Imagine you are just sharing an innocent post about your bodybuilding progress online, only to have bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger himself comment on it. This is exactly what happened to one lucky fan named Jenn C when a simple fitness update turned into a fan’s dream come true moment.

Jenn C., an X user, shared her fitness updates on the platform on July 14, tagging Schwarzenegger for inspiring her.

"I've been training to become a powerlifter since February! I've lost over 50lbs and can bench 145lbs! Thank you @Schwarzenegger, even though you are a bodybuilder, you're one of my heroes. You are an example of emotional and physical strength," stated the X post.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the legend himself commented on her post, congratulating her on the progress and motivating her to continue the journey.

“I competed in weightlifting and powerlifting first, so I love this,” Schwarzenegger’s reply on X said. “Congratulations on your progress! Keep pumping.”

Years before Schwarzenegger became a seven-time Mr. Olympia, he was already on the journey to becoming as strong as he possibly could. He competed in Olympic powerlifting and weightlifting during the mid-1960s and even won the 1966 Junior European Powerlifting Championship.

So, what did Schwarzenegger’s training look like before he became a powerful force in strength sports and moved on to bodybuilding?

Inside Arnold Schwarzenegger’s early powerlifting routine

Schwarzenegger’s early weightlifting and powerlifting workouts were focused on building strength using heavy compound lifts. Later on, he used these methods to build the foundation of his bodybuilding success.

Schwarzenegger shared what his early workout days with Italian bodybuilder and friend Franco Columbo looked like. In his monthly newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, Schwarzenegger revealed that his maximum bench press was 525 pounds.

“In those days, that was a big lift,” he said, as per Men’s Health magazine. “I loved mixing in powerlifting with bodybuilding one day a week,” Schwarzenegger revealed.

He talked about his typical warm-up sets: 123 lbs, 225, 275, 315, 405, and up to 495 lbs—each for 5-8 sets of three reps.

The biggest lesson he learned from his early powerlifting days was that failure was not equal to losing. He admitted to failing multiple times when trying to lift heavy, but he never once considered them as losses. Instead, he simply trained harder and kept trying.

“Failure is not an end—it's a means to an end,” he said.

After his warm-up sets, Schwarzenegger typically performed heavy barbell squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. His heaviest reported deadlift was a whopping 710 pounds, which is incredible even by today’s standards.

His philosophy was simple- keep training, increase weights consistently, and become stronger over time- but never give up.

How would you react if bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger commented on your social media post?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi