Arnold Schwarzenegger’s journey into bodybuilding began long before he won his first Mr. Olympia title. It began in his teenage years, when he saw a picture of Reg Park in his Hercules appearance magazine. Later, Schwarzenegger became even more mesmerized by the fact that Park also won many Mr. Universe titles.

What was unknown even to the bodybuilder himself was that one day he would not only earn the same Mr. Universe title but also appear in the same movie.

On June 13, The Howard Stern Show posted a video on its YouTube channel featuring the 7-time Mr. Olympia, who revealed how he entered Hollywood through the Hercules movie.

When the host asked Schwarzenegger whether it was shocking to him to get the role of Conan the Barbarian, the Austrian Oak said, “I remember I was shocked when they asked me to do Hercules in New York because at that point I had no plan yet to be in acting.

“I was working my way up in bodybuilding, and I said to myself, I have to go to acting class. I have to really work on my accent. And I have to really learn the language and all this. I was not ready at all”.

In this part, Schwarzenegger discusses the movie Hercules in New York, which was released nationally in the US on February 25, 1970.

And in the same year, he earned his first Mr. Olympia title at the age of 23.

While Schwarzenegger was not confident at the time, it was Joe Wider who spoke with him and convinced him to take on the role.

Talking about Wider, Schwarzenegger said, “Then I went to an interview with him, and they got me that they gave me the party. I didn't even have to read. I never even talked. They said, Shut up and don't talk. He says, I do the talking. You just sit there and keep your chest out and look proud and look strong”.

Wider introduced Arnold as a German Shakespearean actor, and in that way, Arnold got the role.

So, how was Schwarzenegger trained during his preparation for Mr. Olympia and Hercules?

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s training in the 1970s

According to Muscle and Strength, Schwarzenegger used to train each muscle twice a week.

The workout variation 1 includes:

• Day 1: chest and back
• Day 2: arms and shoulders
• Day 3: lower back and legs
• Day 4: back and chest
• Day 5: arms and shoulders
• Day 6: lower back and legs
• Day 7: rest.

Schwarzenegger’s workout variation 2:

• Day 1: legs, backs, and chest
• Day 2: arms and shoulders
• Day 3: legs, backs, and chest
• Day 4: arms and shoulders
• Day 5: legs, backs, and chest
• Day 6: arms and shoulders
• Day 7: rest.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil