Written by Steve Theunissen | ISSA: CPT & Fitness Nutrition
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
One of the most well-known scenes from the iconic Pumping Iron movie has Arnold Schwarzenegger doing a back shot in the mirror while Ken Waller comments. 'It's like a roadmap back there!"
While there was rightly a lot of emphasis on Arnold's massive chest development, his back was worthy of admiration in its own right, as Waller observed. Arnold trained his back hard and heavy. He'd hit all areas every workout, including the upper, lower, and middle portions, and then finish with a power exercise such as cleans or deadlifts.
In this article, I'll break down Arnold's back workout routines while he was training for the 1974 Mr Olympia, where he achieved what many people believe was his most massive look. I'll also provide back training tips directly from the Austrian Oak himself and Arnie's insights on how to best pose the back onstage.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Back Workout
Here is the routine that built the back that Arnold displayed at the 1974 Mr Olympia:
- Wide-Grip Pull-Up: 5 sets of 15-8 reps, pyramiding up the weight and reducing the rep count each set.
- T-Bar Row: 5 sets of 10-15 reps.
- Bent-Over Barbell Row: 5 sets of 10-15 reps.
- Chin-Up: 5 sets of 12 reps.
- Barbell Deadlift: 3 sets of 6-10 reps.
Note: Arnold would swap in seated cable rows for bent-over barbell rows every 3rd or 4th workout.
Arnold is well known for following a superset program during his 1970s heyday. He famously paired chest and back for marathon workouts consisting of as many as 45 sets.
There were times, though, that Arnold trained back by itself. That's what he did in the lead-up to the 1974 Mr Olympia. He appeared on stage weighing around 245 pounds and looking huge, with his massive, detailed back being a standout.
The Exercises
In his prep for the 1974 Mr Olympia, Arnold trained his back twice per week, usually on Monday and Thursday. At 23 sets, his training volume would be considered very high for a muscle group by today's standards, but it was par for the course back during the golden era of bodybuilding in the 70s.
Here's a breakdown of how Arnold performed each exercise, along with an Arnie-inspired training tip:
1. Wide-Grip Pull-Up
Wide grip pull-ups were Arnold's favorite exercise to develop lat width. He and his training partner, Franco Columbu, would go set for set on this exercise, each trying to get one more rep than the other.
This friendly rivalry was a trademark of their training partnership, leading to some of the most legendary workouts of the golden era.
Here's how Arnold performed wide grip pull-ups:
- Grab the pull-up bar with your hands about six inches wider than shoulder-width, using an overhand grip. Keep your arms straight, getting a deep stretch in the lats. Detract your shoulder blades as you bend your knees and cross over your feet, with your chest protruding up.
- Pull through your lats to bring your chest up to the bar.
- Hold the contracted position for a second, then lower under control back to the start position.
Arnold's Training Tip:
Pulling to the chest rather than the head gives you a larger range of motion. It's also not quite as strict so that you can cheat slightly on those difficult final reps.
It can be difficult to perform pull-ups right off the bat, so we've made the Ultimate Pull Up Progression Plan to help you get started.
2. T-Bar Row
The T-Bar Row was Arnold's favorite exercise to thicken the mid and outer back. He and Franco would go super heavy on this move, considering T-bar rows to be a fundamental power exercise.
- Place a wooden block under the T-bar and stand on it with a narrow grip. Grab the bar handle with an overhand grip. Your legs should be slightly bent with your torso at a 45-degree angle.
- From an arms-extended position, pull the bar up until the weight plate touches your chest. Do not change the position of your body throughout this movement.
- Lower back to the start position.
Arnold's Training Tip:
Do not use your legs or lower back to help with the lift. Reduce the weight if you find yourself doing this. Your lower back should remain naturally arched throughout the movement.
Make sure that you never round your back when doing the T-Bar Row; doing so can lead to lower back injury.
Some gyms may not have a dedicated T-Bar to use, you can check out our article on the Best T-Bar Row Alternatives for other ideas.
3. Bent-Over Barbell Row
Arnold relied on the bent-over barbell row to add width and density to his upper back.- Stand in front of a loaded barbell with your feet a little closer than shoulder-width. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle. Reach down to grab the bar with a wide, overhand grip. Lift the bar slightly off the floor in the starting position.
- Pull through the lats to bring the bar up to your ribcage area.
