Look, when Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks, you listen. And when he’s about to talk about what he’s learned in the gym, and how it can benefit you, your lifts and your gains, you take notes.
So, pen ready. Because the Men’s Health hero of muscle has just shared his practical training tips in his latest newsletter.
Tip #1: ‘When the reps go down, the weight goes up’
‘The way to make those rules work is trial and error,’ says Schwarzenegger. ‘Some people want me to pick the weights for you – based on 60 years in the gym, that’s a bad idea. I might oversell you or undersell you.’
Tip #2 The last two reps should be hard, but not to failure
He also believes experimenting with your workouts is key, and that it takes time to find a combination of weights and reps that work for you.
‘What I want all of you to think about is the gym is your lab,’ he says. ‘Don’t think if you choose a weight too light and have to do eight extra reps until the reps become hard you failed. Don’t think if you choose a weight too heavy and have to stop before you hit your reps you screwed up. You learned!’
He also advises you not to rush, and that when trying out these rules you should take a gradual approach. ‘If you’re doing five reps for the first time, take the weight you did for eight and add five pounds,’ he says. ‘If it’s too easy, you can add another 5.’
Thirsty for more Arnie-flavoured fitness tips? Here's his secret to building muscle while burning fat.
Robert Hicks is the multiplatform director at Men’s Health UK. A Sport Science graduate and author of three fitness books published by Bloomsbury, Robert has written numerous articles on health, fitness and nutrition and created several documentaries, most notably Britain’s Steroid Epidemic and The Faces of Attempted Suicide. Robert has been working at Men's Health UK for seven years.
