Arnold Schwarzenegger dreamed of becoming a successful, wealthy bodybuilder and establishing himself in America. During that time, he joined the Austrian military for mandatory service. It was also key to fulfilling his dream because serving in the military used to grant citizens a passport.

However, there was a time when the Austrian Oak left the military and became a gym trainer. The reason he himself revealed during his appearance on the Theo Von podcast on June 5, 2025. So when he was 18, Schwarzenegger got an offer from “Munich at the biggest gym to go and become a trainer.”

And the teen bodybuilder could not resist the offer. And he said, “I become a trainer there. Now then, I can train anytime, 24 hours a day, because I actually lived in the gym. So I could get up literally.... I go out to the gym... posing in the mirror all the time. At night, I would wake up, and I would go out there posing and stuff. So I was like, you know, very intense ”.

So, it was his love for his passion that pushed him to choose the path. Even during his school days, Schwarzenegger secretly trained in his kitchen despite facing criticism from his family and neighbors.

However, living in the gym was not easy for him. When asked about the room and the conditions where he lived, the 7-time Mr. Olympia said, “It was a little room. There was from here to there where you sit, a bed, and just a little kind of a thing with a cabinet with drawers where I put my stuff in. That was it.”

However, that condition itself was a heaven-like situation for the young bodybuilder, and that consistency paid off well for him. Literally 2 months after joining the gym, Schwarzenegger won the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965 and was voted best-built man of Europe in another competition in Graz.

While he revealed the reason for leaving the military, there was a time when Schwarzenegger had to serve time in jail for leaving the military.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran away from the military and got jailed

While serving in the military, Schwarzenegger broke his commitment to serve a full year, from October 1, 1965, through the end of September 1966.

This was the time when Mr. Junior Euroap was being held. He knew that the authority would never allow him to leave for the competition, so he decided to be absent without asking anyone.

Although he won the competition, it cost him a week in prison.

However, after seeing his dedication and commitment to bodybuilding, his military officials and fellow workers even helped him work out by allowing him to set up a makeshift gym.

So, it was the foundation of the 7-time Mr. Olympia.

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy