ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IS 75 years old and still looks like he could bench press a few adults, so you might be surprised by his workouts these days. While he pushed himself to the limit in his early years to attain his iconically muscular body, those days are over. He’s now more focused on efficient workouts over lifting the heaviest weights. At 75, Mr. Olympia has become Mr. Sensible—and he let Men’s Health into his workout routine at his favorite Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California.
“After having several heart surgeries, and surgery on my shoulders, knees, and those kinds of things, it’s important to protect my body and do therapy training at the same time,” he told Men’s Health.
Rarely in his career have conversations around Schwarzenegger not centered around a gladiator physique he’s meticulously sculpted over the last 50-plus years. When he competed for the bodybuilding supremacy of Mr. Olympia, he was lots of guys’ body goal. When he was a police officer going undercover as a kindergarten teacher in the 1990 comedy Kindergarten Cop, he was trying to fit his bulging biceps inside of polo T-shirts. When he was on this historic run, he worked out for two hours every day. After decades of dedicating his life to growing his body, his key to a successful workout is simple: Don’t think, just do.
Before he starts thinking for the day he’s already fed his animals, rode his motorcycle over to Gold’s Gym, and had a hearty workout. That’s because he fully believes a good pump is good for the mind. “Bodybuilding gave me everything. I don’t know if I didn’t get into bodybuilding if I would have got a clear vision of where to go in life.”
For his workouts these days, he understands his body’s limitations, so he starts with high reps of curling exercises to warm up his elbows, which are part of his body he feels is the most vulnerable. He also will do high reps on the machine dip with lighter weights because “it’s not about working out with the heaviest weights; I’m just trying to move as fast as I can from one exercise to the next.”
You’ll be able to see him back in action as a bone-breaking and daughter-irritating spy in the Netflix comedy FUBAR. Before you run to your local gym and try out Schwarzenegger’s workout routine, remember his advice to prioritize efficiency over limit-breaking. And make sure you have a gym partner like him that’ll inspire you to do one more rep for your mommy.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Workout Routine at 75:
Arm Circuit:
Machine Preacher Curl
1 set of 30 reps followed by 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Machine Dip
1 set of 30 reps, followed by 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Working out with Arnold could include him asking you to do one more rep for your mommy.
Shoulder Circuit
Overhead Press
5 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Machine Lateral Raises
5 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Machine Rear Delt Fly
5 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.
Keith Nelson is a writer by fate and journalist by passion, who has connected dots to form the bigger picture for Men’s Health, Vibe Magazine, LEVEL MAG, REVOLT TV, Complex, Grammys.com, Red Bull, Okayplayer, and Mic, to name a few.
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