Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger’s charisma and humor were shown in the documentary Pumping Iron (1977), which led to his role in Conan the Barbarian (1982). He gained worldwide fame with The Terminator (1984) and appeared in two sequels over the next 20 years.
Besides being a famous actor, Arnie was also a professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th Governor of California (2003–2011).
He started weight training at 15, inspired by his father and introduced to it by his football coach when he was on the team. At such an age, he decided to pursue bodybuilding over football as his career.
Schwarzenegger had an intense workout regimen. He used to spend five hours a day on high-volume training to build quality muscle mass. He began lifting weights as a teenager in Austria and made history in 1970 at age 23 — becoming the youngest-ever winner of Mr. Olympia, the top bodybuilding competition, in his debut contest.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Never Followed a Diet Plan Rather Experimented with Steroids
In a new three-part Netflix docu-series, Arnold, Schwarzenegger shared his inspiration to pursue bodybuilding after watching the 1961 film Hercules in the Haunted World, featuring Reg Park.
This film served as a blueprint for his life’s direction. So. when he moved to Los Angeles in 1967, he felt ‘quite different.’ He said, “the gyms where I went to were the gyms where the best bodybuilders worked out.”
Vince Gironda – the owner of Vince’s Gym, told Arnie that he had the potential, but he needed to get rid of “a lot of fat” on his body before going to Gold’s Gym, where later Joe Gold famously referred to him as “Balloon Belly.” The actor said:
“I alone cannot accomplish anything. I need help.”
So, he invited fellow bodybuilders Frank Zane and FrancoColombou to join him in California for training at Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, which marked a turning point in his career. He also explains that working out alone would not be enough that’s when he turned to steroids. The Terminator actor goes on to say:
“I was never a fanatic about diet. It was Frank Zane and Franco Colombu who put my vitamins together. And then we would experiment with steroids.”
Instead of following a proper diet, Schwarzenegger just ate plenty of protein and delayed his meals to lose weight.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Admits That Steroid Use Contributed to His Progress
In the docu-series, a flashback clip shows young Arnold Schwarzenegger telling the camera:
“Everybody in the bodybuilding field who is up there on the top is taking steroids. Maybe five percent of my progress is from the steroids.”
Schwarzy explains that he had medical supervision during his bodybuilding career. He followed a strict regimen, which included bulking up for four months before competitions and then taking a break. He also adjusted his eating habits and also got very tanned. The Austrian Oak said that:
“There were hundreds of people watching guys working out. I felt like I was living in the middle of a circus.”
His desire to display his hard work and achievements was a driving force behind his dedication to bodybuilding. As he said, the satisfaction of people watching him and saying, “Wow, he looks incredible,” always cheered him up.
