Day 1
Monday- Barbell bench press4 sets · 6–15 reps
- Incline barbell bench press4 sets · 6–15 reps
- Dumbbell pullover4 sets · 6–15 reps
- Chin-up10 × max
- Barbell row5 sets · 6–15 reps
- Conventional deadlift1 × 10, 1 × 6, 1 × 4
- Floor crunch5 × 25
Arnold Split — Basic Training Program One
Six weekly workouts repeat chest and back, shoulders and arms, then legs, with heavier weights as reps fall.
Not sure it’s for you? See programs like it, ranked for you →Week by week
Every workout, as Catalyst would give it to you.
Day 2
TuesdayThis workout’s sets follow from your answers on the day.
Arnold Split — Basic Training Program One asks you questions before this workout, so its sets follow from your answers on the day.
Where it takes you
Each activity’s target, workout by workout.
Arnold Split — Basic Training Program One asks you questions before each workout, so its targets can’t be worked out ahead.
What it trains
Working sets in the first week for each muscle, counted once for each muscle an exercise trains.
| Muscle | Main mover | Helping |
|---|---|---|
| Latissimus dorsi | 9 | 0 |
| Pectorals | 8 | 4 |
| Abdominals | 5 | 0 |
| Scapular retractors | 5 | 0 |
| Gluteals | 3 | 0 |
| Hamstrings | 3 | 0 |
| Triceps | 0 | 12 |
| Anterior deltoids | 0 | 8 |
| Serratus anterior | 0 | 8 |
| Spinal erectors | 0 | 8 |
| Biceps | 0 | 5 |
| Hip flexors | 0 | 5 |
| Obliques | 0 | 5 |
| Posterior deltoids | 0 | 5 |
The schedule
6 workouts a week, on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
Then it starts again from week 1, carrying on from the weights you reached.
How it works
The program’s own rules, as Catalyst runs them.
Train chest/back, shoulders/arms/forearms and legs twice each week, resting Sunday, and continue this weekly rhythm. Choose weights that make the repetition targets challenging. Complete exactly fifty chin-ups in at most ten efforts, stopping each effort when you reach the remaining total. After each six-, four- and two-repetition push press, immediately lower the weight and do as many reps as you can. The weight reduction and rest periods are up to you.
What you need
Everything its exercises call for. Missing something? The app suggests swaps that train the same thing.
- Adjustable bench
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Flat bench
- Lying leg curl machine
- Pull-up bar
- Squat rack
- Standing calf machine
Not sure it’s the one?
See every program like it ranked for what you want, how often you train and what you have, each with why it fits and what doesn’t. Compare any three side by side.
Run Arnold Split — Basic Training Program One in Catalyst
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