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Arnold Schwarzenegger posing showing his back

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s No-Gym Workout For Lockdown


With the government announcing a statewide lockdown of What are Non-Essential Services? A Full List of Australia’s Essential Businesses, it looks like you are gonna be without a gym for an indefinite period of time. With that in mind, it’s about time that you get a quarantine ready work-out routine to keep your mind and body healthy. Lucky for you, Arnold Schwarzenegger has written up his old school no-gym workout to keep you fit without even leaving the house.

“There are a lot of things we can’t control during this crisis, so we need to focus on what we can control,” the seven-time Mr Olympia wrote on his Instagram. “I wrote up my old no-gym required workout for all of you, as promised, because we can control our fitness”.

The comprehensive workout is can be done with pretty much anything you find around the house. To prove it, Arnie shared a couple of choice photos of him in his prime.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s No-Gym Workout

1. Push Ups

  1. Assume the pushup position
  2. Keep your arms straight, your butt clenched, your core tightened, and your elbows as even with the floor as you can.
  3. Gradually lower yourself until each elbow is at a 90-degree angle or less.
  4. Once your chest or nose or chin is touching the floor, hold for a brief pause before thrusting yourself back into the starting position, exhaling as you go.

For more information, you can also check out our guide to performing a perfect push up.

Reps Beginner: 25
Reps Advanced: 50
Muscles Targeted: Chest, Triceps, Delts

2. Dips Between Chairs

  1. Place two chairs a bit wider than leg length apart.
  2. Hold the top of the back area with both hands.
  3. slowly bend your arms.
  4. Sink your upper body towards the ground.
  5. Do not touch the ground, rather bring the body back up again in a controlled motion.
  6. Keep your back straight.

Beginner: 20 Reps
Advanced: 50 Reps
Muscles Targeted: Triceps

3. Row Between Chairs

  1. Place two solid chairs of equal height and straight backrest body-width apart, the backrests point to each other.
  2. Add weight to the seat areas.
  3. Put a stable bar on them (enough to carry your body weight).
  4. Lay down underneath with the bar above your shoulders.
  5. Grasp it with under or overhand grip.
  6. Pull your body up with both arms.
  7. Hold your back straight and body in a line.
  8. Hold the final position, then return to the starting position.

Beginner Reps: 30
Advanced Reps: 50
Muscles Targeted: Biceps, Deltoids

4. Situps

  1. Lie down on your back.
  2. Bend your legs and stabilise your lower body by placing feet firmly on the ground.
  3. Cross your hands to opposite shoulders or place them behind your ears, without pulling on your neck.
  4. Curl your upper body all the way up toward your knees.
  5. Slowly, lower yourself down, returning to your starting point.

Beginner Reps: 30
Advanced Reps: 100
Muscles Targeted: Chest, hip flexors, lower back, abdominals

5. Bent-leg Raises

  1. Lie faceup on the floor with your palms flat on the ground.
  2. Bend your hips and knees 90 degrees. This is the starting position.
  3. Without letting your upper body move, extend your legs out until they are straight and hovering a few inches above the floor.
  4. Pause, and then return to the starting position.

Beginner Reps: 25
Advanced Reps: 50
Muscles Targeted: Abdominals, hips, core

6. Bent-Over Twists

  1. Place a weighted bar or a broom stick across your shoulders.
  2. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and bend 90 degrees at the waist.
  3. Turn your torso so the stick points as low as possible. Make sure to keep your lower body as still as possible.
  4. Repeat in opposite direction.

Beginner Reps: 25
Advanced Reps: 50
Muscles Targeted: Obliques

7. Knee Bends (Squats)

  1. Put your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground, chest up and spine in a neutral position.
  2. Keep your entire body tight the entire time.
  3. Breathe deeply, break at your hip and push your butt back. Keep sending your hips backwards as your knees begin to bend.
  4. As you squat down, focus on keeping your knees in line with your feet.

Beginner Reps: 25
Advanced Reps: 50 to 70
Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Glutes

8. Calf Raises

  1. Stand on the edge of a step or small platform.
  2. Stand tall with abdominals tensed, the balls of your feet firmly planted on the step, and your heels hanging over the edge.
  3. Raise heels a few inches above the edge of the step so you’re on your tiptoes.
  4. Hold the position for a moment, and then lower your heels below the platform.

Beginner Reps: 25
Advanced Reps: 50
Muscles targeted: Calves

9. Chinups

  1. Find a sturdy bar that is strong enough to support your full body weight.
  2. Grab the bar with your palms down.
  3. Hang to the pullup-bar with straight arms and legs off the floor.
  4. Pull yourself up by pulling your elbows down to the floor.
  5. Elevate until your chin passes the bar.
  6. Lower yourself until your arms are straight

Beginner Reps: 10
Advanced Reps: 30
Muscles Targeted: Biceps, Deltoids

Hasta la vista, baby.

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