- Lower under control back to the start position.
Arnold's Training Tip:
You don't want to pull the bar up with your arms in this exercise. Think of your arms as nothing more than hooks connecting your lats to the bar.
4. Chin-up
Arnold considered the close grip chin-up to be a very good exercise for widening and lengthening the last while, at the same time, giving the biceps an awesome peak contraction.
- Hang from a pull-up bar with a close, underhand grip. Your pinkies should be about six inches apart.
- With your knees slightly bent and body slightly arched, pull through the lats to bring your chest as close to your hands as possible.
- Lower under control to a dead hang to fully stretch the lats.
Arnold's Training Tip:
Do not swing or otherwise allow momentum to make this exercise easier.
Some may wonder if there's a difference between pull-ups and chin-ups, follow the link for a full breakdown.
5. Barbell Deadlift
The deadlift is a compound movement that works your erector spine (lower back), lats, trapezius, and quads. It's also a great exercise for developing overall pulling power.
- Stand before a loaded barbell so that your midfeet are under the bar. Hinge at the hips as you need down to grab the bar with a medium grip, one hand overhand and the other underhand. Your back should be naturally arched.
- Drive your heels into the ground as you pull the bar off the floor and return to a standing position. Your shoulder blades should be depressed, and your chest should be out in the top position.
- Lower under control and repeat.
Arnold's Training Tip:
Keep your reps within the 6-10 range on this exercise. You've already done plenty of volume in this workout. During this final exercise, concentrate on power.
5 More Back Training Tips from the Austrian Oak
Few people have accumulated more training knowledge in the trenches than Arnold Schwarzenneger. Arnold knew that small things can make a big difference when it comes to building a massive, detailed back. Here are five key training tips that can make a big difference.
1. Stretching the Lats
Arnold would stretch his latissimus dorsi (lats) between sets and after his back workout. He'd pull on a stationary object with his arms extended. He credited this practice to his superior overall lat development and believed it also helped him retain a flexible upper body despite the huge amount of mass he carried.
2. Narrow Grip for Lower Lats
To target muscle growth in his lower lats, Arnold would use a narrow grip on rowing movements as well as when doing pull-ups and chin-ups. He knows that fully developed lower lats made the width of his upper lats even more impressive.
3. Visualization
A key difference between Arnold and the other guys who were doing the same exercises as him at Gold's Gym was that he was better at creating a mind-muscle connection. The key to that mind-muscle connection was visualization.
While the other guys were mindlessly pulling the bar to their pecs, Arnie would imagine that he was pulling the sky down on top of him when doing lat pulldowns. On deadlifts, he imagined that he was pulling massive planets rather than weight plates.
During filming for his breakthrough role as Conan the Barbarian, Arnold said, "Had I been aware of Conan during my competition years, I probably would have imagined I was him during my workouts."
4. Vary Your Pull-Up Technique
Pull-ups were a big part of Arnold's back training program. He used a number of variations, including wide grip, standard grip, close grip, and chin-ups to the front and behind the neck. This allowed him to hit his back muscles from as wide a range of angles as possible.
If your gym doesn't have one, Arnold recommends investing in a 'V' handle that you can drape over the pull-up bar so you can neutral grip pull-ups. He was also a sticker for going all the way up on every repetition.
A final piece of Arnie-inspired pull-up advice is to keep your elbows out away from the sides of your body through the movement. This more effectively activates the lats.
5. Work Towards a Rep Target
Rather than doing the conventional five sets of 10-15 reps on pull-ups, Arnold would often focus on a total rep goal. This was usually around 70 reps. He might have gotten 17 on his first set. Then Franco would pump out his first set. Arnold would then be back up for another set to failure, maybe 14 reps. This back-and-forth action would continue until they both reached their 70 rep total.
Wrap Up
Arnold Schwarzenegger's back workout consisted of a series of fundamental mass, density, and width-building exercises performed at high volume with maximum intensity. It enabled the Austrian Oak to develop a barn-door back that was almost, but not quite, as impressive as his gargantuan chest and massive arms.
Arnold's back workout was a high-volume affair, consisting of 18 sets. If you're planning on giving it a try, we recommend at least a four-day rest between each workout, plenty of hydration, and a whole lot of focus.
(All image credit to original owners)
Steve Theunissen
Author