Imagine working on your body every waking hour of the day to sculpt it into a Hulk-like physique only to be deemed “too fat” to win first place in a coveted championship. Sounds gut-wrenching, right? That’s exactly how Arnold Schwarzenegger felt at that moment, or perhaps ten times worse, when he lost the Mr. Universe title after missing the milestone by a hairbreadth.
Frank Zane Conquered Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1968
A luminary of the world of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger, though retired at present, used to be lauded for being perhaps one of the most exemplary professional bodybuilders that the world has seen. But despite being worshipped as the Austrian Oak in the industry, there was a time when the 75-year-old hunk was rejected for being a little too healthy.
Back in 1968, when Schwarzenegger was still riding the high of his first amateur Mr. Universe win (1967), he was recruited by the pioneer of bodybuilding, Joe Weider, to participate in that year’s competition. The Terminator star on his part, had been positive about bagging first place in that championship as well, but little did he know, his expectations were going to be thwarted drastically.
While Schwarzenegger did manage to land second place, the winner was announced to be 3-time Mr. Olympia champion and American bodybuilder, Frank Zane. And it looks like the former’s complacency might have gotten in his way at the time. In his latest three-part docuseries titled Arnold, Zane, 81, recalled how the former governor of California had been edging toward blatant overconfidence back then, even though he hadn’t really been buff enough to be declared the winner.
“He was acting so arrogant and cocky like he was the winner, but he wasn’t in shape. It was all about being big and you know, size with him.”
But you know what they say, failure is the stepping stone to success.
From ‘Too Fat’ to 7-Time Mr. Olympia Champion
After his devastating defeat in ’68, Schwarzenegger, who was apparently mocked for his “balloon belly,” decided to work with prestigious bodybuilders and trainers in L.A., who ultimately encouraged him to shed his body fat.
Now that the bodybuilding beast had been told to whittle down a few solid pounds, Schwarzenegger tried his hand at pretty much everything, from a high-protein diet to vitamins and supplements, anything that would help him become lean. And well, victory wasn’t far away from him after that.
Just a year or so after the Mr. Universe debacle, the Predator star was back in the game with a bang and went on to win the professional Mr. Olympia title six years in a row from 1970-75. And that’s not the only time he maintained his glorious winning streak because although he’d failed to win the Mr. Universe title once, he’d later go on to emerge victorious three more times after his ’67 championship.
He indeed rose like a phoenix from the ashes.
The docuseries is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Insider
