Arnold Schwarzenegger's Golden Era Workout Will Give You a Full-Body Pump in Just 30 Minutes

Arnold Schwarzenegger was lifting weights before many of us were even born. Safe to say, it's easy to trust any workout he suggests. Every Monday, Arnold shares a time-saving workout routine in his Pump Club newsletter. For the final Monday of 2025, he shared the most popular workout of the year: a 4-part dropset workout hitting quads, back, hamstrings, and chest.

Arnold has long sworn by dropsets as a go-to training technique, which involve performing a set of an exercise at a heavier weight, then immediately reducing the weight and continuing, repeating several times. Try it below, and prepare for a high-intensity workout that doesn't waste any time. Do this as an entire workout session or add them to a workout.

Related: These Savage Workout Finishers Will Torch Fat and Skyrocket Muscle Growth

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dropset Workout

Complete one set of each exercise, resting as little as possible between sets. After you do all three movements, rest, and then repeat once more. Rest again before moving on to the next dropset.

Dropset 1

How to Do Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats

1. Place one foot on a bench behind you, keep your front foot flat, and lower your back knee toward the floor while keeping your chest upright.
2. Perform 6 reps per leg.

How to Do Dumbbell Squats

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, feet shoulder-width apart, and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then push back up.
2. Perform 8 reps.

How to Do Bodyweight Squats

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower your hips back and down as if sitting in a chair, then return to standing.
2. Perform 10 to 15 reps.

Dropset 2

How to Do Pullups

1. Grab a bar with palms facing away, hang fully, then pull your chest up to the bar while keeping your core tight.
2. Perform 8 to 10 reps.

How to Do Dumbbell Rows

1. Hinge at the hips, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Row it toward your ribcage, keeping your back flat.
2. Perform 6 to 8 reps.

How to Do Inverted Rows

1. Lie under a bar or suspension straps, grab it, and pull your chest toward the bar while keeping your body straight from head to heels.
2. Perform 10 to 15 reps.

Dropset 3

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts

1. Hold dumbbells in front, hinge at the hips keeping a slight bend in the knees, lower the weight down your legs, then return to standing.
2. Perform 6 to 8 reps.

How to Do Dumbbell Hip Thrusts

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench, place a dumbbell on your hips, and thrust your hips upward until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
2. Perform 8 to 10 reps.

How to Do Bodyweight Hip Thrusts

1. Assume the same setup as above, but lift your hips using only bodyweight, squeezing your glutes at the top.
2. Perform 10 to 15 reps.

Dropset 4

How to Do Dumbbell Chest Press

1. Lie on a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest level, and press them straight up until your arms are fully extended, then lower slowly.
2. Perform 6 reps.

How to Do Dumbbell Floor Press

1. Lie on the floor, hold dumbbells at chest level, press them up until arms are extended, and lower until elbows touch the floor.
2. Perform 8 reps.

How to Do Pushups

1. Place hands shoulder-width apart on the floor, keep your body straight, lower your chest toward the floor, then push back up.
2. Perform 10 to 15 reps.

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 30-Minute Dumbbell Only Workout Boosts Strength and Endurance