By Jeff Bayer

When you say the word "bodybuilding," the name that instantly comes to mind is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold has been crowned the "king" by many in the bodybuilding field, as he really did take the sport to a whole new level.

As such, many involved in bodybuilding today look up to him and try to recreate the programs he used, hoping to sculpt a body that resembles the one he built. In doing so, you'll fare best if you can recreate the Arnold Schwarzenegger workout as outlined in his book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. This program was utilized when he was initially working on developing a good foundation of mass, in his early 20s. At the end of this period, Schwarzenegger weighed in at a solid 240 pounds, due to the fact that he focused on building the greatest proportion of his strength early on with this program.

Arnold's Principles

When it comes to his approach to training, Arnold Schwarzenegger has some key principles that he stresses must be present in any program regardless of who you are. First off, Schwarzenegger notes that people do have individual needs and, therefore, you must listen to your body to some degree when deciding on the type of program you should utilize. Variations will depend on your body type; how fast or slow you're able to gain muscle (this is partially genetic); your own individual metabolic rate; what weak points you have in your body; and the level of recuperation you normally experience.

After taking into account those variables, the other factors that must be touched upon when you decide to embark on the Arnold Schwarzenegger workout are:

Progressive resistance

If you want to continue to progress with your workouts and strength levels, you must continually add weight to the bar -- it really is that simple.

Correct Rep Range

Arnold advises doing 8-12 reps for the upper-body muscles and 12-16 for the lower-body muscles. This is due to the fact that the lower-body muscles can withstand fatigue slightly better than the upper body, so they can handle the higher rep range.

Training to Failure

Note that this does not mean exhaustion; rather, it means training until the point when you cannot complete another rep without stopping to take a rest beforehand.

Full Range of Motion

Arnold Schwarzenegger believes that the only way to stimulate the entire muscle and every possible muscle fiber is by moving throughout the entire range of motion when doing each exercise.

Good Quality of Contraction

It's important to realize that weights are just a means to stimulate the muscle, and in order to accomplish this stimulation, you need to isolate the muscle effectively. This is done by only choosing as much weight as the muscles you are targeting can handle to ensure that other muscles do not get called into play.

Also, focusing the mind on contracting the target muscles while keeping the others relaxed will additionally help ensure that they are getting the full workout.

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