The Mr Olympia we all know - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is perhaps the only pro bodybuilder that people from all walks of life have heard of. And thats with good reason too.

Here’s a pic of him at the age of 19. Yes,NINETEEN. Just look at his physique - and he could probably already beat some of Malaysia’s best. How Arnie got this huge is of course, worthy of another write-up - so let’s not get into whether he on’s steroids, etc and all that right now.

Arnie’s Passion
At a young age, he never liked the fact that he couldn’t achieve ‘personal glory’ in every sport he was involved in. He wanted more, and he wanted recognition, fame, and respect for himself. Only when someone suggested he tried weights, did Arnold discover his true calling.

“I found myself in a gym, in awe of muscles I had never seen before and of which I didn’t even know the correct name. The bodybuilders were powerful, Herculean. Before my very eyes, my true future opened up: I had found the answer I had been looking for.”
(excerpt from “Education of a Bodybuilder”, written by Arnold himself)

So, at the age of 16 begins the career of the greatest bodybuilder of all times, the man who would be crowned Mr. Olympia for a record seven times (a record now taken over by Ronnie Coleman) and who we would all come to know as The Terminator.

In his top form, Arnold’s arms measured a whopping 22 inches (girth). That’s thicker than the thigh of an average person. Geez.. I’m nowhere even close! No wonder he managed a record-breaking sweep of the Mr. Olympia title for 1970, 1971, 1972,1973, 1974, 1975, 1980.

Arnold is one of the many people I admire. I’ll always remember an article I read on some of the methods Arnold used at the gym to push himself further. In his early years, Arnold had underdeveloped calves that he was very embarassed about. What did he do? He cut his pants from the knees down to remind him how his calves were. After alot of intense training after that, Arnold created one of the best pairs of calves ever.

How many of us have that willpower and possess the determination to achieve our goals?

Read also:

1. Overcoming failure and achieving your fitness goals
2. Ronnie Coleman’s top 10 sayings