Arnold Schwarzenegger has long been a prominent advocate for health, and even at the age of 78, he has no plans of slowing down. Instead, he’s calling out those who lean on age or lack of equipment as excuses.

The 7-time Mr. Olympia broke down how effectively you can work out even when you don't have a pair of dumbbells handy. With travel, busy schedules, and inconsistent routines often getting in the way, he pointed to a simpler solution: resistance bands.

On March 24th, 'The Austrian Oak' revealed a 16-week study on how using resistance bands has improved muscle mass, upper body strength, and body composition, especially in individuals over 50. “The training itself was effective across the board,” he noted, emphasizing that even without supplements, consistent band work delivered measurable gains.

But there was another layer. Groups that paired resistance band training with creatine supplementation saw even greater benefits.

Schwarzenegger explained the reason behind this, stating, “Creatine speeds up energy production in muscle cells, which lets you sustain higher effort during training.”

The researchers divided adults over 50 who were not trained into three groups. One group took 5 grams of creatine, another group took 3 grams of creatine, and one group took something that was not creatine, but it sure gave them a sense of a placebo feeling.

Every group saw results from the resistance band, but the group with no creatine and just something that created a placebo didn't show as good results as the other two.

This research went on for 16 weeks. “If you’re over 50 and not training, resistance bands are a legitimate place to start. They’re inexpensive, joint-friendly, and effective enough to drive real adaptation when used consistently.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Resistance Band Workout Works for Every Level

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a set of resistance-band workouts that are not for the faint-hearted, but they are all-level and can be split and adjusted for beginners and advanced users.

"This workout uses something called mechanical drop sets to challenge your muscles in less time and with fewer exercises," says Schwarzenegger.

He also mentioned, "This type of drop set means you start with a harder version of an exercise (using bands) and then shift to something not quite as challenging without rest. The combination will leave your muscles pumped and your heart exhausted."

Before starting the workout, a minimal amount of warming up is recommended, and it can be done with or without a band. These are 3 supersets with 2-3 minutes of rest in between.

4 sets

• Resistance Band Squats x 10-12 reps
• Bodyweight Squat x 5-20 reps
• Wall Sits x 20-30 seconds

4 sets

• Resistance Band Press-up x 10 reps
• Press-ups x AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
• Chest Elevated Press-ups x 10-20 reps

3 sets

• Banded Deadlift x 10 reps
• Single-leg Hip Raise x 8-12 reps each side
• Two-legged Hip Raise x 10-20 reps

So, whenever you feel like visiting the gym, grab a pair of resistance bands and get going with these exercises. The effects won't be much different.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Souvik Roy