Arnold split
The complete plan, session by session, exactly as the SETR app delivers it.
Made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, this split pairs opposing muscles: chest with back, shoulders with arms, then legs with abs. The three-session cycle runs twice a week, so six sessions and every muscle trained twice. Pairing chest and back lets you alternate pushing and pulling: one recovers while the other works.
Who is it for? Demanding: six sessions a week call for solid recovery. Best kept for lifters who already have a good base.
Beginner level — 6 sessions a week
Monday · Chest + Back A
Upper-body antagonist pairs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lever Parallel Chest Press | 3 | 6-10 | 140 s | 3 |
| V-Bar Lat Pulldown | 4 | 6-10 | 100 s | 3 |
| Incline Cable Fly | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 2 |
| Dumbbell Around Pullover | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 2 |
| EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
| Lever Lateral Pulldown | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 2 |
| Bent Over Dumbbell Row | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
Tuesday · Shoulders + Arms A
Shoulders and arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Twisting Overhead Press | 3 | 6-10 | 100 s | 3 |
| Cable Half Kneeling Face Pull | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Cable High Triceps Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 2 |
| Cable Two Arm Curl on Incline Bench | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 2 |
| Lever Gripless Shrug | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Cable Reverse Wrist Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
Wednesday · Legs + Abs A
Full legs / abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Front Squat | 3 | 6-10 | 100 s | 3 |
| Lying leg curl | 4 | 6-10 | 140 s | 3 |
| Hip thrust machine | 4 | 6-10 | 125 s | 3 |
| Lying Reverse Leg Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 2 |
| Cable Kneeling Side Crunch | 4 | 12-20 | 40 s | 2 |
| Cable Straight Legs Pull Through | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 2 |
| Standing calf raise machine | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Hip adduction machine | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Hip abduction machine | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
Thursday · Chest + Back B
Upper-body antagonist pairs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decline Chest Press Machine | 3 | 6-10 | 125 s | 3 |
| Cable Lateral Pulldown | 4 | 6-10 | 135 s | 3 |
| Cable Low Fly | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 2 |
| Dumbbell Svend Press | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 2 |
| Dumbbell Pullover on Exercise Ball | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Lever Lying T Bar Row | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 2 |
| Dumbbell Split Stance Bent Over Row | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
Friday · Shoulders + Arms B
Shoulders and arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Standing Single Delt Row | 3 | 6-10 | 130 s | 3 |
| Cable Seated Rear Delt Fly with Chest Support | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
| Cable Lying Triceps Extension (Low) | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 2 |
| Cable curl | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 2 |
| Lever Gripless Shrug | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 2 |
| Cable Wrist Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 2 |
Saturday · Legs + Abs B
Full legs / abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hack Squats Machine | 3 | 6-10 | 115 s | 3 |
| Seated leg curl | 4 | 6-10 | 145 s | 3 |
| Hip thrust machine | 4 | 6-10 | 125 s | 3 |
| Lever Seated Leg Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Cable Decline Crunch | 4 | 12-20 | 30 s | 2 |
| Cable Kneeling Pull Through | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 2 |
| Seated calf raise | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 2 |
| Cable hip adduction | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 2 |
| Cable hip abduction | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 2 |
Advanced level — 6 sessions a week
Monday · Chest + Back A
Upper-body antagonist pairs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axle Deadlift | 3 | 6-10 | 145 s | 1 |
| Barbell Chest Press on Stability Ball | 4 | 6-10 | 145 s | 1 |
| Bent Over Dumbbell Row | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 1 |
| Lever Bent Over Row | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Incline One Arm Fly | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Single Arm Floor Press | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Around Pullover | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 1 |
Tuesday · Shoulders + Arms A
Shoulders and arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell upright row | 3 | 6-10 | 145 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Bent Over Alternate Rear Delt Fly | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Lying One Arm Pronated Triceps Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 1 |
| Kettlebell Alternate Biceps Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 1 |
| Smith machine shrug | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell One Arm Reverse Wrist Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 1 |
Wednesday · Legs + Abs A
Full legs / abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Lateral Lunge | 3 | 6-10 | 90 s | 1 |
| Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift on Bench | 4 | 6-10 | 95 s | 1 |
| Barbell Single Leg Hip Thrust | 4 | 6-10 | 110 s | 1 |
| Exercise Ball One Legged Diagonal Kick Hamstring Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 2 |
| Single Leg Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 1 |
| Smith Donkey Kick | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 1 |
| Lever Seated One Leg Calf Raise | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 1 |
| Cable hip adduction | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 1 |
| Cable hip abduction | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 1 |
Thursday · Chest + Back B
Upper-body antagonist pairs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumo deadlift | 3 | 6-10 | 130 s | 1 |
| Barbell bench press | 4 | 6-10 | 115 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Split Stance Bent Over Row | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 1 |
| Lever Cross Lat Pulldown | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Decline One-Arm Hammer Press | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 1 |
| Cable One Arm Fly on Exercise Ball | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Lying Pullover on Exercise Ball | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 1 |
Friday · Shoulders + Arms B
Shoulders and arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettlebell Standing Bottoms Up One Arm Shoulder Press | 3 | 6-10 | 95 s | 1 |
| Cable Single Arm Neutral Grip Front Raise | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 1 |
| Cable Single Arm Triceps Pushdown (Rope Attachment) | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Standing One Arm Curl Over Incline Bench | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 1 |
| Barbell Seated Shrug | 4 | 10-15 | 70 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell One Arm Revers Wrist Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 85 s | 1 |
Saturday · Legs + Abs B
Full legs / abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Hack Squat | 3 | 6-10 | 110 s | 1 |
| Lever Seated One Leg Curl | 4 | 6-10 | 150 s | 1 |
| Barbell Staggered Stance Hip Thrust | 4 | 6-10 | 110 s | 1 |
| Exercise Ball One Legged Diagonal Kick Hamstring Curl | 4 | 10-15 | 60 s | 2 |
| Cable Seated Single Leg Extension | 4 | 10-15 | 80 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Sumo Pull Through | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 1 |
| Dumbbell Seated One Leg Calf Raise Hammer Grip | 4 | 10-15 | 90 s | 1 |
| Cable hip adduction | 4 | 10-15 | 75 s | 1 |
| Lever Glute Abductors Press | 4 | 10-15 | 65 s | 1 |
RIR = reps in reserve: stop the set with that many reps left in the tank. Rest is given in seconds.
How to progress on this plan
- Keep the same exercises for the whole block (8 to 12 weeks) and try to beat the previous session: one more rep or a little more weight.
- Once you hit the top of the rep range on every set while respecting the RIR, add weight and start again from the bottom of the range.
- Every 4 to 6 weeks, or as soon as fatigue builds up, take a lighter week: half the sets, same weights.
In the app, this split is also available for these goals: Hypertrophy, Fat Loss, Powerbuilding, Specialization.