Supported by data published on the NIH, USA.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has touched on the topic of death in an interview, a subject many refuse to discuss. However, his approach is fearless and shows the fighter in him.

On August 21, 2024, the Instagram account of achievempire shared a clip of the interview in which the host asked the 7-time Mr. Olympia about his thoughts on what happens when one dies.

In response, The Austrian Oak said, “Well, what do you think, why I'm working out every day? What do you think why I'm pumping iron? Why I'm lifting this hundreds and hundreds of pounds?

Should death ever come to me? I will battle him and destroy him and terminate him.”

Although death is a universal truth, research shows that regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle increase longevity.

For instance, a literature review by C D Reimers and his team, published by the NIH in the USA, reveals that regular exercise is associated with an increase in life expectancy of 0.4 to 6.9 years.

And Schwarzenegger knows that. He is now 78 years old. But still follows a regular exercise routine, which the legend often shares with his fans on Instagram.

On the occasion of his 78th birthday in July 2025, he posted on Instagram, revealing that he would celebrate his birthday with an active lifestyle.

In the July 30, 2026, post, he said, “Ah, well, today is my birthday. I am 78. Here we are, driving around, bicycling, getting my fitness workout done, and then I'm gonna lift some weights, and I'm gonna eat some good food and all those kinds of things.”

Apart from that, Schwarzenegger has regularly been seen exercising at Gold's Gym, sometimes with his son Joseph Baena, sometimes alone, and sometimes with other bodybuilding legends like Ronnie Coleman.

While he highlighted a fearless side of himself in the face of death, Schwarzenegger once also shocked his fans by saying that thinking about death can benefit them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s suggestion on confronting mortality

In an edition of the Pump Club’s newsletter, Schwarzenegger talked about how confronting mortality helps people get healthier.

He said, “Not only does confronting your mortality make you happier, but research suggests it promotes better health and can lead to healthier behaviors, such as exercising more, smoking less, or using sunscreen.”

Schwarzenegger also opened up about how ending negative thinking can change one's life by motivating them to adopt new, healthy habits and lead a healthier life.

According to him, death is a psychological thing. Schwarzenegger said, “The reason might be a simple reality: death is a psychological threat to your existence.

It forces you to become more aware of your limited time, actions, and behaviors. When your brain is forced to confront the end, you’re hard-wired to search for happy thoughts and take action to keep what you don’t want to lose.”

So, Schwarzenegger’s approach to death is fearless, and, according to him, a healthier life can help one live longer.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil