Build a Chest and Back Like Arnold With This Old-School Push-Pull Workout

These days, gyms are full of every awkward exercise you can imagine, from dive bomber push-ups to pistol squats to handstand push-ups, all in the name of getting lean while trying to pack on size. And sure, these moves can have a place in your routine. But if you want a physique like the golden era bodybuilders, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, and Serge Nubret, you have to stick to the classics: high-volume training, heavy compound lifts, and relentless focus. 

These legends spent hours in the gym hammering their muscles through four to six sets of eight to 12 reps, sometimes hitting each muscle group twice a week. Bench presses, squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses formed the backbone of their routines, while isolation exercises were sprinkled in to sculpt the details. Modern rep schemes are fun to experiment with, but if you really want size, taking a page from their playbook works every time.

“I’ve gotten the best results for my clients by taking old school methods and combining them with a new school approach, and adding in other aspects that would be similar to what we do in Alpha or GTX [classes] here at Life Time,” says Kyle Peterson, Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time South Jordan. “For 90 percent of my clients, I am measuring their progress on the fitness floor by how much improvement they are having with their squats, deadlifts, pullups and pushups, or some version of bench.”

If you want to get size like the bodybuilding legends, Tim McComsey, a personal trainer and registered dietician, details a go-to workout below. 

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Old-School Chest and Back Routine for Size and Strength

This isn’t your typical chest or back session, where triceps get paired with chest and biceps with back. Instead, it’s a classic, big-muscle push-pull routine designed to maximize growth. 

Barbell Bench Press

How to Do It

1. Grasp the bar just outside shoulder-width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench, to start.
2. Pull the bar out of the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45° to your sides.
3. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.
4. That’s one rep.
5. Perform four sets of eight reps, resting 90 seconds between sets.

Cable Pulldown

How to Do It

1. Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station and hold an end in each hand with elbows flexed, to start.
2. Allow your elbows to drift forward a bit as you extend them, and then let them drift backward as you lower the weight.
3. That’s one rep. 
4. Perform four sets of 12 reps, resting for 90 seconds between sets.

Barbell Incline Press

How to Do It

1. Lie on an incline bench, to start. 
2. Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width, arch your back, and pull it off the rack. 
3. Lower the bar to the upper part of your chest, then drive your feet into the floor as you press it back up.
4. That’s one rep.
5. Perform four sets of 10 reps, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Barbell Bent Over Row

How to Do It

1. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip at shoulder width and let it hang in front of your thighs, to start.
2. Bend at the hips and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bar to your belly.
4. That’s one rep.
5. Complete four sets of 10 reps, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Pushup

How to Do It

1. Get into a pushup position with hands under your shoulders.
2. Your entire body should be straight and your core braced.
3. Lower your body, keeping your elbows tucked near your torso and your head neutral, until your chest is almost touching the floor.
4. Fire your chest and triceps and raise your body back to the pushup position.
5. Complete three sets of 10 reps, resting 45 seconds between sets.

Related: The High-Rep Method Golden Era Lifters Used to Add Size Fast

Cable Row

How to Do It

1. Attach a straight or v-bar to the pulley of a seated row station, to start. 
2. Sit on the bench (or floor) with your feet against the foot plate and knees slightly bent. 
3. Keeping your lower back flat, bend forward at the hips to grasp the bar and row it to your sternum, squeezing your shoulder blades together in the end position. 
4. Extend your arms and feel the stretch in your back before beginning the next rep.
5. Complete three sets of 10 reps, resting 45 seconds between sets.