What Is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ab Workout That Helps Him Maintain His 6-Pack Abs?

Ab workout of Arnold Schwarzenegger for six-pack ab. (Image via Instagram)
Ab workout of Arnold Schwarzenegger for six-pack ab. (Image via Instagram)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has donned many roles, be it professional bodybuilder, actor, politician, producer or businessman. He has built quite an impressive career in both bodybuilding and acting. He's widely regarded as one of the best professional bodybuilders of all time, with the second most prestigious bodybuilding event named after him – The Arnold Sports Festival.

After retiring from bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger quickly gained worldwide fame through Hollywood movies, such as Terminator and Commando. Twice, he has been named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

Schwarzenegger has also been popular for his massive arms, wide shoulders, strong back and six-pack abs. Take a look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's ab workout to get six-pack abs.


Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ab Workout

Arnold's ab workout. (Image via Wallpapers.com)
Arnold's ab workout. (Image via Wallpapers.com)

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the few professional bodybuilders to sport a 34-inch waist. His sculpted mid-section further emphasized the massiveness of his upper body along with accentuating his overall aesthetic appeal.

Schwarzenegger's deeply etched six-pack abs along with his broad back, wide shoulders and massive arms added a noteworthy taper to his physique. Arnold's ab workout is focused on high reps with the supersets.

Besides the ab workout, he also had intensive back and leg workouts, helping him train the core region and provide a more chiselled look to his physique.

According to Schwarzenegger, many bodybuilderspay less attention to ab workouts than they should. However, training your abdominal region is very important for a stronger core, lower risk of injury and better physique. He considered Frank Zane to be one of the very few men with great abdominal development. Zane had quite a well-balanced mid-section with a tiny waist.

Schwarzenegger has done various exercises for shredded and sculpted abs to maintain his six-pack abs. He kept modifying the exercises in his workout every few weeks to shock his muscles and allow for better muscle gains. The same goes for his ab workout, which he modified every three to four weeks.

However, there were a few exercises Schwarzenegger swore by to maintain his six-pack abs. These included crunches, Roman chair sit-ups, hanging leg raises, and broomstick twists.

Crunches should be central to the ab workout, as they are one of the simplest and most effective movements for abdominal movement, according to Schwarzenegger.

He even advises that whatever people add to the ab workout regime, crunches should always be central. Some crunch exercises he recommends are standard crunches, reverse crunches, and double crunches.

Schwarzenegger absolutely loved doing rope crunches, especially for the upper abdominal area. For a rope crunch, you have to grasp the rope fixed to a high cable. Get on your knees, and crunch downwards while pulling your hands towards your chest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's ab workout staples. (Image via Pxfuel)
Arnold Schwarzenegger's ab workout staples. (Image via Pxfuel)

He recommends hanging leg raises for lower ab development and broomstick twists for tighter obliques. You can also do broomstick twists on a Roman chair for added challenge and tighter obliques. For hanging leg raises, hoist yourself on a pull-up bar. With slightly bent knees, bring your feet up till they're angled past parallel to the ground. With the same deliberate movement, lower them to their initial position.

This ab workout generally targets all the major areas of the midsection without placing greater emphasis on one section over the other. Incorporating this ab workout into your regular routine by allowing for great changes can boost your abs as well as your overall physique.

Arnold Schwarzenegger advises that one should have a nicely developed abdominal region for better core strength and stability. However, to get trimmed and sculpted six-pack abs, you need to put in a good amount of effort.

You should train your abs at least three times a week with a decent amount of repetition. Arnold Schwarzenegger also says that for six-pack abs, there are certain exercises that should be done regularly. For instance, crunches and hanging leg raises.


Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an inspiration to millions of people, especially bodybuilders and actors. Getting six-pack abs like Schwarzenegger can be a difficult task, as the training program followed by him is challenging even for professional bodybuilders and advanced athletes.

However, with consistency and a tailored abs workout routine, you can get shredded abs just like Schwarzenegger's.

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