You see, when Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks, you listen. And when he tries to talk about what he learned at the gym and how it will help your lifts and gains, you take notes.
So your pen is ready. Because Men’s Health’s muscle heroes just shared practical training tips in their latest newsletter.
Tip #1: “Less reps means more weight.”
“It takes some trial and error to make these rules work,” Schwarzenegger says. “Some people want me to pick weights based on my 60 years of experience in the gym, but that’s a bad idea. I might overestimate you or I might underestimate you.”
Tip #2 The last two attempts should be difficult but don’t fail.
He also believes it’s important to experiment with workouts and that it takes time to find the weight and rep combination that works for you.
“What I want people to think about is that the gym is a laboratory,” he says. “If you choose a weight that is too light and you have to do 8 additional reps until the reps become difficult, don’t consider yourself a failure. Don’t think if you have to stop before. You’ve learned!’
He also advises not to rush and to take a step-by-step approach when trying out these rules. “If you’re doing 5 reps for the first time, add 5 pounds to the weight for 8 reps,” he says. “He can add five more if it’s too easy.”
Want more Ernie-flavored fitness tips? Here’s his secret to building muscle while burning fat.
Robert Hicks is editor-in-chief of Men’s Health UK. A sports science graduate and author of three of his fitness books published by Bloomsbury, Robert has written numerous articles on health, fitness and nutrition and has appeared in several documentaries, most notably ‘ He produced “Britain’s Steroid Epidemic” and “The Face of a Suicide Attempt.” Robert has been working at Men’s Health UK for seven years.