Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a symbol of discipline, success, and strength both outside and inside the gym, but he thinks bodybuilding is a never-ending process. “It's always a work in progress”.

Now, the bodybuilding legend himself has revealed how he built his fitness, maintained it over the years, and created his legacy.

On February 5, the Austrian Oak shared a short video on his Instagram, which said, "For more than 60 years: I’ve watched fitness change. I’ve watched it grow. I’ve watched it get louder. But the truth has never changed. Results come from discipline. From showing up. From having standards."

He continued, "When I was young, I wanted to be the greatest bodybuilder in the world. But I also wanted something bigger."

And there is no doubt that he always led his life with discipline. Born in Austria, he trained in small gyms with limited equipment and little money.

But despite limited resources, the skinny kid grew up to conquer the world of bodybuilding, winning 7 Mr. Olympia titles, becoming a successful movie star, and later becoming a public leader.

He says, "Remember what you do here in the gym is what you do in real life. If you just go through the motion in the gym, then you also go through the motion in real life. And that could make you end up being a loser."

Arnold Schwarzenegger became Arnold because he loves what he does. He said, “I want to lift the entire sport of weight training and fitness, because I know how great I feel when I train”.

He also suggests everyone feels the same way.

Arnold, who thinks fitness can make one, “To feel stronger. Happier. More confident”, also shared a few secrets to success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 6 Secrets to Success

After years of success across multiple fields, Schwarzenegger has developed his own set of postulates to achieve success in life. During his 2009 USC commencement speech, the legend highlighted his 6 rules for success. The rules are:

• Trust Yourself: Arnold said, “I was determined to be unique”. He always believed in his dream and achieved that success.
• Break some rules: according to him, “You have to think outside the box”. Early in his career, his calves lagged. However, Arnold worked hard and adopted an unorthodox strategy: working on the valves 6 days per week. This way, he turned weakness into strength.
• Don't be afraid to fail: in the 1980 Mr. Olympia, Arnold was a surprise entrant. After taking 5 years to retire, the legend entered the stage with a smaller size than in the past. However, the size uncovered some new cuts, and according to the judges, he was still good enough to earn the title.
• Work like h***: Arnold believes, “Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength”.
• Ignore the naysayers: He said, “Pay no attention to people saying it can’t be done”. It can be linked to his 1980 Mr. Olympia contest. Apart from that, some criticized him, saying he would only be a B-movie actor. However, his movies, such as The Terminator, have proved the doubters wrong.
• Give something back: The 7x Mr. Olympia also said, “Whatever path you take in your life, you must always find time to give something back. Reaching out and helping people will bring you more satisfaction than anything else you have ever done”.

So, are you thinking of following the ways Schwarzenegger mentioned?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy