Bodybuilders are renowned for using hours-long gym workouts to sculpt their physiques, yet Arnold Schwarzenegger knows the value of a short, sharp session.
When time and equipment were scarce, the Austrian Oak would turn to a muscle-building technique called mechanical drop sets to build strength with maximum efficiency—and he’s just released a workout drawing on this principle.
“Mechanical drop sets allow you to hit failure without changing weights—just by tweaking the movement,” writes Arnie’s team in the latest edition of Arnold’s Pump Club—a daily newsletter from the 78-year-old former Mr Olympia.
With a classic drop set, you typically need lots of equipment close to hand.
For example, you might do a set of biceps curls with a moderately heavy pair of dumbbells. Once you hit failure, you’d immediately swap in a lighter pair of weights for a second set of reps to failure, then drop the weight once more.
As a result you would have kept the muscles under sustained tension for longer than if you had one pair of dumbbells, which should help your biceps grow bigger and stronger.
With a mechanical drop set, instead of changing the load, you regress the exercise selection, performing sets of easier variations, so you can keep working when you hit failure.
“This keeps intensity high and prioritizes efficiency so you can work hard, feel accomplished, and get on with your day,” writes Arnie’s team, while providing a mechanical drop-set workout you can get your teeth stuck into today.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mechanical drop-set workout
Arnold’s mechanical drop-set workout is made up of three blocks, starting with the lower-body, then upper, then back to lower.
Each block involves three back-to-back variations of an exercise targeting a specific movement pattern, moving from hardest to easiest.
“Rest as little as possible (or not at all) between exercises in a set,” notes Arnie's team.
Rest two to three minutes after each drop set, repeating it once or twice more before moving onto the next block. Don’t skimp on the rest. To perform to your full potential, you’ll need it.
Because the workout is quite push-heavy, I’ve added an optional upper-body pulling-focused block to round off the session and keep your body evenly balanced.
Hopefully, Arnie would approve.
Drop set 1: Lower body (2-3 rounds)
- Dumbbell front foot elevated lunge (on a weight plate or low step) x 6 each side
- Dumbbell reverse lunge x 8 each side
- Dumbbell goblet squat x 10
Drop set 2: Upper-body push (2-3 rounds)
- Decline push-up x 10-20
- Regular push-up x 10
- Incline push-up (hands on bench) x as many reps as possible
If decline push-ups are too advanced—as they are for most people—instead pick three variations of push-ups, or modified push-ups, that you can perform with good form. For example, you could start with eccentric push-ups, then move on to push-ups on knees, then finish with incline push-ups.
Drop set 3: Glutes and core (2-3 rounds)
- Dumbbell single-leg hip thrust x 8 each side
- Single-leg hip thrust x 10 each side
- Hip thrust x 12
Rest 2-3 minutes after each drop set, repeating it once or twice more, then rest 60-90 seconds before moving onto the next block.
Drop set 4: Upper-body pull (2-3 rounds)
- Renegade row x 8 each side
- Bent-over row x 10
- Single-arm row x 12 each side
Given the volume of work involved, you can expect some mild to moderate delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) to set in over the next 48 hours.
Here's one of the best things you can do post-session to speed up recovery.
