1. PHOTOGRAPHY:SARAHMATRAY
COVER STAR4 b+s b+s 5
ARNIE
THROUGH
THE AGES
COVER STAR
EXCLUSIVE
ARNIE’S BACK
- and he has a dream
T
here’s a scene in
the cult bodybuilding
docudrama Pumping
Iron, where a 28-year-
old Arnold
Schwarzenegger likens the
feeling he gets during weight
training to an orgasm. “It’s as
THE CRUSADE
There’s another side to the
Hollywood legend that’s often
overlooked in favour of more
salacious stories. Since the ’70s,
Arnold’s been active in making
sure weight training is accessible
to all, especially those with
special needs. In 1976 he worked
on a study with the University
of Wisconsin to see what effect
weight training would have
on people with intellectual
disabilities. The results revealed
a huge gain in confidence for
participants, and in the years
following, Arnold became an
international coach for weight-
lifting events in the Special
Olympics. This was a pivotal
moment in his fitness crusade.
During the Arnold Classic
seminar, a young woman in
the crowd tells the story of her
mother, who lost an arm and leg
THE ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER
QUICK THREE…
1
AUSTRALIA’S CHILD
OBESITY CRISIS:
“Parents, take on that
responsibility and make
sure your kids are healthy and
fit because what you learn at
that age is what stays with
you. I remember my dad always
took us out ice-curling and
ice-skating and sledding in
the winter. In the summer,
we played soccer. That stayed
with me – that exercise is
just a part of life.”
2
INSTAGRAM #FITSPO:
“I think there’s a lot of
stuff that you can get
on the Internet about
fitness and bodybuilding, and
I just love that… I just think
we should get information
every day, rather than wait
once a month for a magazine
to come out, and hopefully
find something that you like.”
3
HIS DRIVE:
“I’m as hungry today
as I was when I was
20 years old. I’m
always looking to take on
new challenges. I think that’s
what life is all about. It’s the
difference between living
and existing.”
during an accident. She says that
thanks to her dad’s experience
in bodybuilding, and inspiration
from Arnold, her mum’s been
getting fit again and can now
even swim for two hours straight.
“It’s great to hear the story
about your mother,” Arnold
responds. “It’s great to see
first-hand […] the courageous
men and women that have had
their accidents, they’ve had their
problems, but they continue with
the same will, the same fire in
the belly. I just love seeing that.
“This is why I say, when people
have those traumas, accidents,
illness, cancer – whatever it is –
and then you give them the
opportunity to go and train, and
you inspire them and show that
they can set new goals, they can
continue. But we have to give
people the opportunity.”
KEEP FIGHTING
Back at our interview, I mention
to Arnold that in the last few
years with his work on the
Special Olympics, Arnold Classic
and After-School All-Stars
program to help kids succeed
at school, it seems he’s been
dedicated to giving back to the
community. “It’s something that
gets into your blood. I’ve always
had that from the time I came to
America to now, and it will go on
like that. It’s always a give and
take. You know you can use a
country, and use a system, but
you also have to give back
because someone worked very
hard to get us to that point in the
first place to make it a country
of opportunity,” Arnold says.
“It’s the same in Australia.
In this country a lot of people
struggled to make this country
as great as it is. Now we have to
teach people; now it’s your turn
to struggle a little bit and fight
to keep this place great. It goes
from generation to generation.”
So, does this mean his fitness
legacy is what he’d like to be
remembered for? Before I finish
asking my question, Arnold says:
“I don’t worry about what I’ll
be remembered by, because
everyone will remember me for
something else. Some people
will remember me for the body
building, others for the acting,
others for the political stuff.
“For me the important thing
is I want to use my power of
influence for good things and
to improve the world.”
b+s deputy ed
Lizza Gebilagin’s
one-on-one with
Arnie at the Arnold
Classic. He’ll be
back next year on
March 17-19. Visit
arnoldclassic.com.
au for details.
b+s
1966: The 18-year-old
strikes a pose in the lead-
up to the Mr Europe event.
1980s: As Arnie’s
profile grows, his
shorts do the opposite.
1982: The
breakthrough
role for Arnold
comes in the epic
film, Conan The
Barbarian. (Arnie
has confirmed
he’ll be reprising
his role soon.)
2003: The Governator
takes control of
Californian politics.
2015: Arnie takes
on Skynet again in
Terminator Genisys.
2016: On stage with
Arnold Classic Australia
winner Kai Greene.
satisfying to me as… having
sex with a woman,” he grins.
Forty years on, it’s a 68-year-
old Arnold who sits with me
for our interview in Melbourne.
His career – which started in
bodybuilding, found huge
success in Hollywood as an
actor, and then transitioned into
politics as the 38th Governor of
California – has come full circle.
He’s here to promote the second
year of the Australian leg of the
Arnold Classic, which started off
as a bodybuilding contest and is
now a multi-sports festival. I ask
how his approach to training has
changed since Pumping Iron.
“Well, the goal is different,”
Arnold says. “When I was 20,
I wanted to be a world champion
in bodybuilding, so then it was
five hours a day [in the gym],
and lifting as heavy as I could.
“Today, it’s about how can
I hold on to the body. Because,
as you know, as you get older the
muscles deteriorate, so what the
weight training does is gives it the
opportunity to keep and hold on
as long as possible. My goal now
is to just stay fit and strong.”
As you’d guess, his idea of
maintenance is different to ours.
Even though he’s nearly 70,
Arnold still exercises for 90
minutes daily, doing a mix of
cycling and weights. He’s happy
if people commit to doing
“something vigorously [for] an
hour a day”. After all, the whole
point of the Arnold Classic, which
now heads to six continents and
involves 18,000 athletes, is to
leave a health and fitness legacy.
Earlier at the press conference,
he explains: “This was my dream
when I finished bodybuilding
competitions, to not just lift
weights for myself, but to lift the
entire sport of bodybuilding and
to promote health and fitness
throughout the world.”
“We don’t really care what
sport you do. What we’re
saying to the people is we’re
encouraging them to do
something. Get off the couch.
Don’t be a couch potato and just
sit there and watch movies or
TV.” Arnold laughs as he adds,
“Except if they’re my movies.”
The star talks about the legacy he hopes to leave in an exclusive interview with Lizza Gebilagin