Arnold Schwarzenegger is from a time when bodybuilding was not as well-developed as it is today. He had his fair share of grind as a soldier in the making before stepping into the world of bodybuilding

The seven-time Mr. Olympia appeared on the May 12 episode of the Bodybuilding Legends Podcast, where he reminisced about the period when he had to make do with whatever resources he had for a complete workout while in the Australian military.

Schwarzenegger disclosed, “For really serious workouts, I had to leave the military base and go down to the weightlifting gym in Gratz and to a friend’s house who had a bodybuilding a little bodybuilding club with some police and stuff like that.”

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Soon, Schwarzenegger started venturing off to different places for workouts. He revealed, “I was training there. I was training in a weightlifting club. I was training in someone’s home. I was all over the place. You know, training and getting my complete body kind of routine in there.”

Schwarzenegger was just 19 years old when he first competed in the Mr. Universe contest in 1966. His young blood was in full-force competitive drive during his years in the military.

It was at the weightlifting club that he first learned about Mr. Universe and decided to take part in it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals His Fanboy Moment With Serge Nubret at the 1966 Mr. Universe

The 1966 NABBA Mr. Universe in London was a humbling baptism for the 19-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger. He finished second, losing to Chet Yorton. Even though two of the judges were inclined to have him win the contest.

The event turned out to be a turning point for his career, he met many who’s and who’s of the bodybuilding world. Amongst them was Serge Nubret.

Nubret, “the Black Panther”, was a Guadeloupean-French professional bodybuilder who was among the elite of the bodybuilding world during that period. And, Schwarzenegger had his fanboy moment with him

“I met Serge Nubret. He was at the hotel where I was, and so I started talking to him. “

He said, ‘Take off your shirt. Take off your shirt.’ He then took out a tape measure because he said, ‘I heard that you have 50 cm biceps.’

“And then he said, ‘Well, I want to measure it.’ So I measured it, and they were 50 cm. So he was like, he was freaking out because his was also 50 cm,” Schwarzenegger recalled on the Bodybuilding Legends Podcast.

“And then he took his shirt off, and he was much more cut than I was. He had a tiny waist, he had abdominals, and I saw him in the magazines. He was one of my heroes when I started bodybuilding. So, it was great to meet him and then to meet other bodybuilders,” he said.

Well, given that Schwarzenegger had already matched the bicep size of his idol at 19, it’s apparent how he became the legend he is today.

Do you know any other interesting stories about him?

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