“A woman shouldn’t be doing an Arnold split.”

@jimjam I think he could mean that there is a lot of volume for an average natural (male) lifter. Anabolic steroids improve muscle recovery so enchanted lifters can train more. Going by that, he could assume that women should have even worse volume capacity due to the lower testosteron levels...

But lesser known fact among the gym crowd is than average woman actually has more resistance to high volume training and muscle fatigue than average man link1 link2. So, there are a high chance (because individual differences can play a bigger role ofc) that this split is actually better suited for you than for average guy.
 
@jimjam Even Arnold says muscles are muscles, doesn't matter who has 'em. That wanker who dissed you can fuck off. I use Arnold's Bodybuilding Encyclopedia and I'm not bodybuilding, but I want to be freakishly strong. Arnold would be the last person to gate keep weightlifting.
 
@jimjam ...Doesn't everyone have low testosterone compared to someone taking steroids?

If he'd said 'there are programs that only work well if you're taking steroids' he might have a point. But that's not what he said.

Also: You enjoy it? You're not injured, or incurring other damage? And you're getting what you want out of it? Then fuck that dude and his gendered 'shoulds'.
 
@jimjam Lmao Arnold split is one of my favorites. Anyone can do it as long as you eat, sleep and recover enough. Don’t listen to anyone who says “women shouldn’t…”
 
@jimjam Sorry ladies, that program was created for a man name Arnold so if that ain’t you then it’s not for you. This specific split belongs to him. Hope this helps.
 
@jimjam what if you get hysterical mid bench press and your tampon falls out??? /s

the arnold split is a classic solid program. though, i'd recommend replacing the core exercises. his selection there is kind of dated. situps are risky for your neck and waste energy compared to crunches and he does nothing for the obliques.

what's really interesting about arnold's methods are how he played with sets, reps, and rests. variation on these things has since proven to be really beneficial. and his program may not tell you this (idk) but he did that based on feeling/mood. dude just loves to work out and play around with it.

the only thing we can't do is progress as fast as men, that's the T factor, they build muscle faster.
 
@jimjam 😆

heads up though, your core will ~eventually~ lag behind making it sketchy to keep a straight spine while lifting.

i like to use my daily 15 minutes of cardio to squeeze in core and other odds and ends with a hiit circuit. i mix this up a lot but here's an example of what i mean:

going for speed. 3 circuits:

Code:
1. Sumo squat (40secs)  
    a. Burpee (25secs)  
2. Bridge march  
    a. Flutter kick  
3. Bicycle crunch  
    a. Flutter kick  
4. Dead bug  
    a. Mtn climber  
5. Bird dog plank  
    a. Mtn climber
 
@busola48 Thanks! I’ve also had eight major abdominal surgeries so I have to limit direct core work as I have high risk of hernia. I’ll keep this in mind though.
 
@jimjam oh damn, well i'm impressed you're still kicking ass. and admittedly, i want visible abs so i focus them a lot more than is probably needed.
 
@busola48 I get it and I’d love to have visible abs, but I don’t think it’s going to happen after being cut into so much. I also have a rare condition that causes severe distention, and I literally look pregnant constantly. I won’t recover from it so, you know. But maybe one day I’ll have killer abs.
 
@busola48 The only thing I'd say about the Arnold split is it's a ton of volume. not a men/women thing, more of a natty vs enhanced thing - your average natural lifter will tend to have issues with recovery on that split if they're not taking nutrition and sleep extremely seriously that someone on gear isn't going to run into.
 
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