When Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks, you listen.

The six-time Mr. Olympia has been cutting through gym myths for decades, and this time he’s tackling the slow-rep obsession. Arnold recently made it clear: deliberately slowing down repetitions doesn’t automatically lead to more muscle growth.

“Full Reps arent the goal, hard reps are,” Arnold revealed in his Instagram post dated January 20. The Terminator has always advocated harder reps over full reps, saying, “2-3 brutal reps> 10 easy reps.”

In his latest letter on Arnold’s Pump Club Newsletter, he revealed a study published by Schoenfeld’s 2010 review, which cited that, “mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth. Not motion. Not sweat. Tension. If the reps are easy, the muscle has no reason to change.”

For him, if rep 10 looks and feels like rep 1, that doesn’t amount to training; it’s just moving weights around without any burn. Arnold believes, “Instead, the unintentionally slow reps—when your muscles struggle to move the weight—are the ones that matter most.”

Well, his recent take on harder reps vs. easier reps caught the attention of the masses, including WWE star Ryback.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Words Caught the Attention of the fitness world

WWE star Ryback was among the first to jump into the comments, firing off his trademark enthusiasm with, “Feed Me More! HUNGRY.”

Adding more weight to the message, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s close friend Adam Bornstein highlighted the bigger picture, noting that “Advice that applies both in the gym and in life.”

The sentiment clearly struck a chord, with another fired-up follower chiming in, “Can't agree more with the goat.”

Rounding it out, renowned wellness educator Jen Widerström summed up the buzz perfectly, simply stating, “Obsessed with this post.”

Well, what are your thoughts on Arnold Schwarzenegger's thoughts about hard reps? Tell us in the comments below.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das