week — you can't measure progress you keep resetting.